Saga The Fear You Won't Fall - OC's, Obi-Wan - AN: 9/29

Like Aala being torn about Jace - it is a complicated situation, isn't it? And like the meeting and everyone getting to realize what the Empire's capable of.

 

Wow, everything's here! Looks like a little was lost in the translation.

 

Hope youve got alot already written and ready to post

 

Hey Everyone!

I so wish I was here to say I had a whole bunch written and ready to post... but I don't However I have been working on it and I will post more. Summers are busy for me and my muse has been distracted by not-family-rated things (as it often is) and other timelines - I have an AU called 'Miracle' with Aala and Obi though! Jade-Max was kind enough to start it for me so please check out her story Little Miracles here: http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...uff-family-post-rots-au-obi-aala-oc.50004136/ and it is continued in my story Miracle here: http://boards.theforce.net/threads/miracle-obi-wan-aala-oc-family-romance-posted-9-29.50004138/ And I will have posts every two weeks for awhile, so there is hope! I promise to work more on this, as well, I just have so many ideas in my head.

For those that have commented here on the last chapter, obsessedwithSW & Jade_eyes & Toni & Gkilkenny Thank you so, so much! I really appreciate it!
For those that were reading, I posted right before the move, and this chapter might have been missed Valairy Scot & ZaraValinor & Luna_Nightshade I will repost it here, since it hasn't been 'fixed'.

Please check out 'Miracle' as well!
~Ashley

 

Sitting in Jace’s office alone, Aala shifted in her chair and pressed her fingers to her ear one more time. The earbud Jace had given her was truly impressive; she could hardly tell it was there, though if she pressed with the pads of her fingertips in just the right spot she could feel the hardness of the tiny bump just inside her ear canal where usually there was nothing.

After Aala had explained what she presumed of Alderaan’s resistance, based mostly on what she knew of Bail, Jace admitted that he was involved in the resistance on Corellia and that he could get in touch with Garm Bel Iblis, Corellia’s outspoken Senator.

“He might be vocal in public with his opposition to the Emperor,” Jace had told her, “but he’s started an underground movement as well - it’s small right now, but it’s tight. There’s a cell that meets here - in the basement of this building - and I know there are more, though the members of the other cells are kept secret.”

Bail and Bel Iblis had been strong allies in the Senate, and she knew even if there was little they could do at this moment, eventually Corellia and Alderaan working together could provide a strong base for the resistance to grow from. Opening lines of communication and building trust could prove vital for the future if they could meet with him now.

Jace believed that Bel Iblis would listen to him, but they had both decided Aala should stay behind. An off-worlder that no one else knew showing up at a secret meeting uninvited was unlikely to be met with much hospitality. Not on Corellia. Trust of any kind was hard to come by here.

But Jace had assured her he could contact Bel Iblis tonight. Then he’d given her a mischievous grin as he asked her if she wanted to listen in and proceeded to open a panel in the far wall that had appeared to be seamless before he had touched it.

This listening device, he had explained, was different than the one he had told her about the first time they’d met when he had been an informant and she was a Republic agent. Jace would have a small transmitter this time so Aala would be able to hear everything that was said from the safety of his office on the top floor. She’d rolled her eyes at the notion that he needed to protect her, but he brushed it off as a figure of speech.

In any case, it was a good plan, as long as Jace could deliver with a convincing reference.

Aala shifted again in the stiff, straight-backed chair she occupied. This furniture was obviously meant to put guests ill at ease - she supposed it was some sort of business tactic, and she eyed the executive chair behind Jace’s desk, but the sound of voices through the earbud caught her attention and she focused all her concentration on listening.

On instinct, she imagined the scene in her head, picturing a darkened, sparse cellar, Jace looking out of place in his expensive suit and Garm Bel Iblis, rugged and fierce with his intense gaze and long greying hair. She could make out three or four other male voices in the background, as well.

Aala had never met Bel Iblis in person. When the war started, he had invoked an obscure Corellian proviso that allowed the planet to withdraw from the Republic without seceding in protest of the creation of a Republic military. He’d rarely attended Senate sessions after that, though he’d remained close and met with Bail and other like-minded Senators. Much of what she knew of his character, she’d heard from Bail but he’d also spoken often and at great lengths in opposition of Palpatine and his power for years.

