Disclaimer: This is getting boring and tiresome, but I don't want to get sued, so I'll say it again: this is just for fun not profit!

– / –

Anon: Yep, I feel ya! Problem is OB-1 found the thermal det's in Grievous' figther and that was a small cockpit with not a lot of room for more. Though, I guess he'd prefer to have a squadron of gunships with him ;-)...thanks and keep on r & r!

YamiTai: Always glad to read your reviews :-)...yep, I've seen that alerts don't seem to be working, as I'm getting no reports on reviews and updates either. I hope they fix that soon...Anakin? Well, just by being so far away from Padmé, he probably would've tried to take the Ring for himself! I hope you keep r & r, thanks!

LunaticPandora: Yeah, I read a little bit on thermal det's in the database at the official SW site. Looks like the little suckers could actually do a lot of damage! BTW: I've checked out the Aragorn w/lightsaber video at YouTube, you're right! It looks pretty cool! Probably helps give an idea of how Obi-Wan would do in my story, right? Thanks and please, keep those reviews coming up :-)

Kavek: You're absolutely right, my friend. Siege towers could only reach up to the height of the outer wall, but in the film they do go up a lot higher than that! lol!...Anyways, Orcs, Trolls, et. al., are all over the place, so they're just gonna have to find a way to push them back. Maybe Rohan can help now...Thanks, always good to read your reviews!

Kyer: Witty and shrewd as usual! hehehe...Anakin's turn is bound to happen, we all know that. Part of the deal (according to Lucas) was that OB-1 couldn't actually talk to Qui-Gon until he was taught by Yoda. Here, he's only seeing glimpses of his old Master and poor old Jinn has got his hands full with everything that's happening across the Universe! ;-P...and, yeah; Yoda would be the perfect assassin! lol! Denethor's mind had been worn down by Sauron, because the old man had a Palantir (seeing stone) in his power and he fell prey to Sauron's "mind tricks"...thanks for your usual good insight, hope you enjoy!

A/N: Well, that's 100 reviews for my story! I never really thought it possible, but it's true and I'm dancing away as it is! lol...thank you all very much for reading, reviewing and enjoying my little "experiment". Now that we're approaching the climax, I hope you like it as much as you've liked it so far (if not better!). Thanks and now, we go back to the Battle of Gondor...

– / –

X X I V

The Battle Of The Pelennor Fields

The Riders of Rohan appeared on the skirts of the Mindolluin like thunder, wielding long, sharp spears, swords and shields. Their long, blond manes floated in the winds of the early morning, as the clouds overhead began to part and give way to some scattered sunrays. Shocked beyond belief, Orcs, Uruk-hai and other soldiers of Mordor broke formation and ran wildly in all directions, scattering as the thick legs of the magnificent horses of the Mark fell on them like a deadly hammer.

The tide had turned in a flash, though Obi-Wan and his few surviving men had been forced up to the Fourth Gate. Still, the Jedi Master and his charges had been able to slow down Mordor's implacable assault. It was on that fourth tier that the two commanders of Gondor became reunited.

"Obi-Wan!" Gandalf yelled above the mayhem, riding swiftly to meet his Jedi ally and signaling in the direction of the Fifth Gate with his staff. "We must go back to the White Tower. Time is of the essence, especially for Faramir!"

"Let's go!" Obi-Wan responded, realizing now that the endless assaults of the Nazgûl had finally stopped. They were just gone, vanished without a trace.

"Run Shadowfax!" Exclaimed Gandalf, pulling hard on his mount's reins. "Run like the wind, dear, old friend!"

Just like his rider had commanded, the magnificent white stallion rushed for the besieged Seventh Gate. Obi-Wan and his men followed after the Istar, quickly disposing of any foe they met on the way. When they had finally reached the gardens of the Tower of Ecthelion, a concerned Pippin ran to meet them.

"What's happened, Gandalf?" Asked the Hobbit breathlessly.

