Erjika Tevkana
Rating: PG-13
Category: drama, angst, introspection, character analysis
Setting: At the possible end of Episode 3- the Empire's fully in control
Summary: Obi-Wan moves on after the fall of the Republic, with a little help from an unlikely person.
Spoilers: Speculation on ep. 2 and 3. Minor ones for Jedi Apprentice. Big ones for TPM and the trilogy, but you've already seen them...right?
Feedback: Yes! This is my first big fic, and I'm a little nervous. sleeperdown@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.dreamwater.net/pottedcactus/erjika
Archive: Go for it! A friendly notice wouldn't hurt, tho!
Disclaimer: Aela and her lightsaber are mine mine mine. But alas! Lucas-san owns the rest of em. No money for me. Oh, the pain! *thespian faint*
Warnings: This is VERY introspective. Lots of musing, not much action until the very end, and even then it's mostly thinking.
Plot bunny: =: |c Pensive plot bunny. She's holding her paw up and thinking deep, philosophical stuff.
Dedication: Big big hugs to Valeria for letting me use the scenes, and to Kieran for being an all-around cool chica! Also to midear friend and beta reader Cari, who beat me over the head with past-past tenses! :)
AN1: ::telepathic words:: //thoughts and emotions//
AN2 (Disclaimers cont.): This will be sent off to fiery pits of magma when ep. 3 comes out, but oh well. The temple scenes and ideas were permissively filched from Valeria's fic, "Cleansing." The name "Starsail" belongs to the Verve (excellent song, btw). Inspiration derived from a poem dedicated to my dear friend Kieran (see below), who will probably never read this :), and also from Jedi Boadicea's fic "Gateway to the Soul," to which this fic's plot bunny and author bow humbly to. Ah, sensei! *ceremonial bow*
i'll fall into oblivion
aphrodisiac memories
lost in an ocean of tears
drowning in misery
saviour, the light!
oh gods it pierces
in me
over me
through me
clean clear sweep
blind flash of agony
fades to radiant warmth
love encompass the pain
scrub it clean
let it go
end the past
start the future
Part 1
Obi-Wan Kenobi waited impatiently for the freighter to finish landing. He had heard rumors and reports alike of a bloody battle at the Coruscant Temple. In his mind, the gentle lulling hum of the other Jedi, something that had been with him all his life, was dimming into a void. He hoped it wouldn't be too catastrophic.
At last, the landing ramp unfolded. Obi-Wan leapt off and sped towards the Temple, not caring who saw him. He feared he was too late.
* * *
No.
There were so many bodies... It couldn't have been... Not the boy who had been his student and friend. Obi-Wan wandered through the now empty halls //too late too late too late// trying hard to find some part of the Temple that wasn't tainted with blood and gore. He saw the faces of friends everywhere, frozen in death.
He stumbled as he slipped on something wet. He looked down and saw a small river of blood //all different colours red and blue and green// flowing down the steps. Blood that came from the Jedi Council chamber. Oh gods, no.
He couldn't take it anymore. He ran down flights of stairs to the ground level //can't accept won't accept refuse to accept// and made it outside, where the stench of death was replaced by the sounds of violence. The new empire was taking control. The vile Jedi, the ones who started a war, the evil ones who caused so much hatred, all were now dead. A reason to celebrate in bloodlust.
The angry cheers of the mob and the shock of the Jedi massacre swirled into a sickening waterfall before his eyes. The dizzying chaos weakened his mind and body. He fell. Through his blurring vision, he saw a woman with a lightsaber running towards him. //please please let there be one more// He lapsed into unconsciousness.
* * *
A vague memory of being carried touched his mind. He felt someone gently nudging him back into darkness. He slept.
When he woke next he found himself in a bed. Disoriented, he sat up a little. He was in a small room. A window next to the bed. A door on the opposite end. The bed at ground level, not much more than some padding. Cream walls, unadorned save for a chronometer, dark metal against the stark walls. Looking at it, he realized it was early morning of the next day. The natural sun was yet to come, but the famous artificial lighting of Coruscant cast an eerie glow over everything. Blankets tucked him in, keeping him from the chill of the room. He was never one to argue with such comforting arrangements, as un-Jedi-like as that may be. He snuggled in deeper and went back to sleep.
* * *
"mmrghh..."
"Just lie back down. You've slept a while."
"Where am I?"
"Don't worry, you're safe now. We're on the outskirts of the lower levels."
He opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light. For a blissful moment, he basked in the warmth of the sunlight streaming through the window. It was probably around mid-morning.
The woman brought him back to reality. "Appreciate the moment for what it is," she said with a small smile. He focused on her. He didn't remember anything about her from yesterday, except that she had a lightsaber, which was now dangling from her belt. She was humanoid, and dressed in a hunter's style outfit, covered by a grey robe similar to his brown one. If he didn't know better, he might have thought she was a bounty hunter. Black, blue-streaked hair pulled back in an intricate bun. Piercing blue eyes that resonated calm and order, with a touch of sadness. Qui-Gon had eyes like that... Obi-Wan remembered a time when he had been injured after a victorious game of bothka and his master had said the same thing. Always mindful of the future, his master was. Thoughts of Qui-Gon filled his mind and led him to the memories of the day before.
Tears filled his eyes, but before he could mask his thoughts he felt the woman's presence in his mind. She enveloped him in a blanket of warmth and comfort . He felt the tears rolling down his cheeks, but now they were more out of gratitude. She stepped back from his mind with one last wave of encouragement. "I'll come back when you think you're ready," she whispered before leaving him alone in the room.
Obi-Wan stared after her. Who was she? Such a complete stranger, yet she was helping him without any thoughts of danger. Of course if she were a Jedi, that would explain much. She was very skilled and blocked her mind completely from his. From what he could tell, she was extremely strong in the Force, but in a peculiar way. He hadn't felt an aura like hers since Anakin...
Anakin. Oh Gods, what had gone wrong? What did he call himself now? Vader, that was it. He had become something so monstrous and evil, that only memories were left of that bright, almost painfully cheerful kid from Tatooine. He had changed so much, and Obi-Wan had never noticed until it was too late. And now he had done it. He had killed his fellow Jedi, one of his last links to his past. Speaking of which, Coruscant was probably not the safest place to be at the moment...
The door slid open and the woman came back in. She knelt down next to his bed as he tried to sit up. "What-"
"Shhh... Don't get up yet, you'll need as much strength as you can get." Obi-Wan obeyed and settled back down.
An uncomfortable silence stretched between them. "They're all gone, aren't they?" he asked quietly. She looked down at the floor. He didn't really need to ask; he felt the pain through the Force. The bright vibrancy of his fellow Jedi, that gentle background hum, was gone. An emptiness was left in his mind.
Obi-Wan shuddered as he remembered the previous day, but not with as much revulsion as he thought he would be feeling. But he had had time to adjust, ever since the beginning of the Jedi cleansing. In a subconscious way, he had been expecting this, though his heart had denied it. The void had been growing ever since Palpatine first declared the Jedi traitors. He cleared his mind and focused on the moment. After that initial shock, he shoved the pain down to numbness, leaving it until he had time to mull over it. The woman met his gaze and he realized she heard everything he was thinking.
"I'm not a Jedi," she answered his silent question, "but I do have Force sensitivity." She smiled shyly. "It's a bit of a long story."
Obi-Wan knew that despite her calm exterior, she was nervous, as if she were unused to talking to people. Obi-Wan smiled gently and surrounded her with soothing Force energy. At least one of them shouldn't be traumatized by this experience. Her expression grew more relaxed and she gave him a self-deprecative grin. "I didn't realize I was being that obvious."
