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When Obi-Wan finds himself in the body of his past, only twelve year old self, he first decides that he is going to fix everything.
Okay, well, first he panics for a while, then he runs around the temple telling everyone hello, gives a very confused and aggravated Bruck Chun a hug and says sorry for pushing you off a waterfall . Obi-Wan gets pushed away in response, which, fair . Those who push will be pushed, or whatever. It’s only two days later, after all the excitement dies down and Obi-Wan is left with the crippling anxiety and anticipation for the future, does he decide he will fix everything.
By killing the Chancellor! -- er, the senator... of Naboo. Sleeve Palpitations or something. The Sith Lord!!
But that's a little hard to do when you're tiny and everyone's first instinct is to pinch your cheeks when they see you. Ah, the curse of the baby face. It's too bad he's too young to grow a beard yet. Maybe he can glue one on?
That’s a thought for later.
He contemplated weaponizing his cuteness but he would rather not bring down the temple's reputation. Only The Force knows what the Press would say if the Jedi's ways of raising their children rumored to end with them committing murder. A Jedi initiate is only allowed to become a padawan learner once they've successfully assassinated someone in power... or so we've heard.
Yeah, best avoid that.
So, Obi-Wan has decided to let someone else do the fun work. It will be sad not to kill the Sith himself but, with his track record he thinks maybe it's for the best. Even if the bounty hunter got caught in the end, who would believe them if they said a child, who has never left the temple before, had hired them?
So he sneaks out of the Temple during the night cycle and goes hunting for a hunter.
With the help of a bounty hunter, it will be easy. More specifically, with the help of one of the best bounty hunters on the planet. Or the best he could find. Or one he thinks is one of the best... He's just guessing. The Force will guide him.
His feet guide him through the low levels of Coruscant, weaving through empty alleyways and avoiding the populated bars. He isn’t on the lowest levels, but even if he was, his notice-me-not Force suggestions and shields would protect him. He does miss the security of his saber.
The Force takes him to a street full of street carts and food stalls, orange lights illuminating the artificial night cycle.People bustle around, but pay him no mind.
Obi-Wan had walked until he saw the gleam of the metal armor and the force suddenly recited to him yes, yes, yes, that one .
A mandalorian bounty hunter, no doubt looking for a job if they are in Coruscant. Good thing Obi-Wan has the perfect one.
They won’t be able to refuse!
"Please take the job!"
….Obi-Wan has run into his first bump in his perfect plan: the mando won't take his (admittedly sad) bag of credits! (It was all he could snag off that guy back there, who knew the guy was lacking funds too?)
"I'll do anything," Obi-Wan insinuates, getting more than a little desperate. Not because his only sustenance the past two days has been caffeinated tea and a lollipop on top of no sleep, but because the Force is screaming at him. This is his bounty hunter. "I'll give you anything. I will owe you a life debt, maybe two life debts if that's possible. You want more credits, is that it? I'll become a thief, just name your price, I'll get it to you eventually. Want me to become a pirate? Done. Though I draw the line a slavery. How about I sell you the Jedi Temple, I'm sure I could get the council to agree. What about my firstborn child--"
The mando shakes their head. "It's not safe for ade here. Why don't we go back to your Jettise temple?"
This has been going on longer than Obi-Wan would like to admit. All his Negotiator skills have been used and are practically washed down the drain now. "Reconsider! Sir, respectfully, I am very respectful – respectively, reconsider. Please take my offer. I can make it worth your while if you just please take this job--"
If the Force is telling him yes, then why does the mando keep telling him no?!
Their vocoder scratches like a sigh, "adiik, where are your buire?
"I can't give you them, they're dead -- just please, can you just help me kill that old rat- I mean, someone . I can pay!"
The mando stares at him through that T shaped visor, and says oh so emphatically -- perhaps just to end this back and forth -- "Lets go get you some food."
Obi-Wan groans, and then he is being hauled into a food stall.
The Force is a lying liar that lies.
Obi-Wan literally inhales the food placed in front of him. And, Force is it good .
"I think that was the best meal I've ever had." He bemoans to the table he collapses on. Though, he supposes after nothing but bugs and dried meat for two decades, anything would be five star.
The mandalorian with him chuckles, reminding Obi-Wan that he has Business to do!
He lifts his head to glare at the red accented helmet. "Why won't you accept my bounty?"
Mando folds their arms. "Why is an Adiik giving a bounty?"