"Faramir was defeated by the dreaded Black Captain." Gandalf answered somberly. "He was touched by the Black Breath and I do not know if my powers shall be enough to defeat it."

"Speaking of which," asked Obi-Wan, as Pippin ran to the Houses of Healing, where Faramir lied. "Whatever happened to the Nazgûl?"

"I faced their accursed captain," responded the White Istar. "And I defeated him. The moment this happened, the rest of the Nine took off and disappeared into the sky like a foul wind of the depths. Alas! I did not destroy him. We must be wary."

"He'll be back soon." Observed Obi-Wan. "And he'll bring reinforcements. We must take advantage of the arrival of the Rohirrim while we can."

At that precise moment, a desperate Pippin ran back in their direction, frantically waving his little arms over his head.

"Gandalf, Gandalf!" Cried the small humanoid over and over again. "You must come see the Lord Denethor at once!"

"There is no time for more incoherent meetings with the pessimistic Steward!" Gandalf barked in a tone that admitted no reply. "Go back to your sire and tell him I have a war to fight!"

"No!" Yelled a desperate Pippin, pulling hard at Gandalf's long white robes. "You don't understand; the Lord Denethor has lost his mind! You have to help me! He's ordered for him and Faramir to be burned alive at Rath Dínen!"

The already frail sanity of the Steward of Gondor was crushed the moment he laid his eyes on his lone surviving son, poisoned by the dreaded spell of Morgul. Without knowing the meaning of Rath Dínen, Obi-Wan looked directly at Gandalf.

"I must go." Said the White Istar softly. "If Denethor has decided forfeit his own, weak existence that is his problem. But I shall not let a demented fool such as him put out his own son's bright star!"

Meanwhile, the valiant troops that had followed Obi-Wan up to that point kept looking at their new commander with renewed hope in their eyes, anxiously expecting his orders.

"You must go back to the Gate, Master Obi-Wan," Gandalf said. "While I go stop Denethor's madness. The hour is indeed much darker than I feared, for without the guidance of their courageous captain and without my aid, the men of Gondor shall require leadership. Once again, I thank the Valar for bringing you to us!"

They all could hear that the battle outside kept raging on.

"Go, Master Obi-Wan!" Encouraged Gandalf, patting the Jedi Master on the back, as he left and went after an anxious Pippin.

Obi-Wan nodded briefly, but decidedly and rode back to his men, ready to take the fight to the enemy.

"Obi-Wan," Said Gandalf suddenly, forcing the Jedi Master to look back at him. "May the Force be with you, my friend!"

Obi-Wan smiled back at the venerable wizard and then, for the first time, he took off for the nightmare that the Pelennor fields had become, followed closely by hundreds of Gondor's soldiers.

The minutes that had gone by from the moment the Rohirrim had arrived to the moment Obi-Wan and his troops finally reached the outskirts of the citadel, the Enemy's forces had multiplied. To the east, a full company of Haradrim rode on the heads of their gargantuan Oliphants; to the south, hundreds of Southrons on horseback and countless mountain-trolls had arrived. And, as if that wasn't enough, hundreds of evil looking, savage men had arrived from the northern hills.

Yet, this wasn't the worst.

Lying in the middle of the battlefield, Obi-Wan spotted the body of an old, blonde-haired man lying on the ground, caught between the lifeless form of his fallen horse and the monstrous bird of prey that acted as the Black Captain's stead. The Witchking descended from his mount and advanced in the direction of the fallen man, carrying a huge sword and mace.

The Jedi Master rode as hard as he could, slaying any opponent that stood on his path. The Force was especially generous that day, as the Dark Side had begun to recede, allowing for Obi-Wan to have a much clearer sense of his surroundings.

Still, the path to his black-hooded opponent was long and hard. Five malignant riders of the East tried to cut the Jedi Master down, only to be hurled into the air and finished by the hoofs of the Rohirrim's mighty horses. Obi-Wan was determined to bring the terror created by the specter to an end right there and then.

