#laurscream writes stuff | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

submeowchinegun · 7 years

Text

More Assassin Obi-Wan AU, since anon asked for it

Anakin sighed, slumping in his seat as he stared at his datapad. Currently, he was sitting in the Temple library, trying to finish an assignment for one of his classes. The work itself wasn't necessarily difficult, but it was exceedingly tedious, especially when Anakin wanted nothing more than to be up and doing something. Sitting in the library, with only the sound of fingers tapping against datapads, and the occasional cough, was boring. He glanced forlornly at the clock on the wall; he still had a good forty-five minutes of study period left, and it was already dragging by. When Anakin heard something, he immediately turned to look, desperate for the distraction.

Just around the corner of one of the tall shelves, he could see a group of padawans. They were all at least a few years older than him, huddled together and whispering conspiratorially. One of them kept taking quick peeks from around the shelf, scanning the room. They didn't seem to notice Anakin, too focused on keeping track of Madame Nu and the few other Knights in the library. So, once they'd ducked back behind the shelf again, Anakin slid out of his seat, walking over as quickly and quietly as he could. Luckily, Madame Nu was occupied with something on the terminal she was at, and no one else was paying any attention either. He managed to get right on the other side of the shelf, easily within hearing range of the other padawans, and mostly hidden from sight.

“– and you're sure we'll be able to get in?”

“Yeah, I'm sure. I heard about it from Aarn, and he says he went there once with Knight Dhyrr'in. We'll totally be able to get in, no problem.”

“Okay, then – ah, kriff,” the person speaking abruptly cut off, and then Anakin felt himself being pulled by a hand on his upper arm, until he was standing inside the circle of padawans, all of them staring at him.

“Alright, kid,” the last one to speak said, a pale yellow-green Rodian almost twice his height, “How much did ya hear, and whadda we gotta do for you to keep quiet about it?” Anakin didn't think, and blurted out the first thought that came to mind.

“You're sneaking out of the Temple. I want to come with you.” The group stared at him for a moment. Then they were all speaking at once, voices still low.

“Ugh, I knew this was never going to work –,”

“What? You've gotta be kidding!”

“Man, come on, I don't wanna be worrying about babysitting some initiate while we're trying to have fun!”

Anakin bristled, cheeks flushing indignantly. The Rodian hastily tried to quell the other padawans as their volume began to rise, and once he'd managed to quiet them, Anakin found himself speaking again without entirely meaning to.

“I'm not a baby! I'm a padawan too, and I can take care of myself!” The group seemed surprised by his outburst, and as the Rodian checked again to make sure they weren't overheard, the rest of the group gave him a measuring once-over.

“Well,” one of the others began, a crimson Elomin, “He is a padawan.” She shared a look with the Rodian, then turned her golden eyes back on Anakin. The combination of her coloration, and the similarity of Elomin to Zabrak, made him intensely uncomfortable, and he felt an involuntary shiver go down his spine.

“If you come with us, you're responsible for keeping yourself out of trouble, got it?” she stared at him expectantly until he nodded, his braid whipping against his shoulder at the movement. She nodded back curtly, and then the conversation resumed, the Rodian going on to outline the plan to leave the temple.

This was a horrible idea, Anakin thought, fruitlessly trying to sink further under the hood of his cloak. Things had gone according the other padawan's plans, and they'd all successfully made it out of the Temple, slipping out through one of the loading docks between deliveries. Anakin had made sure to stick close to the group as they got to the deeper levels of Coruscant; he wasn't familiar with more than the area immediately around the Temple, and the path to and from the shop where Qui-Gon went to purchase tea. When they'd finally arrived, it was at some kind of club, on a level so low there wasn't much natural light that was able to make it's way down.

Apparently Aarn had been telling the truth, because despite the fact that they were all obviously underage, the Duros at the door didn't give them a second glance before letting them in. The inside of the club was lit by flashing colored lights, and was filled with music so loud that Anakin could feel it's vibrations in his chest. Their group began splitting up, and unsure of what to do with himself now that he was here, Anakin looked around until he found an unoccupied booth, sliding himself onto the seat. The music wasn't so loud here, where Anakin now realized was at the very back of the club. He could just see the Rodian at the bar thanks to his height, but could find anyone else in the sea of people.