His smile widened. When was the last time he smiled? Too long ago, he winced inwardly. Interesting he should feel this way in the wake of such destruction. "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi," he offered.
"Obi-Wan..." She sounded it out slowly. "That's an unusual name. But very flowing, much like the Force." She smiled back to him, but she seemed a little strained.
He guessed she didn't want her identity to be revealed, so he moved on. "Feel free to tell me your life story, but I've a feeling the longer we stay here, the lesser a chance we have to get out."
Her smile melted rather quickly. "Very true," she agreed, "being that we're at the heart of the Empire. But we must wait for something." She frowned contemplatively. "I'm not sure what, but it is of the utmost importance, and over the years I've learned to trust my instincts. Perhaps too much Jedi influence rubbing off on me." She raised an eyebrow at him for a brief second, then her features settled back to her slightly worried frown. She closed her eyes. "And besides, you should know who I am."
Obi-Wan waited patiently. She opened her eyes again, and suddenly he felt all her pain and guilt emanating out, before her shields came back up.
"My name is Aela Seratta."
Obi-Wan went cold. He was frozen, not knowing what to say or think. Somewhere in his numb mind a voice whispered everything he knew about that name.
//Aela the assassin, rumored to work for the Empire, feared throughout the galaxy, no one knew what she looked like and if you did you were probably her next target, always left a green handkerchief as her signature, responsible for the massacre on Shar'la and the death of Senator Dvri but most importantly blew up the ship the Tambar with fifty Jedi aboard, the incident that eventually led to the Order's demise//
He focused again on the woman before him. Under her intent gaze he knew she had heard everything he was thinking.
"Yes, it's all true," she said softly.
"But why-" Obi-Wan fumbled to find the words. //she killed your friends she's against the Republic she saved your life//
Aela sighed and her lips curled mirthlessly. "I told you it would be a long story." She continued slowly, weighing her words carefully. "I'm an independent assassin, but yes, I've taken many jobs from the Empire. Palpatine himself-" she drew out his name bitterly "-seemed to think me trustworthy in the Jedi cleansing, and lately that has been the subject of many of my contracts." Obi-Wan was taken aback at her hatred. Aela raised her eyebrows at him. "Just because I've worked for him doesn't mean I like him anymore than you." Her eyes softened. "I apologize if I've deceived you. You needed to recover from the shock, and if either of us plan on getting out alive, you need to be well."
"Why would you need me? Why didn't you just kill me like you did my friends?" Part of him recoiled at his anger, but he didn't care. Not anymore.
She gazed back at him thoughtfully, a gaze he had seen many a time from Qui-Gon. "Because I must keep you safe."
Obi-Wan frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
"Just that. You must stay alive. I'm directed by the Force, and it's telling me that you must remain."
He snorted. "So you're a Force-sensitive assassin working for the Empire and has killed more people than you can remember, and you're sparing me, one man, just because you 'must'?" He stared at her incredulously, then glared at her belt. "and why in all hells do you have a lightsaber? Some macabre trophy?"
She unhooked the saber from her belt and hefted it in her hands. "No," she said softly. "I made it myself."
He blinked. Only Jedi knew how to make and use lightsabers. And the Sith. No, don't say she's...
"I'm no Sith. Never was, and hopefully never will be."
"But that means..." he trailed off. A Jedi? But she just said she wasn't one. What was she then?
She met his eyes. That infuriatingly calm gaze had returned. "Let's just say that at one point I was."
Part 2
"I was like any other Jedi initiate," Aela began. "I was taken from my home when I was six months old, and I was raised in the Coruscant Temple. I was very shy, but I had a few friends. Including Master Yoda." She smiled briefly, then continued. "All during that period, I felt like there was something else I was supposed to be doing, but I couldn't figure out what. A couple days before my thirteenth birthday, it was evident that I would never be taken as a padawan, and then I realized what I was supposed to do."
"Wait," Obi-Wan interjected. "Why weren't you chosen? I mean, you're strong in the Force, and you've a good command of it, any master should have been willing to take you." He couldn't believe he was praising an assassin, but it was true.
She smiled shyly. "I think it's because they were afraid of me, at least that's what Master Yoda said."
"But why would they be afraid?"
"Hang on, I'm getting there!"
He chuckled at that, and for a brief moment he was able to forget who she was.
"Even during my time with the Jedi, I never felt quite at home with them." She shook her head ruefully. "Apparently I was also blind to things that should have been obvious. Master Yoda had to point it out to me. Well, actually, he made a series of obscure observations which led to my understanding." Obi-Wan smiled. "Through that I found I was strong not only in the Light Force, but in the Dark as well."
"But how can you be strong in the Light and the Dark? The Force is one thing, it just has different aspects."
"I suppose I should say that I'm mainly in the Light, but I have Dark side tendencies. I can do things that those on the Dark side can accomplish, without feeling any Dark side emotions. It just comes naturally to me.
"I think the masters were too worried that I would turn. That's what kept them away." She shrugged. "My path wasn't with them anyway. The Force told me to train for the years ahead, so that's what I did for six years."
"The Force told you what to do?"
"Yes. What I truly serve is the Force. The Force cares not for Light nor Dark, and I follow it wherever it takes me."
"Do you ever worry about your path?"
Aela closed her eyes. "The future is for hopes and fears. The past is for regret and memories. I live in the present. It's all I have left."
Her eyes opened, and again Obi-Wan saw the flash of pain. "Like I was saying, I trained for six years on various planets," she said, clearly changing the subject. "I learned different techniques for nearly everything, and I just took what I felt was useful. I built my lightsaber from scraps I found while I was roaming. After my first job as an assassin I was able to afford the focusing crystals." She had a hint of pride in her voice as she spoke of her lightsaber. This was something she felt she earned, one of the few rewards in her bleak life.
Obi-Wan frowned and looked more carefully at her saber. "Isn't the grip rather wide?"
Aela smiled at his observation. "Yes. It's not just a lightsaber. It doubles as a blaster."
He looked up at her in surprise. She lit up the saber, a brilliant blue-green colour that seemed to shimmer. He saw that the blade was slightly off-center. She retracted the blade and showed him the mechanics of her saber/blaster, explaining the intricate physics of it all. Obi-Wan listened intently with part of his brain, while another part raced through a series of thoughts.
How could he even trust this woman? Ok, so she was a former Jedi, not as bad as he originally thought, and she had made a truly amazing weapon, but that still didn't forgive her for everyone she had killed. Yet he _did_ feel that he should trust her. Was it because she saved his life? Or because she reminded him of Qui-Gon, who was forever telling him to live in the Moment?
Speaking of the Moment, Aela was staring at him, having stopped talking after his attention had shifted. "Do you wish to be left alone?" she asked quietly.
He shook himself mentally. "No, you haven't finished telling me your story."
She shrugged. "There's not much more to say. I began hiring myself out, and Palpatine took note of me. I started taking jobs from him. I helped my targets as much as I could, but it didn't always work out."
"What do you mean, help them out?"
She smiled a bit sadly. "Do you really think I killed as many people as they say?"
Obi-Wan was confused. "What?"
She gave him another long look. "I guess my reputation is better than I thought. Most of my supposed targets are still alive, in hiding. The ultimate goal in all those contracts was to divert fear of the Emperor to fear of me, in addition to the Jedi. To make him look like the lesser of two evils. I'm only a pawn, but he still thinks I don't know this. If he did I would have been dead by now.
"He wanted those people dead, yes, but more importantly he didn't want people to know that he was behind it. He underestimates the people's intelligence. Most know who's hiring me, though they won't say for fear of death, as you know from the rumors."
