I apologise I didn't update as quickly as I promised... The last week was terrible, I had a huge amount of work to do for university... exams-time... :(

Thanks for reviewing:

Sentrosi: I don't have the expansion set. My favourite is definitely architect. Hexenschule is good ;-) but I also like Bibliothek (Library?).

Phoenix Red Lion: I never liked the idea either that Obi-Wan should spent twenty years on his own. That's just too cruel. I figured it was mostly Owen who did not want him there with Luke and so I had to get rid of him ;-) And don't worry: THE big conversation between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon is still to come.

Jedi Knight 13: Maybe you're right and it's just difficult to write about such raw emotions... Sometimes I just feel like I can't find the words for what's in my mind. But it's good to know you still like it ;-)


Obi-Wan felt like a tiny piece of wood caught in a torrential river. He could not help but float with the current. He helplessly watched a small imperial fleet emerge on Tatooine's sky. Soon it would be time. The trap would have to prove itself. Obi-Wan had worked it out. It was based on Anakin's flaws. Firstly, on his vanity. Obi-Wan was positive Anakin was going to send his stormtroopers back as soon as he spotted Obi-Wan. Anakin's thirst for revenge would not be stilled if Obi-Wan was just shot by a blaster during the battle and died unspectacularly. Certainly, Anakin wanted to take revenge personally. Second, the trap was based on Anakin's recklessness. Hopefully, he would not pay attention to his surroundings but just to Luke and Obi-Wan.

There was a plan B but B was even worse than A. And it would demand more victims. Obi-Wan was not happy at all with the fact that Luke and all the younglings and Padawans were right in the crossfire. "In case anything unexpected happens, just stay close behind me", he nervously instructed Luke.

"Why?" Luke hardly knew anything about the trap. He thought Obi-Wan just wanted to teach him something pretty interesting: to make things fly.

"Because I don't want anything to happen to you", Obi-Wan answered while trying to keep his focus both on Luke's attempts to make some little stones fly, and on the spot where he expected the attackers to appears.

Then he came. Clad completely in black in front of his stormtroopers' white armour. From this distance it looked normal. It could have been Commander Skywalker, the Hero with no Fear, who led a troop of the GAR to battle. Luke seemed to sense the tension that filled the air. "What's the matter, Obi-Wan?" Then his gaze rested on Anakin and the stormtroopers. Being very sensitive in the Living Force, Luke sensed the threat they radiated. Seeking protection, he clung to Obi-Wan's leg.

"Don't be afraid", Obi-Wan murmured and lifted Luke up in his arms. He turned around so his body was going to protect the boy from the attackers. Obi-Wan's empty hand rested on the blaster at his belt.

Part one worked. Anakin held up a hand and signed his troop to stay behind.

The rebels also did their job very well. With a loud bang, the flagship of this imperial unit exploded.

"Get back to the ships!" Anakin barked at his soldiers. "Fight the attackers and get ready to leave the planet! Commander Cuddo, you're in command of the troop. I'll be there in a minute." Then Anakin turned to Obi-Wan and Luke again and approached them with hurried, long strides.

Obi-Wan's heart beat faster and faster. Finally, Anakin stood still a few steps in front of Obi-Wan. They stared at each other in silence. Now they were so close and he could look into Anakin's face, Obi-Wan could see just how much Anakin had changed within such a short time. He looked ten years older than when Obi-Wan had said goodbye to him before he had gone to Utapau. Anakin's lips were a thin, angry line and his jaw was clenched. His face looked tired and had an unhealthy colour. The first thin – but harsh – lines appeared under his eyes. But all of this could still have been Anakin Skywalker, had it not been for the eyes. The once lively sparkling deep blue eyes had turned to a dull yellow, in which Obi-Wan could not read anything anymore.

"Give my son back to me", the man who had once been Obi-Wan's best friend snarled menacingly.

All Obi-Wan managed to say was a small "No".

"What do you think you are? He is my son! You have no right to take him away from me!"

"Luke is not a possession."

Anakin slightly winced at the name and Obi-Wan took heart again.

"You've destroyed everything I loved", Anakin accused him, "you turned my wife against me and now you want to take my son away from me too!"

"I never wanted to take anything away from you", Obi-Wan said sadly. "You forced me to do it. I would have liked to give Luke to Anakin Skywalker but I have to protect him from Darth Vader."

"He needs a father."

"He needs love."

"And you think you of all people could give that to him?" Anakin sneered. "You don't even know what love means at all!"

"And you know it? Do you honestly think it is about burning down a building so that many, many innocent children die? Is that love in your opinion? Because then I can only hope Luke will never get your love."

"Give Luke to me and I will leave." Anakin's voice was almost pleading and Obi-Wan almost felt a little bit of pity for this lonely, dark man, who was probably never going to get anything like love again in his life.

"I can't", Obi-Wan answered.

"Very well, then I'm afraid we will have to settle this matter in another way." Anakin ignited his lightsabre – a red lightsabre – and his yellow eyes flared angrily.

Obi-Wan pressed Luke more tightly against himself. He could only hope Anakin would shrink back from endangering his own son. But Anakin moved in closer and closer, his lightsabre raised.

"Miserable poltroon", Anakin snarled, "you so badly need to hide behind a little child."

