A/N: Just to keep things straight before we all get confused; from now on, I will differentiate the two Obi-Wans by name. The one I call "Obi-Wan" will be the one Alec Guinness portrayed. The one I call "Ben" will be Kya's mate. This is because the old Obi-Wan will appear (as he did in ESB) and I don't want to get them confused here and confuse everyone else. Also, since Kya introduced her mate as "Ben Kenobi" everyone else will call him Ben too. Just to warn everyone.

Chapter Eight

~ Luke Skywalker ~
I stared at the man, wondering if he was mistaken – or just delusional.

But he didn't look at me; he was too busy glaring at General Rieekan, who had called over the Rebels and now had at least twenty blasters trained at them. Only I got the impression that he wasn't glaring at him because he had twenty blasters in his face; it was more because the twenty blasters were also pointed at the woman beside him.

The woman who faced the scene without a flicker of emotion on her face.

She was cold and regal and powerful, in a strange and haunting way. I got the feeling that if she wanted to kill me, she wouldn't even have to look at me to do it.

And not just her; the man as well, whose affection for her was obvious in the arm still wrapped around her waist.

"Ben Kenobi is dead," Leia declared, her voice wrathful. "You're a spy."

The woman's eyes flashed terrifyingly. "Watch your words, Leia Organa," she said, her voice as terrible as her eyes. "The House of Organa no longer stands thanks to them."

Leia flinched.

The man frowned at her, and I could feel the silent pulse in the Force between them. I made a mental note to ask them how it was possible – if they were really Jedi.

She sighed, but her face mellowed somewhat and her voice was a great deal calmer when she said, "We are not spies. I assure you, my name is Kya Ranor, and he is Ben Kenobi. But Ben was less known – a great deal less known – than his brother, and we agreed that it would be the only way to protect Obi-Wan with the Empire and Vader on his trail. It was the only choice we had. Unfortunately, it also meant that we had to vanish, for there could not be two with the name Ben Kenobi. We felt Obi-Wan's death in the Force, so we thought it time to reveal ourselves. Our survival will cast doubt in the Empire, for Vader is so sure that he was perhaps one of the last Jedi actively able to resist. But now it is time to resist."

There was silence after her – Kya's – story, although I did catch the quick glance the man – Ben – flashed her.

"How can we be sure?" General Rieekan asked.

"You already decided that we were Jedi," Ben said, his voice reserved and calm, and remarkably similar to Old Ben's.

The general did not respond.

Kya sighed. "If you cannot trust in your observation that we are Jedi, then there is nothing more we can do," she pronounced. "We will not force help on those who refuse."

And she had actually parted from Ben and begun walking to the door, her back straight and her face impassive, before we had even started to process her words. Even Ben was a stride behind, a little late to catch on and his face easily expressing his surprise.

"Stop!" General Rieekan ordered.

But the Rebels parted to allow the Jedi through without a word, awed by the power the Jedi were putting through. The Force was allowing them to leave.

A thrill ran down my spine. Even without weapons, Jedi are dangerous. Now I understood what that meant.

And now I was all the more eager to learn from them.

"Wait."

Kya paused mid-stride. "Yes, General?"

"I . . . We misspoke. The Alliance will be happy to extend an invitation of welcome to you to join us." General Rieekan spoke slowly, as if he wasn't sure – or perhaps even regretted – what he was saying.

Kya turned, and for a second, she seemed a great deal older than she really was. Fatigue and stress marred her face briefly before her mask went back up.

"I hope you can learn to trust us. Otherwise, the Alliance will get nowhere," Kya said, her voice tired.

Then she turned her eyes to Leia. "And Princess Organa – rest assured, we are not spies. I worked with your father often as an apprentice, for he was one of our strongest advocates for peace during the war. We all suffered when Alderaan fell to the Death Star – but faint wishes will do nothing to bring him back."

I saw Leia flush slightly before inclining her head, the first sign of respect she had shown to them. "Yes . . . Jedi Ranor."

A hint of surprise flashed across Kya's face before she turned, finally, to me.

"As for you, Luke – I am not quite sure what Master Kenobi taught you, but you would do well to remember that even we cannot teach you all you need to learn. Nor are the secrets of our Order open to outsiders. There is much that you must learn, for there is a great deal you lack that we have that we cannot give to you."

"A proper Master would be best," Ben interjected, speaking for the first time directly to me.

"He will find his own when the time is right," she replied, her voice as calm as though she could read the future. "But for now, we will make do with what we have."

~ Kya Ranor ~
Ben placed a hand on my stomach. "Are you all right?"

