Author's Note: Major spoiler warnings for pretty much everything, Rebels, Clone Wars, all of it. I even manage to slightly foreshadow some themes from the Sequel Trilogy. Even the title is spoilery. If it's Star Wars, I'm spoiling it.
Also, I've been looking forward to this chapter for a very long time...
Legendary: Ahsoka Tano
8 ABY
A chill wind blew across the plain, leaving ripples in the grasslands, like waves in an ocean. Small pockets of ice and snow stubbornly clung to the shadows; spring came late if at all to these latitudes of Lothal, and in only a few short months, storms of ice and wind would race across the region. Today, the sky was grey with heavy clouds that allowed occasional rays of warm sunlight through.
Ahsoka sat in a meditation pose on a smooth expanse of flat stone, free from both the grass and snow. Her convoree friend, Morai, sat on her shoulder, quiet and content with the peaceful moment. Ahsoka stretched her senses outward towards the life of Lothal, touching it, feeling its renewed health. Like many planets, Lothal had suffered under the Empire, its people and ecology nearly destroyed. Unlike many, Lothal was recovering, though it would still be a few decades before the ecology fully stabilized. The inhabitants of the planet were doing everything in their power to restore the grasslands to their former beauty. All the work had turned Lothal into the shining jewel of the Outer Rim.
Beneath her, Ahsoka felt strange energies swirling, like eddies of foam in a river. Remnants of the temple that had once sat on this site, perhaps. She opened her eyes to glance at the softly downed bird that sat upon her shoulder. "You wouldn't know anything about this place, would you?" The convoree did not answer the question but regarded Ahsoka with its ancient eyes. "I thought so. You are not so good at keeping secrets as you once were. The day will come when your secrets will be laid bare to me, Morai. Perhaps, then we will speak and truly know each other."
The sound of an approaching ship caught her attention, and she turned to watch an X-Wing class fighter, land beside her own shuttle. Taking her staff in hand, she raised herself to her feet, straightening her white robes. The wind picked up again, and she pulled the hood over her montrals. A young man, still in his late twenties climbed out of the fighter, followed by a very old friend. The droid bumped into the youth on his way to greet Ahsoka.
She laughed and knelt by the droid. "Artoo, it's… It's good to see you too old friend. Yes, I've heard how you've been watching after Anakin's children. I couldn't have asked for anything more, and they couldn't have asked for a more loyal droid." She placed a hand on the familiar dome, and the droid beeped appreciatively.
A single tear trickled down Ahsoka's cheek. "Anakin would have been proud of you, Artoo. What? Oh, just keep doing what you're doing. I think Luke will have need of you. Yes, I agree. Skywalkers tend to get themselves into trouble." She stood and leaned on her staff. "It's good to see you again, Luke." She favored him with a graceful smile and noted that his blond hair was beginning to darken with age.
Luke nodded respectfully. "And you, Ahsoka. I'm glad your search of the Unknown Regions wasn't in vain. Though I'm a little disappointed that neither you nor Bridger are interested in my offer."
"You've spoken with him then?"
"Yes, yesterday and again this morning. He's offered his help and knowledge, though when the time comes, he doesn't want to be part of a formal Jedi Order, even with the promise that this new Order will have learned from the mistakes of the last. I don't suppose I can blame him; the Force has taken him on a different path."
"His family is very important to him," Ahsoka said thoughtfully.
"And I would never dream of separating him from them, especially after how long they were apart." Luke smiled tightly. "I don't suppose that you would reconsider. A new Jedi Order would blossom under your wisdom. We both know that, between us, you have the greater knowledge of the Force." He held up his hand. "Yes, I know what happened before. I'd rather something like that never happen again, and I think your guidance could prevent that."
Ahsoka gripped her staff with both hands and rested more of her weight upon it. "Much like Bridger, the Force has taken me on a different path, though I too will provide any council and wisdom you need."
"I won't pretend I'm not disappointed," Luke admitted, looking around the open plain, "but I understand. Now if you don't mind me asking, is there some reason you wanted to meet at this location? I feel I'm missing some piece of the puzzle."
Ahsoka swept her arms wide in a gesture towards the lands around them. "Cast out your senses, Luke, into the plains around us, into the very stones. On this spot there once stood a Temple that guarded an ancient secret; it was connected through the Force to all times and places. It was a... gateway of sorts, and its past is shrouded in mystery."
Luke closed his eyes, and Ahsoka felt a brief touch as he cast his awareness wide. After several minutes he opened his eyes. "The temple is both long absent and still present. How is this possible?"