It was quiet for a moment, and then Bel Iblis spoke, his rough voice one she knew well enough.

“As some of you may know,” he started. “I’ve just returned from Coruscant. The situation is as bad as I feared, though I may not have expected it this quickly.”

Aala could hear the strain in his voice, his stress and disappointment was obvious even though she could not see his expression.

“Since the war has ended, so has our independence and the insulation provided by the constitutional clause we invoked of “meditative solitude” and I’ve been... compelled to attend Senate sessions again as Corellia’s representative in the new Empire.”

Aala could hear a grumble of general dissent in the background, though no one interrupted him.

“But it’s nothing more than an elaborate show, I’m afraid. Though we’ve been assured the Imperial Senate will continue to be ‘operational’ it’s been made clear that the Senators are nothing more than advisors, if even that.”

There was silence for a moment then someone, not Jace, spoke up. “That’s an outrage! You mean to say Palpatine will have absolute power over everything we do? We won’t stand for that!”

Despite his elevated tone, the voice seemed farther away and Aala could tell this person was not sitting as close to Jace as Corellia’s leader seemed to be.

“There’s more,” Bel Iblis said, the quiet edge to his voice suggesting something awful.

“Fang Zar was executed.”

Unable to help herself, Aala gasped quietly. Zar was both an important ally and a good friend to Bail.

Executed. The word was so... grim, incontrovertible.

“It’s clear,” Bel Iblis continued, “the Emperor will stop at no means to maintain absolute power, no matter how heinous.”

And it was clear. If killing such a public figure, a Senator, meant nothing to Palpatine, if it held no consequences for him at all... the implications were sobering. Zar was as outspoken as anyone against the centralization of power and one of the strongest proponents of a diplomatic solution to the war and Aala knew he had been named a traitor and interrogated... but executed?

The obstacles they faced were enormous, but as Aala took a deep, steadying breath she knew it only strengthened her resolve.

As if they were sharing the exact same thought, Jace spoke then, his voice unwavering and determined. “We can’t let this deter us from our mission, our principals. It will be trying, and it will take time, but we have no other choice."

Even as the others in the room murmured in agreement, Aala felt a swell of... hope, and pride. He had been paying attention, or perhaps he’d felt this all along and had only been testing her.

“Well spoken, Ryen. We must move forward. Zar’s death will not be in vain. Now, you said you had some additional information?”

It was clear to Aala, in just the tone of Bel Iblis’ voice, the degree of respect he held for Jace - he more than listened to him, and Aala had the feeling this wasn’t just a normal meeting. Perhaps only the people Bel Iblis trusted the most.

“Yes,” Jace answered. “I have a new contact. A woman from Alderaan, an associate of Bail Organa.”

“That’s promising,” he replied. “If it is true.”

“I knew her previously, as an acquaintance. Though we haven’t spoken in months, I do trust her.”

The room was quiet for a moment, before Bel Iblis spoke up. “And I trust your instincts. What news does she have?”

“Organa is interested in setting up a network of communication, some way to exchange information for the resistance. If we all have contacts we can trust from other groups, it could prove a strong foundation for something more, sometime in the future.”

“Agreed. Organa is a good man, but we should continue to tread cautiously. Keep in touch with her, and we’ll see what transpires.”

Jace must’ve nodded as there were no more words exchanged, and Bel Iblis dismissed the group.

Aala allowed herself a small, brief smile; despite the tragic news, it could not have gone better in her opinion. Jace had proven both calm and confident, succinct but forthcoming and she had not missed the fact that no one had questioned his judgement about her. Despite the reputation he seemed to have amassed, these men took him seriously.

Maybe he did know what he was doing. Although the first and last time they’d encountered each other had been a low point in his life, he seemed to be quite in control now.

The trip might be considered a success - if only she could figure out that unsettled feeling that developed whenever he was near.




