Old Man and the Desert

Chapter 25

Location: Rebel-ship, space

Lights began to flash and the emergency alarm began to sound. Rex saw that the hyper-drive had been damaged during their aggressive landing in the Imperial battleship's docking bay. And Ahsoka had returned them back into normal space. They hadn't been in hyper-drive that long. Rex was disappointed to see that they hadn't even left the system.

Quickly, he sat beside her at navigation control and tried to figure out their problem. He started working the controls and asked, "How's it look, Soka?"

"Bad. We need to land soon."

"What's the closet planet we can set down?"

Ahsoka checked the star chart and said, "Tatooine. Oh boy, Master Obi-Wan is not going to be happy."

The clone-captain narrowed his brow and asked, "Why?"

"That's the planet he spent 15 years in exile. I don't think he'd want to go back and visit so soon."

Rex began plotting a course for their descent. Tatooine was coming up fast and Rex had a feeling it was going to be a rough landing. He didn't know why, but Jedi and rough landings always seemed to go hand in hand. He remembered that Kenobi always complained that he hated flying. He always assumed it was because Skywalker was at the helm.

"Well, we don't have much of a choice Soka, but I bet it'll be one hell of a ride."

The Togruta-beauty smiled. There was so much life behind his warm brown eyes. It reminded her of old times. It reminded her of how much she missed him. She missed him being by her side. It had been years since they were on battlefield together. Rex's accelerated aging had slowed him down a lot. He hadn't been her backup in years, but now that he had been reincarnated he could be what he always promised her he'd be—her constant. Ahsoka knew she could always count on her Rexie.

Then, spontaneously, she accelerated their speed and gave him a mischievously grinned. She winked at him and said, "Don't worry, Rexster. We Jedi know how to survive a crash-landing. Hang on!"

XXX

Location: Tatooine

"That wasn't so bad," commented Ahsoka after they had crash-landed somewhere in the vast desert.

Rex rubbed his shoulders were the safety straps had dug into him. He knew that they'd be sore for at least a week. He frowned and said, "Speak for yourself, kid. Come on, let's go see how the others are doing."

"Right," replied Ahsoka in a chipper tone.

The Togruta-beauty then unclipped her seatbelt and got up before the Captain. She moved towards the back of the ship and said, "Remember, Rexie. Any crash you can walk away from is a happy lan—oh my god! Master Yoda! You're leg!"

Ahsoka rushed to the little master's side and took the med-kit from Luke's hand. The teen was so worried he could hardly move. Though, quickly Ahsoka began putting bacta bandages on Master Yoda's leg and gave him an anti-body injection with a painkiller just in case. Meanwhile, Yoda looked pale and somehow even smaller then she remembered. Carefully, she grabbed his claw hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Thank you for coming to save us, Master."

Yoda opened his green eyes half way and nodded. "Good to see you again, little one."

Ahsoka struggled to fight back her tears and said, "Yeah, it's good to see you too, Master. Why don't you rest? Rex and I will figure out our next plan. You just take it easy."

Yoda hummed in agreement and settled back down on the ship floor. He folded his hands over his chest and Ahsoka realized he was mediating. She wished she could do more for him, but supplies were limited on the Rebel-ship.

"Is he going to be ok?" asked Luke.

The Togruta-beauty smiled and patted his shoulder. She reassuringly replied, "Yeah, he's stable. I'm just not so sure about his leg, but you did good, Luke. I'm sure Master Obi-Wan would be proud of you."

Luke appreciated Ahsoka's compliment, but he didn't feel like he deserved her praise. He was terrible at first aid and wished he knew what do. He didn't mean to freeze when Master Yoda needed him and he felt lost since Ben was still unconscious. He didn't know he was so dependent on his mentor. Ben had really looked out for him since he joined the Rebel Alliance and was dying to talk to him about what happened on the Imperial battleship.

However, Ahsoka sensed his gloomy mood and tried to cheer him up. "Hey, I mean it, Luke. Not anybody would break into the Emperor's battleship just to save his friends. You did great, little Skyguy."

Luke blushed. "Come on, Ahsoka. Cut it out. It was no big deal. I know you would do the same."

She smiled and said, "Yeah, but not everybody is a crazy Jedi. Come on; let's get some rest. We can figure out where we are in morning."

