CHAPTER TEN: THE LAVA FLOWS

Obi-Wan swallowed, the great roaring of the lava-fall overruled the sound of his blue plasma blade clashing into Vader's one.

He looked towards Vader, who was again swing to him with the cable in one hand and the Force, and his lightsaber in the other, the two became one, the saber moved at the exact same will as his hand, Obi-Wan fell.

The cable was cut millimeters above his hand, he'd reacted just in time and let go, sliding down and missing the blade at a hair.

His hand grabbed another cable nearly automatically and he stopped falling, the orange lava waves like hands trying to grab him, but they missed.

Vader came swinging back to him and barely missed Obi-Wan, who had responded with a less favorite Ataru attack to force Vader out of it's arc.

Obi-Wan pushed himself away from the black bar and looked for something to land on, the massive structure was stating to topple as it had reached the roaring lava-fall.

A cargo platform was nearest, it would have to do, if he could make the jump.

Vader made another swing to him, he wasn't seeing the lava-fall, he was too focused on Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan evaded the attack and gave himself a boost from the towering bar in the middle of the collection plant.

He let go of the cable and let the Force guide him towards the cargo platform, he landed elegantly and pushed his lightsaber into the guidance system of the cargo platform.

Then he looked at the massive collection plant toppling over the river's edge, tumbling into the hell of lava, shrieking as it fell down the orange falls of lava.

"Good-bye, my old friend," he said as the black structure shrieked like a Mynock when it disappeared behind the lava-fall.

With a simple shift of weight and a bit of help from the Force he moved the old cargo platform towards the shore.

Jayce parried the attack, he knew both he and Ahsoka were exhausted and they had to end it soon, it was just who would make the mistake, who would flaw.

A wave of lava washed over his feet and Jayce jumped over Ahsoka to get away from the pain, but Ahsoka didn't turn around and attack him, she just seemed to be watching the river.

He had an opening that would've made him win the battle instantly, he could pierce her body easily, cut her in two, her head of, anything, normally this was that moment you were looking for, but Jayce didn't do anything, it had never been his goal to kill her.

He stopped, every inch of him stopped, he let it go, even if she was truly turned the dark side, he wasn't going to end her, he couldn't do it.

"Ahsoka…" was all he could say.

He was him, him who could end it, he would could make it all end for her, end the darkness in Ahsoka Tano's confused and used mind, she had been twisted with the means as for live, but he just

didn't-

have it-

in him.

She was everything to him, killing her would be his end.

Another lava-wave rolled ashore and washed over Ahsoka's boots, she didn't move, every muscle in her body felt like was about to snap.

The Force had given him this moment.

Jayce put his arms around Ahsoka's tired and fragile body, he put his forehead against her montrals and sighed out, tears left his eyes and his body relaxed.

"Oh Ahsoka…" he knew she was also crying, and her breathing was heavy and irregular.

Ahsoka's body collapsed and the only thing keeping her from falling into the lava, keeping her from passing the edge to death, was Jayce.

"I'm sorry…" She said trembling.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you…".

"Are you okay?" Jayce asked carefully, this could still be a trap, even though he certainly didn't think so.

"I'm not…" Ahsoka said sad as Jayce pulled her away from the lava.

"Ahsoka, I love you, nothing will change that…" Ahsoka cringed when he said it.

He saw they were standing at the exact same spot their blades had crossed so serious minutes ago.

Ahsoka turned around and buried her face in Jayce's suit, never had she felt so vulnerable, every bone, every inch of her body produced a warning, Darth Vader would hunt her down and kill her, she had to kill Jayce to escape that fate, but honestly maybe getting killed was more merciful, Vader wouldn't be a nice master.

She reached uncertainly for her lightsaber and grabbed it.

Jayce saw it, but he didn't react, all he did was hold Ahsoka tightly, then the green blade rose up humming.

Obi-Wan stiffened, tired yet eased, Vader wasn't done yet, his best friend wasn't dead yet.

A repulsorlift droid speeded towards him, on it, was Darth Vader.

The tiny droid struggled to stay out of the lava but the weight of Vader took the most of it, it circled around the cargo platform in the hope its rider would get on the cargo platform.

Obi-Wan sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead as the platform and droid soared above the river, and away from the lava-fall.

"Anakin, can't you see? Palpatine is evil!".

"From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!" Vader threw back with hate dripping of is face, he'd changed.

"Then you are lost…" Obi-Wan said after which the two exchanged lightsaber slashes.

"This is the end for you, my master!" Vader yelled.

"I wish it were different," he added not as sad as he could've sounded.

"Yes, Anakin, so do I, so do I…" Obi-Wan said while reinforcing his grip on his lightsaber.

Vader leapt and landed on the other side of the cargo platform, but it was too late for the tiny droid, who sunk into the lava, becoming one with the flow.

"Your former padawan should be dead by now, the dark side is strong in her," Vader exclaimed, but Obi-Wan wasn't too assured, it hadn't been Ahsoka, and Jayce would do anything to get her back, he would win that fight, just as Obi-Wan had to win this one.

Their blades crossed, they were one together, or they always had been, two warriors had been one, now they were a broken whole separated in good and evil, light and dark, master and apprentice.

Again their blades met, the whole river flashed past them, this was their fight now, and it could only end one way, which one they didn't know.

Soresu gained the upper hand for once, but Vader's Djem So display countered it immediately.

