"𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙜𝙤. 𝘿𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪."

"See? Happy landing," I said smiling innocently at Obi-Wan who looked at me with an unamused expression. We had just come back from a mission in the Outer Rim and I insisted on flying us back.

"You and I have different criteria on what counts as a happy landing," Obi-Wan replied.

"Oh come on, I didn't fly us in that fast," I whined and spun around in my seat.

"This is what I get for picking the kids from Tatooine," he sighed rubbing his temple.

"I mean, there's nothing else to do there besides seeing how fast you can fly through all those canyons."

R4 rolled over interrupting our conversation. He informed us of an incoming transmission.

"Put it through," Obi-Wan said running a hand over his beard.

The flickering image of Master Windu appeared. He stood straight with his hands held behind his back. The hologram enveloped the cockpit in a blue glow.

"Obi-Wan, Rakus, your mission was a success?" he asked.

"Yes, Master Windu. We will report to the council as soon as we leave the hangar," Obi-Wan answered.

"Good, I have details of another assignment for you. Do not inform anyone else, this is highly confidential," Master Windu said sternly.

Obi-Wan and I shared a look before turning back to the Jedi Master. "Of course, we will see you shortly."

The transmission ended and I looked at Obi-Wan curiously. "Any idea what this super secret mission is?"

"No," he answered thoughtfully. "But let's find out."

***

"So you get to fake your death," I giggled as we left the briefing room.

"It appears so," Obi-Wan shared my smile. He was being very professional, but I knew how eager Obi-Wan secretly was to disguise and infiltrate. It was the mission of a lifetime.

We headed for the mess in the Temple and grabbed some food, sitting across each other at a table.

"Do you have all your things to pull off your death tomorrow?" I asked stuffing my face with food.

"Yes, I do," he said grimacing as he watched me devour my meal. "Where does all that food go?"

"Doesn't matter," I replied. "What you should be worried about is Anakin. I don't think keeping secrets from him is a good idea."

"Oh he'll be fine."

***

Obi-Wan suggested that we take a walk through the streets of Coruscant. He and Anakin walked in front complaining about council meetings. Well, the complaining was mostly Anakin. On the other hand, Ahsoka and I were having a lovely conversation.

"I heard about what you did for the troops the other day. That was really nice of you, Sil," Ahsoka smiled at me.

"Oh it was nothing," I shrugged and tried not to blush at the complement. "I just wanted to do something nice for those guys."

"If you had asked me, I would've helped you out," Ahsoka gave me a nudge and I believed her. She was among the few who I felt had a genuine and deep connection with those soldiers.

"I'll let you know if I ever decide to do it again."

"Sounds perfect."

Obi-Wan and Anakin continued talking about council meetings with Anakin rolling his eyes every two seconds.

"I can see it now. Another long, boring debate," he scoffed.

Ahsoka bit back a laugh. "Would you rather they call you in to train younglings?"

"Are you crazy?" Anakin chuckled.

A blaster bolt whizzed past his face. I spun around as more blaster fire rained down on us. The bounty hunter must've arrived. Anakin shoved me behind a crate.

"What're you doing standing around?" he asked sharply.

"Sorry!"

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka took cover behind the stacks of crates as more bullets missed them by mere inches. As soon as the shooter was located, Obi-Wan gave us our positions. Anakin and Ahsoka jumped into action and I gave Obi-Wan a quick nod. This was going to be the last time I would see him 'alive'. Obi-Wan acknowledged me and chased after the shooter. I bounded after him with my blasters out, making half-ass attempts at shooting the bounty hunter down. Then he disappeared. I stood on my guard keeping my eyes peeled. Obi-Wan had a bulletproof vest, but I didn't.

Anakin screaming his master's name got my attention. I followed him into an alley where trash was piled high and a vivid stench hung in the air. I waved a hand in front of my nose. "It smells like something died here."

"Sil..." Ahsoka said with her voice cracking. I saw the tears rimming her eyes and Anakin held Obi-Wan's lifeless form, begging him to get up.

