Jedi Master Arie Skywalker - Thanks! I know the last few chapters have been horribly angsty, but I do leave you on a brighter note today. And the epilogue will be happier too, I promise.
HaChosenOne – Thank you for the nice words – they mean a lot to me. Yes, the follow up to "Skating with the Star Wars" will be coming soon, I hope. It's going to involve a trip back to Plauu, the planet Jarrick chose for his headquarters. Our fearless heroes go back to help the citizenry recover and do a sort of travelogue thing – needless to say, chaos ensues.
ILDV – Thank you! I appreciate it!
Avschick33 - Thanks! It will be so good to have you along for the "Skating with the Star Wars" follow-up. And I appreciate you sticking with me on this one as well - I hope you enjoy the conclusion. I can't believe we're wrapping things up!
Delilah Dean Skywalker – Oh my gosh, thank you for the sweet words. I swear, I must have blushed for a good five minutes or more. And I'm so pleased you liked the Obi-Wan / Jobal conversation. Losing a child would be such a horrible thing - I wanted to treat it with the care it deserved and am grateful that you thought I did that. Thanks!
Eriks leadinglady – Aw, I'm so sorry about having to put Anakin through that – but I wanted to stick as close to "A New Hope" canon as I could. On the more positive side – our characters are through the worst of it and are now beginning to realize they're entering a new phase in their lives. Unfortunately for our darling Anakin, it's going to be awhile before his 'phase' improves! Thanks for reading, hon! It's always great to hear from you!
The Last Guardian – Oh yeah, ice cream is always something to look forward to! Mmmm… That's making me hungry! Ha! Thanks for leaving such a nice review – I really appreciate it!
DarthGladiator85 - Thank you so much! It was a tough chapter to write. I feel bad for our favorite characters and I'm the one who put them in these positions! I definitely owe you guys for putting up with this angst-fest! It sure has been great having you along for the ride.
ALL - Well, other than an upcoming epilogue, this is it! Hope you enjoy - I'll see you back here in a couple weeks with the final post. A huge, gigantic, massive THANK YOU to all my readers. I absolutely adore you all!
POLIS MASSA MEDICAL CENTER - NEXT MORNING
Obi-Wan slid out of the bunk, wincing as his back protested even that simple movement. The bacta patches Eight-Bee had applied after removing the shards of glass had lessened the pain, but it would take time to fully heal his wounds.
The physical ones, at least, he silently corrected. As for the others... he wasn't sure they would ever heal.
Master Yoda had arrived several hours earlier - a fact he only knew because of Senator Organa's diligence. The elder Jedi had refused to meet with anyone before daybreak, claiming they all needed some rest. Obi-Wan had tried to follow the instructions, but the dreams that followed were so vivid, he found himself staring up at the ceiling for hours, the bitter ashes of Mustafar on his tongue.
Steeling himself against the memory, he busied himself by pulling on a clean tunic, glad that he still had one left. He'd had the previous day's attire incinerated, knowing he would never be able to look upon the garments again. He had also washed his hair until his scalp stung, ridding it of the smoky smell that seemed to haunt his every breath. It was, however, something he knew he'd never completely forget.
Wandering into the adjacent room, he wasn't surprised to find Bail Organa asleep in an overstuffed chair, the crib pulled beside him. The Senator had apparently dozed off within the past few moments, for his cup of caf still emitted puffs of steam. Obi-Wan was careful not to wake him, approaching the crib from the opposite side and smiling as the twins came into view.
Luke and Leia... so tiny yet with the weight of the Galaxy on their shoulders. He ran a hand over his beard, saddened by the thought of the huge responsibilities that lay before them. Their destiny was tied to a monster, to a man who would surely destroy them if given the opportunity.
A man who once would have loved them with all his heart.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, stroking the downy hair that covered their heads. "I'm so sorry."
Dashing away his tears, he continued to watch them, unaware of the moments ticking by. When he finally glanced up, he noticed Bail's eyelids were fluttering suspiciously. It seemed the esteemed Senator was awake, but pretending to sleep so as not to interrupt.
"Good morning, Bail," he offered knowingly. Gesturing to the caf, he added, "You've been up all night?"
