━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━

      THE TREES standing tall around Araminta took her back almost two years to the same planet, a very different day, when Anakin and Obi-wan had pinned her down on Felucia and sent her life spiralling off course. The memory was locked in, the humidity soaking her clothes, the desperation in her movements and the shadows of the canopy dancing over them.

But that was a long time ago, and on such a vast planet, Araminta did not recognise where they currently were, surrounded by spiralling trees and the dreaded moisture in the air. Now she was fighting on the front line in the jungle, pinned down by Separatist forces in a galactic war she had never imagined she'd be a part of.

It had started off as a simple support mission to ward off Separatists from the importantly-placed planet, but the droid forces had soon overpowered them. Anakin had part of his battalion and Obi-wan had a platoon, and Ahsoka had led a scouting party, too. But despite their efforts, the droids were too much.

They had a whole army prepared, ranged with tanks and numbers simply too challenging for them. Before their communications had been knocked out, they had signalled for help on Obi-wan's command, and Plo Koon had said he was coming to break the blockade around the planet and extract them.

Araminta had lost track of how long ago that was as she continued to press forward, ducking most shots and firing off her own, but both her bracers and gauntlets were bruised and smoking from the amount of blaster shots she had had to deflect. Their capacity would soon be up and she'd have to try not to get hit and stop Obi-wan from being hit, as she stayed pressed to his flank, eyes scanning the battlefield constantly.

"We're surrounded!" Araminta hissed as they were being backed into a corner, trees and a ridge to their back as well as their destroyed tank that hadn't lasted the battle.

"You don't say," Anakin snapped back, the assassin sending him an unimpressed look from over her shoulder. "Hey, up!" the Jedi shouted suddenly.

Araminta briefly tore her gaze from the battlefield to see Republic fighters sweeping overhead, locked in combat with vulture droids. She let herself breath a sigh of relief as she shoved Obi-wan lightly out of the way of rapid-firing, which was soon taken out by clones covering them.

Obi-wan looked over at his bodyguard, who had a cut on her cheek and was covered in a sheen of sweat. "How many–?"

"Two," Araminta huffed, cutting him off. She dramatically held up two fingers from around her blaster. "I have two grenades and I can deflect two more hits before I become useless."

"Now would you consider a lightsaber?" Obi-wan shouted over the noise as they were pressed back a step.

Araminta scoffed, removing a grenade from her belt and pulling the pin between her teeth. "Over your dead body," she spat as she chucked the small bomb as far as she could, where it exploded and streaked at the droids surrounding it.

"Well, that might happen," Obi-wan said, lightly. Araminta shot him a glare as she threw off a blaster shot, wincing as she felt the plasma singe at her arm beneath her gauntlet.

The assassin heard the explosion before she saw it, tilting her head to see the destroyed vulture droid hurtling towards them. Araminta didn't say anything as she slammed her shoulder and body side-on into Obi-wan, all while flinging out her free hand and throwing Anakin further in the opposite direction.

The flaming wreck crashed just out of range, arcing above them and leaving marks in the dirt as it exploded on impact. Anakin whipped around to them, eyes wide as he ran back over, deflecting shots as he did so.

Araminta pulled away from Obi-wan, whose lightsaber was raised in protection as well. "That was close," Anakin snapped.

"If those fighters got through then our gunships can't be far behind," Obi-wan pointed out. Anakin nodded, as Araminta instinctively ducked behind his plasma weapon as a droid shot at her head. "Prepare the troops to evacuate!" Obi-wan instructed.

"No time!" Araminta yelled as a fleet of gunships careened above and landed behind them. Immediately she noticed the reinforcements shooting from behind them, and for the first time in what must have been an hour of nonstop combat, the heat on them lessened.

"Go! Go!" she heard Rex shouting, as the clones began to move back and to the safety of the ships. "Come on, grunts! We are leaving!"

Araminta, against her nature, stuck to Obi-wan's side as he and Anakin covered the retreat instead of taking the first chance to retreat and turn her back to the field.

"Ahsoka should be back from her jungle patrol by now!" Anakin said over the mounting noise.

"I'll try to contact her again," Obi-wan relented, bringing his wristcomm to his mouth. "Ahsoka, where are you?" No response. Obi-wan exchanged a glance with Anakin, before saying, in a more exasperated tone, "Ahsoka, what is your location?"

"About six clicks east, Master," she responded, the sound of battle high from her end as well. "We've engaged the enemy and we've got them on the run."