The excitement of sneaking out had begun to wear off, and as he watched the sea of strangers, Anakin could only think of how much trouble he'd be in if he got caught; of how disappointed Qui-Gon would be. He was practically brooding by the time he heard shouting from the direction of the front entrance, and he jumped as the Elomin seemed to materialize out of the crowd.

“We need to go!” she shouted over the music, pulling Anakin onto his feet and dragging him with her as she made for the back door. As they were passing through it, the shouting had gotten louder, and people were starting to follow them out. The Elomin led them down an alley at a light jog, and a steady stream of people were coming out of the club after them, all of them running down different alleys.

“What's going on?” Anakin asked, now that he could hear himself think.

“Security Forces raid,” she answered, not letting up on her grip on him. Down another alley, a Security droid caught sight of them, and started to run after them. The Elomin cursed under her breath, pulling him around a corner leading to a split in the alleys.

“Do you remember how to get back to the Temple?” she demanded, and Anakin mutely nodded. She seemed satisfied, turning him around and pushing him in the direction of one of the alleys.

“Alright, then start heading back. I'll keep them distracted so you can get away.” Anakin opened his mouth to protest, and was cut him off before he could even get a word out.

“Go!” she ordered, and Anakin could only nod and obey, turning to run down the alley.

And now, here he was, lurking at the mouth of some alley in a decidedly unsavory part of Coruscant. Anakin did not, in fact, remember the way back to the Temple, something he'd realized as soon as he'd stopped running. Even if he did, the number of random turns and paths he'd taken to make sure he'd gotten away would have made the knowledge useless. He couldn't even go up a level, because he couldn't find any lifts, despite some additional wandering that had only gotten him more lost. And to top it all off, he'd left both his lightsaber and his comm back in his room at the Temple. He watched pedestrians pass by as he leaned against a wall and heaved a sigh. Master Qui-Gon was always warning him not be so reckless, and now Anakin supposed he was in a situation that provided the perfect “why” to that advice.

Anakin was so busy thinking of all the ways he'd start listening more closely to Qui-Gon's advice, if he made it back to the temple (which, in Anakin's mind, was still only a maybe), that he didn't notice one of the people passing by stop, and look him over with a faintly puzzled expression. He still didn't notice when the puzzlement was replaced by understanding, or when the person walked over to him.

“I'm fairly certain that this is no place for padawans, young one,” the person said, amusement coloring their Coruscanti accent. Anakin startled so badly he almost lost his footing, narrowly avoiding falling by leaning more heavily against the wall. His head snapped upwards so quickly his hood slipped off, and the end of his braid smacked against the tip of his nose. He stared at the man, whose mouth had quirked up at one corner at his reaction, and frantically tried to figure out how he knew him. The man was leaning against the wall next to him, arms crossed casually as he waited for a reply. When Anakin finally recognized him as the man he'd seen with the Sith on Nar Shaddaa, he automatically reached for his lightsaber. His hand closed around nothing, and it felt like the bottom of his stomach had dropped out, as he remembered that he'd forgotten it.

“Oh, come now, there's no need for that,” he said, raising his hands placatingly, before loosely crossing his arms once more. “I'm simply being a good Samaritan. This really isn't someplace for a youngling to be wandering around by themselves. Not to mention you're a good distance from the Jedi Temple, and I was under the impression that padawans didn't leave it without their Masters.” Anakin just looked down guiltily, mind going back to the ever more likely reality of a disappointed Qui-Gon. The man frowned, scratching a bearded cheek in thought before coming to some conclusion.

“Alright, how about this,” he said, straightening up, “Hello, I'm Obi-Wan. It's very nice to meet you...?” and he paused, looking at Anakin expectantly.

“... Anakin,” he finally replied, committing Obi-Wan's name to memory. Qui-Gon hadn't been able to find anything about the man with only a physical description, but maybe with even just a first name he'd have more luck.

“Well then, it's very nice to meet you Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, giving Anakin a sunny grin. “Now, whatever are you doing all the way down here?” Anakin frowned up at him, and didn't say anything.

“Hmm. Well let me take a guess: for one reason or another, you snuck out of the Temple. Then, you managed to get lost, and here we are. Is that close?” Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow, looking very sure of himself. Anakin hastily wiped the surprise off his face, replacing it with an indignant scowl.

“No!” he bit back. “I know exactly where I am!” he insisted at Obi-Wan's skeptical look.

“I suppose you don't need any help finding the lifts then,” Obi-Wan said smoothly, and as he turned and began to walk away, Anakin felt a jolt of panic go through him.