The Senator shrugged sheepishly. "Eight-Bee brought some formula so I've been feeding them every few hours. They have pretty good appetites for being so small."
Obi-Wan smiled and softly noted, "It's something they have in common with their father."
Bail looked stricken, but quickly recovered. "A nurse droid will be by shortly to give them a bath. If it's all right, I thought I might check Padmé's belongings. Threepio said she had packed a few sets of baby clothes?"
"Yes, she did." Obi-Wan inhaled sharply at the bittersweet memory. "She showed them to me one afternoon... I believe they are in a black case."
"I'll retrieve it shortly."
Obi-Wan nodded and then glanced towards the doorway, sensing Yoda's presence just outside. As Bail looked on quizzically, he raised a hand and released the lock, letting it slide open with a quiet hiss.
"Disturbing you, I hope I am not," Yoda murmured as he stepped into the room. His eyes immediately landed on the cradle, softening imperceptibly.
"You're not disturbing us in the least, Master Yoda," Bail insisted. "Please, come in and make yourself comfortable."
Obi-Wan noticed the hitch in other Jedi's movements and wondered what trials he had faced before fleeing the Temple. He knew he would have to be patient. Master Yoda did not like to be rushed - he would reveal his experience in his own due time.
"It's good to see you, Master," Obi-Wan greeted warmly. "I was overwhelmingly relieved when Bail told me you were safe."
"Mutual, the feeling is." Turning towards the cradle,he closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. "Strong in the Force, Skywalker's children will be. Much care we must take to keep them out of the reach of the Sith."
Obi-Wan didn't hesitate. "We must take them someplace they would never think to look."
"Too far ahead in your thinking you are, Master Kenobi," Master Yoda corrected. "First, decide if split up they should be."
"Split up?" he repeated in horror. "But they have been through so much already. Surely that isn't necessary-"
"If discovered one is, safe the other would still be."
Hidden within the folds of his robes, Obi-Wan's hands were trembling. There was no doubt that Luke and Leia depended on each other. Even in slumber they curled up side-by-side, legs and arms entwined peacefully. How he could he ever condone taking their last scrap of comfort away?
He sighed.
Because sometimes the right thing to do was the most difficult.
"That means we're going to have to find two families to take them in, Master," he argued weakly. "How are we going to do that without raising suspicions?"
"My wife and I can take Leia," Bail offered, bowing his head humbly. "As you know, we have always wanted children. And lately, we've talked about adopting a little girl. She will be loved with us."
Obi-Wan's mouth went dry. "What about Luke?"
"To Tatooine, take him," Yoda suggested. "Live with his family, he should."
Owen Lars, he remembered. Anakin's stepbrother.
He had to admit... it made a horrible amount of sense. Of all the places in the Galaxy, there was no chance Vader would set foot on the desert planet. It held too many memories for him.
"I should plan to live there as well," he stated firmly. "Leia will have the protection of the royal guards, but Luke... He may need me."
To Obi-Wan's relief, the other Jedi nodded. "Agree, I do. Take Luke to Tatooine you must and watch over him you will."
"So it's settled then?" Bail's voice was steady, but brimming with pure joy. "I am to take Leia to Alderaan?"
"Settled it is," Yoda advised. "Your daughter, she now will be."
Bail stood, setting his mug on a nearby table. "If you two will excuse me, I must speak with Captain Antilles. We will begin our preparations for departure."
After one last lingering glance at the crib, the Senator rushed from the room, leaving the two Jedi alone.
Yoda rested his chin on the top of his gimer stick, fixing Obi-Wan with a relentless state. "Sense your guilt, I do. Realize that young Skywalker chose his own path, you must."
"I am trying," he admitted. "But it's not easy."
"Know someone who might help you, I do." His ears twitched as he leaned forward, looking the younger man straight in the eye. "Your old Master."
Blue eyes widened. "Qui-gon?"
"Discovered the secrets to immortality, he has. How to commune with him, I will teach you."
For the next several moments, Obi-Wan absorbed the elder Jedi's teachings, comforted by the knowledge that he would soon be able to speak with the man he had missed for so many years. Unfortunately, the feeling did not last as he remembered the task that still lay ahead of him.
