Walking toward her ship, Satine felt like everything was falling toward her.

How did this happen in such a short period of time? First, the rise of the Death Watch on Concordia, or the resurgence of the group, and second, those who claim to be true Mandalorians.

In just a few days, there have been assassination attempts on several fronts, and now this madness in the Senate. Jerek's fake information and the self-proclaimed true Mandalorian have revealed themselves to the Republic, presenting them with a blatant challenge.

Surprisingly, she was even conscious now, instead of lying in bed. She would have done so if she hadn't wanted to go to the Intelligence Department immediately to find out the truth.

As her speeder passed, she heard someone running toward her.

"Duchess!" Kenobi called to her. "Wait!"

As he approached, Sardin's guards turned and pointed their weapons at the Jedi. She raised a hand and ordered them to stand down.

"I just heard what happened in the Senate," Kenobi said calmly, and Sadine's eyes dropped.

"Are you OK?"

Satine couldn't help but smile a little. "Thanks for your concern, but I promise I'll be fine."

"I'm worried. We are..." Kenobi hesitated. "We are friends, aren't we?"

Hearing this, Sadine felt... sad. She was hoping to hear something more.

“Yes, friend, and…that’s all.

Obi-Wan soon realized what he had said, which now made him doubt it. The Jedi General thought they would become close friends, but Sardin seemed to want more than that.

The old memory stirred for a moment, but he quickly snuffed it out. Now was not the time for that.

“Satine, as your…friend…I just don’t want you to rush in or do anything that would hurt you.

Satine couldn't help but laugh. "Obi-Wan, I think you and I both know that once I take on this responsibility, my life will always be in direct danger."

"Yes...but..."

"As a Jedi Knight, you are no different in this war?"

Kenobi knew he couldn't really argue with that rhetorical question.

“Just…be careful, Satine.

The Jedi General wanted to say more, wanted to express how he felt right now. But he couldn't do so, because it might lead to some... unpleasant factors and consequences.

Satine couldn't help but place a hand gently on his cheek. "Always be my eternal knight. When I need you, I know you will be there.

The Duchess boarded her shuttle and took her seat as her guards quickly moved in. She took one last look at her old friend as her driver Aramis took off into the air, heading towards the Ministry of Intelligence.

Just minutes after she left the Senate Building, her ship passed a lone figure in Mandalorian armor, emblazoned with the colors of Death Watch, hiding in the shadows of a skyscraper. Seeing the vehicle pass, the man pulled out a remote and pressed a button on the top.

In a split second, the engine of Satine's flying car was damaged and malfunctioned.

"What happened, Aramis?" Satine asked in horror as the spaceship began to shake violently.

The pilot gripped the controls tightly while trying to maintain stability.

"It's the navigation system that's broken," Aramis reported.

Noticing that the craft was descending and unable to land safely, the pilot made a decision.

"Get her out of here." Aramis told Sardin's guards. "There's a platform up ahead. I'll try to get closer.

The guards obeyed the order and grabbed Sardin's figure. She struggled to break free and looked at the driver.

"No, stop it! Aramis! Satine pleaded with her friend, simply waving at the guards to do their duty.

Maneuvering the ship closer to a nearby platform, Aramis tilted the shuttle for the guards.

"Jump!"

As the ship got closer, the guards jumped out of their airborne craft and huddled with Satine. They fell towards the platform, the guards breaking each other's fall. Satine was quickly released from their grasp as they all tumbled out. The moment she stood up; she could only watch as Aramis rammed the ship into a nearby building as it exploded on impact.

Back to Kenobi, he stood alone in the meditation room of the Jedi Temple, arms crossed and eyes closed. A worried look appeared on the Jedi Master's face.

"Hey, Kenobi, what are you eating?"

Obi-Wan turned and saw Colonel James Rhodes enter the room, holding a jug of water.

"Rhodes," Kenobi greeted.

"Okay, what's going on?" War Machine asked. "Does this have anything to do with today's Senate meeting about your girlfriend?"

"G-Girlfriend—" Kenobi groaned. "Did you talk to Anakin?"

War Machine just hummed. "Come on, wise guy. What's bothering you so much?

Obi-Wan didn't answer at first.

"Old injuries?" War Machine guessed in a more serious tone. "Old love?"

