Padawan

29

Anakin, Rex, Cody, and a few select troopers greeted Sal, Kenobi, and Satine at the ship port. Satine and Obi-Wan were being awfully flirtatious that day, against Sal's warnings. They ignored her, of course.

"This your ship here, Duchess? It is the prettiest ship I have ever seen. But you are the prettiest thing in the galaxy," Obi-Wan said while escorting her on the ship. Sal beckoned for the others and they went on the ship. Everyone entered a room and Obi-Wan cleared his throat.

"You are all here to protect the Duchess. Make sure the Cargo Bay is secure. The Duchess, Anakin, and I will be upstairs. Sal, you help with the men," Kenobi ordered. The clones saluted and ran down to the cargo bay with Sal. They reached the Cargo Bay and Sal turned to face them.

"Everyone ready?" she asked. They all nodded and Sal opened the door. The Cargo bay was dark and Sal turned on her lightsaber. The Bay had two separate corridors and Sal went with the 212th group.

"Sal, that Duchess, is she with Obi-Wan, or at least at one point?" Cody asked.

Sal sighed. "I am fairly certain that they were in a relationship at one point. I don't think she knows about you two either. She doesn't even know you!"

"And she knows you?" Cody asked.

"I think my stepmom would know me well enough."

Sal walked away and continued searching. Some of their men hadn't answered their comms and Sal wants to find them soon. Anakin barged in and grumbled something along the lines that he was missing dinner.

"Sal? Those men respond yet?" He asked.

"Nope."

"Dang. I don't really want to deal with Deathwatch now," Skywalker sighed.

"I don't either. Yesterday was... a rough day. It hurts to fight someone you once trusted."

"Someone you once trusted?" Anakin asked.

"Yes. I had to fight my vod. He isn't my blood brother, but I trusted him more than anyone else when there was nobody to trust. It's a long story," Sal laughed sadly.

"Of course. Now let's go find out where those guys went."

...

An assassin droid appeared out of nowhere. Sal held in a scream and started using the force to shock it. The others didn't know how she was shocking this droids and they didn't ask. The droid fell and little droids popped out of it. Sal shocked these too and everyone was on high alert. Anakin ran up to Obi-Wan's position and Sal stayed with the clones.

"Be on the lookout at all times boys, we don't know what these droids can do," Sal warned them all.

"Yes sir!" They all saluted her and ran off. She heard some screaming and saw Rex attacking a droid. She shocked the droid and cut the top of the droid so the little ones wouldn't get out.

...

After scanning the perimeter, Sal went upstairs and got a comm from Kenobi once she was about to go into the room.

"There's a traitor! It's Senator Merrik!" Kenobi yelled. She could hear it through the door.

Speaking of the door, it burst open and Merrik ran out with Satine. He got out a gun and stunned Sal before she could react.

"What do you want with her?" Satine asked while Merrik picked up Sal.

"Her vod wants her back in his care. He's paying a good price for her."

...

Kenobi caught up to Merrik, Satine, and Sal. Merrik had called an escape pod and he dispensed battle droids in the ship. Merrik laughed when he saw Kenobi. Kenobi used the force to grab Satine away from Merrik. Merrik was cornered and Satine pulled out a gun. Her self-defense blaster. Kenobi ignited his lightsaber and Merrik laughed.

"Duchess, you can't kill me. You are a pacifist. Oh, and I don't think you would want to either, Kenobi. Why, you might ask? Satine would not love you if you kill someone. Who will strike me first and make themselves a killer?" Merrik grinned.

Kenobi and Satine just stood there. They didn't do anything. They both heard a lightsaber ignition and saw Merrik fall down. Sal, during Merrik's speech, had woken up and had taken her earlier unconsciousness and a tool to kill him.

Sal put her saber back onto her belt and looked at the body. She gagged and kicked it away.

Satine walked over to Obi-Wan. "Thank you, the both of you. But especially my dearest Obi-Wan. I wish I could have told you this earlier, but I love you. I always have."

"Satine, this isn't the time."

Satine didn't listen. She reached up and kissed Obi-Wan on the lips passionately. Sal's eyes widened and she backed away. She bumped into someone behind her.

Anakin.

His mouth was wide open and he surprisingly wasn't saying anything. Sal heard running footsteps and a bunch of people come closer. The clones. Rex. Cody.

The clones looked in and saw it all. Cody dropped his blaster and ran. Rex and Anakin chased after him. Sal just stood there with the clones.

Satine and Obi-Wan looked up and saw the horror on Sal's face. The clones' as well.

"He saw," was all Sal said. "He saw it all."

She looked away after grabbing Cody's blaster off the floor and ran after her fellow Commander. The clones snapped out of their daze and kept patrolling the ship.

Sal saw Rex and Anakin walk into a room and Sal followed. Cody was on the ground, sobbing. Sal put his blaster on the floor next to her vod.

"Cody, I am so sorry."

"He cheated."

"We know, vod," Rex said while kneeling next to his brother. "We wish we could have prevented that."

"I think he just wasn't thinking. I am pretty sure it was mostly the Duchess' doing," Sal added.

"Don't worry, Obi-Wan is an old man. Nobody likes old men," Anakin tried to lighten the mood.

"He's not that old. Have you seen Dooku? Yoda?" Sal laughed.

"He's old enough to be a Master."

"Says the one who wants to be a Master and has a padawan as well. You don't have an excuse, Master Skywalker."

"Fine. Whatever. This ship is landing at the moment. We can continue our argument later."