Saga - PT Sister Thief - One-shot (Obi-wan, Anakin and Zallie)

Title: Sister Thief
Characters: Obi-wan, Anaking & Zallie
Time period: 21BBY

Ahh, so it's been a really long time since I used any non-OC characters for more than tiny, tiny bit parts (or for dressing up in ball gowns). So hopefully I got the characterisation at least close to correct.

This is also on the AU line from original USJS - the mirror universe where Kit leaves the the temple has turned out to be a lot more fun to play in.

***

Sister Thief

***​

Obi-wan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hated parties like this but it was almost mandatory as a Jedi that you needed to attend a Senator’s party at least once a season. Master Yoda had said something about the fact the Senate had requested both Anakin and him as heroes of the war effort. The evening had left Obi-wan feeling drained as it seemed like there was nothing but an endless parade of boring dignitaries wanting his advice, or to give him advice or simply just to discuss the rust that was affecting this year’s crops of meiloorun, as if Obi-wan had some sort of power over common fruits and vegetables. He was ten minutes into a conversation about the best blaster that was currently on the market and he could feel his concentration drifting. A serving droid bustled by and Obi-wan found himself reaching for a drink. He normally didn’t drink at events such as these but some things you couldn’t face sober.

There was a ripple in The Force and Obi-wan looked over to see Anakin talking to a young lady. He was laughing at one of her jokes and Obi-wan found himself smiling. It was good to see Anakin laugh, something that didn’t happen so often anymore. He glanced again at the girl. She was tall and lithe and impeccably dressed in a long black evening gown with, Obi-wan suddenly realised, a slit that was almost indecently high. Her long mahogany curls were done up in an Coruscant twist secured with two golden and bejewelled barrettes that glinted even at a distance. She said something and Anakin smiled and then pointed towards where Obi-wan was standing. The girl turned slightly, drink in one hand and smiled at him. She had pale skin and bright blue eyes. Obi-wan frowned, she seemed oddly familiar. As she turned back to Anakin, the wave of recognition almost felled him. He thrust his drink into the hands of the Senator he was talking to and without another word almost vaulted across the room to where the couple was standing.

*

Anakin looked at Zallie and smiled. He’d almost declared the night a disaster until she’d been introduced to him by a dour looking Senator who’d asked him to keep her company while he attended to some business. Zallie had made some slightly off the cuff remark about the type of business and Anakin had found himself chuckling. She’d listened attentively as he’d told her about being a Jedi and she’d actually seemed to care about his answers. She’d said something about Jedi Masters always being so stoic and Anakin had shown her where Obi-wan was standing, obviously bored as he listened to two Senators. He’d just turned back to Zallie when he’d felt a spear of alarm through The Force. The next second his Master was at his side, alarm written all over his face. Anakin frowned, it wasn’t like Zallie posed any particular threat. She was a girl in an evening dress after all, what was she going to do?

“Watch yourself padawan, you might lose something,” Obi-wan warned. The girl laughed.

“Why Master Kenobi, I haven’t seen you in years. You haven’t aged a day.”

“Where’s your mother, Miss Jinn.”

Anakin frowned in puzzlement. How did his Master know this girl and why was he acting this way? The girl laughed again.

“My mother is not my keeper, Master Kenobi. I am twenty now. Old enough to hold my own against two ferocious Jedi.”

“Jinn?” Anakin queried, puzzled at both the last name and the familiarity with which the young lady spoke to Obi-wan.

“Sorry, Ani, I should have introduced myself fully. I am Zallie Jinn, daughter of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Master Obi-wan’s esteemed master.” The girl gave a tiny curtsey before continuing, “Did you ever meet him?”

“I…uh…” Anakin was at a loss for words. The girl smiled.

“Never mind, Anakin, I’m sure that your lovely Master here was going to tell you eventually. You see it’s all part of the great Jedi tradition of secret keeping. I am Master Jinn’s love child. He was in a relationship with my mother until she fell pregnant and the Council, esteemed Jedi all, forced her out of the order.” She scrunched her nose slightly and grinned at him although Anakin noticed that it didn’t reach her eyes.

“That’s not how it happened.” Obi-wan warned. Anakin looked at his former Master who had that tight, polite smile that he always used when he was annoyed.

“Oh, I know that, Master Kenobi, I’m just playing. I know she left of her own volition. I know exactly what happened because my mother doesn’t keep secrets.”

The comment hung in the air. Anakin could see Obi-wan clench his jaw and go to say something but the band started to play again. Zallie smiled, a brilliant smile that lit up her whole face and cut him off before he could get the words out.

“My favourite song. Would you like to dance with me, Master Skywalker?”

