I am back with another one-shot, since I am a slut for Star Wars XD.
This one takes place after Luke blew up the Death Star, and before the ceremony honoring Han and Luke for destroying the Death Star. I always thought that Luke would take the time to make a funeral for Obi-Wan, and this is what came out of it.
I hope you enjoy, and reviews are appreciated :)
In His Memory
Time seemed to pass before Luke realized he was standing on the grave of his former teacher.
The wind of the moon Yavin IV blew against his head, and he cursed himself that no one would recall the man who laid down his life to allow himself, Leia, and Han to escape. Well, including the droids as well. He could still see the old, saddened face of the man. Barely an inch taller than himself.
"Run, Luke, run!"
Luke had thought it was a trick of his ears, or something else. How did he hear Ben's voice, after seeing his lifeless body disappear at the swing of the lightsaber? Luke frowned. Disappeared. He couldn't even bury the remains of what had been his first teacher; the first person who introduced him to the Force.
The last time this hurt… oh Force, this hurt when he saw the burning homestead and bodies of what had been his home and his aunt and uncle. To see what his entire nineteen lives had been on that terrible planet with only sand to scurry his boots and filled his hair, and wrecked his dreams of ever leaving the stupid place.
All because of the stupid harvest.
Luke ran a hand through his hair. The harvest. It seemed like the worries of a boy who dreamed of leaving the planet and seeking adventures with the Rebel Alliance. Now… Luke was here, with new friends and the Rebel Alliance, and did the impossible: blowing up the superweapon Death Star, which had the capacity to annihilate an entire planet.
He glanced down. A stone, uneven from years of erosion on the moon, was placed in the ground. Luke had spent who know how long in trying to find the perfect stone to cut into. And to make a tombstone for a man whose body cannot even be buried… Luke bit his lip. If only he had a body to bury.
But it disappeared, didn't it?
"Hey… Ben. I…" He sighed, not knowing how to honor this man. "I didn't have a chance to say thank you. You… you opened me to the Force, and the galaxy itself. I… I know I'm only learning bits a pieces of my heritage, but I'm grateful that you told me about my parents." He glanced down at the lightsaber hilt in his hands. His father's lightsaber.
He waited.
Come on, Ben. I know you can hear me.
He had heard Ben's voice.
He didn't tell anyone, but while he was following the trench of the Death Star, he heard Ben speak to him. Luke wasn't entirely sure, but he swore Ben was talking to him beyond death. But how? Luke could only wonder. The image of Vader beheading Ben a few meters from Luke still burned in the boy's memory, as though he was still watching it. He saw Ben's body disappear.
It's probably the Force, Luke could only conclude. Ben had told him that the Force was the center of life, and created all living things. Maybe the Force controlled all those who were dead, as well.
Bending down, he used the lightsaber to cut the stone. Spelling the name of his first master. His first Jedi Master. It proved more difficult than expected, since he was still uneasy with the hilt itself; he barely could deflect tiny ray bolts that sphere could shoot at him.
"Thank you, Ben. Thank you, Obi-Wan Kenobi." He placed his hand down on the grave. He felt the dirt in his hands. "You saved the Alliance, and my life."
A hand wend on his shoulder.
"He was brave to save our lives," a voice said.
Luke didn't look up. "He… I know he's one person, but he changed my life, Leia. He…. He's like an uncle, almost." He couldn't forget the billions of people on Alderaan who lost their lives due to the demonstrative power of the Death Star. And poor Leia… to lose her entire family as well.
"I remembered him, when I was a kid. He would watch me from afar, even though he didn't think I knew." He shrugged. "I… I always sort of knew that he was doing it to protect me."
Leia bent down to his level, as she read the stone. "Here lies the memory Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi. Jedi Knight. Friend. Teacher." She nodded. "It's good."
Luke glanced his head to her, and gave her a smile. He noticed that she was holding a flower in her hand. "He, uh… He was a good man."
"Hmm… Ben," Leia said, interestingly. "Was that the name he used when he went into hiding?"
Luke nodded. "He knew my parents…. He said that he and my father were good friends, and I look like him a lot." He smiled. "Ben told me that… I'm a lot like my parents."
Leia seemed to understand, because she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Sometimes I wonder if my father is out there, too."
"Your father?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"
Leia shrugged. "My parents told me that I was adopted, and that my real father used to be a great man before he died."
Luke felt a pull on his heart. Something she and I share in common.
"Is it alright if I say some words?" Leia asked.
Luke gestured to the empty grave.
Leia looked down at the grave. She "I wanted to say thank you, thank you for saving our lives. Although I never had the chance to meet you in person, I know you through Luke. I can only assume that Luke picked up your traits of doing things for the greater good, and most importantly, a friend. And I thank you for bringing Luke to us. He saved us all, as you did us."
Luke smiled, and watched as Leia placed the flower on the grave. The flower seemed to tie the grave well together, even if the grave was not meant to be tied together.
"You know, we are having a ceremony for you and Han," Leia said, breaking the silence.
Luke raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Well, you may not be aware of this," Leia said, with the same hint of sarcasm that he encountered on the Death Star, "but you did blow up the one thing that was about to spread more terror in the galaxy."
Luke found himself smiling. "I did have some help from Ben. He was the one who showed me about the Force, after all."
"Come on," Leia said, pulling at his arm a little. "You deserve to be celebrated, too." She looked down at the grave again. "And I'll make sure that Ben is remembered."
Luke's smile returned, as he thought of his first teacher in the Force. "I think he'd be fine with that."
Leia grinned, and headed toward the building where the Rebels were. Luke watched her as she walked back. He was lucky, he figured, to have a good friend like Leia.
He bent back down to the grave. "Thanks again, Ben. Thank you for saving us."
Standing back up, he walked away from the grave, and followed the princess to the building. He found his mind was now shifted to the celebration that took place inside, where the Rebels were celebrating their first actual tip of wining against the Empire. Luke smiled. Ben would have enjoyed the celebration.
Luke didn't notice it at first, but as he followed to the Rebel base, he heard a voice from afar:
"Thank you, Luke."
The End.