"Move!" Araminta shouted, taking another hit to her weakened gauntlets while she tugged Obi-wan back as they finally made it to the gunships. Her charge acknowledged her with a glance as they made it to the safety of the ships, pressing into a corner while blaster fire continued to rain on them.

"They're here to extract us," Obi-wan told Ahsoka, firmly. "We're leaving." Anakin had fallen back as well, taking a station outside the ships as he shouted at his men to keep going.

"What?" Ahsoka responded, sounding surprised. "We can't retreat now, Master. I've broken through. The droids are retreating."

"We're outnumbered, you must evacuate!" Obi-wan insisted desperately as their gunship rumbled from a hit. Araminta leaned forward, glancing outside to Anakin as he rallied the troops back. "That is an order!" Obi-wan added.

Anakin drew his lightsaber again as he covered the remaining troopers before he ran into the gunship with the rest of them. He pounded at the side and the doors slid shut as they took off, Araminta hearing the ship groan under the continuing fire of the droids.

"Master Skywalker taught me never to let up when the tinnies are on the run," Ahsoka continued to protest.

"They are running back here to regroup with the main force," Obi-wan told her. "You are putting your troops' lives in danger, young one. You will get on the gunship when we arrive."

Anakin finally seemed to tune into the conversation as they cleared the airspace. "Where's Ahsoka?" he asked.

"Following your teachings," Araminta said with a pointed look to a very disappointed-looking Obi-wan.

Anakin only frowned slightly, but ignored both his friends' expressions. "Is she winning?"

Obi-wan glared at him. "For now."

Anakin rolled his eyes as they drew closer, their fleet of four gunships circling Ahsoka's troop, where she was safeguarding a tank as it advanced forward. They lowered, but the padawan hardly seemed to notice them as she continued to fight and deflect blows at the retreating droids, oblivious to the forces approaching from every other angle that she couldn't see from her position.

As they approached the gunship doors opened to allow the view, Araminta scanning the incoming army from their height apprehensively. Obi-wan leaned forward critically. "She's not stopping," he snapped at Anakin, who didn't look as pleased anymore.

"Land in front of her," Anakin instructed simply.

The gunships followed his command as they placed themselves between her and retreating droids, troopers rushing out with artillery to cover them as Anakin rushed out.

"What are you doing?" Ahsoka demanded. Araminta stayed where she was next to Obi-wan, watching with narrowed eyes.

"Get in the ship now!" Anakin said, sounding eerily like Obi-wan had almost two years ago.

"Can't you see they're retreating?" Ahsoka fired back, even as her troops began to leave her behind and flee into the gunships.

"Wonder where she gets it from," Araminta mused, Obi-wan scoffing as he heard her from their proximity.

"They're about to overrun you, Ahsoka!" Anakin said, firmly. "You just can't see it. Now follow orders and get in the ship."

Ahsoka looked like she would protest further, but relented as she jumped down in a huff and moved onto the ship. Anakin followed her with a hard look, just as Araminta leapt forward, arm brandished to block a shot that made it through their defences.

It would have struck Anakin clean in the abdomen if it hadn't sunk into the metal around her forearm. Araminta grit her teeth as the plasma went straight to her skin, pain flashing up her limb as they took flight. They watched through the doors as the droids closed in on Ahsoka's abandoned tank, blowing it to pieces within moments.

Ahsoka's face fell as she realised the risk she had taken, turning to the two Jedi sheepishly. Anakin kept his face set in stone as Araminta stepped away from the doors, pressing a hand to the plasma burn on her arm, as if to diffuse the warmth. The movement drew Anakin's attention to her as they retreated back to the main battleship.

Anakin's face fell from the glare immediately, eyebrows pinching. "You're hit," he stated, angling his body to her and reaching out a hand, as if to inspect the wound.

"I'm fine," Araminta hissed, biting her tongue to redirect the pain. She moved her arm away, twisting her torso. Her grip on the wound meant she was not holding a handle if the ship titled suddenly.

"Two too many," Obi-wan sighed. Araminta didn't have the heart to tell him it had been three.

Anakin turned his concerned look away from her and back to his padawan. "We will talk about your refusal to follow orders back at the temple. Not to mention, Solarii was injured because of your stubbornness," Anakin scolded. Ahsoka only blinked, wide-eyed, gaze flicking between her Master and Araminta.

"Don't bring me into your power trip, I'm fine," Araminta snapped.

The gunship tilted, Araminta with it, as she focused on the burn. Anakin held her steady, arm automatically going around her waist to support her. The assassin hardly acknowledged the move, letting him hold her in place as she attempted to ease the pain at her arm, removing her damaged gauntlet and letting it clang to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Solarii," Ahsoka murmured after a moment.

