Obi-Wan Kenobi's Hut

Tatooine

3 days later

He was working on a recalcitrant moisture vaporator outside his hut when a powerful Force presence bloomed to full strength behind him.

Obi-Wan Kenobi straightened and turned slowly, his hand drifting to his lightsaber. The tall Togruta standing behind him lifted an inquiring eyebrow, but didn't go for her own matching sabers.

"Ahsoka," he breathed out incredulously, even as he allowed his hand to drop from his waist. "You got tall."

"You got old," she replied with a smirk. "Do you mind if we get out of the heat?"

"Not at all," he assured her, stepping away from the vaporator. He led his former apprentice's former apprentice through the door and into the welcome cool of his small abode.

"I'll get you a drink of water," he offered, moving into the kitchen and filling two glasses. When he came back out and offered her one, Ahsoka took it even as she looked slowly around the rather dilapidated structure.

"So have you been here ever since Order 66?" Tano asked softly, her expression one of pity.

Kenobi choked slightly on his water, then shook his head, "No, no. I was here for nine years looking after Luke when he was being cared for by Owen and Beru Lars. Then Padme came and took the boy, and I followed them both to Siskeen. But she disappeared on a mission on Tatooine a few weeks ago and I'm still trying to figure out what happened to her, so I camped out here in the meantime."

He sighed, gazing around morosely, "I've been trying to get the hut in shape, to fix the vaporators and electrical systems. It's surprising how much damage was done in the last eight years since I left. The winds and sands and heat are pervasive."

"And the Tuskens probably did some damage as well," Ahsoka commented softly.

He quirked a puzzled eyebrow, but gestured to a crude chair, "Please sit, Ahsoka. I realize now that I sensed your presence near Luke many a time, so you were the one who trained Luke to shield, no doubt among other things. What brings you here to Tatooine?"

"No," she replied, her blue eyes determined, "first we need to talk more about you. You said you followed Padme and Luke to Siskeen. Padme never mentioned encountering you."

The old man shook his head, even as his gaze drifted downward, unable to meet her eyes, "No, I never approached her. If there is one thing I've learned in the last 17 years, it is how to maintain a low profile. I felt it best to ... to stay in the background, and keep the boy safe."

Ahsoka Tano tilted her head, her montrals shifting with the motion, "Why didn't you want Padme to know you were watching over her and Luke, Kenobi?"

There was a long pause, which stretched to a full fledged moment.

"Because you knew what happened to Anakin," Ahsoka stated, "and you didn't want to tell Padme."

Kenobi shook his head in agitation, "Anakin is dead."

She stood up now. She was, he realized rather distractedly, slightly taller than he was now.

"Don't give me that bantha poodoo, Kenobi," she said indignantly, taking a step closer. "Anakin is Darth Vader. And you've known that for 17 years, haven't you?"

He forced himself to hold his ground, "The good man that was Anakin Skywalker was destroyed on Mustafar, Ahsoka. He's more machine now than man, twisted and evil."

He had tried, he truly had tried to call back the young, newly turned Darth Vader from his madness. He had tried. Padme had tried. Both had failed. All that was left was to clean up the mess.

A mess of his own making. He could have ... he should have made sure the man was dead, not just burned to oblivion. His brother had screamed his hatred and Obi-Wan had only given empty words in return; he had not been merciful enough to plunge his saber into his former apprentice's torso.

Why? Why hadn't he taken the minute to kill the man? Why?

(Because in spite of himself, he still loved Anakin.)

Kenobi looked up, aware that he had been silent for too long, lost in his own dismal thoughts.

"Did you know that Anakin murdered an entire village of Tuskens here, Obi-Wan?" the Togruta asked gently.

Obi-Wan shrugged wearily, "I did not, but it hardly surprises me. He has pillaged entire civilizations since he fell to the Dark Side."

She sighed, even as she shook her head slowly, "No, before that, when his mother died at the hands of the Tuskens. He massacred the entire village, men, women and children."

Kenobi froze now in shock, his blue eyes wide, "No ... no, I did not. Did he tell you about it?"

She shook her head again, "Padme knew, but I did not. His mother died after weeks of torture, you know? He gave into his anger after her demise. So he was inflamed by the power of the Dark Side at least once long before he Fell completely."