Every tiny trace of pity Obi-Wan had felt for him, vanished in the blink of an eye. The problem was, Anakin knew very well Obi-Wan would never use a child as a living barrier. Grinning devilishly, Anakin watched Obi-Wan put Luke down and step protectively in front of the boy. In a flash, Obi-Wan drew his blaster and fired up into the sky: the signal to Yoda. Anakin whirled up his lightsabre and cut Obi-Wan's blaster in two halves. At the same time, several darts poisoned with narcotic hissed through the air. At least ten of them hit their target. Apparently, Yoda had taught the younglings well. Obi-Wan aimed a hard kick at Anakin's hand and sent the lightsabre flying. Anakin blinked and stared thoroughly confused at Obi-Wan and then he just toppled over and fell asleep at Obi-Wan's feet. Obi-Wan stared down at the lifeless shape. So this was him: The feared Sith-Lord Darth Vader. Unspectacularly collapsed because of toxic darts – shot by children. And now he was sleeping peacefully like a little child himself. As long as his eyes were shut and the yellow colour was not visible, you could have thought he was completely harmless. While Obi-Wan had a rather odd memory of 16-year-old Anakin who had come home drunk from one of Corucant's lower level bars and had collapsed in front of Obi-Wan in a very similar way, the younglings suddenly came running cheering towards the stunned figure of Darth Vader.

"I hit him, I hit him!"

"I hit him too! My dart hit him right in his bottom!"

"Look, I got his lightsabre!"

"Stop!" Obi-Wan kept the youngling back who was about to ignite the lightsabre. "That's a Sith-weapon – not a toy. Give it to me." Rather disappointed, the youngling handed Obi-Wan the lightsabre. "What we're doing here is not a funny adventure", Obi-Wan turned to the other younglings. "We're dealing with a Sith-Lord. We were only able to defeat him because we cooperated in a very clever way. I don't want anyone of you to get near him, do you understand me? Never forget how many of your friends he killed."

The children looked at each other in dismay, shock or sadness and some muttered, "Sorry, Master Kenobi."

"You all did your job very well", Obi-Wan said a little more kindly than before. "I just want you to take care of yourself."

Finally, Master Yoda arrived. He scrutinised Anakin and hit his gimer stick in his side. When Anakin did not move or protest in any way, the little Master nodded satisfied. "Very well done, younglings. Very well done, young Obi-Wan and young Luke. Quick we must be now. Get Vader into our ship, and then leave to Dagobah we will before the stormtroopers realise what happened."

So they left Tatooine: Yoda, the younglings, Obi-Wan, Beru, Luke and the unconscious Anakin. When they were in hyperspace and Anakin had been securely tied and given new narcotics, Obi-Wan went to Yoda in order to give him Anakin's lightsabre. "Here, you better take this, Master. Or maybe it would be best if it was simply destroyed."

"A look on this I will have before destroyed it will be. Learn about our enemies we need."

Obi-Wan nodded. "So… what is going to happen next?" he asked hesitantly.

"Try we will to get information about the other Sith from Vader."

"I don't think he's going to tell us anything."

"The same I fear."

"And then what happens?"

"No courts there are left to which we could bring him. Controlled by the Emperor they are."

"So we are going to take the law into our own hands."

"On Dagobah meet with the rebel alliance we will. Stand trial there he will."

"I guess we don't have much choice concerning the judgement."

Yoda gave Obi-Wan a penetrating glance. "Don't like this, you do."

"I wouldn't like it either if it was about someone else", Obi-Wan defended himself. "I just don't like executing an unarmed prisoner."

Yoda nodded gloomily. "In a dark age we live."


"What has become of the Jedi-Order…"

Obi-Wan jumped a little when Qui-Gon's voice startled him from his brooding. He sat alone in a little cave on Dagobah while Yoda had gone to Anakin in order to interrogate him.

"Sometimes I wonder whether Anakin is right when he calls the Jedi the bad ones."

"Do we have another choice?" Obi-Wan flared up. "Are we to let him go and let him enjoy his time going from one end of the galaxy to the other – killing what's in his way?!"

"There is always another choice. You just have to be willing to look for this other way."

"Qui-Gon, I very much would like to prevent his death. If there is another way, then please tell me!"

"I don't know another way. I just hope you're going to find one."

"I don't know another way either."

Qui-Gon let out a deep sigh. "Will you go to him before he's going to be executed?"

"I guess I have to attend the trial." The mere thought left a feeling of sickness in Obi-Wan.

"You know very well I was not speaking about the trial."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Talk to him? Great idea, really great idea, Qui-Gon! What am I supposed to say? Oh, hi Anakin, nice to see you again. Have you possibly changed your mind? How about turning back to the good sight?"

"That's the essential message, yes. However, I might recommend you to use other words. But I'm sure you can do it. I heard you were called the Negotiator, weren't you?"

"I will not go and talk to him", Obi-Wan said firmly.

"I'm starting to agree with you", Qui-Gon said sadly. "You indeed failed your apprentice."

The remark stung. Failed, failed, failed… Obi-Wan was sick of hearing that word again and again. It came from everywhere: You failed. Failed, because he had broken the promise he had given to Qui-Gon and because he had not trained his apprentice well. Failed, because he had not been strong enough to kill Darth Vader. Failed, because he had cut Anakin's arm off. Failed, because he did not find another way now. Failed, failed, failed. "Qui-Gon, would you please just leave me alone", Obi-Wan said coldly. "I don't know what this is all about. I don't know – maybe it's some mystery about the Force that I can't understand yet because I'm not dead yet but maybe you are just as incapable of understanding what it means to be alive. We have captured Darth Vader, and that means we have a responsibility towards the whole galaxy. This is why attachment is forbidden, don't you see it? I'm not willing to let more innocent beings die just because I feel bad about executing the person who was once a friend of mine."

"Obi-Wan, I never meant you to –"

"Please, just let me alone", Obi-Wan said wearily and, amazingly, Qui-Gon obeyed.