“Wait!” Anakin called out, and Obi-Wan stopped, looking at him over his shoulder. “I don't know where the lifts are,” he ground out sulkily, and Obi-Wan smiled at him.

“Now that wasn't so hard, was it? And I just so happen to be heading to the lifts right now,” Obi-Wan replied, beginning to walk again as Anakin caught up to walk next to him. “Pull your hood back up too, I was being serious before,” he added. When Anakin wasn't quick enough for his liking, he reached down and tugged the hood back over Anakin's head himself. Anakin huffed in annoyance, halfheartedly batting at Obi-Wan's already retreating hand. Qui-Gon was always doing the same thing to him, straightening Anakin's tunic or robes, and by now his default reaction was mild exasperation. They walked for awhile, Obi-Wan easily leading them through the crowds, and Anakin stared at him for awhile, lost in thought.

“Why were you with the Sith?” Anakin finally blurted out, and Obi-Wan looked down at him, visibly confused.

“Sith?” he asked, and Anakin rolled his eyes.

“On Nar Shaddaa,” he clarified, “The Zabrak.”

“Ah,” Obi-Wan said in understanding, “You mean Maul?” Anakin didn't know if that was the right name, but nodded nonetheless. Obi-Wan looked away again, efficiently scanning the crowd like he'd been before.

“Maul is –,” and he paused for a moment, an expression Anakin couldn't decipher crossing his face, “– a friend. He asked me to go with him to Grakkus' party.” He then turned his gaze onto Anakin. “Why were you and your Master there? Nar Shaddaa isn't exactly Jedi friendly, though if you're any example that doesn't seem to stop you, does it?” Anakin glared and looked away.

“Grakkus had things that belong in the Temple,” Anakin said after a few minutes of silence.

“I see,” Obi-Wan hummed, deftly steering Anakin around a group of surly looking Bith. After a little while longer walking, they ran into a dense crowd, blocking their path. Obi-Wan frowned at the obstruction, leaning up onto the tips of his toes to try and see what the hold up was. He sighed in frustration, settling back onto his feet.

“Lovely,” he muttered, an aggravated look settling on his face. Anakin tried to see through the crowd himself, with predictably poor results, before giving up and turning to Obi-Wan.

“What? What is it?” he asked as Obi-Wan began leading them down a different street.

“Someone crashed a speeder into the lifts, from the looks of things,” Obi-Wan explained, “Don't worry, there's another way up, it's just a bit more roundabout.” His comm suddenly chirped, and Obi-Wan tapped a small earpiece that Anakin hadn't noticed before.

“Yes?” Obi-Wan said, and if there was a reply, Anakin couldn't hear it over the ambient sounds on this level. He still watched Obi-Wan, at least paying attention to the half of the conversation he could hear.

“I'm afraid I've been waylaid slightly. Someone appears to have taken the lifts out of commission,” Obi-Wan said after a brief silence.

“Well, I've also run into a bit of a situation of my own,” at this, he shot a glance at Anakin.

“Nothing for you to worry about,” followed by another pause.

“I'm not certain that's the best idea –,”

“Who are you talking to?” Anakin interrupted, and immediately snapped his mouth shut at the look Obi-Wan gave him. Convinced that Anakin was sufficiently cowed, he turned his attention back to his conversation.

“No one,” he said into the comm, then with a roll of his eyes, “Yes.” He was quiet for a few moments, listening, then let out an exasperated sigh.

“Alright,” Obi-Wan answered, and hung up.

“You know,” Obi-Wan said, giving Anakin a chastising look, “It's rude to interrupt people while they're using the comm.” Anakin muttered an insincere 'sorry', and despite his unimpressed expression, Obi-Wan let it go. He changed the direction they were going slightly, and before long they'd reached a working set of lifts. It was a smaller station than the other one, and there was a short line they waited in before they were able to take one up. When they stepped in, Anakin looked at Obi-Wan suspiciously when he didn't press the button to take them to the surface level. When he noticed Anakin's expression Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

“This lift doesn't go to the surface levels, despite having the buttons for them,” and he gestured to levels one through seven, right above the button he'd pressed for level eight. They all had faded black tape over them, most of it peeling off. “We'll have to find a more central lift on eight to get to the surface. I told you, this is a more roundabout way.” Anakin spent most of the ride looking out the lift's view-screen, watching as the light steadily became brighter the further up they went. This lift was clearly older than the one Anakin had initially come down in with the other padawans, and it took longer to get them to their destination. The lift stuttered worryingly as it stopped, and Anakin practically leapt off of it ahead of Obi-Wan, who followed him at a more sedate pace.