Obi-Wan bit his lip, his thoughts a confusing swirl of self–hatred and sorrow and bitter regret. Shmi Skywalker had lived a slave until her short term freedom and happy marriage, only to be taken by the local sandpeople and murdered. He had long regretted his lack of support for Anakin when he had dreamed of his mother in danger. Now he felt even worse. Was that the first step in the young man's Fall?

"I didn't know that," he said, drinking a sip of water in an attempt to calm himself.

He took a cleansing breath, "I deeply regret many things, Ahsoka. This is merely one more failure on my part, that I was unaware of Anakin's unstable mental state. It ... it hardly matters now. Anakin is completely dead, only Vader remains."

She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully, "For your sake, and mine, and the twins, and Padme, I hope you are incorrect about that. Because Padme and the twins are with Vader."

His heart seemed to seize in his chest, his breath caught in his throat.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes," Ahsoka said with a wry smile, sitting back down. "I received a coded message from Leia, and if I'm reading it right, she and Luke showed up on Imperial Center, marched into Vader's palace, introduced themselves, and asked him to help them free Padme, who was in Imperial custody. He did so, and now they are all together on the Devastator, Vader's Star Destroyer."

He knew he was pale, and he sat down before he could faint. After 17 years of struggle and toil, he had lost both twins.

"Then there is no hope," he said numbly.

Anakin's former apprentice groaned aloud even as she rolled her eyes, "Were you always so dramatic, Kenobi? The message also said that Vader just blew up a secret Imperial installation on Scarif. He's turned against Palpatine."

She sighed now, "I don't know what is going on in his confused brain, but ... but he's not the man he was even a few months ago. The very fabric of the Force is shifting."

The old Jedi stared at her incredulously. It was impossible, impossible, for anyone to return from the Dark Side. He leaned into the Force, seeking wisdom, only to run into a hard, foreign barrier in his mind.

"Don't do that," Ahsoka scolded. "Vader is on his way here to Tatooine with the rest of the family, and if he senses you are here he'll probably go full bore rancor. I presume that he sustained his injuries in a fight with you, so I'm guessing you are up there on his list of least favorite people."

"Yes," Kenobi agreed, ignoring the slight humor of her comment. "I cut off his remaining three limbs, and left him to burn to death in the lava flows of Mustafar. He must hate me."

Tano's eyes were sorrowful now, "That was cruel."

Obi-Wan Kenobi turned away, unable to meet her gaze, "Yes. Yes, it was."

"Poor Skyguy," Ahsoka said softly.

/-

The Lars Farm

8 hours later

(4 in the morning, local time)

The incoming proximity alarm woke Beru Lars up out of a deep sleep. She lifted her head from her pillow in surprise, then rolled quickly out of bed.

"Beru?" her husband Owen asked in a husky tone.

"I'll take care of it, Owen," she assured him. "Go back to sleep. You had an exhausting day."

He grunted his thanks and turned over in bed, even as she left the bedroom and quickly checked the incoming transmission. The code made her heart jump, and she glanced toward the bedroom she shared with her husband. It was Padme! The head of Dalam Enterprises had sent a message several weeks ago that she was coming to Tatooine, but since then the Lars had heard no further news of her. It had disturbed and worried Beru more than she knew. But it appeared that Padme was safe. Maybe Beru should wake up Owen. But no, there had been numerous problems with the vaporators recently and Owen had an important meeting with the Darklighters directly after noon today. Her husband really did need his sleep.

Beru quickly donned her day robes and strode quickly toward the kitchen, though she detoured to turn on the outer lights to make it easy for her guests to find their way down the steps into the main house. What did she have on hand to eat at this hour? Padme and her associates might be hungry. It would take at least a few minutes for the group to walk from the typical landing area to the main habitation, and in the meantime she could rustle up some blue milk, dweezel sticks, and pallies.

Beru was carrying food and drink to the dining room table when she heard approaching voices. With a smile, she placed the items down and walked quickly towards the outer door, whereupon she felt a surge of delighted surprise. First down the steps was a slight form whom she recognized as her beloved nephew. Behind him was the robed and hooded figure of his mother Padme.

"Aunt Beru!" Luke said, jumping down the last few steps and running forward to throw his arms around her.

"Luke?!" she responded, her face split with a gigantic smile. "Oh Luke, it is so good to see you. You've grown since I saw you last!"

"At least some," her nephew responded with a chuckle, drawing her into the dining room. "Is anyone else up?"