“I’m not a Master yet,” Anakin said quietly.

“Oh, what a shame,” Zallie said pouting slightly. She traced the edge of the v on his tunic with one fingertip, Anakin felt his face flame with embarrassment at her sudden familiarity, “I imagine the council will want to change that in due course. Shall we dance? I would very much like to see if you are as good a dancer as I have heard you are with a lightsaber.”

“I believe Jedi Knight Skywalker is otherwise engaged,” Obi-wan said and Anakin noticed his frown deepening, “how about I dance with you.”

“Why Master Kenobi, I thought you would never ask.” Zallie laughed and held out her hand.

*

Obi-wan led the young woman onto the dance floor. Luckily the music was not hard, just a slow waltz that allowed time to talk. Zallie was light on her feet as she followed his lead. She didn’t say anything, just studied him with a polite smile.

“You dance well,” Obi-wan said eventually at a loss of anything else to say.

“Why, thank you. I shall tell my mother that, she is an exceptional teacher.”

“Where is your mother?” Obi-wan asked. Former Jedi Kithera Rinani, or Akari has she’d become known, had developed quite the reputation in the darker parts of the galaxy. It had gotten to the point where Obi-wan had expected that a Jedi team would be sent out to sort out the problem, but any mention of it was always quickly shut down by the council. Seeing as Kithera had had a rather tumultuous relationship with certain council members when she had been a Jedi, it surprised him that they were giving her such free reign now.

“I honestly don’t know,” Zallie said smiling brightly. She must have noticed the disbelieving look in his eyes for she laughed and took her hand off his shoulder to make a motion over her heart. “Cross my heart and all of that. You can throw me into a Sarlaac pit if you think I’m lying. I mean how on earth could I, a simple girl, pull one over on the best Jedi in the temple and his recently knighted apprentice.”

“Don’t be flippant with me Miss Jinn,” Obi-wan felt himself stiffen. Zallie laughed and several male heads turned at the sound. Obi-wan could feel the girl’s enjoyment at their attention through the force.

“Fine. I won’t be flippant. My mother did warn me that you were a spoil sport.” She said smiling genuinely, “but she didn’t warn me that your former padawan was so good looking.”

“Why are you here Zallie,” Obi-wan asked, his patience growing thin, “are you casing the joint like last time? Did you not think we’d put your family’s appearance and the subsequent thefts from Nuu Pax Gallery together?”

“If you are Qui-Gon’s padawan, and I’m his daughter does that make us siblings?” Zallie asked ignoring his question, “Oh! Does that make me Anakin’s aunt? It’s all very confusing. I suppose that’s why Jedi don’t have children. Too difficult to keep tabs on how everyone is related.”

“Zallie,” his voice was a warning.

“Fine then, Master Spoilsport.” She stepped into him so that she could whisper in his ear, “see the gentleman behind me with the terribly gaudy orange cummerbund? His wife is away on a girls’ weekend on Zeltros and I’m going to go home with him tonight and then permanently borrow his wife’s diamonds.” Zallie looked at him and fluttered her eyelashes, “She’s obviously not too attached to them, or him for that matter.”

Obi-wan paused in the dance almost causing an elderly couple to crash into them. The old lady tutted as they danced past.

“Zallie, you’re all of twenty.” Obi-wan said, “you’re far too young for this.”

“And yet, with only a year between Anakin and I, he is old enough to kill people but I must remain virtuous and at home. I find it rather amusing that you are so worried about my virtue but not about your ex-padawan’s blood lust.”

“That’s enough!” Obi-wan stopped dead and let her hand and waist go. Zallie tilted her head slightly to one side in a gesture that Obi-wan remembered her mother making. She gave him the same scrunched nose smile as she had used on Anakin.

“Don’t like it Master Kenobi? What are you going to do? Tell everyone? Announce it to the whole room that Zallie Jinn, daughter of your beloved Master is a thief? Is an unvirtuous woman?” She laughed. “You won’t though. You’ll let me go. I’ll do what I am planning to do because that’s the will of The Force and it puts food in my belly. Then later you’ll make a report to the Council and they will nod their heads and give you grave looks and tell you that nothing can be done, because nothing will be done. My family is a very small problem in this great big war of yours.”

She laughed and went to bop him on his nose. He caught her wrist before she could touch him and held it tight. Across the other side of room Zallie’s mark made a noise and began to waddle towards them. Zallie looked at Obi-wan and the smile faded slightly from her face.