This level, despite being much higher and closer to the Temple, was still unfamiliar to Anakin. He looked around, disappointed. He'd hoped that he would recognize the area, and be able to get back to the Temple on his own, but it looks like that idea wasn't going to pan out. Obi-Wan stopped once they were clear of the lifts, looking around.

“So, how much of Coruscant are you familiar with, Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked once they'd started walking again. Between the walking they'd already done on the lower levels, and Anakin's running from Security Forces, his energy was flagging fast.

“Just around the Temple,” he mumbled, and without much thought continued, “And where Master Qui-Gon goes to buy tea.” Obi-Wan watched as Anakin began to tiredly drag his feet, a small amused grin on his face.

“And where would that be?” Obi-Wan asked him, slowing his pace slightly. Anakin's brows furrowed as he thought.

“Sector twelve, I think?” Anakin answered, uncertain. He didn't usually pay that much attention when he was out with Qui-Gon, trusting his Master to lead them around safely.

“That's not too far from here,” Obi-Wan replied, changing their direction ever-so-slightly. He chuckled under his breath as Anakin lagged behind.

“Do you need me to carry you?” he asked, gently nudging Anakin's shoulder. Anakin puffed up his chest and glared at Obi-Wan, his face flushing.

“No, I'm not a baby!” he complained loudly, which only seemed to amuse Obi-Wan more.

“If you're sure,” Obi-Wan said with a short laugh. Anakin was so focused on glaring at Obi-Wan, he nearly missed the cloaked figure that fell into step with them on Obi-Wan's other side. Obi-Wan saw his eyes shift, and turned to look at the figure as well.

“Ah, there you are,” Obi-Wan said without missing a beat. Anakin got a good look under their hood, and felt his face go white as a sheet. It was the Sith, terrifying yellow gaze meeting his for a moment that felt like an eternity, before it shifted to Obi-Wan.

“Kenobi,” he said shortly, and Anakin was too shaken to make conscious note of what was probably Obi-Wan's last name. He instinctively glued himself to Obi-Wan's side, putting as much of the man between himself and the Sith as he could. Upon feeling Anakin practically clinging to his leg, Obi-Wan stopped and looked down at him. He seemed confused for a moment, before glancing between Anakin and Maul in understanding.

“Now, now, Anakin, there's no need to be afraid of Maul,” Obi-Wan smiled, giving him a consoling pat on the shoulder, “In fact, would you like to know a secret?” Anakin tore his eyes away from Maul to look at Obi-Wan cautiously. After a moment, he nodded.

“You see,” Obi-Wan began in a conspiratorial stage whisper, while Maul rolled his eyes next to them, “Maul only looks scary. That's just what his face is like. He's actually very nice.” True to form, when they both turned to look back at him, Maul was giving Obi-Wan an impressive scowl.

“I am not nice,” he growled, aiming a kick at Obi-Wan's shin. The man easily moved his unencumbered leg out of the way, and Maul just sneered at the both of them.

“See?” Obi-Wan said, and gently pried Anakin off his leg, getting them moving again. Anakin couldn't get himself to let go completely, and settled for having his left hand clenched in the loose fabric of Obi-Wan's pants. Maul growled to himself, but kept pace with them at Obi-Wan's side.

“How did you manage to pick up a stray padawan? And Jinn's no less?” Maul hissed at Obi-Wan, at a volume clearly meant to be out of Anakin's hearing. Anakin pretended not to hear them as Obi-Wan whispered back, pretending to be engrossed in the sight of the shops they were passing.

“I found him lurking in some alley on the lower levels,” Obi-Wan said, a note of irritation in his voice, “What was I supposed to do? He's what, ten? That's no place for a child, I wasn't going to just leave him there.” Anakin resisted the urge to tell them that he was twelve, thank you very much, and kept listening instead.

“Well you can't keep him. As much as I would like to see Jinn's face once he realizes he's lost another padawan, I'm don't want the entirety of the Jedi Order on the warpath to rescue their poor, innocent padawan from the big bad Sith,” Maul muttered sarcastically. Lost another padawan? Anakin thought, face twisting in confusion. “And he's twelve,” Maul tacked on, and Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.