"No," she replied, guiding her guests to the table, "Owen has had an exhausting week and the children are crabby if they are woken up too early. Do you need to talk to your uncle now?"

"No, no," Luke said with a smile, and turned to the hooded figure, who reached up to push back the hood and reveal her face. "Aunt Beru, may I introduce you to Leia Organa?"

Beru Lars stared in disbelief. She had thought this woman was Padme as they were of the same height and even moved similarly, but this was a young woman of Luke's age, with dark brown eyes and hair and quite incredible beauty.

"Welcome!" Beru said quickly, reaching out a weathered hand. "It's an honor to meet you. Er, are you Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, by any chance?"

The young woman nodded, "Indeed. My parents haven't arrived yet, have they?"

Beru's eyes widened, "No. Are ... you, uh, expecting them?"

"Yes," Luke said, striding toward the table and sinking down even as he reached for a pallie and took a joyful bite. "Thank you for the food, Aunt Beru. I have never lost my taste for Tatooine food. Leia, please, sit down and eat."

The girl lowered herself into a chair, while Beru took the one next to her.

"Where is your mother?" she asked worriedly.

Luke bit his lip and glanced at Leia, then sighed, "She's still on the ship with ... Aunt Beru, this is going to be a total shock, but she's on the ship with ... with my father."

Beru Whitesun Lars stared at her nephew, then at the girl, then back at Luke.

"Anakin is dead," she said softly.

Luke shook his head, even as he quickly wiped off a sticky hand and reached over to clasp his aunt's hand in his own, "No, Aunt Beru. He's not dead. I guess Mom didn't tell you – and I don't blame her – she thought it quite likely that ... that my father Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader."

A pause.

"And she was right."

/-

Cockpit

Nubian Starship

Outskirts of Lars Farm

Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, stood tall and silent with his hands clasped behind him, his mask turned to the cockpit front window. The eastern sky was glowing faintly as the first of Tatooine's suns reached for the horizon.

It would soon be morning, the beginning of another hellish day of suffocating heat and burning rays and parched sand.

He hated sand.

In spite of himself, his gaze shifted left to where ... to where ...

His mask augmented the light and he could see the small headstone, the only surface acknowledgement of the wonderful, brave, determined woman who had given Anakin Skywalker life.

Whom he had failed.

In spite of himself, his mind flickered to those last moments with Shmi Skywalker. He had freed her, held her in his arms, and she had gasped out a few words of love and joy before dying.

Why did she have to die?

Because he failed her.

The guilt, the anguish, thrust into his bitter heart like a vibroblade and instinctively his memories shifted to those minutes when he had torn through the Tusken camp, murdering every male, female, and child.

As it should be. They had deserved it for taking his mother, for repulsing her rescue party, for torturing her for no reason, for murdering her.

He had never cared to return to Tatooine after her death, but any Tuskens he met would die at his hand now. They were all animals. He hated them.

"Anakin?" a voice queried softly.

He spun around rapidly, his hand reaching for his lightsaber, and Padme flinched slightly in surprise. She was wearing her sleep robe and her dark hair flowed casually around her shoulders.

She was so beautiful.

"Padme," he replied apologetically. "I thought you were asleep."

"The ship is shaking," she said, her eyes wide, her face concerned.

He reached out through the Force and was surprised to realize his own rage was fueling the tremors in the ship. Her fear quenched his anger, and the trembling subsided.

"I apologize for alarming you," he said carefully. "Please, Padme, either sit down or go back to bed."

She stared at him for a long moment, then smiled a little and sat down at her usual seat.

(For this had been her ship, long ago. Palpatine himself had retrieved it and given it to Vader as a most bitter gift, but now, yes, now he was grateful to have Padme's ship back.)

"Where are the twins?" she asked softly.

"They went ahead to talk to the Lars," he said rather awkwardly.

"What's wrong, Ani?" she asked, her expression soft, her eyes luminous.

"Nothing," he replied. Too quickly.

"Is it your mother?"

How did she know him so well even after all these years, after terrible decisions and Darkness and Palpatine had torn them apart? How?

He did not reply, but a moment later she was on her feet and had her slender arms wrapped round his bulky chest piece.

"Poor Anakin," she whispered softly.

/-

Lars's kitchen

"And Aunt Beru, prepare yourself for another shock. Leia is my twin sister."