She looked out the window, a haunted look in her eyes. "The emperor thinks that with the extermination of the Jedi, he has won the galaxy either by fanaticism or fear. But already whispers of a rebellion are taking place. You hear the crowd outside?" They both sat silently, and a very faint roar could be heard. The crowd was still cheering from the day before. "There are those among us who truly believe in the Empire," she continued. "They hate the Jedi and think of Palpatine as their savior. But most of what you are hearing is the sound of rebels. While he's busy wallowing in his own arrogance, we will be preparing to hold our own against him. All we need is time." No pride in her voice, just quiet conviction.
Obi-Wan was moved by her speech, but... "What exactly do you mean by 'we?'"
She looked back to him and smiled. "Aela is my pseudonym. My real name is Amara Cyvrae."
Amara! A faceless underground rebel leader. He remembered hearing hushed comments from various beings who had trusted him with the information. The Emperor was sure to have heard of her by now, thought he may not know her true identity. Palpatine... "You're doing exactly what Palpatine did."
"And that's why he won't be expecting it. Sometimes, repeating the obvious is a good thing."
Through her eyes, he saw her life was lonely and bleak. Her past was haunted, her future cloudy. She was literally in the jaws of the Empire, and one misstep could easily get her killed. But behind the pain in her eyes, he saw her spark of hope. There was hope.
Aela turned pale and her eyes went unseeing. Her lips parted slightly on a sharp intake of breath. A few seconds later she came back to herself.
"A vision?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes," she said quietly. She had an odd look in her eyes, as if the vision was still before her. "There's a small fighter in the Starsail docking bay. It's not too far from here. During the afternoon it's not as heavily guarded. You can leave tomorrow for the Dagobah system."
He frowned. He seemed to be frowning a lot these days... not that there was much to smile about. "Why would I want to go to Dagobah? It's a nice enough planet, but it's only swampland and marshes."
She closed her eyes, seemingly searching for something. She smiled, relief spreading over her face. "Master Yoda's there."
Master Yoda! He made it out alive, thank the gods.
"And," she looked at him questioningly. "Amidala, former Queen of the Naboo."
Obi-Wan felt the blood drain from his face. All this time during the purges, he had forgotten about Anakin's wife. He vaguely remembered how she hid her pregnancy from her husband for so long, out of some fear she could not name. She must be near her time.
"She is," Aela said, sensing his thoughts. "You must go and help her." She rose from the ground. "You'll need to get some rest, since you'll be piloting tomorrow."
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "And who made that decision?"
She smiled sheepishly. "Piloting's not one of my strong points. I've no idea how to fly that thing. And," she continued more softly, "I'm not sure you want to be on the same ship as me. You must go to Dagobah to help Amidala. That's what is most important. I-" she floundered for words "-I don't know what my role is. I don't see myself going with you. But _you_ need to go." She glared at him playfully. "And _you_ need to get some sleep." She turned to leave.
"Wait." She glanced back. He took a breath and tried to find a reason for her to stay, besides the fact that he didn't want her to leave. "What should I call you now?"
She smiled. "For now, it's safer to call me Aela. After you're off Coruscant, feel free to call me Amara." Before he could say anything else, she walked out and closed the door behind her.
Part 3
Dusk collected outside, where the sunlight was replaced by the artificial glow from a myriad of skyscrapers. Obi-Wan slumped back down on his bed. Every intellectual part of his mind was telling him not to trust this woman. Maybe she was a part of the rebellion, but she could just be leading him straight into the Emperor's hands. But every other part of his mind told him to trust her. In the entire time they had talked, all she asked of him was to go to Dagobah, and that was for his benefit, for the benefit of Amidala and possibly the last true hope for the galaxy. Not for her own benefit. She hadn't even assumed she would go with him. There was only one other thing she asked, though she didn't speak of it aloud: his trust.
Could he trust her? She was using a split personality for her own advantage, and he wasn't sure of which side to believe. Both sides must be true to her persona, but was Aela the cover for Amara, or was it the other way around? Palpatine had seemed like he only wanted to help the Naboo, yet he was really a Sith lord bent on domination. But then there was Amidala, who used her handmaiden appearance not only to get information, but also to protect herself in times of danger. He smiled in memory of her performance in that first battle with the Trade Federation. She proved herself exemplary as both a Queen and a person. How little they knew that the Naboo takeover was only the beginning. That Anakin would no longer be just a boy.
Anakin. Grief and despair overcame him briefly. He knew Anakin had been changing all that time, but never once did he think it could have been the Dark side. //Hard to see the Dark side is// And now his padawan was Darth Vader, barely even human.
Too clearly, he remembered that final, fateful duel between himself and his former apprentice. That battle over the lava pit. He remembered all the hatred Anakin had managed to hide, all the resentment and fury now channeled and honed into a lightsaber fight. The hate that had made him strong as he mocked Obi-Wan's bewilderment. And Anakin truly believed it. He really believed the Jedi were to blame for every wrongdoing in the galaxy, that Palpatine was really the savior, the last hope in the corrupt Republic. That in killing the Jedi a greater cause would be fulfilled, that the sacrifice was more than worth it. And yet even then, Obi-Wan had sensed a hint of doubt. That maybe bloodshed wasn't the answer. He had a chance, oh gods, he had a chance to win him back from the Dark side.
Until he fell.
A break in the battle, Obi-Wan had entreated him, begged him, to think about what was truly going on. And Anakin had paused. Obi-Wan could see the doubt in his eyes, those troubled blue eyes cast red by the light of molten lava. He was about to say something, but then he had stumbled. He fell. Obi-Wan tried to grab him, but it was too late. The last glimpse he had of his student, his friend, was a look of purest hatred, until the burning magma swallowed him up. Obi-Wan knew he was gone, and yet... he was not. It wasn't until much later that he discovered Palpatine had found him just barely alive, and replaced his burnt and missing body parts with mechanical ones. Destroying what little humanity the man had left in him. Anakin was someone he thought he had trusted, thought he had known. And now he had become this... monster.
How could he know who she really was? He couldn't sense any falsehood from her, but she could be excellent at shielding her true thoughts, just like Anakin was. Of course, that was his intellect reasoning. His instincts argued that he should trust her regardless, and that he really didn't have another choice.
Qui-Gon always told him to trust his instincts.
Qui-Gon... his name always brought such bittersweet emotions. After years of agonizing pain Obi-Wan had finally let go, but there would always be a fragile hollow left in his heart. All he had left were clutches of vague memories, and bits of advice that always seemed to come to him when he needed them most. Aela was like that, always appearing when he needed someone, leaving when he needed time to think. He hoped that trusting Aela wouldn't be just for sentimental value. Not for the first time, he fervently wished that Qui-Gon was there to guide him. To help him. To get him past the deaths of all the Jedi.
A wave of annihilating guilt washed over him. The agony he had tried to hide rose up and choked him with its accusing hands. All of them, gone, their bodies still scattered inside the Temple, rotting. A most unfitting end to ten thousand years of peace, just because of a single man and his apprentice. The black void the Jedi massacre had left in his mind swallowed him. He knew it was going to happen eventually, he knew they were going to lose this battle, but in his darkest dreams he had kept hoping he'd die with them, so he wouldn't have to live with the pain afterwards, the pain that had been all his doing.
He had failed. If he had paid more attention to Anakin over the years, maybe he could have seen what was really happening, and maybe, just maybe, he would have had time to prevent all this. If his own pride and selfishness hadn't blinded him, he could have helped Anakin conquer his fears. If he had only done a lot of things, none of this would have happened.
