“That’s touching. It really is,” the traitor senator scoffed. “But it makes me sick, and we really have to leave.”

Sardin looked at Merrick with an insulting look and growled at him. "You have the romantic soul of a slug, Merrick."

With that, she quickly raised her foot and slammed it hard on his foot with her heel. The force and pressure behind it hit the senator's toes hard, probably breaking them in the process.

"Ouch! You—"

The distraction paid off, giving Satine the chance to break free of her captors. In one fluid motion, she snatched the blaster from Merick's hands and stood a few feet away, her weapon and Obi-Wan's lightsaber pointed at the coat.

“Slugs are often stepped on.”

Merrick looked between the Duchess and the Jedi and scoffed, holding back the pain. "Interesting turn, but even if I don't deliver the Duchess alive to the Separatists, I still win. The moment I leave, I'll hit the remote and blow the Crown to pieces."

“I will not allow it,” the Mandalorian leader declared.

Merrick saw the Duchess trembling, trying her best to keep the blaster steady in her hands. She seemed to know how to use it, but using it would conflict with her ideals.

"What will you do? If you shoot me, you'll prove yourself a hypocrite for every pacifist ideal you hold dear. Merrick looked at the Jedi Knight in front of him. "And you, Kenobi. You're no stranger to violence. You'll be hailed as a hero by everyone on this ship...almost everyone."

Obi-Wan glanced at it and knew that what Merrick said was true. If he killed Merrick right now, in front of Sadine, he would lose any feelings she had for him.

"Come on then. Who will strike first and label themselves as a cold-blooded killer?

Hearing this, Merrick soon let out a gasp of pain as a lightsaber pierced his chest. He let go of the remote as it fell to the ground. The bomb's button was caught before it connected with the floor and destroyed the crown.

Seeing the dead Senator fall to the ground, Satine suddenly broke away from her concentration and looked at the blaster in her hand. She quickly threw it aside, her hand still shaking.

Kenobi looked at the newcomer and sighed in frustration. "Anakin..."

"What? He's going to blow up the ship," Skywalker said nonchalantly, sheathing his lightsaber.

As Obi-Wan sheathed his weapon, he looked to Sadine as their eyes met. Silence surrounded them, and they seemed lost in each other's gaze. Seeing this, Anakin had to step away to give the two a little respectful privacy.

"Obi-Wan...I..."

Whatever Satine wanted to say next, she couldn't get it out as a series of footsteps came towards their position. She knew without even looking that reinforcements had come to see if she was alright.

"General Skywalker," the clone commander said, "the last droid has been defeated, sir.

Anakin growled in annoyance as the clone nearly ruined a tender moment between his Master and the Duchess of Mandalore. "Very good, Cody."

Obi-Wan and Sadine looked at each other before the Duchess left, not wanting to look at the Jedi anymore. "I must return to my foreign affairs."

"As you say, Duchess. We'll talk about it another time.

Her heart ached at hearing Obi-Wan's words as he left. They both had to do what needed to be done now. That was all.

Duty comes before love. And this is clearly the tragedy of this star-crossed couple.

After a period of cleanup, the mess aboard the Crown was finally dealt with, and the ship eventually made its way back to Coruscant. The trip wasn't quite as expected, with much death and destruction occurring aboard, but in the end all was well... for the most part.

The Crown pulled up to their designated platform and lowered the ramp, allowing the many passengers to disembark and head to their intended destinations. They were greeted by Chancellor Palpatine, with an armed guard several meters behind him.

"Well done, Jedi Master."

Obi-Wan bowed politely to the galactic leader. "Thank you, Chancellor."

"Speaker," Skywalker said as the other passengers came out.

As the other senators greeted the Speaker before leaving, Chamsindulla stood back for a moment to thank the Jedi and the Avengers before chasing after the other politicians.

It wasn't long before Sadine approached Obi-Wan, with many of her guards standing around her.

"How ironic, meeting again, only to find that we are on opposite sides."

Obi-Wan could hear the pain in her voice. She was hiding it well with the exhaustion from what had happened before. All she could do now was to smile a little as she stared at him.

“The needs of the people are what matters most. They can’t be better served to guide their future.

The Duchess' smile widened a little at his sincere words. She even smiled a little. "Fine words indeed from a thoughtful and determined Jedi." She stared at his face, her smile fading a little. "But..."

"what?"

"I'm still not sure."

This completely confused Kenobi. "Why? What's going on?

She reached out a hand and stroked his neatly trimmed beard, making him resist the urge to lean in. "It hides your handsome face."

Satine left, smiling teasingly, as she walked away to catch a transport carrying other politicians.

"What is going on?" Anakin asked confused.

"I think Obi-Wan is still trying to deny the spark of love," Natasha said, nudging the Jedi Master, who briefly looked flustered.

"If only I had a camera right now," Anakin said with a smile, causing Obi-Wan to frown.

Anakin chuckled and placed a comforting hand on his Master's shoulder.

"She's a very remarkable woman," he said softly.

He glanced at his former Padawan with a wry smile, then sighed after a moment and nodded in agreement. "She is."

They watched as the Duchess and her entourage left the platform and entered a transport ship that would take them to the Senate building.

"Hey guys!"

After a blink, all heads turned to see Spider-Man swinging towards them, joined by Falcon and Quicksilver, with Quicksilver being grabbed by Falcon's arm.

"Sam?" Steve exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Why do you smell so bad?" Daredevil wrinkled his nose.

"Oh... okay. Spider-Man rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Let's just say we've been busy and it's been a bit long-"

"For later," Anakin said, holding up his hands. "Frankly, I think we could all use this time to rest, if you don't mind the suggestion."

"Agreed." Some Avengers members said.

"How was the trip?" asked Falcon.

"We'll tell you on the way." Natasha soon smelled something, it was from the Sokovians. "Do you have any perfume, Pietro?"

"Well—perhaps."

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