My heart broke for them and I didn't have to put up an act to make Obi-Wan's death believable. The looks on the Jedi's faces was enough to fill me with grief. I wasn't strong with the Force, but even I could tell that the drug Obi-Wan had taken was very convincing.

I could've gone to the funeral, but I decided not to. In a room full of so many Jedi, I was afraid I'd compromise the mission. Besides, Cody and the guys didn't get to go see their General off, so I decided to stay with them.

"What's gonna happen to you, Sil?" Cody asked me with sorrow deep in his voice. "What's going to happen to us?"

I felt myself splitting in two. I couldn't understand why the council allowed me to know about Obi-Wan being undercover. It was tearing me apart having to keep this secret.

Cody buried his head in his hands, his fingers gripping his hair. I had never seen the commander so vulnerable. I sat down beside him and laid an arm across his shoulder, hoping I could provide him some comfort.

After the funeral, the plan went quickly underway. I arrived at the cantina where Obi-Wan and Master Windu wanted to meet. I walked into a private room to see a pale faced man standing with Master Windu.

"Obi-Wan?" I asked cautiously.

"Hello Sil," the man greeted me in a voice that sounded just like Obi-Wan's. It was pretty disturbing to know that it truly was the Jedi, but in disguise.

I glanced over to see a man tied to a chair who looked identical to Obi-Wan's current appearance. It was the bounty hunter, Rako Hardeen. He struggled against his bonds and seethed at the Jedi standing before him.

"Look, I don't know what you guys are up to-" Hardeen began but was cut off.

"Do we have enough recording?" Obi-Wan asked Windu.

"I believe so," Windu replied looking at the voice emulator in his hand, the instrument that would give Obi-Wan a voice sounding identical to Hardeen's. "You can go to sleep now," Windu waved a hand in front of the bounty hunter and he passed out.

Obi-Wan swallowed the voice emulator and tried it out. He sounded completely different and it was unnerving. There was so much deception happening right now. The amount of lying the Jedi were doing made me uncomfortable. I hated to admit it, but I was beginning to lose faith in them.

I checked my datapad and saw a message from the Council. Anakin and Ahsoka had left the Temple and were coming to arrest Hardeen, or Obi-Wan in this case.

"Anakin and Ahsoka are on their way," I said.

Obi-Wan sighed with his unnatural voice. "I hope this works."

"It will," Windu reassured him and then turned to me. "Rakus, let's get this criminal out of here," he said gesturing to the real Hardeen who lay unconscious.

I nodded and untied him. We wished Obi-Wan good luck and carried Hardeen out of the cantina as if he were passed out drunk. Once outside, Windu turned serious.

"I need you to get rid of him," he said sternly.

"What do you mean?"

"Rako Hardeen is a bounty hunter and a criminal. Until we apprehended him just now, he was under the impression that he had murdered a Jedi. That's not something to be taken lightly," Windu explained. "He must be terminated."

My eyes widened in shock. He wanted me to kill the guy.

"But why me?"

"Isn't that your job as an Antarian Ranger?" Windu crossed his arms and gave me a look. "You're supposed to assist the Jedi and do what we cannot at times. We have a code, but you do not."

I was taken aback by his words, but what he said was true. It was no secret Rangers often did the dirty work for their Jedi, but the way Windu said it made me feel like I was just a tool. Then I understood it. I knew why I was told about this secret mission instead of someone like Anakin. I knew why I was called to this cantina. It wasn't to see Obi-Wan's transformation. I was here to kill someone. In cold blood.

I turned to Master Windu with restrained defiance. He gave me a curt nod and left me alone with Rako Hardeen and a death sentence to fulfill. I released a sigh and decided to get the job over with. The quicker the better. I drained my heart of emotion and pulled the trigger. I lugged the body away and walked back into the cantina to tell someone I needed a body to be taken care of. After paying them, I cleared my head and left quickly so Anakin and Ahsoka wouldn't know I was there.

***

I spent the rest of the day at the Jedi Temple standing by for any further orders. By night, Anakin and Ahsoka had come back from delivering 'Hardeen' to the Republic prison. Anakin walked through the halls, every muscle in his body tensed. He refused to look anyone in the eye. Ahsoka came over to me.