XXX

The next morning, Obi-Wan woke up feeling pain all over his body. He groaned and saw that he was on board a Rebel-ship and that Thrice was lying next to him. Carefully, he brushed back her raven hair and shook her awake.

"Thrice," he whispered. "Thrice, wake up, darling."

"Mmm…ouch. What happened? Obi-Wan, where are we?"

The Jedi Master got up and helped Thrice get to her feet. He groaned as his head began to spin, but Thrice reached up to ease his headache with the Force. She placed her hand over his forehead and heard him sigh with relief. He closed his eyes and allowed her to soothe him with her use of the Force. He kept his balance by putting his hands on her hips.

"Oh, much better. Thank you, darling. I wish I could return the favor, but I was never good at Force-healing."

The she-warrior smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his fuzzy cheek. She ran her fingers through his auburn hair and watched as he took pleasure in her attention. She then closed her eyes and nuzzled his neck. She began to purr and the vibrations felt wonderful against his ear.

In response, Obi-Wan pulled her close and used his hand to lift her chin. He stared into her ruby eyes and watched them glow in the dark storage space. He saw devotion shining in her crimson orbs and he felt a possessive joy in knowing she had eyes only for him. His timeless goddess, his ageless beauty only loved him and no one else. He knew in his heart that she did not believe for a minute Darth Sidious lies. She had no interest in becoming the Dark Lord's queen. She was already his and he would not let her go. She was his savior. She didn't just save his life; she saved his will to live too. He belonged to her and no force in the universe could make him change his feelings—not the Code or the Sith.

"Um—is this a bad time?" asked Ashoka at the door.

The Togruta-beauty bit her bottom lip in discomfort. She saw that Master Obi-Wan was standing really close to Thrice and his arms were wrapped around her waist. They were staring into each other's eyes and it looked like they were about to kiss.

"Um, I could come back later?"

"No, no Ahsoka it's fine. Everything is fine." Obi-Wan quickly replied. "Everything is more then fine."

Ahsoka was very confused, but decided not to say anything. She didn't want to know about Master Obi-Wan's love life. In fact, she would rather pretend he didn't have one at all.

"Ah-yeah, I'm glad you two are finally up. I came to tell you that Luke thinks we can get a transport for Master Yoda at his uncle's house. He said it isn't too far away and that we can stay there until we can get a ship back to Base."

Obi-Wan shook his head. Her explanation didn't make any sense. "Wait, slow down. Master Yoda is here? We're on Tatooine?"

"Yup. Luke convinced Rex to get Master Yoda on Dagobah. He came to rescue us from the Sith, but he was injured during the battle. The ship got damaged it forced it's way onto the Imperial ship. We had to make an emergency landing on Tatooine."

The Jedi Master rubbed his beard. It was an interesting turn of events. Though, he was curious about their salvage operation. "Ahsoka, what happened to the Clan-device? Did Luke and the Captain deliver it the Rebel Base?"

"No, Rex contacted another Rebel-ship to pick it up on Dagobah, but our ship is pretty banged up. She won't be able to fly. We'll have to get another ship."

"Yes, I agree. I'd like to speak to Master Yoda. Where is he?"

"He's resting in the second storage room."

"Right. I'd like to speak to him alone."

Thrice watched the Jedi Master leave to the other room and stared after him longingly. Meanwhile, Ahsoka sat down on a crate and said, "So, want some girl-talk?"

Thrice narrowed her brow, but a second later she gave the Togruta-beauty a smirk. Ahsoka had always wanted to get to know the Clan-warrior better. She had a feeling they had a lot in common. Plus, she owed her for re-cloning her Captain. Though, wasn't prepared for her odd question.

"Sure. Tell me, what do you know about humans?"

XXX

When Obi-Wan entered the storage room he saw that Master Yoda was lying on the floor. His leg had been wrapped in bacta bandages and he looked pale. Tentatively, Obi-Wan sat down beside him and watched as the kindly little master smiled up at him. It had been a long time since he saw the little Grand Master and it warmed Obi-Wan's heart to see him again. He didn't think he ever would, not after what happened after the Temple fell. Back then nearly all hope was lost and the fate of the universe seemed impossibly grim.

Master Yoda said, "Obi-Wan…alive you are."

"Yes, Master. It's all thanks to you. I heard from Ahsoka that you came to save us from the Emperor."

