Title: Rebellion 1/?

Author: Ellie

Rating: PG for now

Timeline: Sequel to Time, and as the Clone Wars approach and Palpatine rises to extreme power

Genre: Drama, ABH, almost AU

Archive: Generalsgrrls, Sith Chicks

Disclaimer: I own the chick and the cat and the rest belongs to George, and I make zilch from it.

Summary: Jai has been pulled unknowingly into a rebellion led by someone she thought she’d never see again.

Jai-Tiel didn’t have any trouble getting to the landing pads. The large ships looming overhead seemed to forget about her. She started to power the ship down but thought twice about it. Jai checked the weapons systems and purposefully left them on ready. She knew if they were scanning her they could tell, but she wanted just that. She wanted them to know she didn’t plan on putting up with any funny business. Jai grabbed the log books for the cargo and shut the felinx into the sleeping quarters much to her dislike.

"You knew this was coming, every time we land you go in the room." The felinx replied with a low meow and a laid back ears. "And don’t give me that look. There’s plenty of room in here." Jai opened a fresh ration packet and poured fresh water. The felinx haughtily trotted over and picked at the food. "See, it’s not all that bad." She patted the animal one more time and stepped out as the door slid shut.

Log books under her arm and her blaster a fingertip away, Jai punched the button to lower the cargo bay doors. She took a deep breath and took a long look around.

The air was humid and through her small Force ability she could feel the forest around her teeming with life. Dantooine was known for its thick forests and abundant species of wildlife--not a place where you would want to go off trekking alone. As for alone, that was another thing that surprised her. There was no one around. The landing pads had been away from inhabited areas but there were a few gray duracrete buildings scattered around. Other than that, it was deserted.

"Hmm, no welcome party?" Jai said aloud. "How rude." She started to walk back up the ramp, thinking it would be in her best interest to wait inside when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see a group of men emerge from the building directly in front of the ramp and walk towards her. They all wore uniforms. Three, hanging back, were wearing tan uniforms with an insignia she’d never seen before. The man out front was dressed differently. He wore all black, the rank of a General and a lightsaber on his belt. And she knew that walk; that air of confidence in him. The loyalty radiating off the men was almost nauseating. They strode right up to the bottom of the ramp and stopped. He stared right at her with those piercing green eyes.

"Hello, Jai. It’s been a long time." Obi-Wan Kenobi stood five feet from her--the man she told herself didn’t exist anymore. She wondered why she hadn’t felt his presence through their bond. She’d felt it drift away. Why hadn’t she felt it now that they were so close again? She reached out tentatively to see if she could feel any difference and felt his strong shields around her memory, around their bond. He hadn’t wanted her to notice his presence. He’d tricked her. She threw her shields up twice as strong and glared down at him with angry brown eyes. She hadn’t tied her long curls back for the journey and the fiery red locks danced around her face in the wind.

"Well, Kenobi, we meet again. I’m sorry, if I’d known to expect you I would have prepared something special to say. Oh, or is it General now? How rude of me." He looked at the ground, shuffled slightly, it reminder her of another time he’d been at a loss for words with her. "Look, General, I’ve got a job to do. So if you don’t mind…"

"Yes, your cargo; that is why we’re here." The three other men stepped forward looking anxious.

"You? But it’s for the farming colony, supplies or something." She leaned against the hull, staring suspiciously at the men.

"No, Jai, it is for us. I’m sorry that you had to be kept in the dark about everything. Secrecy is paramount to what we are doing here. Besides, if you had known it was me, would you really have come?" He waited for a retort, then continued. "We needed the best; I knew that you could do it. Jai, if you’ll come with me I’ll try to explain."

"Fine, but first get your ‘things’ off my ship. It seems that you’ve put me in danger without my knowledge as it is. Let’s see if we can start cutting that to a minimum if you don’t mind." She didn’t particularly care for the informal use of her name; they weren’t exactly friends anymore. She pondered that as the three tan dressed men made their way up the ramp. She led them to the cargo bay and watched as they loaded the crates on her repulsorlift. Only after they had removed every last one and returned the lift did she raise the ramp and lock up the ship.

She looked over to where General Kenobi stood, arms crossed, looking very regal and found herself gulping hard to keep down the lump in her throat. She would not allow that feeling in her gut to turn into feelings for him again.

She tested her shields and joined him where he stood. She took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. "Shall we?"