“How do you know how old he is?” Obi-Wan asked. In lieu of answering, Maul hummed and looked away, pretending to pay attention to the shops they passed, in much the same way Anakin was. Obi-Wan let out an exasperated huff, but dropped the topic. He looked down at Anakin instead.

“Anakin, you said your Master goes to a specific tea shop?” Anakin looked up.

“... Yeah,” he said, eyes darting to Maul suspiciously, who was still pretending to ignore them. Obi-Wan nodded, and turned to Maul.

“Would it be safe to assume you know where this tea shop might be, Maul? Somewhere in Sector twelve, maybe?” Maul was quiet for a few moments.

“Yes,” he finally said, and started walking slightly ahead of Obi-Wan, leading the way. Quickly, things began to look more familiar to Anakin. Before he knew it, they were passing by the restaurant whose window had been broken the last time he'd seen Maul. Both his and Maul's gazes lingered on the yet to be fixed hole where the window used to be, walled up now with a wooden board. Obi-Wan watched them curiously.

“Wait,” Obi-Wan said abruptly, “Did you actually get thrown through a window?” He looked at Maul, waiting for an answer. Maul only growled, sinking further under his hood, doing a much better job of it than Anakin had earlier.

“Master Qui-Gon force-pushed him,” Anakin provided helpfully, earning a glare so venomous from Maul that he immediately hid himself behind Obi-Wan's leg again.

“Stop that,” Obi-Wan said to Maul as he loosened Anakin's grip once more. Maul turned his glare onto Obi-Wan instead, though it lacked any real bite now. Instead of replying, Maul flung an arm out, gesturing to the shop they'd now stopped next to.

“We're here,” he said through ground teeth, then looked at Anakin again.

“Youngling,” he started, and Anakin forced himself to meet his unnerving gaze, “You can find you way back to the Temple from here?” It was barely phrased as a question, and Anakin nodded haltingly. Seeming satisfied with this, Maul turned on his heel and began to walk away.

“Your good deed for the day is done, Kenobi, let's go,” Maul said as he passed Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan gave Anakin one last look.

“Can you find your way back from here?” Obi-Wan asked. Anakin took a moment to think, and nodded much more easily this time.

“Yes,” he answered, “I'll be okay.” Obi-Wan grinned at him, giving him one last pat on the shoulder.

“Well then, I hope next time we meet under better circumstances,” and with that, Obi-Wan turned, jogging to catch up to Maul, who had stopped at the corner to wait for him, impatience clear on his face. Obi-Wan gave him a jaunty wave as they turned the corner, much like he had on Nar Shaddaa, and Anakin watched the spot he'd disappeared from for a while longer. By now, he was sure Qui-Gon had noticed he was gone. He gave the tea shop a considering look. Maybe he could pretend that he'd left to buy Qui-Gon some tea, as an apology for sneaking onto the ship to Nar Shaddaa.

Yeah, that could work.

#obimaul #star wars #assassin obiwan au #laurscream writes stuff

20 notes · View notes

submeowchinegun · 7 years

Text

this is already on ao3, but I’m committed to posting it on tumblr too

The Sith’s plans concerning the Naboo invasion are very different.

Obi-Wan stared at his datapad, numbly confused by what he was seeing. It was the cover of a popular magazine, featuring a picture of Senator Palpatine – Chancellor Palpatine now, his mind supplied – seated and smiling at the camera. Next to him, the headline read, New Chancellor, Old Religion, then below it, in smaller text, The Sith Order, and why you should care about it. He read it a few more times, but his brain still wasn't quite absorbing the words in front of him. He swiped across the screen until he found the article, then stared some more. Next to the text of the article was another picture of Palpatine, this time from a different angle. They'd placed his chair in front of a wall of windows, showing a beautiful view of Coruscant's impressive skyline. Behind Palpatine, with their back to the camera and arms crossed, stood a black clothed figure. Obi-Wan recognized the red and black skin, the horns, and the dark tunic, as the same man who'd appeared on Naboo.

Their group had been pinned down in a hallway, with droids approaching from both ends. He and Qui-Gon had done their best, but with the assault from two fronts, it had taken all of their concentration just to stay on the defensive. Then, from the way they'd come, the hangar door had opened. The man had darted through it, a lit saberstaff in hand, and immediately began cutting down the group of droids that had flanked them. Even though Obi-Wan had wanted to stare in confusion, with half of their assailants now occupied, he and Qui-Gon were able to give the rest of the group enough cover to break a window to reach the next floor.

