#wcse

I have been so so obsessed with drawing Firefly (the square cat man) even though I haven't even RPed him ONCE

1. Whiteboard doodles

2. Firefly and a random cat

3-4. Soaring Fireflies (I forgot his tail is bobbed)

5. Desert Lily

6-7. The jackass twins, Trembling Bael and Wicked Gingko. I am so so proud of Bael's fullbody

8. Volcanic Ash my beloved <3

A/N: Hi. So, this is super delayed, and I am very sorry about that. You see, I kind of wrote myself into a bit of a corner and I was struggling to figure my way out of it. SOMEBODY *glares at Satine* hijacked my story and SOMEBODY ELSE *glares at Mace Windu* did some unexpected things in the narrative that presented a greater challenge in making the story flow than I was prepared for when I began. Now that I have worked my way past that roadblock, I am hoping to provide more regular updates. I can’t guarantee it because I am an easily distracted housecat, but I will do my best and I WILL NOT abandon this story! Thank you once again to everyone who has stuck with this fic, commented, and given me encouragement. I love yall so much.

TL;DR- I’m sorry I suck at updating and I’m going to do better.

Now, on with the story.

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It didn’t take long for Obi-Wan to tell the story of how Palpatine had been captured and explain why they needed the Force-suppressing prison. Throughout his short speech, the Mandalorian council, seated in a semicircle around him, remained silent and unexpressive. 

“This is a matter of galactic security,” Obi-Wan said as he wrapped up, “not just an internal Republic, or even Jedi, affair.”

After a moment of silence, Satine rose from her throne. “Thank you, Master Kenobi. We will take some time to discuss what you have told us.”

Obi-Wan tried not to allow himself to become annoyed at the lack of an immediate reaction from the council. Instead, he bowed to the room and took a step back from its focus, looking to Satine for direction.

“Isatol.” She said, summoning the straight-backed guard from just behind her. “Please escort Master Kenobi and his foundling to their quarters.” The duchess’s eyes met Obi-Wan’s with a kind but firm look. “I will summon you when we have reached a decision.”

“Thank you,” Obi-Wan bowed again and watched in approval out of the corner of his eye as Anakin did the same thing. 

The guard lead them down a series of hallways that Obi-Wan frantically attempted to memorize as he matched the quick pace of their tall escort. Eventually, they reached a door that the towering woman opened with a graceful sidestep, allowing the Jedi and his apprentice to enter. 

Obi-Wan struggled to keep his jaw from dropping as he took in the loveliness of their quarters. The ceilings were gracefully sloped and creme-colored, which assisted the floor-to-ceiling windows along the far wall in making it feel as if they were outside rather than in. The furniture was simplistic, but elegant; perfect for a Jedi and padawan to meditate. There was a small kitchen where they could make caf or tea, and two bedrooms off of the main room, each with its own bath. The layout and decorations were clearly designed to keep the mind of the resident clear - it was evident that Satine had chosen this room specifically with the needs of a Jedi in mind. 

The corners of Obi-Wan’s mouth turned up, unbidden.

Anakin’s reaction was a bit more explosive. The boy gasped dramatically and stepped into the room, spinning around to take it all in.

“It’s huge!” He gaped up at the tall ceiling as Obi-Wan shook his head fondly. 

“Yes, Anakin, thank you for stating the obvious,” he teased with no venom. “Why don’t you go unpack?” He gestured to where their rucksacks were already sitting on the floor.

The boy scampered off and Obi-Wan turned back to the door, starting a bit when he realized that the guard was still standing there, studying him with an impassive face. 

“Ah, thank you, Isatol.” He gave an awkward bow.

The woman inclined her head in return. “Of course, Master Kenobi.” She straightened quickly and looked him over again, still revealing none of what she was thinking through her face. “You are the Jedi Duchess Satine traveled with during the war.”

That had not been a question, but Obi-Wan still blinked and responded: “Yes. I was a padawan at the time - an apprentice to Master Qui-Gon Jinn.”

Isatol looked him hard in the eyes. “Then you know, as her former guardian, the kind of danger she faces daily from those who oppose her rule. They way people try to manipulate her.”

“I do.”

“Then also know that, as captain of her guardsmen, I will do whatever I must to protect her from any matter of harm.” 

Puzzled, Obi-Wan simply nodded. “I understand.”

To his surprise, the woman cracked a half-grin, though it was not entirely friendly. “There is much you don’t understand, Master Jedi. Very much indeed.” Her face returned to it’s neutral starting point. “You have been away from her side for longer than you may realize.” 

Confusion growing, Obi-Wan watched as Isatol turned away with a bow and headed back down the hall, her short, dark hair swishing as she went.

Well, that was... threatening?

