"You know your marching orders; the safety of the Duchess Satine is of the utmost importance," Obi-Wan stressed to the troopers that stood around them in the cargo bay. Anakin and Zelina flanked the elder Jedi Master, meeting the gaze of the troopers all around evenly as Obi-Wan continued. "The Deathwatch will stop at nothing to assassinate her before she pleads her case to the Senate."

"The Deathwatch may be backed by the Separatists, so stay sharp," Anakin cut in, stepping up to take the spotlight momentarily. He turned to the familiar blue and white astromech that flanked his right. "R2, use your scanners to probe for any suspicious activity."

"Anything else sir?" Rex quipped from off to the side, standing beside Cody and Cruiser. Obi-Wan was quick to respond.

"No, that will be all," Obi-Wan said with a terse nod. Zelina flashed the captains and commander a small smile before she turned to leave with Anakin and Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan's com link started to go off before they even reached the door. Obi-Wan cocked an eyebrow as he reached to answer the communication device. "Yes?"

"The Duchess and her retinue requests your presence," came a prompt answer from the other end of the line.

"Very well," Obi-Wan said in mild surprise, leading the way through the door into the lift. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Zelina, Rex, Cody, and Cruiser all piled in, the troopers taking up the front while the Jedi stood in the back. Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully while Anakin appraised him from the corner of his eyes; as Zelina had suspected, he had been very curious to hear about the exploits with Satine. One might even say he was open to connecting with Obi-Wan on the topic.

"I sense some anxiety from you about the Duchess," Anakin noted casually. "She couldn't be in safer hands," Anakin reassured Obi-Wan.

"Yes, I know," Obi-Wan said tensely, his gaze fixed on the ceiling of the lift.

"Then why..." Anakin started to ask, but Obi-Wan cut him off.

"Never mind, it's all in the past," Obi-Wan said quickly.

Zelina smiled in amusement and triumph. Ah-ha, there's the first slip up!

"Oh, so you're close to her," Anakin said vaguely, glancing at Obi-Wan and shooting Zelina a small, mischievous smile.

"I knew her," Obi-Wan said sharply before he added a soft, "a long time ago..."

Anakin smiled in satisfaction; it seemed he had gotten what he wanted for now. Zelina smirked, leaning against the wall behind the two as she waited for the lift to arrive at the lounge room Satine should be in at the moment. This trip was definitely going to be an interesting one; her, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Satine all on one ship together.

It was bound to have some rather interesting results.

The lift came to a gradual stop, and the doors slid open, allowing Satine's voice to waft towards the small group, who stayed in the lift to hear what she had to say. Zelina cocked her head to the side, curious to know what the Duchess was saying before their presence could be made known.

"War is intolerable; we have been deceived into thinking that we must be a part of it! I say the moment we're committed to fighting, we already lost," Satine was saying passionately. The man that had shadowed her—an adviser of the Duchess, Zelina assumed—spoke up.

"Excuse me your grace; are you suggesting we oppose the war on humanitarian grounds?"

"I'm going to oppose it as an affront to life itself," Satine said firmly. "As the designated regent of fifteen hundred systems, I speak for thousands of worlds that have urged me to allow them to stay neutral in this war."

Obi-Wan suddenly spoke up, much to Anakin and Zelina's surprise, stepping forward as his voice rang clearly through the room.

"And yet some might argue that the strongest defense is a swift and decisive offense," Obi-Wan stated evenly. Zelina and Anakin followed Obi-Wan into the room, the two standing close beside each other to watch events unfold in front of them.

Satine eyed Obi-Wan with a peculiar look on her face. Zelina would say that she saw sadness in her eyes, though she had the sneaking suspicion that it was there because at the moment Obi-Wan and she was at odds with one another. Obi-Wan inclined his head in respect, meeting her gaze evenly.

"You are quite the general now, aren't you Master Kenobi?" Satine said coolly, appraising him with raised eyebrows.

"Forgive me for interrupting Your Highness, I meant no disrespect," Obi-Wan said humbly, gesturing to himself vaguely. Satine's eyebrows raised higher.

"Really? Senators I presume you are acquainted with the collection of half-truths and hyperbole known as Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Satine said, glancing around the room. Beside Zelina, Anakin snorted softly, fighting back a smirk while Obi-Wan accepted Satine's words gracefully, smiling slightly and nodding at the Senators that had turned their attention to him.

"Your Highness is...too kind," Obi-Wan responded calmly.

"You're right, I am," Satine said, looking away with a disdainful sniff.

Anakin leaned over to Zelina to murmur lightly in her ear. "This is the woman you were telling me about?"

"Mhm. Just wait, it should get better," Zelina mumbled back, moving her lips as little as possible. Anakin seemed amused.

"Interesting relationship," he commented quietly.

"Agreed," Zelina said with a small smirk. Obi-Wan caught the last half of their conversation and shot them a light glare, stepping aside to reveal the two to Satine.

"Allow me to introduce my fellow Jedi Anakin Skywalker," Obi-Wan said, effectively changing the conversation topic and directing attention away from him. Anakin stepped forward and gave a well-practiced, fluid bow.

"Your servant Milady," he said graciously. Satine appraised him with a slight twinkle in her eyes, glancing momentarily at Zelina.

"General Skywalker...General Du'ahn made mention of and spoke very highly of you," she said easily. Her comment caused Anakin to glance back at Zelina curiously while Zelina fought back her blush. However, the smile slid from Satine's face as the woman sighed. "I remember a time when Jedi were not Generals, but peacekeepers."

"We are protectors, Highness," Anakin said, standing a little straighter as he spoke. "Yours at the moment. We fight for peace."

"What an amusing contradiction," Satine murmured with a small laugh, swirling her drink lightly in her glass.

"What Master Skywalker means is that we are acting at the behest of your highness," Obi-Wan responded easily, stepping forward once again. "To protect you from the Deathwatch and the Separatists who don't share your neutral point of view."