The Jedi sighed in defeat. "You could say that."

He felt the Colonel tap him on the shoulder. "We've all been there, Kenobi. This is nothing new to us Avengers. Or you. Come on. Talk about it if you need to. Sam's really good at stuff like this."

Obi-Wan nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Rhodes, but I—"

He paused; his eyes glazed over, lost in thought.

"Colonel." Kenobi turned slowly toward the Avenger. "Is it possible that you and your team could... do me a small favor?

……

In Sheev Palpatine's office, Duchess Sardin had a surprise meeting with the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic himself.

An unexpected event had left her in a rather sour mood when she learned the outcome of a particular scenario earlier in the day.

"What do you mean 'no prosecution'? At all? Someone is trying to kill me. The controls on my ship are compromised.

"Sadly, dear, there is no evidence that anyone tampered with anything," Palpatine said. "I'm afraid this was an accident."

"Accident? And this just happens to coincide with my defense of my home world? Sardin retorted.

"I agree with Satine."

Both the Duchess and the Supreme Chancellor looked towards the Deputy Chairman as both major political leaders looked a little surprised at what was said.

Somewhere in her, Satine felt a little relieved, it was coming out. "Well, it's finally here."

"This proves what I've been saying all along. Deathwatch is out of control. The Republic must step in and help.

Mas Almeda's statement surprised Sadine, while Palpatine just smirked.

"No, wait. I didn't—"

“Obviously, you can’t control them. So we will.” interrupted the Vice Chairman. “And let’s not even begin to mention these actual Mandalorians who so brazenly challenged the Republic in such an open manner.”

"It's patently offensive. You can't do that," the Duchess said.

"Unfortunately, the decision is now up to the Senate," Palpatine said. "I am confident they will make a reasonable and thoughtful decision.

Rushing out of the Speaker's office, Satine now felt incredibly stressed. She just wanted to get rid of this nightmare. However, she couldn't do it and could only keep all these emotions in her heart.

As if it were déjà vu, Kenobi rushed to her side.

"Sadin, I just heard about your accident."

Soon, some emotions came to her mind, and the Duchess expressed them clearly.

"Those two are... Bah! The heads of this government... ah!

Obi-Wan reached out and grasped her arm, turning her around so that he could speak to her face to face. "Sadin, please tell me what happened."

"Uh, I'm fine. I'm not hurt. I didn't want to worry you. She said defensively.

"Well, I'm afraid, at this point, you've already failed." Kenobi could see the flat look in his eyes as he tried to lighten things up. "I'm sorry." She began to walk away, prompting him to follow her. "Sadin, please. See what's going on.

"See what happened? This attack proves that I pissed someone off. Then I must be on the right track.

"This attack proves that your enemies are even on Coruscant. They are willing to go through a lot to see you die." Then Kenobi noticed the peculiar look in her eyes. "You will not let the Republic authorities handle this? You will not back down."

"Republic authorities? Of course not. Satine continued walking, her mind focused on her previous destination. "I'm on my way to the Ministry of Intelligence to meet my contact.

Obi-Wan was concerned for her and gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her around so they were looking at each other now. "Sadin, you need your friends to be with you, not at a distance." She broke away from his gaze, but that didn't mean he wanted to stop talking. "In your quest for self-reliance, have you decided to cut your friends out of your life? Even... me?

Satine gritted her teeth, “I…I don’t know.

"Master Kenobi, Duchess of Sardin."

The two looked over and saw Padmé Amidala walking towards them and saw a nervous look on her face.

"Senator Amidala? What's wrong?" Kenobi asked.

"The Senate has completed its vote." Padmé began, quickly passing confused looks between the old friends. "They have decided to support the occupation.

"When did this happen?" Sardin asked in astonishment. "The vote was supposed to take place tomorrow."

"During your meeting with the Chancellor. The unexpected spread of those rogue Mandalorians, coupled with your "accident", has accelerated the Senate's decision. Republic troops will march to Mandalore at sunrise tomorrow.

This made Sadine pale at this. She could only look at Kenobi, her hands clenched into fists. "I was right before... counting on the Republic was a mistake.

That being said, she left the Republic Senators and the Jedi Order behind because Satine now had to do things her own way.

As the Duchess left, both Padmé and Obi-Wan shared concerned looks.

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