"Don't worry about me," Araminta cut in before Anakin could, unable to see his face from her position. "You still have to apologise to the Council."

━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━

      ARAMINTA'S BURN was mild, and the medical droids on Coruscant cleared her within an hour of their return and a bandage to remove soon with some ointment as well. Araminta had only nodded along to the instructions before retreating to the hallways of the temple, dwarfed by the ceilings and archways around her as she always was. Her gauntlets had been taken to be replaced, leaving her wrists and shins unusually bare as she headed back to her room.

Obi-wan and Anakin were elsewhere, dealing with Ahsoka's disobedience probably. Araminta had long grown comfortable with not being present with her charge when they were in the temple– it was the most secure place they could be separated, she told herself, and there'd be more than her to blame if there was ever an accident.

Araminta scoffed at the new vase of flowers in her quarters that Padme must have had delivered, but admired them nonetheless as she closed and locked the door behind her. She blinked at them, and the spot of colour they gave her room, before reaching up to stroke her pendant.

She had dropped her heavy grade weapons at the armoury, but her collection of knives and less-ethical weapons the Republic frowned on stayed with her. The single grenade she had had left was taken from her as soon as they landed. But through it all, Araminta's favourite knife stayed with her.

The assassin unsheathed it, holding it with the blade facing back, as she always did. She turned it over, admiring the classic combat shape it held, slightly notched at the end with two overall points but one main. She ran a thumb over the thin carvings in the hilt, an extended pattern of the markings she had on her face in silver.

The silver tattoos on Adanei faces were given as close to birth as possible, under their first three moons of existence. When all three of the celestial bodies that orbited their homeplanet were visible simultaneously, a cycle that occurred naturally, they were given their markings– a combination of their guardians' own from theirs. And so on.

They were unique to each. Araminta's sister and her brother had different patterns, which followed three lines down their cheeks and in the centre of their face, sometimes the nose, sometimes the forehead, or the chin. Three lines for the three moons– the only rule to the markings. That and when an Adanei reached maturity, they could forge their own markings, three trails of silver down their body that had no connection to their family.

Araminta had never had the chance, but she had carved the markings on her good knife as a spiritual continuation of them.

Someone knocked, and Araminta glanced up, ears twitching. It could, really, be anyone. The only person to disturb her at night was Anakin, and Obi-wan once for an urgent mission, but it was hard to tell during broad daylight. Still, she really shouldn't have been surprised to open her door to Anakin.

She held a hand against the doorway, knife still in it, drawing Anakin's eyes to it. "What is it?" Araminta asked.

"One day you're gonna greet me without a weapon," Anakin responded instead, crossing his arms over his chest.

Araminta sighed, sheathing the knife but still blocking the door as she looked up at him. "What do you want?" she said, far less friendly than when he showed up at midnight.

Anakin didn't seem hurt by her public act, as the temple was active around them. "Can I come in?"

Araminta glanced down the hallways, before relenting and moving back from the door. The Jedi passed in far too casually, as it closed behind him. Anakin's blue eyes locked onto the flowers on display, a small smile playing at his lips as Araminta sat straight on her bed, knife still at her hip.

Anakin turned his attention back to her. He looked larger in her room during the daylight than at night. She wondered why. "How's the arm?" he asked, gesturing to the bandage.

Araminta waved a dismissive hand as she flopped onto her back, legs going straight up as she stared up at the ceiling. "For the last time, it's fine. Just a scratch," she snapped back.

"Well, actually it's a burn," Anakin corrected.

Araminta reached a hand to the side and threw her pillow at him, the man catching it easily. The assassin rolled her eyes and turned away. "What happened with Ahsoka?" she asked.

Anakin sighed as he sat at the end of her bed, placing the pillow back down. "She took responsibility. They've assigned her guard duty in the Archives," he told Araminta.

"Guard duty, huh?" she jeered, looking down at her nose at him from where her head was laying at the top of the bed.

Anakin shrugged. "Yeah, could be worse."

"Could be worse," she echoed.

"Why do you sit– lie– like that?" Anakin asked, leaning his head so she could see him around her upright legs.

Araminta exhaled through her nose. "It's grounding," she responded.

"Is it not vulnerable?" Anakin questioned.

"I could get to my feet in a second," the assassin retorted.

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "What if I jumped on you?"