//please master help me//
"Hindsight is always clearer than the present or future," Qui-Gon would have said with a wry smile.
Master Yoda's wizened face appeared. "Make the decision, make another. Remake one past, you cannot. But always be mindful of the future, you must."
"The future is for hopes and fears," Aela's voice floated out. "The past is for regret and memories. I live in the present. It's all I have left."
The spirits of his past, present, and future awaited him. The weight of the past bore down on him, reminding him of everything he had done wrong. The visions of the future flitted by, offering tantalizing glimpses of the many possible paths, both Light and Dark. The void of the present simply waited for his decision. The choice was his now. It was his alone to make.
* * *
"Obi-Wan?"
"mmm... hmm?"
"Do you always sleep this much?"
"mmmm..."
"You know, you snore like a bantha."
"mmm!" He raised his head indignantly from the pillows. "I do not!"
She smirked. "Oh yes you do. I could hear you clear through the next room."
"I do not snore!"
She gave him a long look.
"Well, maybe a little, but not that loud!"
She rolled her eyes and handed him a ration bar. "Eat up. You need it."
"No I don't."
"Yes you do."
"I don't."
"You do."
"Don't."
"Maybe you don't, but now you're eating it."
"Damn."
* * *
Obi-Wan and Aela were sitting side by side on his bed. They had two more hours before the guard shift at the Starsail docking bay, two hours before they could leave.
"Tell me something?"
"Depends on what, but I'll try." She looked at him expectantly.
"Why did you kill the Jedi on the Tambar?"
She sat still for a moment, then closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. "It started out as a contract from Palpatine. He knew the Jedi were sending a great deal of their own to Bana to attempt negotiations with the Mandalorians. You remember that, right?" He nodded. "At that point, Palpatine was still the good one, the one who wished only for peace.
"Palpatine wanted all the Jedi aboard dead, simply out of spite, and to begin proving the fallibility of the Jedi. He wanted to make it look like they were killed by some random assassin, which happened to be me, but he also wanted the Jedi to know exactly what was happening to them."
She paused to collect herself. "I have an ability with the Force that allows me to... muffle, for a lack of a better word, the Force around an individual. That means they can still sense the Force, but they can't manipulate it or use it in any way. Training can aid them, but ultimately they would be reduced to an ordinary civilian.
"Another thing about Force muffling is that I must link to another person's mind in order to do it. I can't muffle another's connection unless I have their permission. I can't take another's mind by force, but Palpatine didn't believe me when I said that.
"He wanted me to intercept the Tambar just as they came out of hyperspace near Bana, take over and board the ship, muffle all the Jedi, give a little speech on Palpatine's true intentions, and kill them one by one. After that I would destroy the Tambar and leave my signature green handkerchief, so the public would know it was me. The number of Jedi I would have to muffle wasn't a problem; it was the pain they would have to suffer. That would be the cruelest way for a Jedi to die. Not only would they know what was really going to happen, finally discovering the Sith after all their hunting, but they would watch their comrades fall first and not be able to do anything about it."
Her face tightened slightly with pain. "Ordinarily I try to hide my targets, disguise them and put them on a planet where they would least expect to be found. But Palpatine would know if I tried to save a Jedi. As we were waiting for the Tambar, I knew I had to kill them, and I've killed before, but... I couldn't do it. I wouldn't have been able to withstand the pain." She paused to take a deep breath. "Just as they came out of hyperspace, I shoved the gunman out of his seat, aimed the ion cannon at the ship, and fired. They must have had poor shields, because the ship blew up immediately. The Jedi may have known what was happening a second before they died, but they wouldn't have known why. It was the least I could have done.
"Of course, all the crewmen were shocked, as were those damnable stormtroopers that were supposed to help me kill the Jedi. All of them were Palpatine's lackeys, I couldn't care less about them. But I knew that if word got back to him on what I'd done, he'd have me killed and search out all my previous targets. It would have all been for nothing.
"I managed to find an escape pod and ejected while they were all still frozen in shock. I used the Force to start an electrical fire near the main generator, which caused the ship I had been on to blow up." She smiled sardonically. "Didn't forget the green handkerchief, either. I managed to land safely on Bana. When I got back to Palpatine, I told him we finished the job, but as we were preparing to leave, the cables caught fire and I was the only one to get out alive. And he believed me."
They were silent for a few minutes.
"Do the rebels know who you are? Your other side?"
"Most don't. It's better that way. Only two others know besides you."
She looked up at the chronometer. "We've got about an hour left until you must leave. Is there anything else you want to do?"
All this time and she still didn't assume she was going to Dagobah with him. "Yes, one last thing. I want to go back to the Temple."
She turned and looked at him closely. "Are you sure? It's only been a couple days."
"I'm certain," he replied with conviction.
Her eyes flashed with something that could have been pride. "Alright, we'll need to leave now." She got up and opened the door.
"Aela?"
She turned around.
He stood. "Thank you."
An unreadable look for several seconds, then a curt nod and she walked out. Obi-Wan followed.
Part 4
Although Coruscant was the planet Obi-Wan knew best, he wasn't familiar with the lower levels. He let Aela lead. They had to move furtively to hide from the occasional stormtrooper, their robes whispering over the metal walkways.
Obi-Wan didn't realize they were this far from the Temple. She must have used the Force to carry him when he was unconscious, although he wouldn't have been surprised if she had carried him with brute strength.
Her tale of the Tambar was chilling. He had heard of the Empire doing horrific things during the Purge, but this was before that terrible period, before anyone had any idea of what was to happen. Aela was right; that would have been a very cruel way to die. Before, he had hated her for what she had done. Now that he knew what really happened, he was glad he asked. And that was when he realized a few things.
A phrase she had said had caught his attention. //...an electrical fire near the main generator...// Those words were stuck in his head. In the few minutes of silence before they left, along with his revelation the night before, he had found what he was looking for.
Acceptance. He would always regret what happened to Anakin, and he would live in penance for the memory of the Jedi Order. But he came to terms with it. He accepted it.
The will to live. The Empire was in control, but the promise of the Future remained. He found prospect in this future, the will to see Yoda and Amidala and her child. He found faith in the rebellion.
And trust. That long, hard-fought battle of conscience over trusting Aela. Even if she was lying to him, which he very much doubted, the truth in her words about the Tambar had won him over. Although she had done some horrible things in her past, that was over now. She had conquered it with quiet grace and bravery, along with her involvement in the rebellion. He had a feeling that after he was safely on his way to Dagobah, with or without her, she would erase the assassin part of her life forever. And she helped him with no thought to herself. Her respect and trust in him was far more than he deserved. Yes, he trusted her.
She didn't have much to offer. Her life wouldn't let her. To those she saved, she could only give them a life nearly as harsh as hers. But to those she saved, despite the cold disguise of an assassin, she gave them hope. A tiny, yet brilliant light shone within her, a light she was not afraid to share. She gave it to him in his time of despair, and still she asked for nothing in return. The warmth filled him, expanding to engulf his surroundings. Assassin or not, she had the Light.
* * *
They finally reached the Temple. This was one of the few times he had seen it from the ground level. Even from a distance, even with what had happened a few days ago, it still looked as imposing as he remembered it. An odd silence hung around the towering buildings. Once again he felt the void of his missing Jedi, but now he filled it with the light of the Force.
Aela looked at him, her expression slightly worried. "You still doing alright?" Obi-Wan nodded. She frowned and he felt her in his mind, probing gently. Apparently satisfied, her expression relaxed and the probing feeling disappeared.
"Many in the Temple were my friends," he said. "I won't leave them here to rot."