***




The next morning, Aala stood in Jace’s apartment high above the streets of the city, looking out over a cloudy grey morning. Jace had kindly offered that she stay in his penthouse and she had resisted and resisted, but he’d been adamant. He had promised her a room that was large and private. And far away from him, if she wished it.

Now she stood at the floor to ceiling windows with a cup of caf, alone and it was early. The sky had lightened in a slow sort of way, the day beginning with a sky full of dark, leaden clouds that had gradually shifted into a silvery overcast. But it remained grey all the same.

Jace was around somewhere, but had disappeared after pointing her toward the kitchen.

As she turned back to the dining table, Aala caught sight of a datapad with the morning news, and she picked it up to peruse as she sat at the table. Right at the top, the headline caught her eye and it made her heart sink - Playboy Billionaire Jace Ryen Finds New Squeeze: Alluring Supermodel Replaced by Ordinary Stranger?

Aala rolled her eyes. Of course. Under the headline, there was an article she was most certainly not going to read and a half page picture. It must’ve been when they had first left his building. With a charming grin and his handsome features, Jace looked perfect and she looked... well, she had an odd sort of frown on her face and her eyes were half closed from the unexpected flash of the holo-camera, so in short - ridiculous, and yes, very average in comparison.

“Don’t worry, you’re beautiful.”

Aala didn’t look up, setting the datapad back down on the table. “I’m not worried about what I look like. It’s just a little disconcerting is all – to see your face, and nonsense printed as fact and know it’s going out to millions of people.”

“You learn to ignore it.” Jace sat down on the other side of the table, setting a plate of breads and pastries in the middle. Thankfully, he changed the subject. “So what now?” He asked before he took a sip from his mug and half a large donut in one bite.

Shrugging, she picked a sweetroll from the array of pastries. Tearing off a piece, she popped it in her mouth and chewed slowly before she answered.

“It went well, I think.”

He looked at her almost blankly.

“I told you,” Aala said, “we’re taking this slow. The less commotion the better, right now. I want to speak with Bail before I do anything else here. I’m sure he’ll be glad to know we’ve contacted Bel Iblis and he’ll want to send a message for him.”

“So you’re going to Alderaan?” Jace asked, sipping his caf again.

Aala eyed him for a moment before she answered. “I’m going to Bellassa now, actually. There’s a well established resistance group there and – ”

“It’s too dangerous,” he shook his head, setting his mug back down with a punctuating clunk.

Aala huffed and rolled her eyes. Men. “Don’t be ridiculous. This is my job.”

“Then I’m going with you.”

“You most certainly are not.” She’d taken to skimming the news again, and this she said without looking up; she wasn’t going to validate a comment as silly as that one with eye contact. But she could feel his gaze on her.

“How are you getting there?” The know-it-all arrogance she could detect in his voice was beyond irritating, but again she kept herself from reacting.

“I’ll take a transport.”

“The planet is fully under Imperial control – did you know that?”

Aala sighed inwardly, closing her eyes for a moment in frustration. “Of course I know that.”

“Aala,” he moved to sit next to her, tilting his head down to catch her eye. She relented, straightening to give him her full attention and folded her arms across her chest.

“If something happens – the planet could be locked down and you could be stuck there for days – months even.”

It wasn’t unheard of, but it was certainly unlikely, and the idea of being stuck there for months was completely improbable. “I highly doubt that – I can always pay my way off, I’ve done it before.”

The smug look did not leave his face but he shrugged as if to say ‘have it your way’ and he let it drop, not saying anything else.

Breakfast continued on in blissful peace in Aala’s opinion, and she mused that they might make a very nice old married couple – happily ignoring each other in total silence – but she sighed inwardly as she felt that flutter of uneasiness in the pit of her stomach again.

Jace was… unexpected. She’d never really known anyone like him – flirtatious one moment and somber the next, dark and undefined, infinitely charming but still relentlessly guarded -- and it put her on edge, that was all.

And she missed Obi-Wan. She missed him with an ache that ran deep into her heart. The importance of the mission had helped her maintain her focus but the peacefulness of this scene made her long to be sharing the quiet moment with Obi-Wan instead. But no matter what she wished for, he was not here and he could not be.