It wasn't, he was certain, a sudden brush with the Dark Side. Granted. The scene reminded him of the hangar generator in Naboo, where that demonic, tattooed Sith Lord had ended his beloved Master's life. But, deep in his heart, Obi-Wan could sense the way the Force told him of the imperious need to rid the Middle-Earth of that faceless, crowned menace once and for all.

Then, he saw the small, light frame of a Rohirrim, who planted himself before the Black Captain with unwavering determination. This rider was truly short and fragile on appearance, his frame more of a youth than that of a powerful, grown man. Yet, Obi-Wan's flight was interrupted once again by his enemies, but in brief instants, they were all lying dead on the soft grass of the Pelennor Fields, smoking holes in their chests and backs as the men of Gondor and Rohan kept fighting furiously around him.

A huge Oliphant ran straight at him. For a nanosecond, Obi-Wan was reminded of his fear of flying, as he compared this menace to being faced with a huge meteor in the vast depths of space. The Jedi Master remembered the best way to get rid of the menace and just rushed straight at his gigantic opponent, as arrows fell all around him.

He rode harder and harder, then pulled hard on the reins and his stead turned abruptly, just centimeters away from one of the Oliphant's giant back legs. He then stretched out his hand and cut deep into that thick, leathery leg with his lightsaber. The huge behemoth let out a deafening roar of pain and crashed hard on the ground, crushing three Trolls under its huge weight.

The Jedi Master returned his attention to the unequal confrontation between the valiant Rohirrim and the ruthless Nazgûl. At that moment, the Rohirrim took 'his' helmet off to show the beautiful face of a young maiden. She was as valiant as she was powerful and that was clear enough by just looking at the great determination that permeated her soft, juvenile features.

Another distraction.

Obi-Wan was forced to dock, in order to avoid the long, sharp spear of a Haradrim. He then turned in a flash and took a powerful backhanded swing at the attacker, melting his armor at the chest, killing him instantly.

A sudden and steady rain of arrows began raining on the Jedi Master, as another huge Oliphant crossed his path. Obi-Wan could easily protect himself from that endless attack, but not his mount. Mablung's valiant horse was hit by several arrows and fell to the side, his rider barely able to jump and avoid getting caught under his stead's dead weight.

The Jedi Master hurled his lightsaber up in the air, hitting the Oliphant right between the eyes, the gargantuan pachyderm fell dead on the ground with a thundering thud, its riders rolling and scattering on the ground, severely wounded as the Jedi weapon returned to the hand of its owner.

Enhancing his speed with the Force, Obi-Wan broke into a desperate run. With great apprehension, he saw how that valiant female from Rohan kept defending herself and the fallen old man from their opponent's vicious attacks. The Jedi Master was fully aware of the great power and skill of female Jedi such as Adi Gallia, Luminara Unduli or Aayla Secura, knowing well that he'd never make the mistake of underestimating them. Yet, the Nazgûl's fell beast did just that.

With amazing speed and accuracy, the young female warrior from Rohan swirled around herself and severed the flying monstrosity's head in one swift stroke. At that moment, Obi-Wan looked all around him and quickly realized that the battle had concentrated in another direction. His path was finally free!

Suddenly, the Jedi Master was brought to an abrupt halt as his surprised eyes caught sight of a small humanoid form that crawled silently on hands and knees, approaching the Witchking from behind. The Force screamed at him to run faster, for he recognized the little warrior clad in the armor of Rohan.

Merry!

Going for the killing blow, the imposing black figure brought his huge mace down on the beautiful shield-maiden of Rohan. Somehow, the girl was able to bring her thick shield up, withstanding the powerful, killing blow. Obi-Wan was but a mere meters away and suddenly, he heard a chirring, deafening wail of pain; Merry had sneaked behind the Black Captain and sharply stabbed the demonic specter in the back with all of his might.

The young female warrior stood high in front of the dying menace and brought forth her sword with her left hand, her right arm broken; the shield she carried, in splinters. Then she took a decisive step forward and let her sharp metal blade dig itself into that faceless hood. With another chilling shriek, the Black Captain of Mordor vanished into thin air, never to return to the plain of the living again.