A pause, and again, that flash of pride. "Go ahead."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and viewed the Temple grounds in his mind. He found the main generator, along with a bundle of wires dangerously close to the power source. //...an electrical fire near the main generator...// The Force sang through him as he melted the casings surrounding the wires. A gentle wave of the Force joined him, helping him expose the naked metal. His eyes flew open and he stared at Aela. She looked back in askance. He smiled, and together they sparked a fire. They felt the wires crackle, sparks flying. A burning ember hit the generator, creating a violent surge. Obi-Wan and Aela dropped to the ground just before the Temple exploded into flames.
A heat wave hit them with such force that if they hadn't gone down, they would have been swept away. Emanating in its wake was heavy air scented strongly of ozone and smoke. After the wave passed, they got up. They were far enough away so that the flying debris wouldn't hit them. They watched as one of the great towers leaned precariously to one side, then tumbled in a burst of fire. The entire Temple was engulfed in flames climbing high into the air. They heard the distant shouts of stormtroopers panicking. Flashes of memories played in Obi-Wan's mind.
//The creche where he was raised. The gardens where he meditated. The training grounds where he practiced katas over and over. The caf where he ate with his friends. The council chamber where he was grilled by somber masters. Bant's room, where it was always warm and humid. His own room, first with Qui-Gon, then with Anakin. Yoda's low ceilings. Hallways of stone and glass. Light sifting through the trees. Splash of fountain water. Musty smell in the library. The glow of saber crystals. The generator. The fire.//
He stood and watched the Temple burn. He felt Aela looking at him, and turned to regard her gently. A haunted look in her eyes, he knew that they mirrored his own. She was raised here too, and while she wasn't here for as long as he had been, she no doubt had strong memories of this place. They gazed at each other for a long time, taking what strength they needed in the other's presence. It was time to move on. She nodded. Together, they turned and headed to the docking bay.
* * *
Obi-Wan peered out from behind the boxes. They arrived at the Starsail docking bay, a massive hangar that served as a port for many ships, from fighters to freighters. Aela made him wait there as she convinced the stormtroopers guarding the entrance that their services would be better served elsewhere. As the bemused soldiers went off to... somewhere, she beckoned him, and they entered the building cautiously. Obi-Wan began to cast out with the Force, but Aela stopped him. "You must not use the Force," she whispered. "It's too dangerous for you."
He opened his mouth to argue, but she gave him a rather nasty look of warning, so he acquiesced. "Could you at least tell me in what general direction we'll be heading?"
Aela motioned to her left and he followed. They traveled through a web of walkways, all leading to various gates, with the occasional restaurant or store. Starsail was used mainly for cargo ships and freighters, and there were transporter droids and bins of goods all over the corridors. The Empire had reduced business to Coruscant, but there was still the buzz of hundreds of different languages floating through the bay. Fortunately, Obi-Wan's brown cloak was common enough not to cause notice, at least nothing more than a cursory glance. He pulled the hood of his garment up to obscure his face. Aela glanced at him, but left her own hood down.
At last, they reached their destination, Gate 283. They walked through a doorway into the bay, revealing an enormous hangar, a gaping maw holding a small ship on the opposite end. The fighter they were looking for. Unfortunately, several stormtroopers were milling around it. Aela grabbed Obi-Wan's hand and dragged him behind some stacked boxes. He remembered her warning about the Force, and followed her carefully. They moved further into the hangar, footsteps silent on the metal floor. She stopped and turned, pressing her finger to his lips. Neither of them expected to find their ship guarded, and he was afraid to know what that meant. Aela motioned him to stay where he was, then turned and headed back in the direction they came, disappearing behind a stack of crates.
Obi-Wan took the time to gain his bearings. Far to his right was the entryway they had come through. To his left was... nothing. He was near the edge of the holding deck, the opening for ships to come in and out. Directly across from him, as he peered through a crack between crates, was the fighter. It was a newly designed ship, not used by the Empire. Its wings would split into an X shape during combat. //Someday that will be important//
He knelt down and waited nervously. He knew she could take care of herself, but why did she leave? The minutes ticked by, and he desperately wished he could reach out with the Force. She told him not to, but did she know she would leave? He felt a chill rush over his body. Where was she?
"I don't think you need to be here."
Obi-Wan stole a glance between the crates and saw her. She hardly looked like the pensive woman with a haunted past, the woman he had come to know in the past few days. She stood proudly, arms crossed and one hip jutted to the side in a cocky, confident manner. Her eyes were cold, her voice imperious and tinged with boredom.
The stormtroopers looked at each other. One of them stepped forward. "We don't need to be here."
"You're needed over at Gate 297." In the distance, an alarm sounded.
The stormtrooper who had spoken motioned to the rest of them. "We're needed at Gate 297." They left.
Aela used the Force to activate the controls for the door. It slid shut. She walked calmly over to Obi-Wan's hiding place. "We can't leave yet. We've got another five minutes before the tractor beam will shut down."
So that's what she was doing. He crawled out from behind the crates but stayed in his crouched position. "You just sent those stormtroopers off on a false alarm. What are we going to do when they come back?"
He heard distant shouts. "We need more retardant!"
Aela's lips twitched humorlessly. "What makes you think it was false?"
Obi-Wan decided to change the subject.
"I didn't realize you were such an actress."
She gave him another one of those long looks he was growing accustomed to. "One would have to be if they worked with both the Empire and the rebellion." She knelt down and faced him, her eyes searching his anxiously. "If you do not feel comfortable with me, I will not be offended, but we have come too far for a change of plans."
Obi-Wan winced inwardly. He hadn't meant it that way. "No, it's just that I've... not had good experiences with those who can switch identities so easily. Too many bad memories, perhaps." He held her gaze. "But I trust you."
Deep blue eyes met his own. A pause, and she parted her lips to speak. "I-" Her face went utterly blank, then morphed into an expression that would be the closest she ever came to fear.
"Vader's coming," she breathed. Obi-Wan froze as his memories assaulted him again.
//Anakin, anger, fear, molten pit, lightsaber falling, complete dread, one last hateful gaze, darkness, a black THING, not human, not mechanical, something horribly in between, can't face him, not again, not today, not ever, please, no//
"Obi-Wan!" Aela was gripping him by the shoulders. He was trembling, a sheen of sweat covering his face. "If you project your fear any louder, he'll hear you." That stopped him. Aela frowned slightly, her eyes clouding in deep thought.
"Obi-Wan, Vader's going to come here looking for me, to talk about a business deal I had with Palpatine." She did not elaborate, and Obi-Wan didn't have the will to ask. "He may know you are here, even with your shields up. He knows you very well." She kept her grip on his shoulders and looked intently into his eyes. "Remember when I was talking about Force-muffling? If I shield you, that may be the only way to save us both."
Obi-Wan nodded numbly. Another pause. "Well, why aren't you doing it?"
"I need your permission."
"Why do you need-" His memory hit him. They would have to link minds. He closed his eyes briefly, then looked at Aela. "I'm ready."
She released his shoulders and raised her hands to cradle the back of his head, bringing him forward so their foreheads touched. She took a breath and closed her eyes.
The Force around them shimmered and swirled. A shield slowly formed, surrounding them. Delicately at first, then stronger, as the Force weaved and tightened. He felt oddly protected inside it.
A gentle squeeze, and she encouraged him to drop his shields, as she did with hers. A rush of emotions not his own filled his mind, almost driving him to tears. How long had she been hiding her pain, her guilt? But he found the hope, that spark he had seen behind her eyes. A tiny, yet dazzling star of light, set amidst a sea of blackest despair. And he knew her to be true. She had not lied to him. Trust reconfirmed, once in spirit and again in her mind.