"I asked for no such thing," Satine said sharply.

"That may be so, but a majority of your court did," Obi-Wan said softly, gesturing around the room. There was a brief silence.

"I do not remember you as one to hide behind excuses," Satine said icily, meeting Obi-Wan's gaze head on.

"I do not remember you as one to shrink from responsibilities," Obi-Wan replied, his voice gaining a sharp edge to it. Senator Orn Free Taa stepped between the two in an attempt to sever the growing tension in the room created by the two.

"I am certain we all agree Duchess Satine and General Kenobi have proven there are two sides to every dilemma," he said carefully.

"Indeed," Satine's advisor said in obvious amusement.

"Now, in regards to the Senate vote, we think—" the Senator started, though Satine cut him off.

"I think a multitude makes discord, not good counsel," Satine said rather sharply.

"Right again, Milady," the Senator said graciously.

Obi-Wan and Satine's gazes narrowed slightly on each other as Obi-Wan stepped back to speak in a low tone to Zelina and Anakin.

"There may be two sides to every dilemma, but the Duchess only favors hers," he mumbled, gesturing towards Satine with a sharp nod.

Well, this is going to be an interesting trip with the way these two are going at each other, Zelina thought. And I bet it's only going to get worse.

No sooner had she thought that did Obi-Wan step forward once again. She had been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't even heard what had caused her friends sudden response.

"A Republic military presence is the only sure defense against the Separatists," he said cautiously. No matter how cautious about the matter was, however, Satine was still visibly upset. She stood up sharply, a rather intimidating figure even if she was a pacifist.

"Even extremists can be reasoned with," she said avidly, stepping forward.

She seemed to finally have struck a nerve, and Obi-Wan responded sharply and sarcastically. "Perhaps...if one can be heard over the clanking of their battle droids!"

Satine rolled her eyes and made a sound of disgust as Obi-Wan marched towards her, stepping down in a determined confrontational march of her own. "The sarcasm of a soldier!"

"The delusion of a dreamer!" Obi-Wan responded just as acidly. The two came to a stop face to face, glaring at each other in equal stubborn determination, eyes narrowed.

"Duchess, Master Jedi," Satine's advisor said calmly. "It's been a long trip; I think we could all use a little rest and refreshment."

Anakin was making no effort to hide his smile, peering over his glass at the two tense individuals in the middle of the room in obvious amusement. Zelina shook her head as she appraised the two; it was like Anakin and Padme back at the palace in Theed, except unlike Anakin, Obi-Wan wasn't about to back down in his position.

"Here, here!" Orn Free Taa said, setting his glass down. Zelina tried not to snicker when she saw Satine lift an elegant eyebrow in challenge towards Obi-Wan, though beside her she saw Anakin jerk a little in surprise, earning him a curious glance from her. Shock was written all over his face, though he was quickly trying to hide it.

"Now, let us put politics aside until after dinner," the Senator was saying.

"Fine!" both Satine and Obi-Wan barked in unison, though Satine pushed Obi-Wan out of her way, storming towards the door to make her way down the hall towards who knew where. Anakin and Zelina stepped out of the Duchess' way, sharing a secretive glance until the woman had passed. Zelina drew to Anakin's side and leaned over to whisper quietly so that only he could hear.

"What was that about?"

"What was what about?" Anakin asked, genuinely confused.

"You looked surprised about something," Zelina noted. "What was it?"

A strange looked fluttered across his face before he shook his head. "It was nothing; Satine just...reminded me of someone for a moment..." he said with a frown, obviously lost in thought.

"Who?" Zelina asked curiously.

Anakin smiled rather wistfully. "I wish I knew."

Zelina raised an eyebrow in surprised. "How do you not know who she reminds you of?"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "How do you not know who Luke from your visions is?" When Zelina didn't respond, he spoke again. "You have your answer."

With that, Anakin set his drink aside and moved with the others to follow Satine out into the hall. Zelina stared after him, frowning.

"Curious..." she muttered.

************************************

Not that much later, the three Jedi were making their way towards their shared quarters before dinner just to get ready and perhaps grab a few things. Anakin was the one to break the tense silence between them all, though what he said was not at all what Zelina had been expecting.

"You and Satine have a history," he noted lightly. Instead of remaining in her surprised state, Zelina decided to play along.

"Yes, I too have picked up on that Obi-Wan," Zelina said in a mock-serious tone.

Obi-Wan shook his head slightly but surprised them both by starting to talk about how he and Satine knew each other. "An extended mission when I was younger. Master Qui-Gon and I spent a year on Mandalore protecting the Duchess from insurgents who had threatened her world," Obi-Wan explained lightly, his eyes seemingly fixed on some point ahead of them, seeing something the other two couldn't see.

He waved the door to the lift open absentmindedly and they all filed in. "That sounds like it was rather interesting," Zelina quipped, trying to prompt more out of the Jedi Master. Obi-Wan nodded slightly.

"They sent bounty hunters after us," he said before he gave a soft, short laugh; he seemed to be reminiscing. "We were always on the run, living hand to mouth...never sure what the next day would bring."

"Sounds romantic," Anakin said with a small smirk, purposely casting his gaze up at the ceiling. Obi-Wan blinked out of his daze before he turned to Anakin and gave him a 'seriously?' look that might have even held a hint of 'I'm resisting the urge to strangle you' in it that Zelina occasionally saw whenever Anakin was being particularly troublesome. Anakin pretended to be oblivious to the look, gazing around at the interior of the lift as if he found it rather interesting. He caught Zelina's eyes, and a twinkle she recognized all too well entered his gaze. She could sense his mirth at being able to tease Obi-Wan about the situation, though at the same time she knew that he liked being able to share some common ground with the man. It was in his eyes; perhaps he could finally connect with Obi-Wan when it came to some of his feelings. Perhaps he really did understand how Anakin felt about Padme.