Obi-Wan narrows his eyes, "...touche, mando." His fingers inch across the table as he keeps the mando's visor on his face. "Touche..." He hooks his finger on the other's plate of food and pushes his empty one forward. "Very touche..." the full plate arrives in front of him.
He breaks the forced eye contact and looks out to the street, trying not to draw attention to their now swapped plates.
Obi-Wan loads his fork, "so, sir. How's the business going? No good jobs lately? Low pay? You should know I pay very well -- with interest! No taxes! Just name your price!"
The mando chuckles, helmet turning it to static. "It depends on the job, ad'ika. If I'm willing to accept."
The time traveler chews his food slowly. Not in it for the money then, huh? At least, not anymore, Obi-Wan sizes the Mando up. They're older, could be retiring soon. Careful in what they choose in case it gets them into deeper waters.
Well, too bad. Obi-Wan needs Palpoodoo gone.
"I can give you dental?" Obi-Wan gives his sweetest smile and biggest tooka eyes.
Mando stills, then, maybe a little hesitantly, "deal."
Score!
Newest problem Obi-Wan has run into: where the hell does Paltookalitter live?
"Sithspit!" Obi-Wan curses, digging his fingers into the mando's unsuspecting pockets.
They've left the earlier food stall and now Obi-Wan is sitting on a bench with a cup of ice blue cream on his lap, half melted and mixed into a paste. But he abandons it in his haste to get his hands on a datapad. Unfortunately, the mando catches his hand mid air and tugs it away.
"No need for that, ad'ika. That's not polite.” They chide, “you should ask me for what you need instead."
Obi-Wan frowns, kicking his short legs, upset. How dare this mando treat him like a child. "A datapad." He grumbles.
"And what do you say?"
Play nice, play nice, play nice. He frowns even harder, "please, mister mando sir? Can I have your datapad?"
"Of course," the mando says smoothly, pulling the device from his pocket. "Why do you need it?"
Obi-Wan tips his ice cream back like it's a soup, finishing it. He puts it to the side before taking the pad. "I need to find where he is."
"Find who?" Mando prompts.
"The man you're killing." Obi-Wan scrolls through the feeds, looking at whether he needs to travel to Naboo or not. Padme is likely not born yet and the relations between Gungans and Nabooians are still “ pretend they don’t exist ” so... The waterfalls would certainly be a sight though. Ah, how he would love to see them, but he would rather not space travel with the bounty hunter.
The mando makes a sound like clearing their throat. "Right, of course, adiik..."
"Mhm, it looks like--" Obi-Wan gets cut off by a long yawn. "Like he's here, I think." He yawns again, and puts down the datapad to rub his watery eyes. The words are blurring together, he can’t read the location!
A hand touches his shoulder, pulling him close. His head touches cold beskar, the Force becoming muted. "Tired, ad'ika?" Obi-Wan makes a noise of disagreement and tries to shake his head, but his eyes keep slipping closed.
"Come on, ad,” he hears, “let's get you to a bed."
He lets himself be pulled up off the bench. "mmh, my name's Obi-Wan, not child ."
"... Kenobi ?"
Obi-Wan looks up, bleery. "How'd you know?"
The mando doesn't answer that. "My name is Jaster, ad'ika. It’s nice to meet you properly. Now, come on, you're looking very sleepy."
"No, 'm not!" His protests fall deaf on the helmet, and very quickly, Obi-Wan finds himself in a motel room. He's pushed onto one of the beds.
"Sleep." Obi-Wan can't help but obey.
The next morning -- a lie, it is not morning -- Obi-Wan mentally kicks himself for revealing his name.
Now the bounty hunter has a name to his face, and denying his involvement will be much harder. Obi-Wan stabs his flatcakes with a frown.
"Chin up, adika, no need for that attitude." Jaster pats Obi-Wan's hair before settling down in the seat in front of him. They're still in the hotel room; Jaster already had breakfast waiting for him. "We can do something fun today."
Obi-Wan drops his fork, perking up. "You're right, we can!" He snatches up the datapad he successfully nabbed earlier. Jaster only scorned him a little bit for it!
"Yeah, anything you want. Say, ad, do you have a nickname, or perhaps an old name...?"
Humming non-committedly, Obi-Wan aggressively types the name of his enemy into the search finder. "Oafy-Wan, Obi, Obes, mostly Ben while in hiding -- Aha! Found you, you gross, rotting old man! Prepare to get shot! Or don't prepare, actually, wait, if he prepares for it then--"
In his continued muttering, Obi-Wan missed Jaster whispering to himself: " Ben. Ben'ika , Ben Mereel ." Perhaps for the best, because even with the helmet, you could hear the dumb goofy grin the man had.
