* ᴄʟᴏɴᴇ ᴋᴇᴇᴘᴇʀ

               kenobi returned the bow of his head, in deference to his fellow master and councilmember. times may have changed, and still changed faster than the jedi could rightfully handle, but he still held on to the decorum.  ❝ no. i’d like to believe it means they are well hidden, but …  ❞ obi-wan’s voiced strayed off course, as well as his eyes.  ❝ you and i should not be seen together out here. is there somewhere we can go ?  ❞

               perhaps he was being too cautious, but there was a reason that he still lived and so many of their comrades do not. it was highly possible that the two of them were the most powerful light side wielders in the galaxy that still stood. 

     she hates to think that the other jedi could be potentially dying at the hands of the very people they trusted, just as her and obi-wan almost were. easily if she touched into the force she would be able to sense it but shaak ti feared what she might hear.   “ i hope more have escaped and know well to hide, ”   she replies, a solemn look upon her face.

     as someone whose earliest years were spent on a desert planet,  anakin can’t help but to feel slightly uncomfortable in the rain ; water is precious,  and here it just falls from the sky,  so much of it cascading over the sides of the platforms that make up tipoca city.  there is an inherent wrongness in it all,  but he does not linger too long on it : wrongness is everywhere,  these days. 

     skywalker accepts shaak ti’s invitation into the facility,  making an effort to wring some of the water out of his cloak before offering a customary bow to the jedi master.  ❛ your hospitality is welcomed,  master,  but i would prefer to speak sooner,  rather than later.  my battalion fights on without me,  and i cannot lead well from afar. ❜

     she finds the rain comforting some days, as she sits beside the large windows of the circular buildings ; it’s peaceful to listen as the drops hit the glass during the night hours. but there are still somedays where shaak ti misses the sunrise of coruscant, and even the people she spent time with on the city-planet. so, in a way, anakin was bringing some of that warm rising sun with him as he visits. or, at least, the feeling of being back in the jedi temple. 

     “ of course. this way. ”   she offers before turning on her heel and leading him towards her quarters. the door was not far from the hanger and the hiss of the door welcomed them as they walked inside, the lights slow dimming on. the area they walked in was wide and spacious, much larger than the quarters they had at the jedi temple. the kaminoans wanted shaak ti to be comfortable during her stay here on the planet.   “ please, anakin, have a seat, ”   she spoke in a light voice as she prepares them some tea.

HE  DID  NOT  WANT  TO  CRY !  but  he  felt  tears  sting  in  his  eyes ,  treacherous  &  hot ,  just  wanting  to  roll  down  his  cheeks .  A  sign  of  weakness ,  wasn’t  it ?  with  his  palm ,  he  rubbed  over  his  eyes  now  and  he  sucked  in  a  shaky  breath .  That  was  why  he  did  not  want  to  talk  to  Skywalker .  He  knew  that  he  would  cry ,  KNEW  that  he  would  shed  tears  &  he  did  not  want  his  General  to  see  him  like  that .  Never .

somehow ,  DEEP  DOWN ,  he  knew  that  she  was  right .  It  was  not  his  fault  but  he  was  in  Command ,  those  were  HIS  troops ,  the  boys  trusted  him  &  while  it  had  been  KRELL  who  gave  the  orders ,  made  them  shoot  each  other …  the  guilt  was  still  prominent . With  another  deep  breath ,  he  straightened  his  back  again  and  with  trembling  hands ,  he  now  reached  for  the  cup  of  tea  she  had  prepared  for  them .  Maybe  that  would  calm  him  down .  He  took  a  sip  from  it  &  was  silent  afterward .  He  still  felt  hot  tears  in  his  eyes  but  at  least ,  they  did  not  spill .  ❝thank  you …❞      

she was unsure of how to comfort him, knowing it was not exactly appropriate for her to reach out and offer him a hug. but shaak ti could try to offer the next best thing. quietly the woman stood and grabbed one of the blankets from her bed, draping it around his shoulders. it wasn’t as warming as a hug but could potentially offer some sort of comfort. 

HE  WONDERED …  why  did  he  come  here ?  he  could  have  consulted  Nala  Se ,  he  could  have  spoken  to  Cody ,  Wolffe  or  even  Fives  but  instead ,  his  feelings  made  his  legs  walk  over  to  her  quarters .  Fives  told  him  about  SHE  helped  him  &  Echo  when  they  had  troubles  with  the  Domino  Squad ,  made  them  realise  the  importance  of  being  brothers …  &  now  he  was  in  need  of  guidance ,  guidance  he  felt  that  he  needed  for  the  sake  of  his  mental  health .  Someone  who  was  not  on  the  battlefield  on  a  daily ,  who  knew  about  the  Clones ,  their  life …  who  resided  on  Kamino .  Rex  sat  down  once  he  was  offered  to  do  so ,  awkward ,  he  thought .  ❝thank  you❞  he  replied  quietly ,  oddly  enough …  he  suddenly  felt  more  like  a  CADET  than  a  Captain .    