The lift doors opened and they filed out once more before Obi-Wan continued his story.

"A civil war killed most of Satine's people...hence her aversion to violence," Obi-Wan murmured softly. Anakin caught the serious nature that the conversation had developed and clasped his hands behind his back, a habit he had developed that signified that he was in serious, deep thought and listening intently to whatever one had to say. Obviously he wanted to know all about this woman that had managed to capture Obi-Wan's heart from what he and Zelina could tell. "When she returned she took on the difficult task of rebuilding her world alone."

Anakin seemed shocked. "You didn't stay to help her?" he stated more than asked the question, his hands dropping to his sides as he watched Obi-Wan's movements closely.

Obi-Wan hesitated and they turned a corner, having finally arrived at their three bedrooms. "That...would have been problematic..." he said slowly as he opened his own bedroom. He waved his hand to draw his chair to the middle of the room. "My duties as a Jedi demanded I be elsewhere," Obi-Wan explained as he took a seat. Anakin and Zelina took up positions on either side of the door, Anakin watching him with a furrowed brow while Zelina simply soaked in all the information for future reference.

"Demanded?" Anakin asked before he started his incredulous questioning. "But...it's obvious you had feelings for her, surely that would affect your decision," Anakin said, ending on a firm note.

Obi-Wan leaned forward in his seat, stroking his beard as he spoke in a mournful tone. "Oh...it did...I live by the Jedi Code."

"Of course," Anakin said bitterly. "As Master Yoda says, a Jedi must not form attachments..."

"Yes," Obi-Wan said simply, casting his eyes elsewhere before he mumbled out a solemn, "but he usually leaves out the undercurrent of remorse..."

Obi-Wan's com link went off, and he seemed grateful for the timely distraction, answering it immediately. "Yes Captain?"

"General," came Rex's voice. "Something's wrong with Skywalker's astromech. Scared him real good sir. I've also lost contact with two of my men..."

Obi-Wan stood up sharply. "I'm on my way down to assist you."

Anakin stood up straight from his perch in the corner, waving him off. "I'll go Master; if there's something dangerous down there, the clones and I can handle it."

Zelina frowned. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Anakin shook his head. "Nah, you two go on ahead to dinner, I'll join you whenever this mystery is wrapped up. Go on; mingle with the Senators," he said with a smirk. Zelina rolled her eyes.

"Fine; but don't take too long," she chuckled. The three all spilled out into the hall, though Anakin went right whereas Zelina and Obi-Wan went left. She sighed and shook her head, though was surprised when Obi-Wan spoke.

"So do you mind sharing with me what you told him?" Obi-Wan asked her politely.

"Me? What do you mean?" Zelina asked innocently.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid Zelina, I know you told him something about Satine and I. What was it?"

Zelina chuckled. "Nothing really; I just told him that the two of you seemed really close and I shared some of our brief adventures on Mandalore with him."

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows and the two got back into the lift. "And why would you do that?"

"Because Ani is not a machine but human, and he has feelings too, and hearing about you and Satine makes him feel like he has something in common with you; it helps him feel like he can actually relate with you, which is something he's struggled with recently," Zelina said with a raised eyebrow. Obi-Wan seemed a little startled, though he nodded slowly.

"That seems like a fair enough point..." he said slowly.

"That's because it's a very good point," Zelina said with a small smirk.

Obi-Wan smiled a little. "Perhaps."

Zelina chuckled. "I guess that's the best I'm going to get out of you. Well, let's not keep the Senators waiting too long."

"I agree; some of them are already grouchy enough, we don't need to add tardiness to the growing list of agitators for them."

The doors slid open in front of them, and the pair stepped into the dining room, Obi-Wan as elegant as ever when he was in the presence of the Duchess. Zelina just did her best to exude the air of confidence that seemed to ooze from Anakin and Obi-Wan, her chin held high and her steps as close to the graceful she had seen in Satine and Padme as she could get.

Of course, Obi-Wan was the one who had the eloquent speech; that was why she let him do all the talking. She was not one for wordiness unless she was truly inspired. Obi-Wan could pull eloquent words out of thin air, and so she always deemed it appropriate for Obi-Wan to be the one to do all of the official discussions.

"I beg your pardon Senators; our men are investigating a situation below decks. I respectfully ask you to wait here until it is settled," he said, inclining his head slightly in the universal sign of respect.

Satine appraised him stiffly, her eyes flickering away for a moment. "Of course."

It seemed she still had some simmering to do after that fight earlier.

Obi-Wan sighed so softly Zelina was sure she was the only one who heard him. Obi-Wan pulled out a seat for Zelina like a true gentleman, causing Zelina to smile slightly as she gracefully took her seat next to Orn Free Taa. She partially wished she could be on the other side next to the female Senator, but she wasn't about to say anything out loud. Instead she smiled and did her best to be polite as Senator Taa scarfed down ever morsel of food that came into his range. Obi-Wan and Satine seemed to be having a silent war with their eyes for a few moments before Obi-Wan broke eye contact and decided to study the Senators around him instead. The light chit-chat was soon interrupted though.

Obi-Wan's com went off, and he stood as gracefully and hurriedly as he could. Zelina rose as well. "Please excuse us," he said gracefully as they moved a few paces away from the table. Satine was watching them with a sharp eye, and Zelina had to admit that she felt uncomfortable being so closely watched by the eloquent woman.

"Anakin, what have you found?" Obi-Wan asked softly, drawing Zelina out of her musings.

"I hope this is good; maybe good enough that I can come down there and help," Zelina said hopefully, thinking of the gluttonous Senator she was sitting by.

"There's a large, open container and the contents are missing. Sorry Zee, but I don't think it's enough to bring you down here yet," Anakin said, a little bit of mirth coloring his tone before it dropped to seriousness. "Though I do still have two men unaccounted for..."