Araminta kicked a leg down in a second and curled her knee and calf around his throat, bringing the other one down to press against where his lightsaber hilt was as she threw them off the bed and onto the floor. Anakin let out a mild groan as she pinned him, hand on her knife sheath to prove a point.

Anakin scoffed and tapped her boot twice. "Point taken."

Araminta untwisted from him and got to her feet, not offering a hand as the Jedi stayed on the floor, pulling a knee to his chest. The assassin looked down at him. "I'd be more vulnerable if I crossed my legs and meditated," she informed him matter-of-factly.

"I don't know if you know this, but that's not how you meditate," Anakin teased.

She rolled her eyes. "No, but it's how I think clearly."

Anakin nodded, looking thoughtful. He tilted his head boyishly. "What were you thinking about now?" he asked.

Araminta shot him a look, silver markings blinking in the sunlight filtering in through the blinds. "Nothing."

A familiar look crossed over Anakin's face. "You thinking about how the shot you took today could have killed me if you hadn't blocked it?"

The assassin scrunched her face up at the words. "Are you?" she asked snidely. Anakin only looked at her. "Just doing my guard duty," Araminta answered simply, but Anakin looked more serious.

"Sure you were," Anakin said with a shrug, pushing himself to his feet.

Araminta's eyes followed his movement. "Well, believe it or not, you dying would really suck," she admitted with a small sneer. It was true in many ways– in the way she would be punished from some angle, in the way that he was incredibly valuable to the war effort and in the way that Araminta didn't want him dead.

Anakin's eyes lit up in spite of the snide response, and Araminta found she liked the expression. "Was that... almost a confession?" the Jedi asked, sounding only half-teasing as Araminta smirked at the response she had elicited. He stepped up to her, forcing her to tilt her head up to look at him.

"If you want it to be," Araminta said quietly, lips still tilted in a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. Anakin regarded her for a moment, scanning her face, before flicking his eyes back up to meet hers. "Was that all you wanted?" the assassin asked, cutting into the moment as she stepped back.

Anakin's face hardened again as he cleared his throat. "Well, we're having the briefing now," he told her. Araminta arched an eyebrow at him, as if asking what that had to do with her. "They requested you," Anakin added.

"Oh?" Araminta responded with, hiding her surprise at being included.

Anakin nodded once, before pointedly looking at her wound. "You good to come?"

"Yes," she said indignantly.

"Then, after you," he said dramatically, holding a hand out to the door.

Araminta narrowed her eyes at him as she passed him, turning the entire time so he was within her peripheral vision. Anakin didn't look hurt by the natural distrust as they left her room and she walked by his side towards the briefing.

This time as she strolled through the temple, people stopped and greeted them. Jedi nodded as they passed, younglings smiled and pointed, and troopers saluted Anakin if he got too close. It was a stark contrast to how alone Araminta walked through the hallways in silence, as if she wasn't even there.

They reached the briefing room, Anakin opening the door first this time as Araminta followed him inside. "General Skywalker, Solarii," Windu greeted as they entered, Master Yoda by his side, too. Ahsoka, however, was not present.

Araminta only nodded in acknowledgement as she assumed her place at Obi-wan's side, who was standing in front of an enlarged, holographic map of their progression in the system Felucia was a part of. Araminta frowned at the amount of red.

"How is your arm?" Obi-wan asked politely.

Araminta didn't even look at him as her eyes studied their efforts. "It's fine."

"Good to hear. We have a lot ahead of us still," Obi-wan replied.

"Care to share?" Anakin chimed in from behind.

Obi-wan sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "The setback at Felucia has affected our efforts in the whole sector," he said. Anakin grimaced at the news, and the cause. "It'll take weeks before we can–"

Yoda groaned, as if in pain, loud enough for everyone to take notice, not just Araminta's sensitive ears. Obi-wan cut himself off, turning to look at the Master, even the assassin looked in confusion, blinking down at the one person smaller than her.

"Master Yoda, what is it?" Anakin asked.

"A disturbance... in the Force," he told them slowly. "Intruders there will be in this temple."

Anakin and Obi-wan exchanged glances, but Araminta gravely looked away at the Master's warning. He was perhaps the strongest with the Force that she had ever met, and his ability to sense danger had nothing to do with being a Jedi. She trusted he was not wrong– and the possibility nagged at her.

Araminta was aware of the look Windu gave her, as they finished the briefing quickly and moved onto more pressing matters, leaving to search for the intruders. Even Windu looked shaken, and he stayed with Yoda as they calculated their next move on such a vague warning.

"Where do we start looking for these intruders?" Anakin asked as they departed.