"Do you think you could talk to him?"

"I'll try," I replied. I waited a while before deciding to go over to his quarters and I knocked on his door. "It's Sil," I said gently.

After a few long seconds, the door slid open. I had never seen the room of a Jedi before. It was fairly simple and minimal. Only the necessary things were there. I drank in the sight of Anakin. He looked so broken. He sat on his bed staring blankly at the wall in front of him.

I walked in slowly, his eyes never moving from the wall. It's like they were set in stone. I carefully made my way over to his bed and sat gently on the edge. As I sank into the mattress, Anakin hugged his right arm close to his chest, caressing it delicately like it was made of glass.

"Anakin," I said in a low voice.

His eyes drifted to mine, but he wasn't really looking at me. I decided to move closer and sit next to him, watching as he continued to hold his gloved arm.

"Why do you wear that?" I asked pointing at his glove, hoping to divert his focus onto something else. "I never see it come off."

He silently pulled it off to reveal a prosthetic. I covered my mouth as a gasp escaped.

"Oh my stars, Anakin I am so sorry!" I apologized and turned red. "I had no idea." I came here to help Anakin feel better, but all I did was probably make him feel worse.

A low sound came from Anakin and I wondered if I made him cry. I peered over to see he was smiling, a deep chuckle rising from his chest.

"It's alright, Sil."

A sigh of relief escaped me. My gaze drew back to his metal hand and I grew curious. "Can I look at it?"

"Of course."

I grinned and took his hand into my lap, my fingers tracing over the slender metal pieces that allowed Anakin to have a working limb. I examined the details of it, playing with his fingers and seeing it bend in all the same directions a normal hand did. I could feel Anakin watching me as I observed it. I traced the palm of his metal hand.

"Can you feel that?"

"Yeah," he answered softly, his eyes now staring deep into mine. He brought his hand up and caressed the side of my face.

"Just don't lose anymore limbs, okay?" I said smiling. "You're already part clanker."

Anakin broke into a light laugh and dropped his hand.

"Why were you holding your arm anyways?" I asked remembering the motion he was doing earlier.

Anakin's mood soured again and I felt bad for asking. "I was thinking about the time Obi-Wan and I faced Dooku together for the first time. I didn't listen to him and then this happened," he said lifting his arm. "Obi Wan has always looked out for me and cared for me. I just wish I had done something more for him. He was like a father to me," his voice cracked and his eyes glistened.

"Oh, Anakin," I whispered and pulled him against me.

He buried his head into my shoulder and cried. The release of emotion resonated in the room. Anakin had a lot to unload, but rarely had a person to support him. I shifted so I could hold him better. His hands clung to my shirt desperately as his tears soaked my shoulder.

"I'm not ready to do this without him, Sil," Anakin sobbed. "I've had Obi-Wan for so long. I can't be without him. Pieces of me are being taken away and I don't know what to do."

He cried without restraint and I let him. I held his head against my chest, gently stroking his hair. We sat this way for a long time, not saying anything. The silence held all the words that needed to be said. After a while, Anakin's sobs stopped and turned into soft, sleepy breaths. I rolled his head gently off me and pulled over the covers. As I headed for the door, his voice stopped me.

"Sil? Do you... do you mind staying here? With me," he asked tentatively.

I froze for a moment. Just sitting there with Anakin was a whole new experience for me. I was pushing my limits trying to comfort him, but with him I was okay. He always made sure I felt safe and right now he seemed really scared. I walked back over to his bed and sat down, not exactly sure what I should do. Anakin lifted the covers and I slowly crawled in, lying down right beside him.

He finally broke into a small smile. "You know, I really like having you around. More than I should."

I shared his smile. "I like having you around too," I shifted closer to him.

Anakin looked into my eyes and I nodded. He slid an arm under me and used the other to pull me close. I nestled myself against him, listening to the calming sound of his beating heart.

"Your presence is soothing," Anakin said, his voice muffled from burying his head into my hair.

I hummed in response, growing sleepy myself. The warmth radiating off Anakin was enough to lull me to sleep right there wrapped up in his arms.