Ahsoka waved goodbye as she disappeared around the corner, followed by Obi Wan and then the clones, leaving Anakin and Kyah standing outside the door to the throne room.
"Are you up for this?" Anakin asked once they were alone.
Kyah turned to him, seeing his worried expression as his eyes looked over her injury riddled body.
"I'm alright." She said and Anakin's sighed.
"You're not." He shook his head.
Kyah shrugged him off, "Fine, I'm not." She admitted, "But I can manage."
Anakin hesitated before nodding, and then started walking down the hall the opposite direction as Obi Wan had gone.
"Do you actually know where we're going?" She asked as he lead them down a series of hallways which all looked identical to her.
"Yeah, I've spent a lot of time here over the years." He explained, "It's just sort of accepted by the council that all missions to Mandalore come to Obi Wan before anyone else because of his bond with their hierarchy." He said, "During my years as a padawan it was like a yearly trip we took." He smiled.
"How did they meet," She asked curiously. "Obi Wan and Satine?"
"He refuses to tell me anything about it, and the Duchess is no less guarded, but I've pieced together most of the story over the years, between what they say to each other, and what everyone else says about them." He explained, "From what I can tell, Satine was the first public official on Mandalore to promote the idea of pacifism. Nearly fifteen years ago, when she was meant to come to power, there was a series of attempts on her life. Obi Wan's master, Qui-Gon Jinn, was close friends with a few of the officials here at the time, and they asked him personally to come to Mandalore and protect the Duchess until it was safe for her to step into her title. Enter Obi Wan as a teenage padawan, accompanying his master to defend the Duchess." Anakin turned down another hall, Kyah trailing behind, "The conflict took nearly a year to resolve, and from what I've been told, the two of them became inseparable. They were fast friends who shared many ideals. Couple that with how young they both were, and it's easy to understand how emotions could get involved." Anakin glanced down at Kyah, before quickly looking back ahead.
She mulled over the story in silence for a while before speaking, "I know it's forbidden for us to form attachments," She started, drawing his attention back to her, "but, when two people care that much about each other, it breaks my heart to see them separated." She admitted and Anakin nodded.
"It breaks his heart too." He said with heavy emotion, "Every time he has to leave her, it breaks his heart all over again. I asked him about it once." He recalled, "He told me that any time he feels doubt or questions his decision, he asks himself what's more important to him. His duty to himself, or his duty as a Jedi."
Kyah was taken aback, "That's so black and white." She shook her head.
"So is the Jedi way." Anakin added, watching her face closely as conflict raged within her.
As they turned another corner, and were about to head down yet another identical hallway, they heard voices coming their way and backed up quickly, hiding out of sight as they waited for the voices to come closer.
"I'm telling you. I saw the dreadnaughts descending myself." One man said to another, "There had to have been six or seven at least."
"That's impossible." The other man replied, "Their not invading us, they're defending us." He insisted.
"Then why are they dropping off hundreds of thousands of droids with each ship that comes in?" The other man questioned as the pair of them rounded the corner, and froze in shock as they came face to face with the two Jedi.
Before either man could pull his gun from its holster, the Jedi knocked them clean out.
"I guess we've got our disguises." Anakin shrugged and Kyah nodded.
They dragged the men into a maintenance room near by, stashing them behind a stack of boxes, stripping them of their uniforms, then covering them with a tarp off of one of the shelves in the room.
Kyah waited in the hall while Anakin pulled on the armour of the taller man. He stepped out fully dressed and held up the helmet to Kyah, "Do I have to wear the stupid hat?" He asked, an annoyed look on his face.
"It's incredibly important to me that you do." She tried and failed to contain her laughter as he grumbled grumpily to himself and pulled the helmet on. "It's more wonderful than I could have imagined." She whispered to tease him and Anakin rolled his eyes, pulling it off again and tucking it under his arm.
"Awe, you're no fun." She whined and he rolled his eyes.
"Let's see how you like it?" He opened the door for her.
She stepped inside and looked down at the heavy armour, already dreading having to wear it over her numerous injuries. She reached behind her and started to unbutton her top, but the further down her back she got, the more it strained the wound on her shoulder, and stretched her aching ribs. She groaned in frustration and dropped her arms back to her side as she frowned down at the blouse, noticing the blood splattered down her sleeve, the singed neckline bellow the collar, and the badly tattered hemline of the skirt. She decided it was unlikely Satine would want the garments back, so she ignited her lightsaber, and carefully sliced up the front of the top.
Anakin heard her lightsaber activate and stepped closer to the door, "What are you doing in there?" He asked in confusion.