"I should go," he finally said. "The Naberrie's will be expecting me and I not wish to add to their grief."
"Know their grandchildren were born, do they?" Yoda asked.
"No," he replied. "I thought it would be safer if they didn't."
"Wise, you were. Pregnant, Senator Amidala should still appear."
Obi-Wan scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling as though he had aged a thousand years in the past day. "The abdomen shield she was wearing will give that effect. They will have no reason to suspect otherwise. Despite what has happened, it appears their trust in me remains unshaken."
"After you leave the Naberrie's, convince Knight Offee to go into hiding, you must," Yoda urged. "Too dangerous, the Galaxy has become for Jedi. Out of sight we must stay, until the Force beckons."
"There's no doubt then?" Obi-wan finally managed. "The Order has truly been destroyed?"
The sorrow in the diminutive Jedi's expression was all the answer he needed.
NABOO - OUTSKIRTS OF THEED, LATE EVENING
Barriss kept her eyes on the back of the priest's robes, not daring to look at Ruwee and Jobal. Every time she did, she felt her heart break a little more. The two people that had seemed so strong were now fragile and broken.
The past day had been one of the longest in her life. Since awakening to the horrific sound of Jobal's cries, each minute that passed had seemed an eternity. She could only stand by, watching as each family member began to grieve in their own way.
Jobal had busied herself by making pot after pot of tea, pouring each one out after it had gone untouched. Ruwee sat in an old wooden chair, staring out the window at something no one else could see. Sola and Dormé spent hours exchanging "Padmé" stories through voices that were thick with tears and laughter.
But they had all come back together to watch yet again as their beloved Padmé was sealed in a tomb.
Only this time it was horribly real.
Obi-Wan had arrived an hour before, materializing out of the shadows like a ghost. His hands had rested atop a hovering medical capsule, guiding it carefully across the grassy knoll.
"Where is her family?" he asked solemnly. "Just through the tree line over there," she replied, pointing to the Eastern horizon. "We will be taking the Senator's remains through the secret tunnel we used... before." A flash of sadness had washed over Obi-Wan's face before he regained his composure. She noticed, however, that he kept a protective hand on the capsule's surface, patting it absently. "Will you be joining us for the ceremony?" she finally asked. "It's going to be private." "I can't." The answer seemed to pain him further and he risked a furtive glance over his shoulder. "It's too dangerous for me to be seen here - and the same is true for you, Barriss. As soon as the service is over, you need to disappear." She nodded nervously. "Have you heard from anyone else?" "Only Master Yoda," he admitted sadly. "He was able to escape Coruscant before the planet was locked down." "And Knight Skywalker?" she pressed. "Have you heard from him?" "Yes." A muscle in the Jedi Master's jaw twitched. "Anakin is gone." "Gone? But he was the Chosen One." Barriss' hands flew to her mouth. "I... I can't believe it. What are we going to do?" "We are going to trust in the Force." The tone of Obi-Wan's voice was firm and unyielding. "Anakin may be lost, but there is still hope... There is always hope." As he spoke, the Jedi glanced towards his battled shuttle and smiled. "Am I allowed to know where you're going?" Barriss wondered. She wasn't surprised when he gave a quick, apologetic shake of his head. "Let's just say that I'm going to fulfill a promise." "Well, I wish you the best, Master Kenobi." Though she knew it would embarrass him, she clasped his hand affectionately. "May the Force be with you." "And with you, young Barriss." Glancing down at the makeshift coffin one last time, he mumbled a farewell and then returned to his ship. After watching the shuttle disappear into the nighttime sky, she slowly escorted Padmé to her family for the final time.
"Barriss? Are you ready to go?"
She shook herself, startled to find Dormé by her side. Taking a scan of her surroundings, she realized the memorial service was over. Her eyes found the weeping Naberrie's and she had to force the acknowledgement out: "Yes, I'm ready."
"I'll make sure they are all right," Dormé vowed, following her gaze. "They won't be alone."
"Thank you," Barriss whispered. "They have been so kind to me. I hate to leave them during such a time of sorrow."
"They would feel even worse if something were to happen to you too." The handmaiden inclined her head towards the speeder. "I'll be waiting."
