deercountry | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Ezra + Obi-wan. Ezra+Michael, Ezra+Ariadne
What: closed prompt in comments.
When: Evening of 2/25, and also general end of the month
Where: Obi-wan's house in Cassandra, Michael's shop, Rooftops of Trench

Content Warnings: Blood, offscreen deaths, aftermath of mass battle, grief, some corruption, others in tags

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ezra was of the opinion prodding people's trauma even with just questions could do a lot of harm. Or it could help lance wounds. Always tricky.]

The troopers. Did...the Order ask for them? The Senate? Do you know?

[ ah. obi-wan pauses. ]

Not by us. But a Jedi called Sifo-Dyas, used by Dooku had done so.

[Well, not officially by the Order. That's good to know. He honestly hadn't been sure.]

Dooku. I know I've heard that name somewhere, but - who were they?

[Welcome to the weird historical blank spaces left behind by Imperial propaganda, Obi-wan.]

He was a Jedi. He left long ago and joined the Sith. He was the main Separatist leader.

...I'd say I feel stupid now, but I have a feeling he's been deliberately forgotten by my time.

Sidious's apprentice after Maul, then?

That's right.

He was my master's master, in fact.

Oh. [His eyes go wide.] Yeah, I definitely didn't know that.

Did you...know him well?

No. He left very early on and Qui-Gon didn't encourage many interactions with him.

[He nods and drops that line of inquiry to back up.]

So. The Council worked out, at some point, that a Sith was involved in the creation of the troopers.

[Not a surprise to him. Ok, he hadn't been 100% clear that the Council suspected, but Sith being involved wasn't remotely surprising.

He spreads his hands across the table in front of him, as if to say, 'What else am I missing?']

[ a slow nod. ]

I was involved in finding the clones and Kamino and I was the one who realized the Separatists was starting a war.

[His eyes go distant, as he considers it all together.]

But then once it started, you've got Dooku on one side, and Palpatine was already Chancellor on the other. And the droids and the clones, two armies ready to go, both made to serve the Sith, ultimately.

[He closes one hand into a fist.]

The Sith Master is the only one who wins.

[ obi-wan purses his lips tightly. yoda had said once how no one wins a war but it is still a blow. ]

That is the idea.

[His gaze spans back to Obi-wan.]

If one of the troopers ever shows up, we may have an issue. Maybe not, given the physical changes we all go through. I'm not sure.

Not their fault but...

[He doesn't know enough about the chips to really guess. But if one were activated, might any Sleeper be targeted? They nearly all have abilities that could read as Jedi.]

. . . I'm afraid I don't follow.

[The padawan swallows hard.]

They have...chips in their brains. I don't know exactly how they work. I never saw them, um, active.

But I know once they were, they took away the clones' free will. Made them turn on the Jedi.

All of the clones I met at home had them taken out years ago. And when we at the Temple on Coruscant - one of our group was a trooper from the 501st named Echo. I think the older version of you had worked it out and told him? Echo went to the healers, and they removed it safely.

Edited 2022-03-07 12:24 (UTC)

Echo is one of the 501st.

[ anakin's legion. chips. ]

Did they. Did all of them have it?

[ cody. waxer. kix. ]

As far as I know. It wouldn't be as effective a trap, if they didn't.

[His shoulders slump.]

...I'm sorry.

[ . . . he shakes his head. ]

No. It's fine.

[...of all the phrasing. Ezra lifts his gaze, and stares in frank disbelief, thinking to himself I love you, but that's dumb. This is not fine. You aren't fine.

But he's pretty sure he shouldn't say that, so-]

...Uh. Reassurance that I didn't screw up by telling you that...appreciated.

You didn't . . . screw up.

I simply need some time to process it, that's all.

[He swallow hard.]

Ok.

...Should I go or stay?

[ he blinks. ]

Why would you go?

Oh. Um. Maybe this is a difference?

Ben - let's just call the other you Ben, I guess. Sometimes he really wanted to be alone to, uh, process things. Or would go away.[When he was really upset. When he was upset with himself for feeling overwhelmed. When he felt exposed.] Although, he didn't usually try to hide in the Force, so it wasn't like he was unfindable.

...Sometimes Kanan would hide in the Force, too. Not sure if it was intentional.

[Ezra's smart enough to get this behavior was probably trauma driven response, from both of the older Jedi. Still didn't make it feel great.]

[ obi-wan frowns at that. he can't speak for other people or . . . selves as it were. nor would he want to, but it felt like a strange thing. even stranger for ezra to process it as indictment. ]

While people can get overwhelmed, I am an adult. I'm able to process things later on if necessary. Everything has its time and place.

Alright.

But if you wanted time and space - I just wanted to check.

...would it be ok if I crashed on your couch tonight, then?

Edited 2022-03-10 12:55 (UTC)