By the time it was just the Jedi left on the floor, the man had dispatched the last of the droids on his end of the hallway. Now that it was split between the three of them, the droids fire from the other end of the hallway was easily managed. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon shared a glance, and at Qui-Gon's motion they ducked into the cover next to the window, climbing onto the ledge and leaping to the next floor. Before he jumped, Obi-Wan saw the man run by the window, saberstaff twirling as he deflected blasterfire. He'd given Obi-Wan the briefest of looks, face set in a grim expression, and then he was out of view. Obi-Wan jumped, arriving just in time to storm the throne room. From there, things had gone smoothly as could be expected, and soon Theed had been retaken from the Trade Federation.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had searched for the man afterward – Qui-Gon insisting that he was a Sith, and that they couldn't let their guard down yet – but they couldn't find any trace of him. What they did find were the still-smoking remains of a squad of droids, just down the hall from the throne room, and more in front of the lifts on the floor below, all of them with what was clearly lightsaber damage. Now, here the mystery man was, standing behind the chancellor in a magazine. Well, it looks like Qui-Gon was right about him being Sith, Obi-Wan thought. His gaze drifted to the article itself, skimming over it. Again, his mind didn't want to process the words, and he rubbed at his forehead. It was doubtless that the rest of the temple would find out about this soon, if they didn't already know. He wasn't sure how the council would react, but he could already picture the visible vein that would appear on Master Windu's forehead. Again, he tried to focus on the words on his datapad, managing to skim it this time.Obi-Wan didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't this.

Newly elected Supreme Chancellor, Sheev Palpatine brings to mind a kindly older uncle, more than a seasoned politician. We sit in his Coruscant apartment, likely the last time he will see it before he moves to the more secure one afforded by his office. There's some small talk while a droid brings out tea, and then I begin.

“So, Chancellor, if you don't mind me cutting straight to the point: what prompted you to reveal yourself as a Sith?”

“The crisis facing Naboo. It didn't seem like the Republic would act in any official capacity, not in time to help at least. I could hardly leave my own homeworld to such a fate.” The Chancellor is grave, his friendly contenance now somber.

Obi-Wan keeps reading, as the Chancellor paints himself and the Sith as a religious order, persecuted by the Jedi, and in hiding for their own safety. About halfway through the article, the door to his room opens, and Qui-Gon comes striding in.

“The council wishes to speak with us, Obi-Wan,” he says, stopping just inside the door. Things had been strained since Naboo, with the council yielding to Qui-Gon's request and knighting Obi-Wan, allowing him to take on Anakin as his padawan. They hadn't spoken about it, after Obi-Wan's Trials or even after his Knighting, and there was an uneasy tension because of it. The lack of a padawan braid swaying as he stands is still odd, and he sets aside the datapad before following Qui-Gon towards the Council chambers. Uneasy silence punctuates the walk there, and it took Obi-Wan longer than he'd like to admit to realize it wasn't only the things hanging in the air between him and Qui-Gon; there was an almost fearful tension permeating the usually serene atmosphere of the Temple. He could even feel it in the Council chambers, once they'd been granted access and stood before the semi-circle of chairs, all of them occupied.

“I imagine word has already spread through the Temple about the Chancellor,” Mace Windu said, raising an eyebrow at Qui-Gon, who nodded in reply.

“Yes,” Qui-Gon began, ”A few of the senior padawans saw the article, and I don't have to tell you how quickly it spread from there.” A few of the Council members nodded, while Yoda's ears only twitched, his eyes closed and body otherwise completely still. If Obi-Wan wasn't already familiar with the Grandmaster, he might be worried. His attention was drawn back to Master Windu when he spoke again.

“I think it's safe to say that no one saw this coming. Worse, public reception seems to be leaning in the Chancellor's favor,” at this, his expression grew impossibly more grave, “The Order can't be perceived to be making any move against him when he has this much public approval.” Mace was practically fuming, his jaw clenched tight once he was done speaking.

“Obscured the wounds of the Jedi-Sith Wars, time has,” Yoda said as he opened his eyes, and Obi-Wan almost startled at the sudden words from the small Master. “Forgotten what the Sith are, most of the Republic has. Faded even in the Jedi, memory is.” Seemingly finished, Yoda hummed, tapping his gimmer stick against his seat as he nodded decisively. There was a heavy silence as the Council considered this.