Hesitantly, the Jedi moved towards Ruwee and Jobal, bowing respectfully as she passed the priest. Padmé's sister, Sola, stood a few feet away, clinging tightly to her husband's hand as the secret entrance to the tomb was permanently sealed.
"Barriss," Jobal sniffled. "Are you sure you have to leave now?"
"I'm afraid I must. The longer I stay, the higher the risk."
"We understand," Ruwee murmured. His voice dropped so only she could hear, "You have your credits?"
She patted the interior of her cloak. "I do. Thank you again."
"Be safe, Knight Offee," Jobal said. "We will keep you in our thoughts forevermore."
This time, Barriss was the one pulling them into a warm embrace.
IMPERIAL CITY - MEDICAL CENTER
Anakin came back to awareness slowly. Painfully.
His lungs burned, every breath threatening to shred the delicate tissue. His skin felt tight, as if it could barely contain his bones. When his eyes finally flickered open, he was relieved to find he could see well enough... though everything was soaked in a blood red haze.
"Lord Vader?" When there was no response, the voice sounded again. "Anakin, can you hear me?"
"Yes, Master," he replied automatically. For a moment, he was puzzled. The man speaking to him was Palpatine - not Obi-Wan... or even a Jedi for that matter. Why had he felt compelled to call him Master?
"Release him."
As ordered, the slab he was laying on began to move upright, buzzing ominously as the bonds that restrained him fell away. He took a tentative step forward, cursing inwardly when he nearly lost his balance. Glancing in frustration at his booted feet, he finally noticed the black suit that appeared to encase his legs, hips, arms...
"You've been placed in a life supporting suit, my friend," the former Chancellor explained. "I'm afraid your injuries on Mustafar were too extensive to fully repair. Your lungs were especially damaged. It's thanks to my careful timing that you're even still alive."
The Sith put his head in his hands, feeling the smooth texture of the black helmet. The horror came rushing back... Mustafar, Padmé's lifeless body, the baby that would never be born... He remembered his humiliating defeat at Obi-Wan's hands... clinging to a platform, waiting for the sweet release of death... that is, until Palpatine - no, Sidious - had come back to save him.
As he stood beside his Master, he felt the pull of the dark side, the promise of revenge and retribution. It swallowed his grief, smothered the part of him that still cried out for forgiveness.
Behind the mask, his blistered lips curled into a smile...
...even as the drowning voice whispered that he was now a prisoner in every sense of the word.
ABOARD SHUTTLE - SAME TIME
The incessant chiming of the navigation controls brought Obi-Wan out of his meditative trance. After checking on the still-sleeping Luke, he made his way to the front of the ship, sighing at the desert planet looming before him.
Tatooine, home sweet home.
At his side, his hands itched from the temptation to change the coordinates. He couldn't stop himself from remembering how Anakin had hated living in such harsh surroundings. Subjecting his son to the same fate seemed cruelly ironic.
Yet it didn't seem he had any choice, not if he wanted to keep Luke safe.
Thankfully, Leia's journey to Alderaan had been uneventful according to Bail's final transmission. She had been welcomed by Breha with open arms - quite literally, judging by the sound of it. Threepio and Artoo had vowed to continue their loyal duties, but only after submitting to a procedure that would wipe their memory caches. Neither, it seemed, wanted to be the cause of leaking the dreaded secret.
Sensing Luke was starting to awaken, Obi-Wan hurried to his side and scooped him up. Turning to the small warming unit, he rummaged until his fingers closed around a prepared bottle. Thankfully, Eight-Bee had given him several, each accompanied with detailed feeding instructions. He'd hated to leave the med droid behind, but the med center had demanded compensation. And, he had to admit, the transaction was neat, tidy and best of all - completely untraceable.
"It looks like we did it, Luke," he sighed. "Now, we'll have to see what the future brings."
Slipping the tip of the bottle between the infant's lips, the Jedi sank into the pilot's chair. He knew that somewhere below, Beru and Owen Lars were awaiting the arrival of their new son. They were going to have to wait a little while longer, however.
Because for the next few moments, Kenobi and Skywalker were a team once again.