And the mission… already one Senator executed, and for what? No more than what she would soon be very guilty of herself, if she wasn’t already. Aala could handle herself she knew, but was it ever a good idea to go at this sort of thing alone? Maybe Jace had a point… did he really want to tag along with her, though… and if he did, why? Why really?

At least he’d proven more than capable last night, and he was capable of being quiet for at least a few moments as he was demonstrating right now.

Was he a good contact to have on Corellia? Yes, perfect.

But was he a man she wanted to traverse the galaxy with? No, she decided, not really.

Aala couldn’t quite decide how she felt about Jace Ryen, and she couldn’t decide how she felt about that.



***


Jace had disappeared again as soon as he’d nearly swallowed his breakfast whole, and Aala moved to the common room after retrieving her own datapad. Sitting in an oversized, annoyingly comfortable chair, she checked the schedules for transportation to Bellassa, with little luck, and then she checked them again, and again, as if they might change at any moment.

She’d rather jump off the top of this building than admit it out loud, but... Jace was right.

“Problem?”

Aala started at the sound of Jace’s deep voice suddenly right behind her. She considered hastily shutting off the screen of her datapad, but it was probably already too late. She sighed as he sat down on the couch and gave her a knowing smirk.

“Look,” he started, lifting one brow, “I know you don’t take me seriously –”

“I never said – ”

He gave her another pointed look and she shook her head thinking of the level of respect Bel Iblis had clearly shown for him the night before. “Your split personality confuses me,” she admitted.

He smiled – a very small smile, but a real one. “Understandable. Despite all this,” he waved his hand around, “I was an informant for two years. I know a thing or two about your job, and I believe in doing the right thing. I can help.”

Finally she nodded, though somewhat hesitantly, but – she knew he was being honest and his expression was sincere. She didn’t need him... but it couldn’t hurt to have some back up, some muscle.

Unable to help herself, she eyed him for a moment, wondering just how much muscle he really had. It was hard to tell for sure under the clothes he wore… Even though she had been up early, she had yet to see him without a jacket – she figured he had constant business to attend to. But she didn’t want to get caught looking, so she quickly flicked her gaze back to his face – and found his dark eyes glittering just enough to suggest he knew exactly what she was thinking about. Curses.

“You have a ship?” she asked brusquely.

“I have three ships.”

She sighed again. “Fine.”

“Tonight too soon?” he asked, a smug tone to his voice that made it obvious he already knew the answer.

“Not at all.” She had a feeling she was really going to hate each time he was right. Hopefully it was not something that would be repeated very often.

“Good. I”ll get some things together, and I’ll be back.”

“Fine, I’m going to take a shower.”

“Need any help with that?” he grinned at her.

She raised one eyebrow in return. This, he would never be right about. “Not at all.”



*****



He had his own hangar... an entire hangar...

Aala crossed her arms over her chest, as she took it all in, though she wasn’t sure why she was surprised at this point.

The hangar was at the far edge of the Coronet City spaceport, far away from curious glances. There were indeed three ships, two of them smaller models, and one larger, more extravagant one. She didn’t know a thing about ships but she could tell – expensive would be an understatement.

Aala turned to look at Jace as he approached her from the far end of the hangar and he nodded his head to the right, toward the smallest and plainest of the three ships. “We’re taking this one,” he said.

“That one’s prettier,” she argued, looking to the ship in the middle. It was long and sleek and shiny, reminding her of her sister’s star skiff, though she knew she was just being contrary.

Jace chuckled. “Says the woman who was going to hop a third class transport sometime next week...”

Aala shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips.

“This one’s much less conspicuous,” he pointed out and she nodded her consent. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

Following Jace up the ramp and into the star yacht, she noticed that much like the exterior, the inside was well made but not overdone. There was a roomy living area in the mid-section of the ship with a multi-purpose table, cushy chairs and a large built-in divan. Jace stopped in the center of the room, briefly pointing out the other sections.

“It’s the simplest of the three but it’s small and fast, and it has a few more tricks.”

“It’s good,” she agreed.

“At your service. For as long as you need.”