“Perhaps changed, have the Sith. Nearly wiped out, they were. Very different, even our Order is. But vigilant, must we be,” Yoda said, then closed his eyes again with finality, settling back into his previous pose. There was silence once more, everyone seeming unwilling to be the first to speak again.

“Knight Kenobi,” Depa Bilaba eventually began, and Obi-Wan immediately straightened at the mention of his name. “Is this the man you and Master Jinn saw on Tatooine?” she asked, tapping something on the arm of her seat, and an image of the same Zabrak from the article was projected in the middle of the room. This picture was much better, and seemed to from some kind of formal identification based on the head-on view and shoulders-up framing. Obi-Wan took a good, long look at the image to be sure.

“Yes, he finally said, nodding, “That's the same person, I'm sure of it.” At that, Master Bilaba pressed another button, turning off the projection. Then Master Windu leaned forward, interlacing his fingers.

“Knight Kenobi,” he said, staring at Obi-Wan with an unreadable expression, “The Council has a mission for you.”

#star wars #obimaul #Old Religion AU #laurscream writes stuff

13 notes · View notes

submeowchinegun · 7 years

Note

Prompt: "Well, *that's* not ominous." Any universe, any interpretation.

bit late putting it here since it’s already on ao3, but here we go, more Mistaken Identity AU

Maul pulled his hood lower overhis head, careful not to let it snag on his horns. It was lucky hehadn't gotten around to filing them again yet, the currently dulltips made the motion much easier. He and Obi-Wan were finally, aftersix days in hyperspace, on Coruscant. Maul's initial understanding ofthe plan was that he would transport Obi-Wan to the planet, he'd waitwhile the datacard was delivered, and then he and Obi-Wan would go tothe temple. Upon landing, however, Obi-Wan had insisted on Maulaccompanying him to speak with Senator Aak, who had apparently beenthe one buying the information.

So here Maul was, walking throughthe upper levels of Coruscant with a Jedi, who was still wearing his(frankly atrocious) plain-clothes disguise. Maul was counting downthe seconds until this all went horribly wrong. He'd already drawnhis fair share of odd looks, which he'd honestly been expecting. Theyreached the building that housed the senator's office a little beforemidday. It was directly connected to the main senate building, andthus they had to pass through security. 'Security' was two olddroids, who, once they scanned the identification card Obi-Wanpresented to them, didn't even spare Maul a glance. He was prettysure that wasn't normal, but Obi-Wan seemed unconcerned, so Maul letit go.

They stepped into a lift, silencefalling between them as it took them up twenty floors. Obi-Wan shothim a glance as they waited.

“Isthere a reason you're still wearing your hood?” Obi-Wan asked. Maulturned away from the view of Coruscant shown through the lift'swindows.

“You hired me to deliver youand the datacard safely to Senator Aak. It would be bad to drawunwanted attention,” Maul answered, and gave Obi-Wan a slow,up-and-down look, “And you're drawing enough attention for the bothof us, wearing that.” Obi-Wan huffed indignantly, but turnedbeseeching eyes to Maul.

“Areyou still–? Look I already apologized for what I said about yourclothes before –,” he said, stopping when he noticed Maul'ssmirk. “Oh, Isee how it is,” Obi-Wan grumbled. He'd quickly discovered, sincethe hot sauce incident, that Maul's humor was so deadpan it wasindistinguishable from his regular speech. A fact that Maul was wellaware of, and exploited judiciously, at least when it came toObi-Wan.

“Here I am, trying to bepolite, and you're just messing with me,” he complained.

“You make it so easy,” Maulgrinned back. Obi-Wan opened his mouth to retort, but the liftdinged, and the doors opened to a reception area. Behind a desk sat aTwi'lek man, who looked up when they exited the lift. Obi-Wan steppedforward, and after a brief conversation went through a door just pastthe desk. Maul stood patiently by the elevator, ignoring theTwi'lek's curious stare. Some ten minutes passed, before finally thedoor opened once again, Obi-Wan stepping back out. Through the opendoor, Maul saw a Gran, and next to them a human man. They were bothdressed similarly, in senatorial robes, though the human's were moreelaborate. The man happened to meet his eyes before the doors closed,and Maul found himself inexplicably shaken.

He stared at the closed door,barely remembering to breath, and almost didn't notice Obi-Wanspeaking to him.