Ahsoka looked at her stone beneath her feet. It had divulged no mysteries to her this day, or on any other that she had meditated here since their return to civilized space. "I don't know. There are other such places around the galaxy, and it is my task to find them, to understand them. The Force has many mysteries, Luke, not all of which are for the Jedi to concern themselves with." She winked playfully at him. "Some of its mysteries are for us outsiders. Fear not, I will share anything important I find with you."
"I would appreciate that. I'm only now beginning to understand how little I know of the nature of the Force." He raised a single eyebrow. "But why bring me here today?"
Ahsoka smiled. "Must I have an ulterior motive?" Luke's expression didn't change. "Oh, very well. I have been to Mustafar. As you likely know, Vader had a fortress there, in the place that he fought Obi-Wan."
"Yes, I've heard of it. I have wanted to investigate the site, but thought it unwise to visit a place so strong in the dark side alone."
"Then you were wise. As for myself," Ahsoka glanced at Morai on her shoulder, "I am rarely alone, and need not fear the dark side."
"And what did you find in my father's fortress?" Nervous energy radiated from the young man. These were matters that lay near his heart.
"Less than I had hoped," Ahsoka admitted. "I was afraid that it had already been looted or destroyed, but it appeared to have simply been abandoned. There were a few traps, some defense droids that needed dismantling, but there was little threat to myself or Morai. I did find a few… trophies that Vader kept. One, in particular, you may be interested in."
"Oh, what's that?" Luke asked, his youthful curiosity bubbling to the surface.
Ahsoka pulled the item in question out from her robe and handed it to Luke. "Obi-Wan's lightsaber. It seems that Vader kept it on his person and that it wasn't destroyed on the Death Star as I had thought."
Taking the hilt, Luke inspected it curiously. "I'll admit that I don't recognize it, I only saw him wield it once, in his duel with my father. But…" He closed his eyes. "It feels like him. It feels…" He trailed off, perhaps unsure of what word fit best.
"Wholesome?" Ahsoka suggested. "Obi-Wan was many things, and the kyber crystal in this saber is attuned to him even in death; it is still radiant with his presence."
Luke looked at the lightsaber again. "Why give this to me? You knew Ben far better than I did."
Ahsoka turned away from Luke and looked out over the plains, peering into the depths of her memories, to the days before sorrow had come upon them all. "We were family, Anakin, Obi-wan, and I. And I miss them both dearly. But my memories of Obi-Wan are treasure enough. No, I want you to keep this as a reminder of the past, of the things that came before." She turned back to Luke. "There are some who say that we should let the past perish. That its time has come, and once it is gone, it is best that it lies in its grave."
"But this is the height of foolishness. For the past is not gone. Through the Force, we forge bonds that link us to others. Those bonds heed neither the limits of time or space." She gestured to the ground. "Much like the temple that once stood on this spot. Obi-Wan died many years ago, and yet still his bonds tie him to the people of the galaxy, and especially to you and your family. He was one of the chief characters of this age of history, and it will bear his influence until the end of time. What he did, what he accomplished, cannot be undone. He left his mark on everyone he knew, and we were all the better for it."
Ahsoka paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. "I have meditated long on Obi-Wan, seeking to understand how one man could have so great an effect on the galaxy. I have no answer, save this: he was a good man who stood against the darkness. And this was enough, for his actions saved us all."
For a time there was only the gentle whisper of winds through the grass. The clouds darkened and the patches of sunlight disappeared. It was Luke who broke the silence first. "And yet, in the end, even he lost faith in Anakin."
"Indeed," Ahsoka agreed, her voice soft. "In the end, he proved only to be a man, flawed and imperfect. I think, though, that by now the Master and Apprentice have forgiven each other."
"I saw them both once, on Endor, with Yoda," Luke spoke barely above a whisper, as one does when revealing a great secret.
"And I have spoken once to Anakin, but such matters are private, and I will keep them near my heart."
The clouds broke again, driven by the biting winds, and the sun returned, bringing with it a hint of warmth and the coming spring. Luke clipped Obi-Wan's lightsaber to his belt. "I will keep this, and honor the memory of Obi-Wan."
"And," Ahsoka added smiling, "when you establish your new Jedi Order, I will come and tell the Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi to the initiates, for he could stand amongst the greatest heroes of the Order and feel no shame in their presence." She laughed, "Listen to us trading high speech as if we were masters; I fear we both have much to learn before we earn such titles, or the right to speak thus."
Luke laughed, and for a moment Ahsoka could see the farm boy that Obi-Wan had guarded over for so many years. She could also see some of Anakin, the kind and noble knight who would wade into ten thousand battle droids for the sake of a friend. Ahsoka peered at Luke closely for a moment, wondering if he carried the darker tendencies of his father, the impulsive and reckless nature. Perhaps he did, though she could not read those traits in him in this moment. "So what will you do now, Luke if you are still some ways out from founding your Order?"