"What about when?" Araminta pointed out. "Yoda's warning had no time, either."

"We can still prepare," Anakin protested. "What could they be after?"

"I doubt they've come to hijack starfighters," Obi-wan theorised.

Araminta grit her teeth. "Information," she said simply. Obi-wan and Anakin both looked at her with mixed expressions, the same ones they always wore when they were reminded she had not come from heroic training. "You could steal weapons from anywhere, not worth breaking into the temple for that," she continued. "But information– to sell or to use. That would make it worth it."

"I think you're right," Obi-wan agreed, stopping and forcing Araminta and Anakin to stand back as well.

"The Jedi transmitter codes," Anakin deduced quickly.

Obi-wan perked up. "Every piece of troop information in one place."

"It's all in the east tower's communication centre," Anakin said, sounding panicked.

"Head there right away," Obi-wan agreed. "We'll monitor the perimeter defences from the central security station."

Anakin wasted no time in leaving, disappearing down a corridor and out of sight. Araminta frowned, uneasiness in the front of her mind. Obi-wan glanced at her as they headed for the station, apparently sensing something was off.

"What is it?" Obi-wan asked.

Araminta glanced once around them, before answering. "I'm thinking if it's someone I know," she said, tightly. Obi-wan's face shifted. "Breaking into the Jedi Temple is something in our skill level. If prepared and..." she trailed off, eyebrows pinching.

A number of names came to mind, faces she may recognise in the hallways. But Obi-wan didn't look as concerned as she did. "If it is, then we deal with them," he told her.

The assassin swallowed her worry as they entered the central security station, staying silent as Obi-wan set up watch. The knife at her hip felt heavy, and Araminta did truly wonder what would happen if the person breaking in was someone hired from her old ranks. Rizeryn had been a year ago now, the fact she used batons every assignment a constant reminder of how the Republic had learnt she was skilled with them.

She had put Rizeryn down on the point that she would have taken Araminta to her death had she not, that their conflicting orders meant life or death for both. It had taken Araminta months to stop thinking about how she had cut down one of the few people who knew her inside and out– even Anakin did not know her that well.

Would this be any different? If someone she knew was breaking into the temple for information, then it would not be a matter of life or death. But would that be harder? Araminta could scarcely push through the barrage of conflicting emotions, as she also wondered if it would be an assassin more intimate than someone she had trained with as a child, before they were marked.

As she stood in thought, hands held in front of her and Obi-wan cycling through the systems and cameras, the light suddenly flickered. Araminta perked to attention, as the power seemed to sort itself out after only a second and returned to normal.

Araminta exchanged a glance with Obi-wan as he turned to the maintenance droid at the station with them. "What was that?" he asked.

"The system is just recycling, sir," it replied.

Araminta didn't believe that for a second, as a transmission from Anakin came into the station. "Master, I'm in the tower," he told them, holographic form appearing on the console. "No intruders, but something just happened. All the scanners were behaving strangely for a moment."

"Yes, something happened to the system down here, too," Obi-wan said. "It cannot be a coincidence."

Araminta's ears perked up at small footsteps moments before Yoda entered the room. Obi-wan looked at him out of the corner of his eye, the small Jedi looking concerned.

"Arrived, the intruders have," he announced.

"Well, that answers your time question, Solarii," Anakin chirped. She sent Anakin a glare through the transmission.

"But if they're not in the tower, what are they after?" Obi-wan interjected.

"The communications centre, perhaps, their target is," Yoda suggested.

"That would put them in the central vents," Araminta chimed in. Anakin looked mildly concerned that she knew the information, but ignored him as Obi-wan nodded at her.

"Let me check the system." She watched her charge search the security in front of him, pulling up a diagram of one of the many towers in the temple. "You're right. There has been a disturbance." Araminta narrowed her eyes at the blinking red icon on screen. "It's near the top of the south tower."

Anakin looked determined. "I'll meet you up there." And the transmission ended.

Obi-wan moved away from the screen, not wasting a second, Araminta in tow. "On high alert place the temple," Yoda told him before he could leave. Obi-wan nodded as he hit the button on the security system, and then he was flying out of the room with his bodyguard managing to keep up.

As they navigated the temple, Jedi and troopers moved intently and quickly, weapons were being stroked and Araminta had more eyes on her than she was used to. The air was thick– in all the time she had been working alongside them, the Jedi Temple had never been infiltrated so inconspicuously.