"Alright!" Obi-Wan stands, "get your blaster ready, mando! We've got someone to murder!" The time traveler is ready to rock n roll, as some might say. Get like a banana and split. Make like a saber and cut out.
However, to the disappointment of many old ghosts, Jaster does not move.
"Sit back down, Ben’ika. Clean your plate, then we can leave."
"But..." Obi-Wan does not pout, he is too civilised for that. But he groans, collapsing back in his chair.
"Hey,” he chides, “what did I say about the attitude?"
Obi-Wan stuffs his cheeks with flatcakes to avoid the conversation. "I th'ouh y' w'aa g'nn k'll h'm."
Jaster hands him a napkin, "don't speak with your mouth full. Now, can you repeat that for me? I didn't quite catch it."
He swallows, "I thought you were going to kill him for me… You don't seem all that excited for this job, despite my amazing pay might I say. A lesser bounty hunter would be on their knees for this job. I'm giving you dental!"
"Vor'e, Ben'ika, for that, but. You have given me nothing to work with, I don't even know anything about you. How can I work in these conditions if all I have is your name and mission, hm? Let's start with your interests, do you like sparring?" Jaster leans forward, placing his elbows on the table. "Have you ever wanted siblings?"
Obi-Wan stares at him. "I have a little brother, he was taken from me and killed by the man you're going to kill."
A beat.
He puts on his best tooka eyes. "Aren’t you gonna kill him for me?”
"...Get your stuff."
So what if Obi-Wan twisted the truth -- it's still the truth! Plus he got the desired reaction. A win is a win.
Obi-Wan swung his legs and swirled the ice cream in his bowl. Cotton candy flavoured, mixed with gummies, skittles, and cookie dough. It was atrocious, but hit the spot just right. Maybe Obi-Wan is just compensating for the decades of eating sand and bugs and even grosser bugs .
Screams suddenly sound from inside of the senate building he is in front of and Obi-Wan smiles. He's disappointed he didn't get to watch, or pull the trigger himself, but nonetheless he's glad he gets to witness some of it. Even from the outside.
Ah, Obi-Wan sighs happily. He just did the galaxy a favour, whether they figure it out or not. No need to thank him, really.
The Force suddenly flushes out against him, ripples like a lake would if you threw a rock in it. Clearing the algae floating on top, pushing it to shore. The Dark clouding the force is lesser now, Light returns to Obi-Wan's senses. The Force sings Its praises to him, filled with satisfaction and relief. He basks in it like a lizard in a sunray.
Obi-Wan takes a spoon full of his monstrosity and savours the taste on his tongue. Senate Guards stir up a ruckus escorting senators and reporters are already on scene, but Obi-Wan could care less about them.
A shadow falls over him. It’s Jaster, who sits down next to him. The man unclips his helmet with a release of air. Immediately, Obi-Wan gets a load of the man's emotions and a definitive force signature. Beskar, it muffles the Force dramatically.
Satisfaction, teasing, teetering on an edge . "I won't be needing that payment, Ben'ika."
Obi-Wan whips his head around, "what? How come? You didn't fail, I felt his death. It's only fair I pay up to my end of the deal since you fulfilled yours."
Jaster grows a smirk, "I already have dental insurance, and I have no need for your credits."
"Oh," Obi-Wan frowns. Dental isn't a very good offer to someone who already has it. But he can't offer much else, he only has blackmail on the dentist! "Well, I’ll get you something else! I'd like to pay you somehow."
The mando's signature sparks sincerity and hope. "Actually, I do have an idea..." He starts slowly, "if you'd accept, I'd like to adopt you and take you with me to Mandalore. I have a son and daughter back home, and they could never replace the one you lost, but they would love to have you."
Obi-Wan’s brain freezes, might be from the ice cream though, and sits on that. For a minute. Or two. Or five.
Jaster is getting nervous.
"If... I accept." Obi-Wan asks, "would you let me enact our vengeance?"
"... We'll have to talk on what exactly that entails, but sure ."
"Then yes, I accept your adoption. Now, let's go before we get questioned."
"Questioned? For what? I wasn't spotted."
"Oh, I know, but I was."
"What--"
The senate building goes up in flames.