❝General  Skywalker  felt  quite  guilty ,  it  was  not  his  fault  he  had  to  leave❞  he  shook  his  head  slowly .  It  was  no  one  fault  but  Krells .  ❝this  is  war ,  I  should  be  used  to  it  but  after  I  realised  that  we  have  been  shooting  at  our  own  men –❞  A  MOMENT ,  he  needed  a  moment .  He  could  have  remained  on  Coruscant  on  the  few  days  off  duty  that  he  was  granted  but  instead , he  returned  home .  ❝it  was  like  a  nightmare  and  Cody ,  Cody  is  like  an  OLDER  BROTHER  and  I  gave  the  Order  to  shoot them  and …❞  a  hand  was  raised ,  pressed  against  his  forehead  &  it  seemed  as  if  he  slumped  into  himself ,  appearing  smaller  than  he  actually  was .  ❝It  was  my  fault ,  wasn’t  it ?❞

it was unfortunate war was full of such darkness, full of death and despair. shaak ti wished it never would’ve come to war for then no one would have to be suffering as they are. the clones would still be residing on kamino, where they would train in PEACE and live out their days. the jedi would maintain peace in the galaxy by operating as ambassadors for peace, rather than generals for war. everything would be better with no war. however, those were not the cards that the force had laid out in the stars.

HE  DID  NOT  KNOW  WHAT  TO  DO !  there  was  so  much  going  on ,  so  much  to  question ,  so  much  to  deal  with  &  while  this  was  his  home ,  he  felt  like  he  had  NO  ONE  to  talk  to .  There  was  one ,  SOMEONE  he  thought  he  could  rely  on .  Someone  who  did  not  see  them  as  numbers  like  Nala  Se  did .  NERVOUS !  he  felt  as  if  he  was  trembling .  Umbara ,  the  betrayal  of  a  Jedi ,  it  was  heavy  upon  his  shoulders  &  when  he  knocked  on  the  door  of  the  quarters  she  resided –  Rex  considered  leaving  again  but  the  doors  hissed  open ,  she  stood  there .  

she  was  a  Jedi ,  of  course ,  she  could  feel  what  he  was  feeling .  Compassionate ,  that  was  what  Fives  had  called  her  whenever  he  talked  about  her  &  Rex  could  agree  with  that .  ❝General ,  I  am  sorry  to  bother  you  but …❞  he  stepped  inside  when  she  invited  him  in  &  he  took  in  a  deep  breath .  Was  it  alright  to  talk  about  this ?  who  else  could  he  pour  out  his  heart  and  soul …  Anakin  perhaps ,  Ahsoka !  but  they  had  their  own  burdens  to  carry  and  while  off  duty ,  Rex  had  more  time  to  think  about  everything  that  went  wrong .  ❝I  recently  came  back  from  the  mission  on  Umbara  and …❞  he  stopped .  Did  she  hear  about  it ?  ❝something  happened  there …❞

the moment he steps inside, she closes the door and locks it. this already felt as if it was a private conversation and shaak ti wanted to be sure no one overhead. rex was not normally one to drop his barriers like this ; she would hate for the other clones to see their leader so vulnerable. they might lose trust in him. quietly she guides him to the couch she had just been sitting upon, encouraging him to sit down. nothing else was said as she moved to one of the counters, silently making some tea for the pair as rex began to speak.

❝I  can’t  help  but  wonder  if  it  was  >MY  fault❞  Fives  death  was  heavy  upon  his  shoulders .  Made  his  stomach  twist  &  turn  and  god ,  he  felt  SICK !  whenever  he  thought  about  his  brother ,  his  FRIEND  dying  in  his  arms ,  he  felt  like  he  too  died  a  little .  Fives  had  been  a  friend ,  someone  that  Rex  watched  grow  up ,  become  better  &  better  until …  there  was  no  room  left  for  growth .  ❝this  is  not  my  place  to  ask  and  I  understand  if  you  do  not  want  to  answer  but …  WHAT  DID  HE  TELL  YOU ?❞

@montrals *:･ﾟ✧ liked !

@montrals​  liked for a starter 

               “you’re a hard togruta to find, master ti. all the better, i suppose. i heard rumblings that may have survived, and i’m happy you did. there aren’t many friendly faces left in the galaxy anymore…” obi-wan’s voice petered out before he could really lament the state of the galaxy and the blindness of the jedi which got them there. shaak ti was a stop for him, on his quest to account to account for anyone, anyone at all, who may have survived the purge. to hear rumors of a surviving master filled him with a tempered excitement, and to have them confirmed gave them resolve. 

     THE KNOCK AT THE DOOR was not unexpected. shaak ti had heard the footsteps coming down the hollow hallways and had felt the presence outside the door as they hesitated to knock. she stands from the couch, moving across the spacious living quarters the kaminoans’ had provided her. a slight press of a button and the door hissed open, revealing a very familiar trooper before her.

     concern coats the jedi’s face as she sees rex’s expression, her heart immediately sinking.   “ captain rex, are you alright? ”   she could already see the answer upon his face.   “ come, come inside. let’s talk. ”