“Don’t worry Master Kenobi,” she said quietly, “I’m not as good as you or your lovely, headstrong apprentice, but I do know my way around a mind-trick or two. The very accommodating Senator will wake tomorrow with a very unclear memory of what happened on this night. He will replace his wife’s jewels because telling her how he lost them will not make for a very happy marital bed and I will go home to my loving mother and my wonderful Da and all of my brothers and sisters without him ever laying a finger on me. So, you don’t have to worry about my virtue.”

She gave him another smile as he let go of her wrist. The smile became even broader as she turned to where the Senator was coming across the floor, weaving in and out of the still dancing couples.

“I’m fine dearest,” she said as he approached, “I was just dancing with the lovely Master Kenobi and he was helping me because I was overbalancing in these silly shoes.” She laid one hand lightly on Obi-wan’s shoulder and pulled her dress up slightly to reveal that she was wearing tall, red stilettoes. Obi-wan watched the Senator’s face suddenly flush with sweat. Zallie dropped her dress back down and turned her full megawatt smile on the Senator and then Obi-wan, “Master Kenobi is a dear friend of my father’s you see and is therefore always looking out for my welfare. Aren’t you, dearest.” Her eyelashes fluttered again as if daring him to give away her secret.

Obi-wan looked at her. He could give the game away, tell the Senator everything, get her to leave and go back to home but something stopped him. Maybe it was a misguided sense of loyalty, that if Zallie was arrested he’d somehow betray the legacy of his Master even if the only thing the two of them shared was a vague physical resemblance.

She smiled at Obi-wan and took the Senator’s proffered hand.

“It was lovely to see you again Master Kenobi. I shall give your regards to my mother. I’m sure she would love to catch up with you one day.” She turned to the Senator as if Obi-wan was suddenly and completely forgotten, “how about we go somewhere more comfortable my dear, so that I can take off these silly shoes”

Then she was gone, being led back through the swirling dancers on the arm of the much older man. Obi-wan followed her with his eyes until she and the Senator reached the door and then reached out with The Force but met an impenetrable shield. She turned back slightly and waggled one finger in the air as if telling him off and then was gone.

Anakin met him back at the bar where Obi-wan was ordering himself a very large brandy.

“Are you alright Master?” he asked, “what were you and that girl talking about?”

“Just the fact that she was about to go and rob that Senator blind,” Obi-wan blinked rapidly as if disbelieving what he’d just said aloud, and then threw back the rest of the glass. He tapped the empty on the table and the serving droid promptly refilled it.

“Shouldn’t we arrest her?” Anakin asked peering at him uncertainly.

“What for? She hasn’t taken anything yet.” Obi-wan was still staring at the door through which she’d left. The confidence that Zallie had displayed and the way she operated was disturbing to say the least.

“But you said she was going to rob someone.”

“She will, but he’ll never make a complaint. She’s the perfect little thief really.” Obi-wan downed the second brandy and put the glass back on the table. The droid was refilling it again when one of the hotel message boys came towards them.

“Are you Master Kenobi?” he asked. When Obi-wan frowned and nodded, the boy continued, “your sister said to give you this.”

He held out Obi-wan’s identi-disk. Startled, Obi-wan patted down his pockets to see if anything else was missing. Beside him Anakin started to laugh.

“Looks like she had more than one mark tonight.”

Obi-wan’s frown deepened and he shook his head, sliding the offending article back into his pocket. He noticed that Anakin had stopped laughing and was staring at him, one eyebrow raised.

“Master, are you going to explain what’s really going on?” He asked and Obi-wan nodded.

“Get yourself a drink Anakin, this is going to be one very long story.”

 

Great bantering converstation There's a blend of snark and affection.

 

Very long story indeed! I mean, Obi-Wan will only have to relate to Anakin the events of the entire USJS from its inception to date!

 

Thank you My lovely husband who is my occasional beta reader finished reading the first draft and was like "well, that's a lovely sociopath you've got there." So I had to go back to change it to be a little less snark and a little more affection. Poor Obi-wan, it'd be very weird to be in that position at a party and I think that Zallie is enough of her mother's daughter that she likes seeing people squirm.

"So she's got pictures of you naked Master."
"Well her and T'lor yes."
"And she once stuck a tampon up your nose."
"Well, yes. I mean it was bleeding everywhere and the tampon was super absorptive, but yes."
"And then she dated your Qui-Gon. I thought Jedi couldn't have relationships, Master."
"Well, yes but Kithera doesn't really abide by the rules. Dated him and then they broke up and then...well, it's complicated."
"It sounds very complicated. I think I might have to go digging in the archives when we get home."
"I really don't think you do. I don't think any of it was recorded."
"Look Master, I'm sure if it happened then Jocasta Nu has a record of it."
"Nope. I made sure those records were deleted long ago. On this particular time period, the archives are definitely incomplete!"