"That's not good," Obi-Wan muttered. "Keep things quiet and we'll stay with the Senators."

"Got it..."

The connection cut, and Obi-Wan and Zelina shared a glance. It was obvious they were both thinking that this situation was only going to get more...interesting the more time that passed.

Moments later, before they could even return to their seats, Zelina lightly grabbed Obi-Wan's arm, weaving slightly as she was suddenly overcome with a strong sense of danger, and not necessarily danger for her own life, but danger for...Anakin's life. It was only fleeting before the danger shifted elsewhere, and it seemed to be coming in their direction. Obi-Wan steadied her, a hand over the hand that was clutching his arm as he shot her a concerned look. He didn't have to voice his question though.

"Something's wrong..." she muttered, her eyes wandering over the room. Satine was watching them closely and seemed to have picked up on that very fact, already rising from her seat.

Obi-Wan's com went off once again, and Anakin's voice came through sharp and clear. "Obi-Wan, there's assassin probes down here! One made it up the lift, I'll try to hold the others here!"

That got everyone's attention, though Obi-Wan and Zelina were already moving into action. "Quickly, secure the lifts!" Obi-Wan commanded, pulling out his lightsaber as Zelina rapidly moved over to where Satine was now standing at the head of the table. Zelina gave her a wan smile.

"Just stay behind me Milady," she said gently, unclipping her violet lightsaber from her belt and holding it at the ready. Obi-Wan had already activated his, and just in time too. The doors to the lift were forced open by a giant...

Ah, kriff! Why did it have to be a spider assassin droid! I hate spiders!

The spider droid grabbed one of Satine's personal guards as Zelina ignited her violet blade, using the guard to knock Obi-Wan off of his feet as well as the other personal guards. Once those initial obstacles were out of the way, the droid jumped onto the table, coming right at Zelina and Satine. Zelina jumped onto the table as well, sucking up her fear of arachnids and going head to head with the droid on the table. She stepped around the cups and plates, doing her best to sidestep the eight razor sharp legs. Orn Free Taa was just a few decibels below screaming, and she ignored him, sliding under three of the spider droid legs and shoving the lightsaber right through the droid's middle. She had to roll to the side to avoid being impaled by another leg and heard the fabric rip as the sharp edge came uncomfortably close to inflicting injury. She seesawed her blade just to make sure the thing was dead, straining to keep the thing from crushing her as she rolled out from under it. She shimmied out from its legs, brushing herself off and trying not to shiver.

"Pleasant," she muttered. "Gah, Force I hate spiders..."

Obi-Wan seemed to materialize beside her. "Are you all right?" he asked, touching her arm lightly. "You're still recovering and—"

"I'm fine," Zelina assured him before he could get much farther.

As if the entire ordeal wasn't already bad enough with one giant spider droid, Zelina suddenly heard little pops coming from the spider droid. Zelina's head whipped around to see little spider droids emerging at an alarming rate from the spider droid's body, and she felt her skin crawl.

"Oh, come on!" she protested, unclipping her shoto blade as Orn Free Taa actually dropped the drumstick in his hand with a scream, running in fright from the spiders. Zelina halfway wished she could do something along those lines—at least scream—but she was a Clone Wars General and couldn't afford to lose face in front of the Senators she was supposed to be defending.

Instead, she determined to cut down every last one of those evil little things. There was just so many of them!

"I've got the right," Zelina told Obi-Wan sharply, taking up the right half of the room where the spiders were pouring out of the top of the mother droid. Obi-Wan moved instinctively and predictably to protect Satine, leaving Zelina to deal with the spider's 'front lines' that didn't seem to end. Of course, when Satine the pacifist suddenly pulled out a deactivator and took out an entire chunk of the oncoming spider waves, Zelina found herself caught somewhere between surprise and approval. Satine was quick to turn and take out another three spots of spider droids that were getting too close for comfort, and Obi-Wan finally voiced what Zelina was thinking.

"Do you always carry a deactivator?" Obi-Wan asked with a small grunt, cutting through about five spider droids that tried for him at the same time.

"Just because I'm a pacifist doesn't mean I won't defend myself," Satine said with a hint of pride in her clear tone.

"Go Satine," Zelina said with a smile, lashing out to cut a few spider droids in half.

"Now you sound like a Jedi," Obi-Wan quipped with a smirk. Satine took aim and whipped out the last group of spider droids, with Zelina cutting a straggler in half along the way.

"There, and don't come back," she muttered to the smoking halves of the spider droids.

"You're not immobilized by your arachnophobia right now, are you Zelina?" Obi-Wan teased her lightly. Zelina rolled her eyes.

"Who was the one who put the giant spider droid out of commission? I might be deathly afraid of spiders and can't stand the sight of them, but it won't get in the way of my duty," she said pointedly, poking at the spider droid with the hilt of her lightsaber. "Let's just hope there's no more surprises from our friend here..."

"Agreed," Obi-Wan said, bending down to pick up one of the deactivated spider droids as he turned to face Satine. "Just like that swarm of venom-mites on Draboon, remember?"

"How could I forget?" Satine asked sweetly, walking past him. "I still have the scar."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips slightly when Zelina smirked at him. "Begging your pardon Duchess, but I distinctly remember carrying you to safety."

It was an obvious attempt to save his pride.

And it failed miserably.

Satine turned around, smiling warmly at him, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I meant the scar I got after you fell...and dropped me."

Zelina snorted, unable to hide her mirth as Obi-Wan flinched slightly. "Oh...yes..."

"You have as much grace and charm as Anakin some days Obi-Wan," Zelina chuckled.

Oh if looks could kill.