"Indeed. Young he looked, but the same darkness dwelled inside him. Strange was when the Emperor melted."

Obi-Wan had not heard that. He narrowed his brow and asked, "Melted? What do you mean?"

"Melted, his body did. A mark appeared on his hand. A mark of a black bird."

The auburn-Jedi nodded pensively and stated, "I believe I know what the mark meant, Master. It was the mark of Lord Blackswan. He was the geneticist that created Thrice's people. He agreed to create a new body for the Emperor. Thrice said she believed her father only stayed behind to sabotage the Emperor's body for revenge. It appears she assumption was correct."

"Hmm…admiration I sense in you, Obi-Wan. Care for her deeply, you do."

Obi-Wan wasn't sure if admiration was a strong enough word for what he felt for Thrice. She meant the world to him. He loved her more then anything else in the world, but he was weary of what Master Yoda would think of his attachment. He cautiously stated, "Yes, Master. Lady Thrice is my friend. She has come to mean a great deal to me."

Yoda twitched his ears at the warm feelings coming from his friend and stated, "You are attached."

Solemnly, Obi-Wan decided that perhaps he ought to come clean. There was no point in denying his feelings. Master Yoda was bound to find out sooner or later. It was probably best to have it all out now then later. He then took a deep breath and replied, "Yes, Master. I am. I love her."

The little master huffed. He glared at Obi-Wan and said, "Have you forgotten the Code? Attachments are forbidden. Love leads to the Dark Side of Force. Love leads to jealousy, jealousy leads to possession—"

"Yes, and possession leads to fear and fear leads to hate. I know these things Master but I still doesn't change how I feel. I love Lady Thrice and she loves me. There is nothing you can say that will change my mind."

"The Dark Side, Obi-Wan. The Dark Side will try and weaken you through your feelings. Vulnerable you are. You are vulnerable to fear."

The auburn-Jedi turned away from him. He glanced back towards the other room where his beloved was waiting. He caught a glimpse of her profile. Her raven hair spilled loose from its pin and flowed down her back like a black waterfall. Her eyes shone in the low light and she was smiling as she whispered something into Ahsoka's ear. The two women laughed and gossiped freely like old friends.

"I can't deny my feelings, Master. Believe me, I've tried. This isn't the first time I've been tempted to break the Code, but Thrice is different. She saved me."

Stubbornly, Master Yoda said, "Regardless, break your attachment, you must. Train Luke in the ways of the Jedi, you must. Restore balance to the Force. That is your task, not love the warrior."

"Yes, but perhaps I can do both. Thrice is Force-sensitive too, Master. I know she can help. She can help me train Luke and defeat the Sith. And besides, she needs me."

"Enough foolishness," scolded the little Jedi. "You have a Padawan to train."

Angered, Obi-Wan stated, "Yes, but I also have a life to live. You can't expect me to be the Jedi I was before."

Master Yoda turned away from him. He became very serious and said, "Then fall you shall like your former-apprentice. If you lose the life you wish to live then Darkness will consume you."

"Then that is a risk I am willing to take. It's my decision, Master, not yours."

Annoyed, Yoda made a noise of impatience and moved to sit up against the wall. He then folded his hands and released his feelings of contempt into the Force. He slowly regained his composure and closed his green eyes briefly before re-opening them. He noticed that Obi-Wan had gotten up and was facing away from him. He looked deeply troubled, but Yoda sensed through the Force that he would not be swayed.

The little master sighed in defeat and said, "Stubborn, you are, Obi-Wan. But not your risk alone, your decision is. Luke's fate hangs in the balance and the galaxy as well. You must be aware the consequences your actions may bring."

XXX

TBC

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Author's Note: Thank you for reviewing: RKF22, ejm12 and Jitters. I love the feedback!

I'm glad chapter 24 made you"gasp." I try my best to make a good twist. Somwhere between "I never saw that coming!" and yet not utter ridiculous. However, I think its going to take a while for Obi and gang to decompress after the fight with Sidious. And yes, Yoda's a nay sayer when it comes to love. He wouldn't be Grand Master if he didn't. I'm sure he'll have some words for Ahsoka as well.

Also, I may not be able to post updates as quickly as I have in the past. I got a new job, so please be patient. I'll try posting weekly, but will see.

Please review. Thanks.