Title: Stargazers
Author: Darth Corsa
Genre: Drama, Adventure, Friendship
Starring: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader (both), Qui-Gon Jinn (as a ghost spirit)
Summary: Post-ROTS, AU, non-slash. After duel on Mustafar and discovering that nor Luke nor Leia aren't force users, Obi-Wan flees to a distant planet, where he meets a very familiar person, unharmed and with no darkness in him. How?..
Feedback: It helps to write/translate faster!
Disclaimer: Call me Lady Corsarius, but I own nothing.
Author's Note 1: Should I continue this? And Sorry for my bad language, it's still very difficult for me. Perhaps, somebody wants to be a beta-reader? =)
To Darth Manul, who made it possible. Good luck with e-ka!
Burning Temple
What's a fall if we can`t rise
What's a hero at a play
Without a fool to fight
Edguy 'Vain Glory Opera'
Obi-Wan pushed the button with anger, forbidden for the Jedi, and turn the autopilot on. His one-way trip to the planet named Bareeon would last for about a week, at least, though he chose such a distant planet and set the course, which would avoid all popular ways, on purpose. Better longer, but safer. And why should he hurry now?
Kenobi leant into the armchair, rather uncomfortable and tough, but quite suitable for the Jedi, who used to such conditions, and tried to relax. Right now, nothing depended on him. He'd set the shuttle on the autopilot, and if somebody decided to attack him, he had no chances – such type of the ships wasn't adapted for a firefight… there was only a will of the Force.
Anyway he didn't care much about this at the moment. For the last week Obi-Wan almost hadn't been sleeping, because he had no time for this and now, when he closed his eyes, he saw the image of the burning Temple again and again, with dead bodies of the Jedi, lying on the stairs of the front entry. He got angry to himself even more for such lack of control, stood up from the pilot's armchair and sit himself on the cold metal floor, cross-legged. The Jedi could survive without sleeping for more than a week, gaining strength from the special meditation.
However, he couldn't calm himself down for the meditation. This occupation itself meant serenity and peace, and right now Obi-Wan most of all wanted to crash something, especially against his former Padawan's head. The problem was that Anakin had already been dead. To be exact, he still had been alive, when Obi-Wan had left him on the Mustafar, but nobody could survive with such badly wounds, without both legs and the last hand, burning in the lava, which level was increasing with every minute. Kenobi remembered Ana… Vader's face, twisted with hatred, well. This awful picture was haunting him until now (as well as the image of the burning Temple) and he physically could smell the ash and burnt flesh.
And who was guilty in the current situation? Palpatine, who'd managed to turn a young Jedi into the Sith? Undeniably. And what was the main argument in his speeches? The possibility to save Padme, Anakin's wife. In fact, Skywalker wanted to do anything to protect her, and Obi-Wan couldn't blame him for that. Honestly, he didn't know what he'd do, if he was in his Apprentice's place. But good intentions, as they said…
Finally, the former Jedi, stroke the cold metal floor with his fist, unable to control his anger. Of course, the latter didn't suffer, but a big bruise immediately formed on Obi-Wan's hand. However, the physical pain returned him to the reality, and the burning Temple in front of his eyes disappeared – for a while.
Obi-Wan knew about Amidala, but preferred to keep it in secret, naively assuming that there would be nothing bad. He just couldn't betray his Apprentice like that, he trusted him… Kenobi was very wrong. But what if he'd assumed the measures? Told Yoda, for example? Or tried to speak with Anakin privately and explain him that attachments were not for the life of the Jedi, telling him about Master Jinn's case (or even about his own)? Or helped Anakin and Padme to run away, where they could possibly build a real family, as she wanted?
Anyway, Obi-Wan did nothing.
And what if the Council hadn't given Anakin the order to spy on the Supreme Chancellor? What if they placed more trust in the young knight? And infinitely many "ifs", beginning from Qui-Gon, who'd insisted on Skywalker's training and Kenobi himself, fulfilling Master's last will.