With a shake of his head, he closed the door and focused back on Anakin, who had just emerged from one of the bedrooms.

“This place is amazing, Master! I love Mandalore!” He grinned and flopped down on the couch.

Obi-Wan smiled gently and kicked the boy’s boots off of the couch, sitting in their place. “It is a lovely city, to be sure.” He paused. “I’m glad to see that you and Korkie got along well.”

Another enthusiastic grin. “Yeah, Korkie’s pretty cool! He’s a little stuffy, but he has a really nice tooka and knows some cool trees to climb in the gardens.”

“I’m glad you two had fun.”

“How about you and the duchess?” Anakin sat up to look his master in the face. “Did you two have a nice talk?”

Obi-Wan gave Anakin a side-eye, gauging his intentions. “Yes, it was nice to catch up with an old friend.”

Thankfully, Anakin didn’t seem to have any underlying suspicions about the nature of his relationship with Satine, as he simply nodded at Obi-Wan’s response and began to talk about the afternoon in fast-paced, intensive detail that made Obi-Wan’s head spin.

The longer the day drew on, the more nervous Obi-Wan became. If this was not an immediate decision, then there had to be conflict. Conflict amongst Satine’s council might not spell good news for the Jedi.

Finally, several hours after they had left the council to debate, Isatol and another tall, redheaded guard came to fetch them back to the throne room. 

The occupants of the throne room greeted them with neutral faces as, once again, Obi-Wan was lead to stand in the center of their half-circle.

“We have come to a decision.” Satine spoke from her throne, her tone even. “We will allow the Jedi Council to use our Force-suppressing prison to hold the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious.”

Obi-Wan felt some degree of relief, but it was far overshadowed by the impending “but” he could sense was approaching.”

“However,” ah, there it is, “we feel that, as a neutral system and the owners of this device, the captured Sith Lord should be kept on Mandalore.”

Obi-Wan’s stomach twisted. “I’m afraid the Jedi Council will not be too keen on that idea; Sith fall under Jedi jurisdiction, so we should be the ones to watch over him. That is why we would prefer to keep Sidious on Coruscant.”

One of the light-haired advisors leaned forward. “Be that as it may, this revelation and unmasking of the chancellor has proven that the Republic has some degree of higher-level corruption. We do not trust that the powers of the Sith Lord will not be exploited for nefarious uses.”

Obi-Wan tried not to bristle; he knew that there was some degree of truth to the statement but he didn’t particularly feel that Mandalore had anything to say about corruption when their own civil war was not all that long ago.

“Perhaps,” Satine said before Obi-Wan could disturb the civility with some dry retort, “if the Jedi Council feels that the Jedi should watch over the Sith, a knight could be stationed here on Mandalore to help guard their prisoner.”

The council murmured fervently.

“I don’t believe the people would like the idea of a Jedi on Mandalore, Your Grace,” a dark-haired woman to Obi-Wan’s left sniffed.

“Perhaps not at first,” Satine tilted her head, “but, in time, I believe that this will help heal the broken relationship between our people and forge a more peaceful alliance.”

Although the advisors did not look happy, none of them contested the duchess, who had pinned them all with a hard stare.

“I will have to discuss this matter with the Council, but I feel that arrangement might be something they are willing to consider.” Obi-Wan gave the room a terse smile.

“Excellent. Before you consult your superiors, Master Kenobi, would you be willing to join me for dinner?” She stood and extended a hand towards a hall off of the throne room.

Obi-Wan swallowed. “Of course, Your Grace.”

She simply nodded and walked towards the hallway. “Good. My chef makes an excellent carbonara that I believe you will enjoy.” 

White-collared Seedeater (female)

Salineño Wildlife Preserve

Call for papers

2013 The 3rd World Conference on Science and Engineering (WCSE 2013) is the premier forum for the presentation of new advances and research results in the fields of theoretical, experimental, and applied Science and Engineering. The conference will bring together leading researchers, engineers and scientists in the domain of interest from around the world. Topics of interest for submission include, but are not limited to: 

Earthquake engineering Architectural engineering Aerospace engineering Acoustical engineering Artificial intelligence Automotive engineering Biomechanics Computer Science & engineering Electrical engineering Environmental engineering Engineering science and mechanics Engineering economics Engineering management Industrial engineering Mechanics Nuclear Engineering Nano Engineering Petroleum engineering Software engineering Soft Computing Systems engineering

Papers of WCSE 2013 will be included in International Journal of Engineering and Technology (IJET, ISSN: 1793-8244 (Online Version); 1793-8236 (Print Version)) , published by International Association of Computer Science and Information Technology Press (IACSIT), which will be indexed by Engineering & Technology Library, Google Scholar, Ulrich Periodicals Directory.