"Cutting myself out of this accursed dress." She said in frustration, "It has like a hundred tiny buttons." She said and Anakin laughed to himself, shaking his head.
She slid the sleeves of the dress down and felt the bandage over her shoulder come away with the garment, not surprised the adhesive on the tape had failed with so much blood and sweat soaking it. She winced as she felt the cold air hit the reopened wound and tried to look over her shoulder to see it, growling in frustration again when she couldn't get a good look, but felt as a trail of blood started to drip down her back.
She looked around the poorly stocked shelving in the maintenance closet, and found a roll of tack cloths. Grabbing those, she took the bottom of her skirt and ripped along the seams all the way up, tearing them away into strips she hoped to use to tie the cloths over the wound and keep from bleeding through the Mandalorian uniform.
She tried to hold the tack cloths in place while draping the strips of her skirt over top, but any time she would move one, the other fell loose. She tried a few more times and failed, looking around the room again for other options, but came up empty. She looked at the door, then down at the white undershirt she had on underneath the blouse. She turned her back to the door and blushed hard as she called to Anakin.
"I need your help." She admitted begrudgingly.
Anakin leaned in close to the door as a blush warmed his face as well. "Getting dressed?" He clarified nervously.
"No. I need to rebandage my shoulder, but I can't do it on my own." She admitted, shuffling impatiently from one foot to the other.
"You did okay with the gauze the other day." He reminded her and Kyah rolled her eyes.
"Gauze is a lot easier to work with. Plus, you helped me with that in the end anyways." She reminded him. "Do you think I would ask you if there was any way I could do this myself?"
Anakin sighed, "Okay." He agreed and cautiously opened the door, stepping inside the room with her.
He looked down and his eyes grew wide, "Oh my god Kyah." He gasped in shock, and shut the door behind him.
She had pulled her hair over her shoulder and out of the way, exposing her back to him so he could see the long jagged cut across her shoulder blade with only five of the original stitches still holding. Across the rest of her back, were the erratic markings the electric collar had left across her skin, layering over her scars in crisscrossed patterns. She shifted uncomfortably with his eyes on her, as Anakin came closer and raised his hands, but was scared to place them anywhere without hurting her.
"This looks excruciating." He said, and caught her eye as she looked over her shoulder, then turned away again with no comment.
"I found these to slow the bleeding." She handed him the tack cloths, "And ripped up the skirt to tie them down." She held up the long strips of white fabric.
"Satin bandages, how classy." He commented, and she laughed a little.
Kyah slipped the strap of her undershirt off her shoulder to get it out of his way, as Anakin took the cloths from her and carefully placed them over the wound, pressing as lightly as he could. She didn't so much as flinch while he adjusted them.
"You seem so unbothered by pain." He noted, speaking quietly.
Kyah looked down at the floor in front of her, "I'm not." She admitted, "It hurts. All of it hurts. I just learned a long time ago to hide my reaction." She explained.
"Why?" Anakin asked as he took one of the satin strips from her hand and wrapped it around her shoulder over the cloths.
"Most of the time, the people doing the hurting are just looking for a reaction." She explained, "Once they realize they can't get one, they lose interest." she tipped her head to the side, "Or, they take it as a challenge." she grimaced.
"You mean Dooku?" Anakin clarified.
"Not just him, but yes." She nodded. "There was also this man when was younger; a military captain." She recalled, her stomach tightening into a knot as memories of him replayed in her mind. "He taught me to fight." She said in a voice, barely audible. "He was a sadistic piece of work. Insisted that he would make me the best fighter in the galaxy, which sounds pretty good to a kid who'd spent her whole life being pushed around. I was finally able to stand up for myself. Defend myself against anyone who gave me trouble, except for him."
Anakin felt anger stirring in the pit of his stomach as he took another strip of fabric. He held one side of it and handed the other end to her. "He used the collar to keep you in check?"
Kyah nodded, "Amongst other things."
Anakin shook his head as he continued to work on her bandaging, "Wrap this one across your chest and under your arms." He instructed and she did as he said, handing the strip back to him on the other side of her.
He wrapped two other pieces around her shoulders, tying intricate knots here and there to make sure that the tack cloths couldn't fall or become dislodged. Kyah kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye as he worked diligently.
"I upset you again." She noticed and he glanced at her saddened expression.
"No, you haven't." He lied and continued to work.
"I can feel your anger." She reminded him, "I felt it earlier as well when we talked about my past this morning." She recalled.
Anakin opened and shut his mouth a few times as he thought of what he should say before deciding to just be honest.
