Sorry this took me longer to publish than I was anticipating. I am leaving on vacation EARLY Saturday morning, so this has been a busy week in prepping for that. Please forgive the lack of response to your reviews while I'm away! Enjoy the long chapter, and thanks again for continuing to R&R! :)

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Obi-Wan looked over at James and Kira and saw them talking animatedly with a young man in a flight suit. The young man turned toward him, a bright smile lighting up his face.

"Obi-Wan!" Devin came over and pulled him into an enthusiastic hug. "I'm so glad to see you! Can we all go get dinner together and catch up?"

"I'd like that very much." Obi-Wan wanted to speak to all the pilots first. He looked around, and it seemed they were all milling about waiting for that very thing. He went over to where most of the pilots were standing, followed by his children, James, Devin, and Kira. Everyone congregated around Obi-Wan, expectant silence enveloping the group.

"You all did a fantastic job out there. You accomplished a task that some would have said was impossible. And we will not forget those who gave their lives to see it done." Obi-Wan took a deep breath as he looked around at the sea of young faces. "Most of you aren't old enough to remember anything before the tyranny of the Empire. You've never truly experienced freedom, yet you are willing to fight for it. I am very proud of all of you, and very privileged to have been called to fight this battle with you. Now, go get a good meal and rest up. You've earned it."

Luke stood back as his fellow pilots dispersed with words of thanks to their General. He loved watching his father in this capacity. He turned as his friend Wedge approached.

"I have to admit, your father isn't quite what I expected."

"Oh?" Luke's pique wasn't completely hidden.

Wedge rolled his eyes at his friend's reaction. "I didn't mean that in a bad way. It's just...I grew up hearing stories about him. He grew to be this larger-than-life figure in my mind. He was a Jedi Master, General in the Clone Wars, media hero; and yet, he is so...human."

Luke's voice was completely neutral. "You were expecting a rancor or something?" What was his friend getting at?

Wedge struggled to put his thoughts and feelings into words. "I guess I was expecting this kind of rough, hardened, bulky hero type."

Now it was time for Luke to roll his eyes. "In other words, you were expecting something out of a holo-comic."

Giving a sheepish smile, Wedge shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you could say that. I've certainly had to readjust my thinking. Your father is anything but bulky, he has a gentleness that shows in his eyes, and he wears his authority so lightly. He's not the General Kenobi I expected, but I'm finding I like this one even better."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, well, don't let appearances fool you. He's 38 years older than me, but still manages to kick my ass around a training room."

"Sorry to eavesdrop, Boys, but I just have to interject my opinion."

Wedge turned to the blond woman behind them, and snorted. "Why doesn't that surprise me, Rina?"

The woman wiped her hands on her dirty utility jumpsuit. "Careful, Wedge. I may just decide to remove the inertial dampeners from your fighter and let you have the ride of your life."

Luke snickered at the comment. He didn't doubt that she'd be willing to do it. Rina was a talented mechanic, brassy, and hard-headed beyond belief.

"You were speaking of the appearance of our good General." Rina looked over at the subject of their conversation. "All I can say is yum, yum. I'd take that man into my bed in heartbeat."

"Rina, that's my dad you're talking about!"

"So? He's gorgeous, and sexy as hell. And the way he walks..."

"You better be glad my mom isn't here. I think she's rather territorial when it comes to my dad."

"I would be, too, if he were mine."

Wedge shot the woman a wry look. "Rina, he's old enough to be your father."

"So what? I happen to like older men. And like the Luke-ster said, don't judge his ability as a General by his appearance. He may not be very tall, he may be slender," Rina eyes again studied the man in question, "he may have the walk of a professional pleasure worker, an ass as tight as..." She stopped at the look of horror on Luke's face. "But I digress. I have no doubt, Wedge, that he could take you out without even breaking a sweat."

"You're probably right." Movement in the corner of his eye caught Wedge's attention. "Wipe the drool off your chin, Rina, the General is heading this way."

Obi-Wan smiled at the trio. "I hate to break up your conversation, but we're all heading to dinner now. Are you joining us, Luke?"

"Of course, Dad."

"Nice to see you again, Wedge."

"Hi, General."

"We're not on duty, Wedge, you can call me Obi-Wan."

Wedge's eyes widened. Call the leader of the entire Rebellion by his first name? This was another adjustment he'd have to make to the image in his head. "That doesn't feel appropriate, General."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "I don't stand on ceremony, Wedge, and I hate pretense. Get used to calling me by my first name off duty...and that's an order."

"He's got you there, Wedge." Rina openly admired how the humor in Kenobi's eyes made them even brighter.

"Ah, you must be Rina. It's nice to meet you in person."

"I take it that you've heard about me?"

The humor in Obi-Wan's eyes turned mischievous. "Oh, indeed, I have."

Turning to Luke with her hands firmly planted on her hips, Rina growled, "Anything you'd like to share?"

"Um, I think I'll go collect Garen from the healers." Luke made his escape quickly.

Obi-Wan chuckled at his son's antics. "I promise you he said nothing really bad. He merely emphasized your...strong personality."

"Hmph. It's better than a weak personality."

"Oh, I'd have to agree."

The high-wattage smile the General flashed her was enough to make Rina melt.

"I'd better go, everyone's waiting on me. Again, it's was nice meeting you, Rina. And thank you for the all the work you do to keep the ships in good condition."

Rina was almost struck dumb by that. "Y-you're welcome, Sir."

"Bye, Wedge."

"Bye, Gen...Obi-Wan." Wedge looked over at the still dumbfounded woman beside him. "Close your mouth, Rina."

"I've been with the Rebellion for eight years now, and never once has any Rebellion leader actually thanked me for the work I do. Most of them overlook the mechanics."