At that moment, the Force threw a sudden warning at Obi-Wan. The Jedi Master dropped on the ground instinctively as the sharp scimitar of a huge Orc barely missed his head. Then, Obi-Wan rolled on the grass and rose in a flash, recognizing the deformed, one-eyed, pink-skinned monstrosity that had just tried to behead him. The Orc who had mercilessly murdered Mablung in Osgiliath took another stab at the Jedi Master, only to see his sharp blade severed cleanly by the lightsaber. Then, the white blade crisped the menacing creature's belly and his body fell hard on the ground.

With no time to lose, Obi-Wan ran towards the wounded damsel and Merry. Both fell on the ground and began shaking visibly, their faces pale as death. Probing their minds through the Force, the Jedi Master was quick to realize that both had been poisoned by the evil spell of Morgul. Then, the beautiful maiden closed her eyes and lied still. The Jedi Master knelt slowly before her and gently placed her in his arms, taking her away from the foul-smelling, evil carcass of the fell beast.

Merry was still conscious and leaning against the dead horse of the noble old man that the Witchking had brutally tried to murder. The young Hobbit was crying inconsolably as the Jedi Master gently placed the fallen female on the ground right next to Merry. Suddenly, the old man coughed blood and opened his eyes. Merry took the man's hand in his and looked down to that wrinkled, noble face.

"Where is Éomer?" Asked the man in a whisper. Obi-Wan immediately thought this must be Théoden, monarch of Rohan.

As Merry tried to respond, the Jedi Master leaned in front of the beautiful blonde maiden and placed his right hand on her forehead. She was as cold as the snow that covered the face of planet Ilum, her face as blue as the waters of Kamino. Meanwhile, Merry sobbed sadly at their side.

"He's death." Murmured the devastated Hobbit, just as several Riders of Rohan approached them. "His Majesty, King Théoden has left this Earth!"

Obi-Wan put his right hand around Merry's shoulder and tried to comfort him as best he could, while all around him, the battle continued. There was no more time to mourn. The forces of Mordor had regrouped and the Riders of Rohan had been seriously affected by the death of their monarch. Obi-Wan ran back into the mayhem, lightsaber at hand as the battle raged on.

The forces of the Enemy were still much larger than the defenders of Minas Tirith and, even counting with the valuable appearance of the Rohirrim, the battle had begun to incline in favor of Mordor yet again. Several men had taken Merry and the young maiden back to the citadel as the Jedi Master sighed deeply, knowing well the pain that must've overtaken them. Still, there was no time to grieve. Jedi training had taught Obi-Wan that they couldn't save all the lives under their protection, only minimize casualties to a minimum.

He lunged back into the fray, watching the valiant Riders of Rohan in full battle with the gigantic Oliphants of the Haradrim. Many of the Rohirrim fell under the huge legs of the pachyderms, while arrows downed many others, fired by the archers that rode on the heads of the gargantuan behemoths. As he fought against Orcs, Uruks, wild men and other foul beasts, he was quick to realize that Rohan was suffering an alarming number of casualties.

He twirled around and spotted five Uruks who advanced in the direction of a tall, longhaired Rohirrim. The Jedi Master lifted his hand and sent a powerful gust of telekinetic energy that pushed the giant Orcs violently to the ground. Before they could recover, the apparent new leader of the Rohirrim charged and crushed the Uruks under his stallion's hoods, just as Obi-Wan finished off another group of enemies. Fortunately, the sun had returned in all its bright glory to the region, clearly slowing Orcs down, since they really were creatures of the night.

"Sunshine is our best ally!" Shouted the Marshall of Rohan, raising his sword high above his head. "Charge Rohirrim! For the Glory of the Riddermark, fulfill your oaths!"

Several soldiers of Gondor, exhausted but motivated by the way Obi-Wan and the Riders of Rohan fought, joined them quickly, evening the odds just a little more and soon, the battle moved in the direction of the western coast of Gondor.