**********************************

While the dining room was being cleaned up, Anakin left the troops below to keep an eye out for the remaining spider droid while Anakin brought up his recent findings. Zelina kept her back turned away from the spider droids that littered the room, ignoring the slightly amused look on Anakin's face as he watched her. Obviously, he knew how she felt about the spider droids, and he was taking great amusement in her discomfort. Still, he managed to be serious and composed as he delivered his report to Obi-Wan, Zelina, and Satine, handing Obi-Wan the manifesto for the cargo the spider droids had come in. It was sealed only with the Senate Seal, no name. Anakin's hand instinctively fell to his lightsaber, a movement Zelina knew meant he was feeling distrustful of someone.

"One of our four distinguished Senators appears to be a traitor," Anakin stated, his voice sharp and firm.

Zelina and Obi-Wan glanced back at the Senators in the room. "I sense it too..." Obi-Wan said quietly.

Zelina spotted a surviving spider droid, her eyes narrowing as she tracked its movements. The sharp click of its eight legs striking the floor echoed in her ears, and she blanched.

"It looks like one of our little visitors is still alive," Obi-Wan mused.

"Uhg, kill it," she muttered, drawing a small snicker from Anakin.

Obi-Wan smiled at her. "I have an idea on how to expose the turncoat," he informed them, handing the manifesto back to Anakin. "Return to the hull of the ship, destroy the last assassin droids; I'll find out which of the Senators is the traitor. Zelina, stay here in case things get a little...out of control."

"Got it. You've just got to keep me around in case another spider droid shows up, don't you Obi-Wan?" Zelina asked with a smile.

"Every opportunity I get," Obi-Wan muttered distractedly, already moving to try and capture the little spider droid. Zelina shook her head, turning away from him.

She's had quite enough of those evil little creatures for one night.

******************************************

"Duchess; you're not eating."

Zelina rolled her eyes at Orn Free Taa's statement, once more sitting next to the Senator as she waited for Obi-Wan to be ready for his so called 'interrogation' that was just taking too long to come to fruition in her opinion. Of course she's not eating; how shallow can you get Senator?

"I have no appetite," Satine said gloomily, casting her eyes down to the table in front of her.

"Begging your pardon, you must keep up your strength!" the Senator chided, waving the drumstick in the air. Zelina had to lean to avoid getting hit with it, raising her eyebrows at the Senator just out of his line of sight behind his back.

"By all means, be my guest Senator," Satine responded coolly, raising one elegant eyebrow and meeting Zelina's eyes. Satine shook her head, her eyes communicating that she agreed with what Zelina was thinking but not saying, drawing a small smile from Zelina.

"If you insist," Orn Free Taa said smoothly. Zelina turned her head as Obi-Wan finally reappeared, a cloth over the container he was holding. It was about time. The Senator, of course, only had food on his mind as he noted Obi-Wan's arrival. "Ah, dessert! Excellent!"

Zelina saw a mischievous twinkle enter Obi-Wan's eyes momentarily before he returned to all seriousness. "This morsel might prove too much even for the legendary appetite of Orn Free Tah," Obi-Wan said wittily before he pulled back the cloth, hovering the container not too far from Zelina's face and causing her to visibly bristle.

Obi-Wan seemed to be taking the opportunity to enact revenge for telling Anakin about him and Satine, as the surviving Spider droid was now mere centimeters from her face and separated by a thin plastic wall. It bounced against the wall of its container, trying to get to either Zelina or the Senator, while Obi-Wan simply smirked at Zelina's reaction.

"Enjoy," Obi-Wan said simply. Zelina glared at him, and Orn Free Taa, leaned as far as possible from the little contained droid.

"On second thought...it wouldn't agree with me..." the Senator muttered. Obi-Wan's eyes twinkled just slightly before he moved away from them towards the end of the table opposite from Satine.

"My theory is our little friend will attack the Duchess and anyone who defends her," Obi-Wan said, his eyes slowly traveling over the Senators seated around the table. "Anyone, that is, except the traitor who programmed it."

Satine was glaring daggers at Obi-Wan like Zelina was, though for an entirely different reason. Zelina simply didn't like the spider droid being so close to her without being allowed to destroy the stupid thing, while Satine...

Well, Zelina highly doubted she agreed with Obi-Wan's plan.

Orn Free Taa jumped and cowered as the spider droid slammed against the container rather hard to try and get to him. "Take it away! Please!" he begged.

"Obi-Wan!" Satine snapped, a dangerous fire in her eyes. "This line of questioning borders on torture!"

Obi-Wan finally moved away from Zelina and Orn Free Taa, and he hovered behind the two Senators who sat across from Zelina, Orn Free Taa, and Satine's advisor, who she had come to learn was actually Prince Tal Merrik.

"Oh I assure our pacifist Duchess that all is under control; I'm trying to expose a bigger threat," Obi-Wan said evenly, hovering the spider droid near each of the Senators. The droid tried for both of them, and Zelina's eyes slid over to the remaining Senator that was sitting on Zelina's side. Her hand fluttered to her lightsaber, though Obi-Wan was taking his sweet time. "Interesting...the droid displays unusual hostility towards the honorable Kin Robb."

He walked around Satine, making his way gradually to the last Senator; Tal Merrik. Zelina's hand clenched on her lightsaber and she slowly rose as the spider droid calmed as Obi-Wan brought it close to the Prince. "But it seems to like you Senator Merrik," Obi-Wan said evenly, raising an eyebrow at the Senator. "Well Prince?"

"Really General Kenobi...you're quite clever!" the Prince said, spinning around to knock the container out of Obi-Wan's hand, freeing the droid. Zelina's shoto blade suddenly hummed to life and she tossed the blade into the air in a spinning lightsaber throw, cutting the droid in half before it could hit the ground and attack anyone. Almost everyone had to duck as the throw was difficult to execute in such an enclosed space, especially with such a small target and so many innocents in one bunch. Obi-Wan even had to stumble back since the blade came so close to him in the process.