Blast, he's better than me, I've got to gain the upper hand somehow…

Again Vader's Ataru emerged and Obi-Wan had to give ground, the cargo platform started to slow down and got closer to the black sand banks.

The volcano behind them erupted and molten rock and iron rained down around them, it didn't stop them though, neither did the poisonous gases that followed.

Obi-Wan realized what his attachment for Anakin was leading to, he could do only one thing left.

Obi-Wan let go.

Their blades crossed one last time, and the blades seemed to know it, the blue plasma sparkled and flashed violently and like they did not want to finish it, a shower of lava rain down on them again and Obi-Wan disengaged his blade, then jumped onto the black charred sandbank.

He landed safely and poised himself, this was it.

"It's over Anakin, I have the high ground!" he yelled hoping Anakin wouldn't be as ignorant as to actually try.

But it wasn't Anakin he was facing, it was Darth Vader.

"Don't underestimate the power of the dark side!" he prepared to jump.

He leapt.

Obi-Wan's whirl to parry didn't meet Vader's blade.

It met his knee.

Then his other knee.

Almost confused Obi-Wan followed through his arm, cutting it through it just above the elbow.

Vader fell on the ground, grabbed the ledge of the cliff with his mechanical hand, it crumbled under the power and Vader fell on the burning black sand.

He dug his hand into the sand, but all that did was burn away his glove.

The lava flamed when the severed limbs fell in it, it produced a scarlet flame, it licked Vader's robes and started burning them too.

The more Vader struggled the more he slipped, then he was one single meter away from the lava.

"I loved you Anakin,!".

"You were my brother, but I could not save you in the end…".

" I HATE YOU!" he screamed.

Obi-Wan looked down at the burning body of Vader, killing him would be merciful.

A flash of silver caught his eye.

A shuttle was approaching, emperor Palpatine's shuttle, he had to leave, climbing down that black beach and finishing Vader would take too much time, he had no time.

Obi-wan looked at his former friend, now a corpse, charred and nearly dead, burned by the lava, on fire.

He took Anakin's lightsaber and looked at Vader.

His eyes were burning, like he was saying, leave that there, it's mine!

But it wasn't his, it belonged to Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight of the Republic.

Obi-Wan left.

Jayce and Ahsoka walked towards the landing platformand saw R2 and C-3PO try to get Padmé aboard the skiff.

"Here, let us help," Jayce and Ahsoka lifted her body and brought it aboardthe skiff.

"3PO, what can you do?" Jayce asked.

"I'm sorry sir, without the proper equipment I can't do anything," C-3PO said sad, even for a droid.

"Well, see what you can do to make it comfortable for her," Jayce looked at Padmé and took her hand.

"Hang on senator, we'll get you to the medical center as soon as possible,".

He wasn't really sure if she understood, but she did reply.

"Anakin, is not… evil,… he's still… good… within…".

"I find it very distressing sir, but she's lost consciousness, we need to leave very soon," C-3PO and R2-D2 looked at each other.

Faced with a near impossible choice, leave Obi-Wan and get Padmé to safety, or wait for Obi-Wan unsure if Padmé'd survive, Jayce decided to wait a little longer.

Vader leapt.

But Obi-Wan wasn't going to end it like he'd seen in the vision.

His blue blade met Vader's mechanical arm.

Obi-Wan quickly turned and stabbed Vader in the back, then pushed him away from the edge of the cliff, towards safety.

Then he pulled Vader's saber towards him with the Force.

"I'm sorry Anakin, I have failed you…".

Vader tried to crawl up, but he couldn't, his body was left with no energy after that intense fight, no energy reserves to break open, even the dark side had been used to the bottom.

"Obi-Wan…?" he said confused and slightly innocent, like waking up from sleeping, but still being Vader.

"I'm sorry my old friend, I did what I must," he turned away from Vader and walked towards the ship.

A shard of silver forked through the smoke filled sky of Mustafar.

Palpatine's shuttle, he instantly knew.

Obi-Wan started running, he did beat Darth Vader, but beating Palpatine would be different.

Yoda had failed, he might be dead.

The Force warned him, he used his last ounce of Force energy to reach the skiff and getting aboard it.

"Where's Padmé?".

"On board, now hurry!" Jayce said and they walked inside.

"Where's Ahsoka?" he activated the perfectly polished silver skiff and steered it away from Mustafar's thundering clouds, into cold space.

"Trying to make Padmé hold on to life," he said.

"She's failing…" he added sad.

"Oh," was all Obi-Wan could say.

He looked at the red and black planet behind them and then back to his former padawan's face, he'd been crying, then Obi-Wan cursed the planet, not for what it had done, but to release Obi-Wan's frustration.

Then the skiff jumped towards an Polis Massan alien medical facility only known to him and few other Jedi, only masters.

A place of their last hope...

Sidious looked at his apprentice's body, he was still alive, and not as wounded as he'd thought.

Good, he'll be able to do anything without limitations.

Unknowingly, being merciful on his friend, would cost him more than he wanted.

Sidious placed his hand on Vader's forehead and smiled.

Live lord Vader, live, my Apprentice…

"Bring me a medical capsule, quickly!".

He placed Vader in it and smiled as he and the clones took it towards the shuttle, everything would be all right, everything was going according to plan…

AN: I had the time so I decided to make it today and upload it also.

Hope you liked the new ending and hope you're all looking forwards to the next chapter.

Please Review and Enjoy!