***

It had taken them almost two standard hours to reach their destination. He’d taken her by speeder bike to a building deep within the forest. It was small, made of the same duracrete, but painted camouflage and covered with a camouflage tarp. He led her inside and she gasped. Inside was a fully operational war room. Navigational computers sat at one side, techs sat tracking various ships around the galaxy; across the room was a large nav board where a woman stood and watched the fleet in orbit above Dantooine. Occasionally she drew a line from here to there and spoke into her comlink. Other uniformed men and women milled about, speaking into comlinks or huddling together passing whispers.

"Please, this way." Kenobi gestured to a door and Jai stepped warily forward. The next room was small and consisted of a small table and a few ragged chairs. "Have a seat. Do you know what’s going on here?"

"I’m not sure I want you to tell me. I’m already involved more than I care to be."

"Well, you’re in it now, you might as well come to terms."

Jai snapped. "How dare you trick me!" She rose from her seat and took a step forward, towards the General. "I moved on, Kenobi; do you know how hard that was? How dare you just dial me up and trick me into being your little pawn. You’re in over your head and I don’t want to drown with you."

"But, Jai, I need your help."

Jai decked him, right across the cheekbone with as much force as she could muster. His head snapped to the side and he instinctively moved his arm up to block any other swings.

"I needed you a year ago, but that didn’t mean shit to you," Jai spoke, choking back anger. "A relationship is two people, I trusted it, believed in it, but you took it away without even discussing it with me. I had no say in any of it. And your excuses! The Council’s will!" Jai huffed. "You didn’t believe in their decision, but you followed it." She drew a deep breath and recomposed herself. "I’m not going to get into this. It’s past, I’ve moved on, and you, Obi-Wan Kenobi, no longer exist to me." She turned as if to go, but waited.

Obi-Wan rubbed his cheek and moved his jaw as if checking for damage, then he dropped the bomb. "We think Palpatine is a Sith Lord. He’s claiming more and more power, you have to have seen that or heard the rumors. He’s built a deadly weapon against the Republic, and now it is only a matter of time before the government falls and he has absolute power." Jai turned back to face him, her face pale at his revelation.

"A Sith! That can’t be, someone would have known."

"Well, he fooled us all. He is very good at deception. Not many know of his deceit. We’ve found a lab, we know it has ties to him. Are you curious to what we found there? Do I have your attention now?" Kenobi paused, taking in her glare, feeding off her confusion. "We found cloning tubes. We don’t know of his plans, but we do know that he no longer has the goodwill of the Republic in mind. He will do whatever it takes to gain the control he desires. This little band is the beginning of a fight to regain peace."

"A rebellion." It was a statement, not a question. Jai despised politics, and this was a battle stemming from just that. "Obi-Wan, you know I do not care for Palpatine and his lust for supremacy, but I do not care to be involved in your little band of rebels against a Sith Lord."

"You think us weak, there are those here that are very strong. Palpatine has no suspicion of us. My commission as General is in his army and we will serve the Republic’s people openly, even under him, but we will secretly restore it." He paused. "You remember Anakin? He could not be with me to meet with you, but he was very excited that you would be fighting on our side. We have many senators and ambassadors already proclaiming their disgust in Palpatine and their desire to remove him. We have ships and personnel. Your cargo is more weapons and equipment. We will fight for what we believe in, and we will be a formidable foe. And I refuse to believe that you would stand by and not fight." It was Jai’s turn to glance at her feet and shuffle uncomfortably. He was right that she cared. But every ounce of her told her she shouldn’t get involved. Something didn’t feel right, something told her that path would be her demise.

"Obi-Wan, I can’t get involved, I just can’t." She forced the words out and watched as his expression dropped. He crossed to her and placed a hand against her cheek.

"I’m so sorry about all that happened to us. It was not my intent or desire to hurt you. I followed the Force even though it led away from you and everything I wanted. But it led us back together, don’t you see? That is why I called you here. Together we can fight, it is meant to be." He leaned in as if to kiss her, but she shifted out of his grasp.

"I need to be alone, to think. I’d like to go back to my ship. Please, I need some time."

"Of course, I’ll take you. We should cover your ship though, do you have a camo tarp?" Jai nodded to his question and stepped through the doorway into the bustling room outside. "Come, Jai, we need to hurry before night falls." He speeded her gait by placing a hand on the small of her back and leading her forward. Goosebumps riddled her arms and back of her neck at his touch. It had been a long time since she had been touched; there had been no one since the night she and Obi-Wan had said goodbye.

But what of the situation now? She had to make this decision with her head. Her heart would call her to Obi-Wan, but a rebellion against the Chancellor was very serious, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to change her philosophy of watching out for only herself. Was she prepared to shoulder the pain and need of a whole galaxy thwarted by a mad man’s greed? She hoped she had a full stock of caf. Something told her she was going to get little sleep tonight.