Wedge grinned. "I think we all have to do some adjusting to our expectations where he is concerned."

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"So, you've been in unknown space this whole time?" Devin's eyes were wide with awe and curiosity.

"Yes. The Jedi started the process of having that refuge built not long after my master was killed by a Sith."

"A Sith YOU killed," Luke interjected.

Obi-Wan shot him a look of fatherly consternation before continuing. "The Jedi Council knew that the Sith could only have the ultimate destruction of the Jedi Order in mind."

Kira shook her head sadly. "They were so right."

"Indeed. We thought to at least have SOME time to evacuate the younglings and enough adult Jedi to care for them and train them, but..." Obi-Wan's voice trailed off.

James remembered all of the other children he had seen in the Jedi Temple while he was there. "And not one of them made it out alive?"

"No." Even after all this time, the staggering loss of life still saddened Obi-Wan.

Kira reached across the table and took Obi-Wan's hand. "I'm so sorry. I truly cannot imagine how that must have been for you. To lose everyone and everything you ever cared about, and the only way of life you had ever known." She gave his hand a squeeze before letting go.

Devin couldn't imagine that kind of loss, either. But he was curious about something else. "How did you and Yoda survive all of that?"

"We were both off-planet at the time. When the emperor gave the clone troopers the order to kill all their Jedi commanders, they did so without hesitation. They were preprogrammed to obey him above all others. Yoda was on Kashyyyk and was able to fend off his attackers. The wookies who were with him at that time helped him to escape the planet. I was in a battle on Utapau at the time my clone troopers turned on me. The wonderful creature I was riding seemed to sense what was about to happen. She turned so that her body took the brunt of the cannon bolts." Obi-Wan smiled slightly in remembrance. "She saved my life. I fell many stories down into a water hole, which also saved my life. I was able to steal a ship and get off planet before they could finish the job. From there, both Yoda and I were able to make our way to Senator Organa's ship." Obi-Wan continued his tale of events, giving them a synopsis of his life over the last twenty years.

"That is absolutely amazing, Obi-Wan," James said in an awed voice. Everyone else seemed to agree. Even the man's own children had listened raptly, though they had probably heard it all before. "Out of such loss and devastation, you and Padmė were able to build a wonderful family. I'm so glad you were able to find some happiness."

"As am I." Obi-Wan looked around at the faces of his three children with a loving smile. "Our children have been a huge blessing to us." Clearing his throat of the small lump of emotion, he turned to James and Kira. "What about you? Any children?"

Kira smiled sheepishly. "No. We've been too busy with the Rebellion to even consider becoming parents. Maybe when the reign of the Empire is over."

Garen raised his eyebrow at that (a look very reminiscent of his father). "That could be years from now!"

"Oh, I don't know about that." Devin smiled pointedly across the table. "We do now have General Kenobi in charge."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "That fact alone will hardly break the Empire's back." He sobered as a thought struck. "In fact, I may actually endanger the Rebellion more to some degree."

Kira and James exchanged a concerned look. "What do you mean?"

"The emperor," Leia said in a tight voice.

James nodded his head. "Oh, yes. You did mention before that the emperor would be only too glad to hear Obi-Wan was the mysterious new General."

"Even if the emperor knew you were the new Rebellion leader, he would still have to find you. And we would not make that easy for him," Kira said with determination.

"And that's the issue," Obi-Wan said with a sigh. "He has incredible powers in the Force. He knows my Force signature very well, and can search over great distances. I try to keep myself shielded as much as I can, but I can't keep it up indefinitely; and the shields tend to weaken while I sleep. I spoke to the other Rebellion leaders of my concerns, but they all said they were willing to chance it."

Obi-Wan shrugged his shoulders. "The emperor may not even be actively looking for me anymore. But if he was to find out that I'm back in known space, and especially, that I'm aiding the Rebellion..."

"He'll search you out," Devin finished gravely.

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Sidious looked around the table at his closest advisors, eyes finally focusing on General Tarkin. "Any word on who is the Rebellion's new leader?"

"No, my lord. We can't find out a name, no matter how much we offer in reward. I've never experienced anything like this kind of secrecy. Why would they be so determined, from the top all the way to the little peons, to keep this one person's identity a secret? It must be someone rather notorious."

Indeed, it must, Sidious thought to himself. Excitement rushed through him at the thought that it could only be one person. Only HE could engender that kind of loyalty, that kind of protectiveness. Keeping his face neutral, the emperor got up from the table. "Keep on it, General."

"Yes, my lord."

Sidious didn't hear Tarkin, as he was already on his way out the door. At last. At last he would have Obi-Wan in his grasp. He allowed the malicious glee he was feeling to show, making his face look even more horrific. But this time, this time, his motive was quite different. Now, he wanted revenge. Obi-Wan had evaded him for twenty unprecedented years. He had finally had to give up on ever having the man as his apprentice. He had grudgingly taken on a very gifted, malicious young woman to be his right-hand.

His apprentice was good – she was focused and loyal, and she served as the strong arm of the Empire. But she was a second choice. She wasn't the glorious apprentice he had imagined he would eventually, with great persistence and tenacity, have in Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan could have been the best; he could have had the whole galaxy wrapped around his little finger if only he'd had the vision to see it!

But Obi-Wan had simply disappeared! The Empire could not afford the resources it would have taken to search the unknown regions of space. He had finally had to admit that his dream would probably never come to pass. And his anger at being so stymied had grown and had festered over the years.

Sidious looked out at the panoramic view from his throne room on the Death Star. "Oh, yes. You will not escape me this time. And I will make you pay for denying me my dream. I will enjoy making you suffer, my Obi-Wan." He cackled as he turned and sat on his throne. He looked down and could almost picture a broken Obi-Wan huddled in misery at his knee. Oh yes, a satisfying picture, indeed.