He focused on her again, and found she was struggling with the same emotions of self-agony. Had he really been that anguished? Had he truly contained it for all those years? But now he found relief in having shared it, and he sensed that she did, too. He heard her mental laugh, silver tones over water, and he soon was laughing with her. Joy in their new bond. Joy from having been freed from a silent isolation of many years. Joy he had not felt in such a long time. He had never been so close to someone since Qui-Gon, not even Anakin. And now he found it again, and he never, never wanted to let it go.
Part 5
They opened their eyes and simply gazed at each other for a long time. For the first time, Aela spoke to him mentally. ::We need to get this done.::
Obi-Wan sighed. As quickly as it had left, reality came crashing back. But still he clung to a small piece of happiness. ::Commence the muffling then?::
::Yes.:: He felt her withdraw internally. It had been such a long time since he knew someone so intimately. A feeling he had missed. An odd, tingling sensation swept through him from head to toe. Everything seemed slightly blurry, and the small noises echoing throughout the hangar sounded more hollow.
Aela's presence filled his mind again. ::How does it feel?:: she asked. Even her inner voice sounded tinny. Aela gave him a mental nod. ::It doesn't really affect you in a physical sense, you can still do a lot of things. Because of the bond, we can sense each other's emotions, and you'll be able to hear me speaking in your mind, but you won't be able to respond.::
Obi-Wan sent a wave of acknowledgement. It was a weird feeling, to have someone speak in his mind and not be able to respond. Aela must have heard his confusion and sympathized, for she switched to regular speech. "It's a new sensation, but you'll adapt fairly quickly." She was right. Even if the world was muffled (he chuckled mentally- there really wasn't a better word for it), the oddness soon left and he felt as if he had been this way all his life. And he was still in touch with the Force, even if he couldn't do much with it.
He felt Aela stiffen, her troubled emotions bleeding into his mind. Without his Force sense, he couldn't do anything except feel what she was feeling. Worry soon changed to disgust.
"Vader's not coming yet. He's sent a toady to do the work for him. Typical." She snorted. Obi-Wan was surprised at this side of her, but he didn't comment.
She looked across the hangar to the entry door. ::Go back into hiding, and remember, above all, to stay quiet. Vader's nearby, and he may recognize you even through the muffling. He's very sensitive to slight shifts.:: Just as he had been when he was a padawan. Obi-Wan nodded, and once again concealed himself behind the crates.
* * *
Aela stood in the center of the bay, halfway between the entry door and the ship. She crossed her arms and leaned back slightly, a light sneer touching her lips. The very picture of casual arrogance. She hated acting, but it was something she had first done out of necessity and was now something she had grown accustomed. Talking to Obi-Wan was the first time in years when she had felt natural. She was glad he could sense her thoughts now, for otherwise he might have been very confused by her sudden change in demeanor.
The door slid open and a man entered through the gateway. He was about twenty years older, his belly softly rounding out underneath a severe grey uniform jacket. His gait was measured and dripped with pomposity. But there was a hint of nervousness in his clipped steps. Exactly the kind of man the Emperor likes, she thought. He held himself in a way that showed he was trying to make himself bigger, but failing miserably. Aela herself was over half a head taller than he. He stopped a few meters away from her. Although he had close connections to the Emperor, Aela Seratta was a feared warrior who wouldn't think twice about blasting him dead. For once she was glad of her reputation.
He cleared his throat, revealing another hint of nervousness. "Aela Seratta," he stated formally, "The Emperor, Lord Palpatine, wishes to know when you will complete his most recent contract. He grows impatient, and those fool enough to cross him will pay the price dearly." He waited for her response.
//No doubt he had that memorized since yesterday// She gave him a frosty stare. "If the Emperor is impatient, he can ask for me himself. Not through some third-class lackey," she hissed, allowing venomous distaste to drip from her words. The man shifted uncomfortably. "But if his damnable contract is so important, tell him that if it hasn't already been finished, it will be by today."
"The Emperor wishes to see the body himself."
"Tell him I doubt there is a body."
The man's countenance broke. "What?"
She sighed disgustedly. "I don't know why I should tell you this, but I don't think there's anything left of him but ashes. I saw him enter the Jedi Temple just before it exploded." She felt Obi-Wan's horror, and his guilt for not checking to make sure there was no one inside before he sparked the fire. She sighed again, but mostly to herself. Time to deal with that later. Soon he would know.
"He was probably killed, but there's still a chance he may have escaped. If he did, I'm pretty sure I know where he is. If I leave now, I can catch up to him and make sure he's dead. If not-" she shrugged "-then he's probably somewhere in the rubble."
The man looked like he was in a daze. "And that would mean... they're gone. All of them. We're finally free of their wretched curse." An Emperor's man to the heart. He smiled beatifically. She felt like she was going to throw up, but she kept her cold facade.
"This is great news indeed. Lord Vader will wish to hear from you himself. Please await his arrival, and he will give you clearance to leave." A salute, another sickening smile, and he strode out the door, palming the control as he left. The door slid shut.
Aela let out a long breath and returned to her natural posture. "May I never meet a man as despicable as him again."
Obi-Wan stood up. She could feel his shock and... anger?
"How could you-" he sputtered. "You- you just used me! I thought you really wanted to help... You just used what I did as some pathetic excuse for your contract!" His blazing eyes bored into hers. "Here I thought you were changing, and now... you pretend to save my life and end up tricking me into killing another man! Do you not think I have enough blood on my hands already?" His mind glowed red coals, and she was once again thankful for muffling him.
Obi-Wan tried desperately to shield himself from her but found he could not. "Damn you, damn you and your so-called ideology, damn you and your instincts. Oh force, just leave me alone." He crumpled to the ground, his body wracking with sobs.
Aela was shocked. She didn't know he was still emotionally unstable, and this was definitely not the time for him to break down. But better now than later. She had to tell him.
She knelt before him. "Obi-Wan, please, listen to me." He didn't respond. She reached out to his mind, cutting through the black waves of guilt and anger emanating from him. ::Please, Obi-Wan.:: He still didn't answer, but his sobbing began to quiet down.
"Obi-Wan, the man in the contract... you didn't kill him."
"That's no excuse," came his muffled reply.
"Obi-Wan... that man is you."
* * *
No. It couldn't be. She wouldn't have... He groaned inwardly. She would have. But she saved him. She said she didn't save Jedi. Too much risk, she said. But she could have refused the contract. He knew she was sick of killing. But did she know what was to happen to them before the agreement? Probably not, she didn't even know Master Yoda was alive until the Force told them to go to Dagobah. No, the vision only mentioned himself. Not her. But how was she to know...? Another inward groan. Qui-Gon always told him to deal with his thoughts one at a time, rather than all at once. Maybe he should have listened to him more often.
From his curled up position, he could sense Aela's bewilderment. ::Are you alright?:: Belatedly he remembered their link, that all she was getting was just a bunch of his jumbled emotions. Silently cursing himself, he sniffled and took a deep, cleansing breath. He had to sort out his thoughts.
So Aela had been hired to kill him. Being that he was thought to be the last of the Jedi, that was no surprise. Aela probably thought she would be doing him a service, sparing him from the torture many of his colleagues went through. That was probably why she took the contract. Besides, if she didn't, she would look suspicious for not wanting to kill the last Jedi, so it worked out for both of them. But the day after the massacre... she must have had the contract by then. And still she saved him. She was in grave danger for helping him, if Palpatine was sensing them the entire time. Only later did they find out the true reason for the Force bringing them together, how they were tied to that vision. At the time of his rescue, she would have had no reason for letting him live.