"I'm honoured that you've confided in me." He said first, looking her in the eye to make sure she believed him, "But it does make me angry to hear about all the things you've been through. I can't help it. The idea of someone taking advantage of a child like that is infuriating. You couldn't have been more than sixteen when you were brought in to the order." he said.
"Fourteen." She corrected.
"It's insanity." His voice rose, "The scars on your back and the collar, and I'm sure so much more, all before you were fourteen." His blood pumped as his anger boiled into hatred.
He tied the last knot on the bandage and took a step back, leaning against the door as she turned around to face him.
"You haven't exactly navigated your youth unscathed." She said and took his metal hand in her's, lifting it between them, "I'm sure you have your fair share of scars."
Anakin nodded, "Of course."
Kyah shrugged, "Then why does it bother you so much that I do too?" She asked and Anakin raked a hand through his hair.
"For the same reason I shield Ashoka from so much danger, I hold her back even though she's ready for more. I care about her too much." He admitted to Kyah, but also to himself for the first time.
She was shocked by what he'd said. They stared at each other as the words he spoke hung in the air between them, and the words left unspoken left them both terrified.
Anakin rubbed his eyes as he ran his hand across his face with a heavy sigh, "I'll let you finish dressing." He said and opened the door, stepping back out into the hall before she could say anything.
Kyah stared at the closed door in front of her for long moments as his words circled in her mind. She spun her shredded skirt around so she could reach the buttons and undid them, letting it fall to the floor, then pulled off the undershirt from Satine, frowning at the blood soaked back of it as it fell to the floor as well. She left the leggings that Ahsoka had given her on, and pulled the baggy, navy blue pants on overtop, then carefully tugged the tunic over her head, stretching her arm as little as possible.
She looked down at the lightsaber wound on her other arm, glad to see it was covered nicely by the fresh shirt. The good thing about being cut with a saber versus a normal blade, was it cauterized the wound as it created it, so there was no bleeding afterwards. She grabbed the metal armband off the pile on the floor and pulled it on over the injury, wincing and biting back a groan as it push over the painful burn. The other band slid on easily, but she found herself struggling to pull the breastplate up over her chest.
"Why couldn't we find a lady guard?" She asked aloud and Anakin smiled out in the hall.
He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for her to come out, and was about to rush her, when he hear the sound of metal boots against tile, fast approaching.
"We're about to have company." He said and leaned in close to the door so she could hear.
"How many?" She asked.
Anakin watched two guards round the corner a ways down the hall from him, then another two, and another two.
"A full troop." He said and she cursed under her breath as she pulled the metal chest piece up finally, and put the second piece on over her head, pleasantly surprised that it hid the collar still around her neck.
She pulled on one boot, nearly falling over as she hurried, "Just pretend you're a guard. Don't be suspicious." She whispered through the door to him.
Anakin swallowed hard as he watched the guards approaching, looks of confusion and suspicion already painting their faces.
"What are you doing?" The front guard asked, lifting his face plate so he could speak with Anakin, as a dozen guards surrounded him.
"I'm.. uh, just, standing guard." He said and Kyah rolled her eyes while she listened to his failed attempt at being inconspicuous.
"Everyone's been called to the great hall for new orders." The man said and Anakin nodded.
"Right, yes. I'll be heading there next. After I'm.. uh, done here." He stuttered out.
"Done what?" another of the guards asked, as his hand hovered over his blaster. "What are you doing?" he pressed Anakin.
Suddenly the door behind him flew open and Kyah stepped out, "Oh. Hi." She said, feigning shock as she smiled shyly, adjusting her tunic which she had staged to look like it had fallen down over her shoulder. She'd taken out her hair, messing it up, and was still pulling on her last boot as she hopped out beside Anakin, "We were just on our way to the hall when we thought we, um," She looked up at Anakin and blushed, "Heard something suspicious in there." She gestured behind her at the door.
The guards in front of them immediately stood down, and smiled knowingly.
A few of them whistled and hollared from the back of the group, as the head guard just rolled his eyes at them, "Just hurry up and get to the hall. Our new leaders won't tolerate tardiness." He reminded them and carried on down the corridor.
As they walked past, several of the guards smacked Anakin's shoulder and pat his back as they whispered congratulations to him and chuckled. At the end of the line, two female guards stepped forward. They looked up at Anakin as one leaned in to speak wth Kyah.
"Where did you find him?" She asked, "I've been here three years and never seen anyone worth a second glance." She frowned.
"We're new." Kyah shrugged. "A couple weeks ago we caught wind that the separatists were moving in and decided to join up." She lied through her teeth.