I sighed, turning my head into his chest and grateful that Luke did not yet know about the Jedi rules concerning attachment. I did not want to be parted from Ben. Not now.

I had thought, once, that I would not grow accustomed to peace.

Now I could see that I had, for I felt confused and almost frightened by the clouded Force around me. Not scared, exactly; just nervous, and finding myself unused to being so constantly on guard and nervous. Jedi were trained to handle all situations, but then again, I wasn't a normal Jedi and I had not received normal training.

Ben seemed to handle it well, though; better, perhaps, than even me. And for that, and for his presence, I was extremely grateful.

"Yes," I said.

He continued to radiate concern. "What do you think happened?"

I shrugged. He had asked me a similar question in the beginning, but I had brushed it off in light of the situation, and so I proceeded to answer it now. "Well, I'm not pregnant, so . . . I'm not sure. Perhaps it is what always will happen. I didn't feel so great when I was talking to my Lady Mother either, actually."

Ben shifted at my side, pulling me ever closer to him. "What did she say?"

"Same as usual."

"Hmm."

After our confrontation with General Rieekan, Luke, and Leia, we had finally been returned to the healers' scrutiny. However, I had managed to worm us out of it, as much for myself as for Ben, who still retained his disgust of healers and being fussed over like a fragile child. He was too independent for that, my Ben.

So now we rested in some spare quarters. We had agreed to be placed together, for there were a scarce amount of rooms – and because I knew Ben would not have agreed to leave me alone after what had occurred.

For a while, I had suspected I was pregnant once again, for the time elapse falling into this world could have fueled the development of a baby.

But no – I had sensed no life in me.

Ben had been worried, but what could he do? His strength lay in diplomacy and swordplay, not healing. He was extremely adept at trances, but he was no true healer and his experience was limited. Even my knowledge was limited. We knew the basics to treat ourselves, nothing more.

Besides, it was extremely likely this was just a one time reaction.

I wasn't sure whether I was sad or not with this realization. Of course I wanted a child, and of course I was sad that I did not have one – but I would not have wanted to try and conceal a pregnancy here. A child's presence, combined with my own, would have made me a shining beacon in the Force that even my power would not be able to conceal. Especially as it would next to impossible for any child of Ben and me not to be Force-sensitive.

So, perhaps it was a good thing.

Ben sighed in my ear. "What troubles you?" he asked gently.

"Nothing." I sensed him frown, and slowly I confessed, "Just . . . I don't know. I don't understand what I must do here. And I hate the idea of risking you. . ."

I sensed the tension in him escalate; he even shifted slightly once more. "Better that I am at risk than you," he said firmly. "I won't see you facing danger alone, Kya; not anymore. You should know me better than that by now."

I didn't speak. My old Master and Ben had sprung from the same roots, both copies of one person – but they were different. In more than one way, too. My former Master would most likely have not pushed the issue, especially if he felt I could handle it and that it was not life-threatening. But then again, my Master had loved me as a father loves a daughter, while Ben loved me as a husband loves a wife. That was the key difference. All of Ben's drive to protect me stemmed from his affection for me, and it was all the stronger due to whatever power the Force had given him to protect me. My old Master had been just that – my old Master. He had had no extra power, no extra drive, no extra affection.

Sometimes, Ben's affection was endearing, his protection welcomed.

Other times, it stifled me.

For I too was independent, even more so for having been young and wild during the wartime when no one had the time to curb an excitable Padawan who had so recently lost a Master. I had learned formal control, but rarely had I the opportunity to exert it. I had followed my Master, relied on his judgment – perhaps a bit too much.

The feeling of Ben's hand on my cheek roused me back to the present.

"What?" I asked self-consciously.

Ben's face relaxed. "Daydreaming?" he teased gently.

I flushed, once again reminded of the power of the bond between us. "Just doing some meandering in the past," I said evenly.

"Hmm." He pressed his lips to my hair, his own thoughts turning to the past in turn. I could sense the change in his emotions. And what fascinated you such that you were so wholly occupied with it, my love? It's been a while since you last so lost track of what was going on around you. . . Yes, a very long time.

I closed my eyes. I don't know. . . I just . . . I don't know.

Ben kissed me gently, so softly I barely felt it. He didn't speak, but I could sense his unspoken message all the same. When I was ready, he would be there.

I buried my face in his chest. Thank you.

After all, Ben still didn't know that my old Master had been him – in a way of speaking. And I didn't think I was quite ready to reveal that to him just yet.

Ben's mind suddenly took a turn into the business-like – and mischievous – realm.

Now, he said briskly, sensing and ignoring my wariness at the same time, I have an idea of how we can begin to train Luke tomorrow. . .