Merrik, however, had taken the momentary distraction to push past Obi-Wan and snatch Satine right out of her seat, a blaster pointed at her head. Zelina's shoto blade returned to her hand and she gripped the blade tightly, pulling out the violet full length lightsaber as well and activating it as she glared at Merrik. "You're coming with me," Merrik hissed at Satine, dragging her across the room towards the door. Obi-Wan and Zelina followed him with sharp eyes, the doors shutting in front of them a split second later.

"Come on, we can still get her back," Zelina said in determination, already crossing the distance to the door. Obi-Wan was beside her in an instant, turning on his com link as they rushed out the door. Merrik had already turned down one of the halls and was out of sight, though Zelina was determined not to let him be out of sight for long.

"Anakin, Tal Merrik is the traitor and he's taken Satine hostage," Obi-Wan said in a hurried tone of voice.

"Copy that," Anakin said in a low, quiet voice that sounded like it came through grit teeth. Even though he cut the connection, Zelina was pretty sure he was back talking down in the cargo hold.

"He most likely went to the bridge; whether for communications or to bring us out of hyperspace, I don't know. But I think it seems to be the logical next step," Zelina said, trying to remember the way to the bridge in the giant chip that was the Coronet.

"Agreed," Obi-Wan said, taking a sharp turn in what Zelina hoped was the right direction. Nobody occupied these halls, and there was nothing to mark where they were. Silently, Zelina deactivated her lightsabers with Obi-Wan and hooked them to her belt.

*****************************************

After a few moments of silent, tense running, Anakin suddenly appeared around the corner in front of them, and Zelina visibly brightened.

"Did you find them?" Obi-Wan asked immediately, skidding to a halt and almost causing Zelina to crash into him.

"No, but I've stationed troopers at every escape pod," Anakin assured him, and the trio continued down the hall back in the direction Anakin had just appeared down.

"I think they might be at the bridge," Zelina quipped.

"Possibly," Anakin said with a nod. "It seems logical; is that where you were headed?"

"Yes, it was," Obi-Wan said distractedly. "Merrik will signal his allies for help; we have to get to him!" he added, his voice firm as he picked up his hurried pace into the nearest lift. Anakin and Zelina shared a glance, jumping into the lift with him just before the doors slid shut; he'd already selected a floor.

"This may not be the time to ask," Anakin started slowly, his eyes boring into the back of Obi-Wan's head, "but were you and Satine ever—"

"I don't see how that has any bearing on the situation at hand!" Obi-Wan snapped, cutting Anakin off as his voice rose and fell several pitches before he turned back around, his back tense.

Anakin smiled to himself and Zelina snorted softly. "I take that as a yes," she muttered to Anakin. Zelina looked around as a subtle jolt shook the ship. "We've come out of hyperspace; that can't be good."

"No, it isn't; he might have already called his reinforcements," Anakin noted. The next moment, the ship was rocked by a sudden impact, and Zelina braced herself against the lift walls. Anakin gave her a worried look. "That can't be good either; I think we might be being boarded as we speak."

Obi-Wan shuffled in impatience. "We don't have time to deal with a boarding," he muttered to himself. Zelina could tell his entire focus was Satine and Satine alone. All throughout the ship alarms started to blare, and finally the doors to the lift opened once again. The three of them stepped tersely into the hall, eyes roaming the swarm of troopers who were rushing down the hall.

"I'll take care of this Obi-Wan; you, go find your girlfriend," Anakin said before he turned and rushed in the same direction that the troopers were running in.

"Right," Obi-Wan said with a sharp nod, eliciting an immediate laugh from Zelina before he realized his slip up. "Wait! No! Anakin, she's not my—"

"Forget it Obi-Wan, he's long gone and you've already messed up," Zelina said with a grin before she grabbed his arm and turn against the flow of the troopers. "I'll come with you; two is better than one for this I believe. Now come on, the bridge is this way...I think..."

"You sound as sure as Anakin did about that 'shortcut' on Coruscant," Obi-Wan grumbled, though he did follow her.

"Then I should be right," she said cheerily. She had to do something to lighten the mood, or she was going to go insane.

"You are," Obi-Wan grumbled.

"At least you know the way to the bridge."

"You didn't?" Obi-Wan asked, lifting and eyebrow in surprise and promptly taking the lead from her.

She smiled sheepishly. "No...no not really," she admitted.

Suddenly Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber, slowing down in his rapid pace. "We're here."

Zelina pulled out her lightsabers again, igniting them as well. "Ready," she said, and Obi-Wan promptly opened the door in front of them.

"Come in Kenobi; you're expected," came Merrik's sneering voice. Obi-Wan stepped through the threshold, and Zelina followed after him. "Aw, you brought company; now this won't be so much fun," Merrik pouted.

"You and I have different ideas of fun," Zelina said smoothly, her eyes trained not on Merrik but on Satine, who was struggling in the tight grip Merrik had around her neck.

"Tal Merrik; you are under arrest," Obi-Wan said firmly. He pointed his lightsaber warningly at the Prince. "Release the Duchess!"

"Hmm," Merrik said, slowly inching around Obi-Wan. Zelina's eyes were suddenly brought around to the small device in Merrik's hand that had a red light on, and she shifted uncomfortably. That couldn't be good. Even as she inspected the device, Merrik was hefting it in the air. "I took the precaution of wiring the ship's engines to explode. I press this remote, and we all die."

"Obi, if you have any respect for me, you will not take such risks with so many people's lives at stake!" Satine pleaded.

Zelina was still reeling over the first word.

Obi?

Was that a pet name?

Focus Zelina, now is not the time!

Obi-Wan lowered his lightsaber, holding a hand out pleadingly towards Satine. With a start, Zelina realized he had at least momentarily forgotten that Zelina was there. "Satine..." he whispered. Merrik started to move again and his lightsaber was up once more. "Don't!" Obi-Wan warned.