"Look!" Exclaimed one of the soldiers suddenly, pointing in the direction of the nearby coast. "Ships! Hundreds of battleships draw nigh from the Northeast!"

Obi-Wan spared a glance in the direction where the terrified soldier pointed and spotted the large sails of the battleships, as the Rohirrim moved closer to him.

"Corsairs!" Said their Marshall, defeat dripping from his words. "Corsairs from Umbar! Belfalas has fallen and Dol Amroth is lost. This is our ruin!"

Somehow, Obi-Wan felt completely different as his senses read a few familiar presences on board of the large fleet's flagship.

"Those are no pirates." Said the Jedi Master, walking slowly toward the docks, where hundreds of Orcs with their backs against them, awaited the arrival of their much-needed reinforcements. "That's Aragorn!"

The close proximity of Obi-Wan's and Rohan's men forced some Orcs, a couple of dozen or so, to turn around. Wrongly feeling that they were about to increase their numbers, the servants of Mordor charged at them with renewed hope. Yet, the Riders of Rohan, soldiers of Gondor and their Jedi ally easily abated them.

Soon, the front sail of the flagship could be seen clearly. The symbol displayed by the sail was none other than the shield of Gondor: the White Tree standing proud on top of a five-point blue star. The Rohirrim rode at full speed in the direction of the docks, as Obi-Wan led his men in a violent confrontation with some of the Orcs waiting by the pier.

From the distance and as he kept slaying opponent after opponent, the Jedi Master made out the form of Aragorn. The Heir of Isildur looked magnificent, descending from the boat in one swift jump, followed closely by Legolas and Gimli. Yet, that was it; the rest of the battleships seemed deserted.

But the Force told Obi-Wan that there was definitely something else out there.

As he severed the heads of two Orcs on one powerful swing with his lightsaber, he sensed the presence of spirits akin to those that dwelt in the muddy pools of the Dead Marshes. Suddenly, thousands of shimmering, greenish spectral forms appeared from right out of nowhere and charged furiously against the mighty armies of Mordor, floating swiftly across the plains that surrounded the Pelennor Fields.

Orcs, Uruks, Trolls, savage men of the wilderness, Haradrim and Southrons stood petrified in a powerful mixture of shock and terror. Thanks to the opportune intervention of Aragorn and his most incredible allies, Sauron's forces were easily defeated. Those who didn't fall to the mighty, invincible blades of the fearsome specters, turned, scattered and ran, having fallen prey to an indescribable fear.

Reunited once again, Obi-Wan and Legolas were able to establish telepathic contact and quickly took over twenty enemies down, including a huge Oliphant. In a matter of mere minutes, Sauron's first strike had been utterly defeated. The long awaited return of Gondor's King had saved them.

Gimli and Aragorn approached Obi-Wan and Legolas, all panting breathlessly, but smiling from ear to ear.

"Always on the move, eh?" Asked a smiling Obi-Wan, embracing each one of his friends briefly.

Aragorn laughed softly and turned to see the exhausted Marshall of Rohan dismounting from his horse. Then both men embraced warmly and Obi-Wan was introduced by Isildur's Heir with Éomer, the Third Marshall of the Riddermark.

"Well, here we are, my friends." Said Aragorn. "Together again, as I promised Éomer back in the plains of Rohan."

"Indeed." Replied Éomer softly, looking around as if to see where his fallen sire might be. "You kept your promise, my friend. Just as we, the Rohirrim, fulfilled our oaths and came to the aid of Gondor in its hour of most dire need."

"My dear friend from beyond the Stars!" Gimli said to Obi-Wan in his usual, coarse and loud voice. "Many are the legends and songs that speak of your greatness already!"

I do hope that news don't reach the chambers of the Barad-dûr as quickly as they do back home. Obi-Wan thought, but kept his thoughts to himself as he nodded and smiled at the animated Dwarf.