The woman, nodded in approval, but Kyah noticed her friend's demeanour shift as she scowled at Kyah and Anakin both, then carried on down the hall.
"Ignore her." The guard sighed, "Not everyone around here can see these changes for the blessings they are." She explained and Kyah clenched her jaw as she watched the disapproving young guard walk away with her head hung low.
"After the meeting, come and find me." The guard in front of her said, "We can see about wrangling you up a uniform that fits." She said with a chuckle as she looked over Kyah's baggy robes and flat breastplate. "Then, maybe you can see about introducing me to any other gorgeous friends you happen to have." She added and shamelessly looked over Anakin from head to toe, while he pretended not to notice though couldn't help turning redder than a tomato.
"Will do." Kyah nodded, forcing a smile as the guard jogged down the hall to catch up with her group.
Kyah and Anakin watched until they had all disappeared down the corridor, before he abruptly spun to face her.
"Where did that come from?" He asked, his voice an octave higher than usual as embarrassment overwhelmed him.
Kyah hid her face behind her hands and shook her head, "I don't know!" She squeaked, "You were bombing out here on your own, and it was the first thing I thought of." She admitted, peaking at him from behind her gloves, as both of their faces burned bright red.
"I mean," He shrugged, "it worked, I guess. Just wish I'd had some warning."
Kyah nodded, "I know, I'm sorry." She lowered her hands, turning away from him, as she tried to reach behind her head and gather her hair, but winced as the armour around her pushed against the collar and her shoulder blade.
"What are you doing?" Anakin asked as she tried to bring her arms up from different angles, but nothing helped.
"I was going to braid my hair back. Both of them had their hair in braids." She nodded down the hallway the guards had followed. "It's probably regulation."
"Come here." Anakin gestured for her to turn around, "I'll do it." He offered and Kyah gave him a look of confusion as he moved behind her.
"You can braid hair?" She asked, clearly surprised.
"Yeah. I used to braid my mom's hair for her." He explained. "It calmed her."
He slid his hands through her long black hair, untangling it and guiding it away from her face, then pulled it into a tight and tidy braid, his fingers moving skillfully as if they worked from muscle memory rather than intentional movements.
"Man you have a lot of hair." He said with a laugh.
"It's sort of a point of pride I guess." She said, "The soldiers used to make us fight for sport, and whoever lost, would have their head shaved. It was a visualization of rank. Kept us in competition, and pit against each other." She explained, "I used to let the younger kids win all the time, earn themselves some extra food or new clothes." She said with a sigh, "Until the captain figured out I was throwing the fights and started putting me up against the soldiers instead." Her eyes were fixed on the wall in front of her, "I never lost again." she said with a note of shame.
Anakin kept quiet, as he finished up the braid, "Do you have anything to tie it with?" He asked.
"Oh, no I don't." She frowned.
"Here." He said and handed her the end of the braid over her shoulder.
Kyah looked over the neat and taut pattern while Anakin went back into the Maintenance room and found a ball of string on one of the shelves. He ripped off a piece and came back to Kyah, handing it to her so she could tie off the end.
"Thanks." She said and looked up at him, noticing a distracted look in his eyes as he nodded to her. "I didn't realize you knew your parents." She admitted.
"Only my mother. I never met my father." He answered.
"Most Jedi leave home so young they have no memory of where they came from or who they left behind." Kyah said and Anakin nodded. "How old were you when you left her?" She asked.
"Nine." He answered as the two of them started walking again, not far from the hangar now.
"Then, she was a slave like you?" Kyah asked.
Anakin nodded, taking a deep breath before he spoke, "We were bought from Gardulla the Hutt by a Toydarian junk dealer when I was six. He put me to work in his store, fixing old speeders and droids." he recalled his time on Tatooine.
"What happened to her?" Kyah asked and Anakin's heart sank. Kyah could feel the pain erupt from inside him as they walked on, and wished she could take back the question.
"The council forbid me to see her. It was years before I managed to get back home, and by then I was too late." He said, "She was kidnapped and tortured by Tusken Raiders." He remembered the traumatic night, "I found her just in time for her to die in my arms."
Kyah's heart ached, "I'm so sorry." She said and placed her hand on his arm as they walked on, letting in slide down to hold his hand.
Anakin looked down at her as she squeezed his hand comfortingly, and he felt himself relaxing. Calmed by her touch.
They rounded one final corner and stepped into a corridor which opened up into the hangar bay, both pausing to take a moment to ready themselves before pulling on their helmets.
"You ready?" Anakin asked.
"Lets do this." Kyah nodded.