::It was the Force,:: she said gently. ::I didn't know it when I took the contract, but when I saw you coming out of the Temple, I knew.:: She gripped his shoulder. ::It is not time for you to join the Force. Not yet. You must wait many years, but when the time comes, you will know what to do.::
Kindness and acceptance was all she ever gave him. And he paid her back with anger. What kind of Jedi was he?
::One that is still alive.::
He lifted his head. Aela gave him a lopsided smile and gently thumbed his tears away. ::But we must focus on the Moment. Vader is almost here, and you must hide once again.::
Obi-Wan nodded, trying not to let his trepidation surface. He got up and disappeared behind the crates, as Aela stood alone to await the Dark Lord.
Part 6
She was scared.
She refused to dwell on it, should Obi-Wan pick up her thoughts, but she was scared.
She wasn't afraid of Palpatine. She wasn't afraid of the Sith, no more than she had been afraid of the Jedi. But never had Palpatine sent his apprentice, Vader, just to finalize a business deal, especially one she implied was not closed yet. She had a feeling it was the nature of her contract that got Vader interested. No doubt he would want his former master killed, one of his last ties to his previous life as Anakin, a name he forbade anyone to breathe aloud. She knew they would find the true reason for this soon, but she was hoping she could get Obi-Wan off this death planet first.
Even more than her fear of discovery was her fear for Obi-Wan. She sensed he would live for many years, until the battle cry of the Force called him for one final mission. 'Always in motion, the future is,' Master Yoda was fond of saying, but her visions tended to be true more often than not, even if they were vague. It was a vision that first took her away from the Jedi Temple she called home, and it was her visions that guided her throughout life. The vision that guided her to Obi-Wan. To save him from almost certain death.
But it was not his life she feared for. It was his control.
The mere mention of Vader numbed him, radiating his guilt and fears. This was to be the first time he had seen his former apprentice in person since their final, terrible duel.
She sighed. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop on him the night before, but his shields had slipped. She felt his pain, in his student's turning and in the Jedi massacre. But she also felt his ultimate reconciliation. He wasn't completely stable with the choices he made, but he was well on his way to healing. Assuming the sight of his apprentice didn't tear open his tender scars.
//Hold together, Obi-Wan.//
A faint tapping noise. The clicks of many boots grew steadily louder, preceded by an impermeable wave of darkness. Aela tightened the shield surrounding herself and Obi-Wan. The door sliding open and the raspy breathing finally signaled the arrival.
Darth Vader strode towards her, flanked by two rows of stormtroopers, eight in all. His black cloak flowed behind him, his helmet glinting in the artificial lights. By some unspoken signal, the entourage stopped as one. A deadly pause.
"Aela Seratta."
"Lord Vader." She nodded her head in acknowledgement. The demeanor she cast for the officer before him hadn't changed much, only adding a slight touch of respect. Simply in keeping with her independent image.
"So you have destroyed the last of the Jedi."
"That remains to be seen, my Lord, but more than likely he was killed when the Temple exploded."
"I see. The galaxy is finally free from their diseased touch. Should he be found alive, he will no doubt be a cowering fool," he mused.
//How little you know.// "There's still a chance he may have escaped. The records show an unauthorised ship leaving for Mantha half an hour after the blast. With the Emperor's permission, I would like to depart for Mantha. Once there, I'll be able to tell whether his Force signature is present or not."
"Are you sure you can get past his shielding?"
"That was how I knew he was in the Temple before its destruction. Whether or not he escaped, that's another thing. There was too much chaos in the Force to get a good reading."
"Obi-Wan was always good at that..." Vader appeared to think for a moment. "Very well. You are granted permission to leave. Report to the Emperor when you are certain of his death."
"Yes, thank you, my Lord."
Darth Vader turned and left, the stormtroopers following in his wake. He left the door open.
Aela stared after them. ::Well, that didn't go too badly, did it?:: She felt Obi-Wan's dismay. ::I know. I've got a bad feeling about this, too.::
* * *
Just outside the entryway, Darth Vader halted. His stormtroopers came to attention behind him. He already knew who that woman really was, already knew what he had to do, but there was something she was hiding... He smiled grimly. In a few minutes, it wouldn't matter. He turned around and faced his guards.
"Kill her."
They each gave him a curt nod, a "Yes, Lord Vader," and re-entered the docking bay.
* * *
Aela's eyes widened. ::Obi-Wan, keep hiding.:: He sent her a querying thought, but she had no time to respond as a blaster shot flew over her head.
Even before they all opened fire on her, she had her lightsaber out and ready. She dodged and twisted, either avoiding shots or redirecting them with her teal blade. Every now and then she would shoot at them with the blaster part of her weapon, hitting her targets more often than not. But few were fatal.
Two guards were down. She could feel Obi-Wan wanting desperately to help her. ::Don't, they don't know you're here.:: She felt his acquiesce, though he still wanted to fight. //Damnable hot-blooded Jedi, always want to help and fight, and he wonders where Anakin gets it from-//
Another guard down. She hated to admit it, but she was getting tired. She hadn't fought this much in a long time, since most of her work was done in stealth. Cursing her softness, she whirled around in an effort to confuse them. She deflected more blaster shots and fired a few of her own.
Two more down, three were left. If she didn't do something to throw them off, that would be the end of her. And Obi-Wan. //no no no too early it's too early for him// She ran towards the door, as if trying to escape. She felt Obi-Wan's dismay, but couldn't think clearly enough to tell him what she was going to do.
She ran at an angle, making it clear where she was heading. The remaining stormtroopers, anticipating her move, stopped firing and began running after her. She reached out with the Force, and at the last second she sent a tendril of it straight to the control panel. The door slid shut. For two seconds, the confused soldiers came to a halt. Those two seconds were all she needed.
She ran up the wall next to the now closed entryway. Thanking the Mehran warriors for the gravity-defying moves they taught her, she spun around and jumped off, using her momentum and the Force to elongate her front flip. Landing behind the stormtroopers, she turned and cut two of them down before they had time to react. The last one took aim, but Aela sent his shot back at him, killing him instantly, She de-activated her lightsaber. It was over.
Aela focused on the floor and took a few long, deep breaths to center herself. Until she did that flip, she had lost the flow of the battle, the flow of the Force. Yet another thing to work on. She was almost too fatigued to care.
As oxygen returned, her brain started functioning again. Why was she attacked by stormtroopers? She frowned and cocked her head slightly. ::Obi-Wan, stay there, there's something wrong.:: Yes, something was definitely wrong, and she knew the battle wasn't over yet.
A whooshing noise. Aela looked up. The door was opening again, and a cold feeling of dread washed over her. Deep, hollow laughter echoed through the bay. Darth Vader strode in.
"So I see you have defeated my stormtroopers."
"Surprise attacks don't work well on Force sensitives."
Another ugly laugh. "Did you truly think we would not see through your facade?"
"No, only surprised that it took you this long."
"The Emperor will not be pleased with your actions."
She snorted. "Nothing pleases Palpatine except revenge and domination."
He pulled out his lightsaber and activated it. "You shall find out for yourself, Amara."
Her own lightsaber lit up, brilliant teal clashing with blood red.
"Just as you did, Anakin?"
He let out a roar and charged.
Part 7
//slash parry spin block// The cacophony of clashing energy filled the air. She hadn't been in a lightsaber fight since her days as an initiate, but the lessons stayed with her.
//duck block spin recover// Not having been taken by surprise, she felt the Force flow easily. Movements of half forgotten katas swirled in her subconscious.