Reluctantly, Zelina and Obi-Wan started to cautious forward shuffle that seemed to always accompany these hostage situations. Zelina studied every inch of Merrik, trying to identify a weak point in his defense as they shuffled along the hall, three lightsabers held tensely in Merrik's direction, and Obi-Wan's eyes flickering between Merrik and Satine.

Their quick, tense journey through the halls of the ship brought them to a dark hall where the power had been disabled, the only light the glow of their lightsabers. Zelina and Obi-Wan could sense urgency in the Force, telling them that they were running out of time. It didn't help the fact that Obi-Wan was already wound up tight; Zelina could feel the tension rolling off of him as thick as she could with Anakin.

Zelina glanced away from Merrik momentarily, finally noticing where they were. It seemed Merrik planed on escaping the same way his reinforcements had arrived.

"This is Merrik; stand by to disengage," Merrik said clearly into his com link as he backed towards his closest escape route. He turned his head to Satine. "Say farewell Duchess."

The entire group came to a standstill just outside of the first ship before Satine suddenly spoke. "Obi-Wan...it looks like I may never see you again..." she said. She looked so vulnerable, more vulnerable than Zelina had seen her this entire time. "I don't know quite how to say this but...I've loved you. From the moment you came to my aid, all those years ago!" she said passionately.

"I don't believe this," Merrik sneered with a roll of his eyes. Zelina would have lashed out at him with her lightsaber with his insensitivity if it wouldn't have put Satine at risk.

Obi-Wan, meanwhile, seemed a strange mixture between shock, surprise, and somewhat taken aback. "Satine, this is hardly the time or place for..." he started to say, but at the pure blue doe eyes Satine gave him he trailed off, holding him mesmerized for a few seconds. Finally, he surrendered to her influence, speaking in a soft voice. "All right...had you said the word...I would have left the Jedi Order."

Zelina went numb from shock. Now if this was Anakin, she wouldn't have been so surprised but this was...Obi-Wan! The picture perfect Jedi, the poster boy for the Jedi ideal! Him? Leave the Jedi Order?

His words seemed to strike some deep cord in her, and Zelina felt like her respect for the man grew, even though she had begun to believe that it couldn't.

"That is touching, truly it is!" she heard Merrik say, causing her to slowly drag herself out of her stupor. "But it's making me sick, and we really must be going," he growled.

Satine shot the man a glare, making a sound of disgust deep in her throat. "You have the romantic soul of a slug, Merrik!" Suddenly, Satine stomped on Merrik's foot, and was able to wrestle herself free from the man as well as snatch the man's blaster away from him, pointing it right at the Prince's head. "And slugs are so often trod upon!"

Zelina stared at the passionate pacifist woman in front of her, once more surprised. Half of her was waiting for Anakin to pop around the corner and yell 'Surprise!' but she knew that wasn't going to happen. She slowly inched closer to block off Merrik's escape, both lightsabers at the ready. She hadn't forgotten that the man had a detonator, and she highly doubted that Satine would actually shoot him. Maybe stun him in the most extreme case, but shooting him was not in the cards for Satine in Zelina's mind.

"Interesting turnabout," Merrik mused. "But even if I do not deliver the Duchess alive to the Separatists, I still win! The second I'm away I'll hit the remote, and blow the Coronet to bits!"

"I will not allow that!" Satine said passionately, though Zelina could see that the blaster was starting to shake in her hands.

"You can't do that if you're no longer breathing Merrik," Zelina said threateningly, taking another step towards the exit.

Merrik raised an eyebrow at Satine, staring at the blaster calmly. "And what will you do? If you shoot me, you prove yourself a hypocrite to every pacifist ideal you hold dear," Merrik sneered at her before he turned to Obi-Wan as Obi-Wan and Satine shared a look. "And you Kenobi, you are no stranger to violence. You'd be hailed as a hero by everyone on this ship...Oops! Almost everyone!" Merrik said with a feral grin. Obi-Wan looked sharply at Satine, and Zelina could tell that Merrik had struck a chord.

Zelina, however, saw a familiar face creeping towards them in the shadows, and smiled slightly to herself. "You forget two key elements Merrik," she said smoothly, drawing everyone's attention far away from the shadow that was creeping closer. "Both of them are not bound by such ties," she said dangerously.

"Go on then; strike first and brand yourself a cold blooded killer in front of your friends Jedi," Merrik sneered at her, his thumb hovering over the detonation button on the remote.

I don't mind a little blood on my hands; not in this case. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, Zelina thought before her eyes flickered over to the shadow that was finally within striking distance. She gave a slight nod in affirmation, and they both struck. A purple, blue, and green blade all descended on Merrik; the purple skimmed Merrik's hand and caused him to drop the detonator, the green was held at his throat to keep him from moving forward, and the blue emerged right through the center of his chest. A black gloved hand reached out and snatched the remote out of the air before it could fall to the ground. Lightsabers were deactivated and Zelina backed off as Merrik fell, revealing Anakin who stood behind the dead man, tossing the detonator in the air as he clipped the lightsaber back to his belt. Satine threw away her weapon as if it were a poisonous spider as Anakin shot Zelina a small smile.

"Anakin..." Obi-Wan said, his voice coming out somewhat scolding. Anakin scowled lightly, holding his hands up in defense.

"What? He was going to blow up the ship!" Anakin protested, gesturing towards Zelina. "If you're going to scold me you might as well scold her too!"

Obi-Wan simply shook his head and deactivated his lightsaber, causing Anakin to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. Zelina put a gentle hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention. "I need to talk to you later, when we're alone," she whispered. He raised his eyebrows in curiosity, but said nothing, giving a brief nod to show he understood. Zelina turned her attention to Obi-Wan and Satine out of the corner of her eyes, who were drawing ever so closer at the moment.