Now that was something... She had to admit it was nice, and so much better than a transport – safer and flexible, but –

It struck her again, the idea of spending so much time with him, and him alone. Just the two of them on this little ship...

Aala glanced around again… had he only mentioned one bedroom?

But Jace was unfazed by her distraction and still talking. “– state of the art sub light engines and multiple transponder codes. I picked up new IDs as well. I think it’s better if we have a cover already in place, so we have something ready to fall back on – ”

He must’ve quickly discerned the look on her face because he stopped and frowned at her. “I know you just want to fly in there and make it up as you go, but there are things I need to have in place concerning the ship. And I think it’s better that we have a plan since we hardly know each other.”

“It’s fine,” she assured him. Nothing wrong with having a back-up plan, she just hadn’t been expecting quite this level of detail and enthusiasm… and then she read the IDs he’d handed her. “We have the same last name...” she said, looking up at him.

“Newly married, I think. An arrangement. It will explain any unfamiliarity between us. And the sexual tension, of course.”

Aala pursed her lips, ignoring his teasing smirk and the glint in his dark eyes. “Can’t we be brother and sister?”

“With only one bedroom?” He shook his head dismissively, “Please, Aala, try to keep up.”

“Well, let’s take the other ship. The bigger one.”

“But this one’s cozier. It only has one bedroom.”

Aala had a feeling this conversation was going nowhere, but she couldn’t help herself. “And why do we have to have only one bedroom?”

“Because we’re on our honeymoon,” he said plainly.

“Jace...”

“What are you afraid of, sweetheart?” he grinned and then shook his head again. “We don’t know each other well enough to be brother and sister. And this ship is really the best one for the job.”

Aala sighed heavily. This was going to be a long trip. “Is this all really necessary right now, Jace? The cover, the IDs... No one paid any attention when I arrived here. I know I’ll get to this point eventually, but...”

“Listen, if you travel around like you are, as yourself and someone does come looking for you, the trail will be so hot you won’t stand a chance, even if it’s months from now. And even if someone eventually connects you to me, as soon as we leave Corellia airspace I’ll change the codes and we’ll be Mr. And Mrs. Antilles, and your data trail will go cold.”

This was certainly something she had not considered, and that little flutter in her stomach picked up for a moment before she tamped it back down. It was only another reminder that this job was in fact very different than the one she’d had before. She was on the other side, now, and perhaps she needed to start thinking like a criminal if this was going to work.

“You’re probably right,” Jace continued, his voice softer, “and none of this will matter, but why take the risk if we don’t have to?”

“No,” she said, “You’re right. As long as you have a genuine reason for this,” she said, indicating the IDs that implicated them as husband and wife and casting him a knowing glance.

“I would never,” he pressed his hand to his chest. “I am nothing, if not a gentleman.”

Aala rolled her eyes. “I’m serious, Jace. I – we can’t be distracted out there. I’m not – I’m only here to do this job.”

“Of course, Aala. This is important to me, too.”

Aala thought of what he had said at the meeting the night before and she knew she couldn’t deny his sincerity, despite her own confusion. But she couldn’t resist one more condition. “And stop calling me sweetheart,” she muttered turning to look around the cabin. At least the lounge seat looked more than comfortable. She could sleep there.

Jace chuckled. “You started it. Sweetheart.”

Aala paused. Yes, she had called him that when they first met at that bar. Damn again. It was going to be a very, very long trip indeed.

 

So happy to see this updated again. I'm really enjoying Aala in this post-RotS setting, and I'm especially curious who the new informant is. Love Aala and Jace's little awkwardness around each other. Looking forward to more!

 

Luna_Nightshade Thank you! I'm glad you had a chance to check this out. Aala in this setting, is so fun to write, I'm really trying to develop her character away from everything in Fallen, beyond Obi-Wan and Padme and it's really hard! I hope to get back to this, very, very soon, I do have the next part started. In the meantime, I'm working on another story with Obi-Wan and Aala: http://boards.theforce.net/threads/miracle-obi-wan-aala-oc-family-romance-posted-9-29.50004138/]Miracle[/url] I have a bunch of posts ready to go for that