It was something she may have been instructed to do in the past, a stealthy assignment in small spaces she could easily manoeuvre in, working against the most dangerous opponents for a presumably large payout. Not a care for the consequences, not a care for the information they would sell off afterwards.

Araminta blinked up as Anakin joined them at an elevator, the last one they could take to the highest level possible. "Fancy seeing you here," he greeted with a grin.

"Stay sharp," Obi-wan responded, as they headed up the rest of the way on foot, until they were standing in the corridors that ventilated into the sky, the wall to the left open by a small gap.

Araminta narrowed her eyes at it. There was a pearly blue energy shield between it, but if someone had a way through, it was there. They came to the point the disturbance was sensed at, further protected by another shield that led directly into the ventilation system Araminta had proposed.

Anakin blinked at it, checking the coordinates he had saved to his wrist comm. "Well, looks like this is where they broke in," he announced as they stopped walking. There was no sign that someone had opened it prior.

"Fortunately we'll have a less troublesome time." Obi-wan used the force to undo the locking mechanism in the wall, the shield flickering down for them and the circular door to the vents opening as well. Anakin led, as usual, with Araminta bringing up the rear as they crawled in.

The assassin was most flexible in the small space compared to the taller men, moving forward carefully and almost flush against Obi-wan, sometimes balancing with her fingertips against the ground as she moved.

She kept her ears on alert, and never stopped observing their surroundings, glancing over her shoulder in case of sabotage or the faintest hint of a shadow of someone watching them.

They reached a steep decline, down into the larger vents below, which were protected by a fan-security system that Obi-wan once again disabled. They anchored grapples into the ceiling and slid down.

Araminta landed nimbly, glancing around at the different openings and archways around them. Anakin, too, looked bewildered by the multiple directions.

"Great. Which way do you think they went?" Anakin asked, looking left and right.

"I hear them," Araminta said abruptly, now that they were on a different level of the vent system. "A man's voice– I can't make out what he's saying," she paused, ears swivelling, the echo of the enclosed space bouncing back at her.

She grit her teeth, unable to pinpoint the exact direction. Obi-wan guessed that, as he said, "The communications centre is this way." He gestured to their right, and Araminta shrugged. "We'd better hurry if we're going to catch them."

Anakin went first again, sliding down the vent tunnel. Araminta followed, slowing her descent with her heels before coming back to stand at the bottom. It narrowed again, Anakin scoffing as he was forced back into a crouch.

They scurried along, tenser now that they were getting closer to their hunch, Araminta almost able to half-stand in the vents. She continued to listen to the echoing, faint sounds of a voice, which was now beginning to get blocked by the actual sounds of ventilation and power humming.

"I don't think they came this way," Anakin protested at the end of another empty bend. He moved back to Obi-wan, who had stopped.

The older Jedi opened his wrist comm to the communications centre where Jedi had gathered for extra security. "Master Yoda, are you picking up any other life signs in this quadrant?" Obi-wan asked.

"Deep in the temple, the intruders are," Yoda replied.

"How are they managing to stay out of our way?" Obi-wan said in exasperation.

Araminta blinked at the floor beside him. "Inside help," she spoke before she could stop herself. Anakin looked shocked at the idea, but on the other end of the transmission, Yoda seemed thoughtful.

"Hm. Possible, it is," he agreed.

"Wonderful," Obi-wan deadpanned as he ended the transmission.

"How could someone have gotten inside?" Anakin asked in confusion, seeming betrayed by the idea.

"Not our concern. Right now we need to stop the intruder from getting whatever it is they're after," Obi-wan told him, firmly. "The others can handle the imposter."

Anakin didn't seem to like the answer, still looking disconcerted by someone so easily getting into the temple, but relented and asked, "So what do we do?"

"Keep going," Araminta suggested with a shrug. "Do we have any other ideas of what they could be after?" Anakin shook his head. "This path has been right so far."

They had only been moving for another minute or so when they reached a new section of the vents, where a grate had been unscrewed off its hinges and put to the side. "Looks like you were right," Anakin jeered.

Araminta wasn't sure if Anakin was talking to her or Obi-wan as they ducked intp the new section.

"Master Skywalker," Ahsoka chimed in abruptly, voice beeping through Anakin's wristcomm. "I've captured the imposter disguised as a Jedi." A sign of relief from her master, and another factor removed from their problem. "She says the intruder's in the holocron vault."

Obi-wan paused, looking confused. "A holocron is no good without a Jedi to open it. What are they up to?"

Anakin narrowed his eyes. "They must be trying to gain access to the communications centre from the vault," he concluded. "Good job, snips." He ended the transmission as the pair charged forward.