“Well, now that that's takencare of, we can go to the Temple,” Obi-Wan said, walking ahead ofMaul into the lift. Maul managed not to stumble following him, andonce the doors closed behind them, rested a hand on the railing whiletaking deep, steadying breaths. Obi-Wan finally noticed something wasamiss.

“Maul?Are you alright?” he asked softly. He reached out to lay asupportive hand on Maul's shoulder, hesitating a moment before gentlysettling it there. Maul squeezed his eyes shut against the suddenheadache, swallowing down nausea. Wherethe kriff is this coming from?Maul thought. His mind supplied a flash of bright yellow eyes, set ina face hidden by the shadow of a hood, and his stomach twisted in avisceral fear. The whole image was fuzzy, somewhere between a distantmemory and a dream. After a few moments more, the whatever-it-waspassed, and Maul nodded carefully.

“Yes,” he said quietly, “I'malright.” Obi-Wan looked at him, the skepticism clear on his face.

“Are you sure?” he asked, andMaul nodded again, much more firmly this time. Obi-Wan didn't seemconvinced, but he let it go in the face of Maul's insistence. Whenthey stepped back onto the street, Maul took a deep breath of freshair. At least, as fresh as Coruscant air got. He immediately feltbetter, and noticed Obi-Wan fiddling with his comm. When he noticedMaul's attention, Obi-Wan looked up.

“Ah, I'm just calling theTemple. Don't want to spring someone they think is a Sith Lord onthem with no warning,” he offered, grinning wryly. Maul hummedsoftly in acknowledgment, and Obi-Wan went back to what he was doing.

“Therewe go!” he finally said, and the line spluttered to life, thoughwith a good deal of static. “That's odd,” Obi-Wan murmured, whenrather than connecting, there was only garbled sound and more static.Then, the line abruptly cut, falling completely silent. Maul andObi-Wan stared down at the comm.

“Well,that'snot ominous,” Maul broke the silence, sarcasm clear in his voice.Obi-Wan tried a few more times, each with the same result.

“There must be something wrongwith the relays at the Temple,” Obi-Wan supplied, and beganwalking, “Come on, there's a transport we can catch that shouldtake us in the right direction.” Soon, they were seated on saidtransport, taking the first of what Obi-Wan said were a few ridesthat would end with them within walking distance of the Jedi Temple.The first ride was uneventful, and only took around twenty minutes.It was when they got off to switch lines that things became...complicated.

Maul had only been to Coruscant afew times in his twenty-six years of life. One had been a year or twoago, delivering five crates to a dock on the other side of theplanet. Another had been transporting someone off-planet, noquestions asked. The most notable, however, had been when he wasthirteen. Sathan and Pry were delivering the recovered stolenproperty of some holo-actress, and had left him on the ship whilethey met with her. Somehow, and of this even Maul wasn't sure, he'dended up locked out of the ship, hiding on top of a stack of cratesfrom a very displeased astromech. For the next few months, and inspite of his protests, he had an almost constant chaperon, and for along while after Pry would tease him whenever they saw an astromech.

What this all boiled down to wasthat Maul was very much unfamiliar with this part of Coruscant. Sowhen he followed Obi-Wan off the transport, only to run into the backof him when the Jedi abruptly stopped, he was confused. After theyboth righted themselves, Maul gave Obi-Wan a questioning look. Helooked back at Maul with a confused expression of his own, andscanned the platform around them with furrowed brows. Maul lookedaround too, and saw other passengers who'd gotten off with themlooking around in confusion as well.

“This isn't the right stop,”Obi-Wan said, and continued when Maul only stared at him, “Thisisn't even a stop that transport is supposed to make.” By thatpoint, the transport was once more closing it's doors, pulling awayfrom the platform. Obi-Wan and Maul watched it go silently, and itdisappeared into Coruscant's traffic.

“Sohow far arewe from the temple?” Maul asked. Obi-Wan was frowning at the lastplace they'd seen the transport.

“A little closer than we were,but still too far to walk if we want to get there today,” Obi-Wansaid, before turning and leading the way through the crowd once more,“Come on, I know somewhere we might be able to securely call thetemple from.” Maul rolled his eyes with a huff, but followed himnonetheless. Each moment that passed, he became surer that thingswouldn't go smoothly.

#obimaul #star wars #Mistaken Identity AU #laurscream writes stuff #sl-walker #laurscream answers stuff

7 notes · View notes