"I suppose, you could come to Darth Bane and the first Jedi, thinking like that, Padawan mine," a familiar gentle voice appeared from somewhere. Obi-Wan started with surprise, though it wasn't his first contact with Qui-Gon within the past week. At first, Kenobi decided that after all these events he finally gone insane, but Jinn convinced him that he managed to save the consciousness after his death by means of Shaman of Whills knowledge.
Obi-Wan didn't want to respond, especially to truth.
One could endlessly try to find whose guilt it was, but it would change nothing. Now it's time to move on, with the Empire and without the Order. To be honest, Obi-Wan had no idea about the forthcoming future. In fact, their last and best hopes for victory were Skywalker twins – Luke and Leia. However, the test on the midi-chlorians level showed absolutely nothing. Children of the Chosen One were not forceusers.
On the other hand, it also guaranteed them a little of secure. Nobody would pay any unnecessary attention to their presence in the Force. In addition to it, only Kenobi himself, Yoda and Senator Organa, who adopted both of them, knew about their origin. For the better, perhaps. One could never be sure what evil plan the Sith could have for the children of the Chosen One.
Kenobi closed his eyes. He truly felt sorry for Padme – the poor thing could not imagine what a monster her husband was able to turn to. Nobody could. But she believed that there was good in him till the end.
The scarred face of the former Apprentice with bright-yellow, burning with hatred, eyes once again appeared in Kenobi's mind.
Meditation would be no use… Obi-Wan clumsily rose from the cold floor, came to the window and stared to the stars. Suddenly he remembered Qui-Gon. Kenobi became curious, what his dead Master would do, if he was in his place. The former Jedi looked narrowly at his own reflection on the glass. By the way, he looked about ten years older then he really was.
What if it was him, who had turned to the Dark Side? He pictured himself, slowly burning in the lava alive and Qui-Gon, his mentor, looking at him sadly, picking up his lightsaber, turning around and going away. "I hate you!.."
Obi-Wan stood there for almost half an hour, not moving. Then he decided to turn on holonews channel – for the last time, most likely there would be no receiving on the Bareeon. For sure, the imperial propaganda had already penetrated in the official news.
And so it was.
"…The Republic will be organized into the first Galactic Empire!" A young holovision announcer said gaily, some optimistic statistic was running under her image.
Kenobi switched the channel.
"… mander of the Imperial Forces, Lord Vader. In view of…" Obi-Wan noticed that new colors and symbols were used for decoration of the studio instead of the Republic's. "The rest of the Jedi…"
He turned the device off. There was no new information for him, except for the one thing. So, Anakin… Darth Vader was alive.
He rested against the cold glass, but this time Obi-Wan managed to doze off. Of course, he once again saw the burning Temple.
"Obi-Wan, will you forgive him?" A calm and thoughtful voice of the dead mentor came from the Force. "In case he is not guilty."
"Not guilty?" Obi-Wan was boiling over with rage. "You haven't seen, what he had done, personally! Of course, you have found him and now you defend him! Your precious "Chosen One"! I told you, the boy was dangerous!"
"I mean, if you suddenly meet him now." The same calmness, Qui-Gon completely ignored previous insult of the former Apprentice.
"Now? You mean, if his officers bring me to him, in shackles? I think he would kill me. Immediately, if I'd be lucky enough. You know, if I only could return in the past, I'd have slain him, like an animal. I even couldn't imagine that it's possible to survive in such a state. My mistake."
"Master?" Kenobi called gently, when it became obvious that there would be no answer. "Gone…" he added, desperately shaking his head.
The Coruscant citizen, perhaps, couldn't call this barren place a "spaceport", because it was just a flat surface in the suburbs of the town named Prostokwashino, his new home. Carefully landing the shuttle, Obi-Wan got out of the cockpit. The one thing that pleased him – mild and temperate climate, warm enough to take off the heavy cloak. Before his pressing departure from the Coruscant, Kenobi had come by a new set of clothes, simple and plain, but bearing no resemblance to the Jedi uniform. Obi-Wan preferred to have nothing which could remind him of the past.
Taking a small travel bag with his possessions and laying the cloak over his shoulder, the former Jedi headed to the town.
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