"Obi-Wan, I—" Satine started to say, her face hopeful, but she was interrupted by a trooper—Commander Cody—who had just arrived.

"General Skywalker, the last of the droids have been defeated sir."

Satine's face as well as Obi-Wan's fell in disappointment as Anakin answered Cody, being denied the moment they both probably needed to get their feelings straightened out and to get on even ground.

"Very good Cody," Anakin said in a business like tone. He seemed to snap everyone else into attention, and whatever spell had been previously cast upon their group shattered.

"I must get back to the business of diplomacy," Satine said, back in her professional appearance.

Obi-Wan bowed gracefully, though he couldn't hide his disappointment. "As you say Duchess...some other time..."

****************************************

When they finally were able to snag a moment of peace, Zelina and Anakin retreated to her room where they could speak in private. Anakin shut the doors behind them, and the hiss echoed through the room.

"So what is this about?" he asked curiously, leaning against the wall.

"Well..." Zelina said slowly, sitting down on the bed and clasping her hands together. "I was going to tell you something that you missed that might just shake everything you know about Obi-Wan," she said with a small smile.

Anakin raised his eyebrows, standing up from his perch on the wall so he could position himself in front of her. "Oh really?" he asked skeptically.

"Really," Zelina said with a firm nod. "You remember what I told you earlier, how it looked like Obi-Wan and Satine had feelings for each other?"

Anakin snorted. "Oh yeah, I remember; and from what I've seen you were spot on too. They definitely have feelings for each other."

Zelina smirked. "Well...not even I was expecting what happened."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Why don't you cut to the chase Zee and just tell me what happened? Quit beating around the bush."

"Well...Satine told Obi-Wan she loved him, straight up, in front of everyone," Zelina said, looking off to the side. Anakin shifted immediately in front of her from surprise, and she hadn't even said the second part yet. "In response he told her that if she would have asked him to, he would have left the Jedi Order for her; and I think he still would."

Zelina looked up to meet Anakin's crystal blue gaze, holding his surprised expression evenly. "He truly does love this woman Ani, just as much as you love Padme; and Force take me if anything happens to her if you know what I'm saying."

Anakin's eyes blazed in agreement for a moment before he nodded. "I agree. You'd do anything for Padme and me."

Zelina nodded as well, standing up. "Then it's settled; we're both going to go out of our way to make sure Satine stays safe, for Obi-Wan's sake."

Anakin clasped her shoulder. "Why is it we're always making these deals and promises?" he asked with a small chuckle.

Zelina smiled at him. "I don't know; to show we're trustworthy?"

Anakin rolled his eyes, letting his hand drop away from her shoulder. "Zee, we don't need all these promises to show we're trustworthy to each other; I'd trust you with my life."

Zelina felt tears prick at her eyes momentarily. "And I'd trust you with mine," she said as Anakin moved towards the doors. "To the very end."

"No matter what," Anakin said with a small smile before he finally left the room.

*************************************

To be back on Coruscant was a relief for Zelina, and she was absolutely sure that the feeling was mutual for those who had been aboard the Coronet. Still, her jovial mood was ruined rather quickly when she saw that Chancellor Palpatine was waiting for them on the landing pad. The Jedi disembarked first, and the trio made their way towards the Chancellor who waited patiently.

"A job well done Master Jedi," Palpatine said with a respectful inclination of his head when they finally reached him.

"Thank you Chancellor," Obi-Wan said with a swift bow of his head.

"Your...Excellency," Anakin said with a much more respectful bow.

Zelina said nothing.

The entire incident with the Zillo Beast still hadn't been forgotten by either of them.

With the pleasantries over with, the three moved off to the side as Palpatine was approached by the Senators. The groups of delagates gathered in there herd, as Zelina liked to think of them whenever they were grouped together like that, and then moved off towards the shuttle that would take them to the Senate Building.

Satine, However, approached Obi-Wan. Anakin hooked an arm through Zelina's arm, pulling her away from Obi-Wan so that he and Satine could have a moment of privacy. Zelina shot him a look.

"I want to know what's said," she wined softly.

"Seriously Zee? Let them have their moment," Anakin scolded.

"Well, I'm at least going to listen, and you can't stop that," she said with a small, mischievous smirk. Anakin scowled just slightly at her as she turned to watch Satine and Obi-Wan out of the corner of her eyes, tucking her hair behind her ear as she used the Force to strain her ears and listen to what was being said.

"How ironic to meet again, only to find we're on opposing sides," Satine said with a wistful smile, coming to a stop in front of Obi-Wan. Her guards stood a few paces off to the side, giving the two their privacy like Anakin and Zelina were.

Well...Zelina was only giving them partial privacy.

"The needs of your people are all that matter," Obi-Wan said with a small smile, his voice dripping with thick emotion. "They couldn't be in better hands with you to guide their future."

"Kind words indeed from a mindful and committed Jedi. And yet..." Satine said, placing a thoughtful finger to her lips as she took a step forward.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked with a note of eagerness, ready to do whatever it took to please her it seemed.

"I'm still not sure...about the beard," Satine said with a full smile, running her hand down the length of his beard. Zelina was positive she saw Obi-Wan blush at her touch as Satine's hand ran down to lay on his shoulder.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" he asked sheepishly, peering up at her with a shy smile.

"It hides too much of your handsome face," Satine said softly and even...lovingly, cupping Obi-Wan's cheek in her hand before she pulled back to walk away towards the shuttle that held all of the other delegates.

Anakin snickered as he returned to Obi-Wan's side. "What was that all about?" Instead of waiting for Obi-Wan's answer, Anakin clasped Obi-Wan's shoulder. "A very remarkable woman," Anakin noted gently.

"She is indeed," Obi-Wan agreed, his eyes never wavering from Satine's retreating form. Even then, his eyes remained on the shuttle that took her away to the Senate Building.