//swing block too late damn// But she was weakened from the previous fight. She slowed down a bit and took the defensive. Vader immediately renewed his attack. Even though he was now made mostly of wiring and metal, he was very mobile.
A blow from a flying crate took her by surprise. She flew back and hit the wall. This was definitely not going to be a short fight. //get up keep going// A few dark oaths, she re-centered herself and fought on.
* * *
Obi-Wan watched the fight with some amazement and not a little bit of worry. Where Vader fought to kill, Aela fought with a fluid grace, all her movements seamless. He winced as she was hit by a crate and thrown against the wall. He heard her muttered curses that would have made a Hutt blush. Well, not quite seamless.
As he looked on, he thought about his former apprentice. Yes, he was gone. Anakin was no more. He died three months ago, in that bitter battle over a lava pit. He died when he fell. Nothing left of him, except this semblance who called himself Vader. And strangely enough, he wasn't upset. Not anymore. He thought of Aela's words when she spoke of the life she lived. He was moving on. At last, he put the past behind him and grimly awaited the future.
* * *
She knew she was losing. She liked her fights to be quick and done with, but Vader's unflagging attack allowed her no reprieve. The Force still sang through her, but what Light she had was becoming more and more tainted with Darkness. As she fought, the vision from the previous day came back to her //dank misty swamp cold chill primitive life small hot cry of pain cry of birth warmth in new life agony of separation boy child on desert planet held by Jedi// and she knew her purpose. Obi-Wan must get to Dagobah at all costs, or all hope is lost. Even at the expense of her life.
Five minutes had long since past. The tractor beam was off. He was free to leave.
Aela began moving, turning their positions. Vader followed unknowingly. They were now placed so that the Sith Lord's back was to the X-wing. One last burst of hope, and she sent her plan to Obi-Wan.
* * *
Obi-Wan's eyes widened. She wanted him to get on the fighter and get ready to leave. To leave her behind. The hell he would! //dammit Aela never thinking for yourself// He sent his emotions to her as best he could, showing her that he would rather stay behind and help her fight. He felt her roll her eyes mentally, making some comment about gallant gentlemen. He was about to protest more, but then she sent him the vision.
Obi-Wan sat back on his heels, trying to absorb everything that was happening. He had to go. He knew that with certainty. But it was only a vision. And she was willing to sacrifice herself for that vision. //great she really is like Qui-Gon too noble for her own good//
An onslaught of memories hit him. He saw a young girl in the Temple, trembling with fear after having a terrible vision, but facing it with calm and certainty.
::Do not think this is just a whim of mine,:: her mental voice whispered. ::I sacrificed myself a long time ago. Now leave while you can!:: Her mind turned back to the fight.
He had no choice. Aela was depending on him, as were Amidala and her unborn child. He couldn't fail them, not now, not when they needed him, not when the Force needed him to do this. He couldn't make Aela's lifelong sacrifice worthless.
He checked again to make sure Vader's back was turned. He stood and let the blood rush back to his legs before running silently across the hangar. Training, not the Force, muffled his steps, just as Aela was muffling his presence. He climbed into the cockpit and turned on the fighter's coordinate system, punching in the numbers that would set a course for the Dagobah system.
Aela told him to leave, but his conscience wouldn't bear it if he just left her like this. He flipped on the engines and waited anxiously. If need be, she could hop on //enough room in the pilot's seat barely ah well she's slim enough// and they would be gone before Vader did anything. He hoped.
* * *
She was close to exhaustion. The strains of the fighting and keeping Obi-Wan muffled were taking their toll in a very ugly manner. Vader was still oblivious to his former master's presence. At least one thing was working out.
She saw Obi-Wan run to the fighter, and blinked rapidly to prevent Vader from seeing anything reflected in her eyes. She sensed him setting the coordinates. He started the engines. Vader turned in surprise. Just what she needed.
She rallied the Force and her remaining strength, and attacked the Sith Lord. Vader turned back, and was kept forcibly distracted from doing anything to the fighter and its pilot. But Vader defended himself well, matching her intensity. The Force was rolling off of them, the Light and Dark colliding every time their lightsabers met.
She would not win. She knew it with certainty. But she had done all she could, and she refused to leave on anything but her own accord.
A pause in the battle. She got a small satisfaction in hearing his labored breathing.
"You fight well, Amara, but your deception will fail you for the last time."
She calmly gazed at him. "Not if I can help it, Anakin."
Even as he raised his lightsaber, Aela, now Amara, centered herself. She would die as her true self, not her assassin pseudonym. //but there is no death, only the Force// she thought fondly. The lightsaber came down, a smooth red arc.
::Thank you, Obi-Wan.::
She disappeared.
* * *
Darth Vader nearly dropped his lightsaber in surprise. She disappeared! //didn't think it was possible// And a Light hit him with the weight of a full-grown bantha. A presence so strong in the Force it blinded him in a way he knew only one presence could.
Obi-Wan.
He felt the Jedi's emotions flowing from his unshielded mind. He felt shock, surprise, and bitter despair- but he felt... something else... something he had not felt in a long time...
Finally he realized he should do something, but it was too late. The small X-wing fighter shot off in the sky, never to be seen again. Obi-Wan's mental shields were back up, and he felt that presence fade away with distance. Vader had no idea where he was going, but the realization stayed with him.
So he was alive. Palpatine would probably electrocute him for his failures today, but the possibility of meeting Obi-Wan again outweighed the fear of his Master's retribution. Vader smiled underneath his mask. It would be a pleasure destroying him.
* * *
Obi-Wan got the X-wing ready to leave for Tatooine. He wouldn't be alone this time- he had a squirming bundle with him. He felt sure his brother and his wife would take him in. Well, he knew if Beru was interested, she could bully Owen into anything. He smiled. He doubted that had changed. He peered into the wrinkled face swathed in blankets. Luke blinked sleepily, yawned, and made himself at home in Obi-Wan's arms.
He reflected on the past few weeks. Aela- no, Amara- was gone. He watched as she disappeared, the lightsaber she worked so hard to build tumbled to the ground. He remembered the serenity she had, her last words. She left in peace. That was the least she deserved.
"A great being was she." Master Yoda shuffled over and sat on a stump near Obi-Wan.
"That she was, Master Yoda." He stared off into the mist. "She gave me courage and hope, and asked for nothing in return."
Yoda smiled. "Like that she was during her initiate years. No thought to herself, only for others. But with us still, she is."
Obi-Wan felt the Force swirling around them. A small, yet bright presence flowed with the Light. "'There is no death; there is the Force,'" he quoted.
Yoda chuckled. "Very true that is. More so now." He paused. "To Tatooine you must leave tonight. Grave danger there is in delay."
Obi-Wan nodded and stood. Luke made a querulous noise and snuggled closer to Obi-Wan's chest. What a surprise it had been, when they found out that Amidala was pregnant with twins. Young Leia and her mother would be living with Bail Organa on Alderaan, once Amidala recovered from the birth. Obi-Wan was to take Luke to Tatooine- the place Vader would least expect them to be. //sometimes repeating the obvious is a good thing//
He bowed to the dwarfed master. Before climbing into the cockpit, he looked up to the sky, hidden in the mist. When Amara had left, she didn't say goodbye. Maybe she had known she would never really leave. The Force pulsed brightly around him. Luke felt it too, and giggled with delight. //luminous beings we are, not this crude matter// Obi-Wan smiled and sat down in the pilot's seat.
Life on Tatooine would be harsh. He switched on the engines and lifted off. But she would always be with him, giving him her spark of hope. Dagobah slowly became smaller beneath them. Yes, he had her hope. He initiated the hyperdrive and jumped off to the stars. Always hope.
~Finis~