But something didn't sit right with Araminta as she followed after them, snapping, "Octavian used a holocron. It's how he found us all so accurately."

"If it's someone you know, we'll deal with it," Obi-wan repeated.

"That's not what I'm saying," Araminta whisper-yelled. "There're ways to open it and use it. We shouldn't just assume– a holocron could be just as dangerous."

"When we catch the intruder, we'll know," Anakin shot over his shoulder.

Araminta narrowed her eyes at being ignored, but followed anyway, creeping around corners of the vents in the direction of the vault. The beeping countdown pierced through any of the electrical hum or air rushing through the vents, her ears pricking and eyes widening.

"Bomb!" she yelled abruptly.

They shuffled back, and the vents shook a moment later, only a small shockwave that forced them to lean against the walls. Smoke puffed up from a nearby grate, which had been put to the side once again. Anakin and Obi-wan didn't even hesitate as they moved forward and jumped down through it.

Araminta dropped into the new corridor, able to stand fully now as the smoke cleared. To their left, a gap in the wall that revealed the holocron vault. Araminta blinked, able to see the glowing blue cubes stacked to the ceiling from where they were standing.

She almost didn't notice the hole cut into the floor to their right, which led in the direction of the communications centre.

"Quick!" Obi-wan shouted, moving towards the downward gap. Anakin followed him, for once taking Araminta's place at his side as she scanned the corridor in both directions, ears twitching. Nothing moved, nothing made a noise besides the sparking of electricity from the bomb damaging the vault security.

She let out halfway between a scoff and shout as she went against her instincts and followed Obi-wan and Anakin down, frustration palpable. She landed in a huff at the bottom, Anakin sending her a look over his shoulder. She ignored it as they pressed forward, moving until the assassin stopped them at the sound of voices.

Up ahead, a shadow, something small. It sounded like a droid in the grate that led to the communications centre, and Obi-wan and Anakin moved forward quickly, leaving Araminta unusually in the dust. She glanced back the way they had come, still suspicious before something else overtook her senses.

"Bomb," she whispered. The sharp beeping pressed on her ears again as the small droid up ahead was shoved back in from the centre. "Bomb!" she shouted, louder, as Anakin and Obi-wan turned and ran back, managing to turn a corner and avoid the blast.

"I am sick of explosions today," Anakin hissed.

"Well, that's new," Araminta snipped, crossing her arms over her chest as Obi-wan ran back towards the hole in the wall that was now connected to the communications centre.

There was nothing but the droid-turned-bomb. No intruder was making an escape, at least certainly not one capable of stealing information out from under the Jedi's noses. There was nothing but two explosions to prove anyone had gotten through their defences.

The communications centre had remained defended and secure until the end as they searched the temple for any evidence, while Ahsoka contained the changeling, the high security alert not being removed.

Araminta was looping back to the padawan in the archives, which connected to the broken holocron vault, when she had seen it– one less orb in the wall. Dread sunk into her stomach, as they left the vents and headed into the archives.

"Our war operations, it was never about," Yoda said solemnly.

Anakin and Obi-wan exchanged looks, as Araminta pushed forward and fell into step with Ahsoka, who had tied the changeling's wrists behind her back and taken her blaster off of her. The assassin looked at the prisoner critically, wondering if she could get her to talk about what was really going on.

Had someone from her old ranks been helping her? Was the holocron for Octavian to refresh his list and senses to continue building his fleet? Was this connected to something far bigger than petty theft? Obviously, she scolded herself. A holocron was not something to scoff at.

"Come on changeling, we have a new home for you," Ahsoka told their prisoner.

"Wait," the changeling hissed. Ahsoka stopped, looking to her master. Anakin shrugged, and Ahsoka dragged the prisoner back around. "Bolla Ropal," the changeling told them.

"What did you say?" Windu demanded, and Araminta narrowed her eyes at the reaction.

"Bolla Ropal. That's who Bane's next target is, some Jedi," the changeling told them, lowly.

There were many things to focus on– the vagueness of the answer, the lack of loyalty to her ally, but Araminta latched onto only one.

"Bane?" Araminta said, knowing she was speaking out of turn, but she was already unsettled from the day so far. The changeling shifted her attention to the assassin, eyes narrowed. The reaction only confirmed her hunch. "Cad Bane, right?" Araminta pressed.

"Araminta?" Obi-wan interjected, her name a question all on its own.

Araminta didn't look at him. "I know who he is," she said, simply.

Anakin leaned into her peripheral vision. "What?"

"Cad Bane," Araminta spat, despite her relief at their being no association with her former colleagues. "He's a bounty hunter, mercenary– one of the best."

The changeling looked at her oddly. "Who are you?"

"An old friend of your friend," Araminta told her. She finally turned away from the prisoner and back to the Jedi, who were all looking at her wearily. "If Bane's doing this it means he's been hired by someone else orchestrating this. He goes where the money is."

"So it's bigger than we thought," Obi-wan realised. Araminta nodded once.

"What's your experience with him?" Windu cut in.

Araminta didn't flinch at a tone most would have, as she considered how much she could reveal in front of their present group. "I worked multiple missions with him when I was fresh in the field," the assassin replied. "He's the fastest shooter I've ever seen– his draw speed is unmatched. Relies a lot on technology but thinks quick and as any good mercenary, does whatever he can to get his money."

"Who's Bolla Ropal?" Anakin asked Windu, as the pieces began to fall into place.

"He is the keeper of the Kyber crystal, the data on which one can only be read by a holocron," Windu said solemnly.

"What's on the crystal?" Ahsoka said, tone cautious, as if she already knew the answer wasn't good.

Windu looked grim. "A list of every known Force-sensitive child in the galaxy. The future younglings. The future of the Jedi order."

Obi-wan's eyes widened. "We have to warn him," Araminta's charge insisted.

"That's going to be hard to do," Windu sighed. "He's out of contact, somewhere in the Devaron system."

"Seek him out, you must," Yoda instructed.

"Ahsoka and I will set out immediately," Anakin said quickly. Ahsoka only blinked at him, as Windu moved and took the changeling out of her hands.

Obi-wan nodded at his former apprentice. "If this Cad Bane is still on Coruscant, we'll find him."

Araminta's ears flicked expressively at the inclusion, sucking on her bottom lip. "With all due respect, he'll be long gone," the assassin told her superior. Obi-wan arched an eyebrow at her. "Ropal is probably already in danger."

"We can't take that chance," Obi-wan said, firmly.

But the assassin didn't back down, refusing to now that she had already spoken out of turn so much that day. "He's more dangerous than you give him credit for," Araminta protested.

She was not met with scolding, instead Obi-wan and Windu exchanged looks, before the higher ranking Jedi relented. "Solarii, go with Master Skywalker."

Araminta was momentarily shocked, before accepting the orders from Windu, who departed with Yoda and the prisoner. Araminta moved her gaze to Obi-wan, who stepped up to her. Ahsoka and Anakin held back, but she was aware of them watching the exchange curiously.

"Araminta," Obi-wan addressed. "Do what you must to bring him in alive. We need to question him on who hired him and why."

"Understood," she responded.

She made to move off, but Obi-wan stopped her with a gentle grip on her arm. Araminta looked back at him, a puzzled look on her face.

"I should have listened to you today," the Jedi told her earnestly, hand dropping from her arm.

Araminta turned back to face him, looking at him unsurely. "Why?" she asked, genuine confusion in her tone.

"Because you have experience no one else does, no matter what it is," Obi-wan told her.

"I could've been wrong," she said with a shrug.

"So could I," Obi-wan fired back. "And I was."

"Don't worry, it's not your job to listen to me." She did not mean to indirect him, or come across as passive-aggressive as it did.

But Obi-wan seemed unfazed, only looking down at her, before inclining his head. "May the force be with you," he told her.

Araminta couldn't find it in her to repeat the words as they departed, and if it weren't for a piece of her past rising on the horizon, she may have run after Obi-wan and demanded answers to his vagueness.

Had he meant for her to feel respected?

━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━

not edited but we should expect that by now

obiminta is very important to me, and obi-wan also hesitating but learning to respect her and trust her as someone other than a guard dog is very important. last episode established that, and this one verbalised that he would continue to learn to trust her (again noen of this is happening overnight and there's a lot of back and forth and inner conflict for everyone involved)

anyway kicking off one of my favourite arcs for araminta personally which will continue for the next two chapters/eps. i've made a few canon divergent/dialogue changes with this arc but idc this is fanfiction baby

i actually really loved the battle in the beginning, cause the rest of the episode is obikin being kinda DUMB in canon but things are a happening

also i have officially completed the chapter/episode outline for this fic. it's set at 90 chapters total (such a satisfying number idc) and every act has a solid arc and endpoint and it's so exciting because this fic has existed in my brain and drafts for years and everything is finally being written out

new chapter soon, please don't be a ghost reader <3