He dropped his hands behind his back to a relaxed pose. "More research for now. The Empire couldn't erase the Jedi entirely in just a few short decades. There are ruins, documents, possibly even other survivors out there. I've heard a few rumors of an underworld vigilante on Nar Shaddaa that does miraculous things. If there are any more Jedi," he gestured at Ahsoka, "or ex-Jedi out there, I intend to find them. And yourself? More exploration?"
Ahsoka nodded. "There are more places like this in the Galaxy, and it has been given to me to find them. If you have need of me, leave a message with Bridger. He'll know how to find me."
"And if you need me... " Luke began before being cut off by Ahsoka.
"I'll talk to Leia."
He laughed. "That will work. And now I'm needed elsewhere. Farewell Ahsoka." He bowed to her respectfully, and she returned the gesture. "You ready, Artoo?"
The little old droid whistled sadly. "We shall see each other again," Ahsoka said to him with a wink. "Keep up the good work. Your part has been bigger than mine; my tasks have always been at the edges of history and the great deeds." She patted his dome. "You've always been right in the thick of things." Artoo beeped happily and rolled back towards the X-Wing. Luke gave her a friendly salute and, as he walked to the ship, lifted Artoo into his socket with the Force.
Ahsoka leaned on her staff and watched as the X-Wing flew away. She considered meditating a bit longer but knew that the site's mysteries would not reveal themselves to her. The academic mood had passed; she was wrapped up in too many memories of Anakin and Obi-Wan. She was pleased that Luke had taken Obi-Wan's saber. Maybe it would remind him to slow down and consider the past. The few times they had spoken, he had always been looking to the future. This wasn't bad in and of itself, but, to a Jedi, hindsight was as valuable as foresight.
She sighed and walked slowly back towards her shuttle. She spoke softly, to herself and perhaps to others if they were listening. "Oh, Obi-wan, Anakin… For long I thought that I had been left alone when in truth you both endured; one under the burden of your responsibilities and the other under the burden of your crimes. But now it seems the two of you have done your great deeds and lived your lives to their completion. You have passed into legend, and at long last, I am alone, a relic of another age. " She smiled as she reached the hatch of her ship. For a moment she thought she heard a soft sound behind her, a change in the tone of the wind as it moved through the grass.
She turned hoping to see a faint blue light flickering against the grey skies. Perhaps they had heard her after all. But there was nothing. Then the wind moved through the grass again, from a new direction, and this time and she heard it.
The sound of distant laughter, voices that she knew. "Very well, don't show yourselves." She laughed along with the voices as they became suddenly clearer. The wind picked up again, stronger this time and Ahsoka had to hold her hand to her head to keep her hood in place. For the briefest of moments, she saw them.
They were as she remembered them in the old days. Anakin, young and tall, the gallant knight, and Obi-Wan, full of unending wit, a voice of wisdom. The vision lasted for an instant and then they were gone, returned to wherever they existed within the Force. The wind died, and all was still.
"Into legends, you return," she said in a voice that was barely a whisper. "I will ensure that your stories are not forgotten, and go back to my own. Obi-Wan, Anakin… May the Force be with you."
There was the softest breath of air on her face, faint and gone the moment it was felt.
This was reply enough for Ahsoka. And though she knew that this was the last she would see of dear friends before her own time came to pass into the Force, it was enough. After all, her own legend was not yet complete. Ahsoka knew that it would be contained in the margins of the great histories of this time, and never the central chapters. Still, it was the part that destiny had written for her.
And she wouldn't have it any other way.
End of Final Act: The Legacy of Obi-Wan Kenobi
Author's Note: First, this isn't over. Epilogue chapter coming soon. Yeah. I've got more.
Now about this chapter, I did my best to connect it to as much of Star Wars as I could. I used it as a conclusion to the story of Obi-Wan (and Anakin), a conclusion to Luke's original trilogy story. A capstone on this particular stage of Ahsoka's life, as well some Rebels, (hope to see Ahsoka and Sabine's journey someday...). I even tried to look forward to the sequel trilogy, with Ahsoka noting the same things about Luke that Yoda does. That he looks forward to too much and does not look backward.
Also his impulsive nature. I'm not going to get into TLJ right now; I know a lot of fans have... let's say mixed feelings about it. However, I do think that the criticism of Luke is mostly unfounded. Luke in a dark side fueled impulsive moment nearly killed his father. Some decades into the future he repeats the same mistake. In a single moment, he ignited his lightsaber and was left with "Shame and consequence." So I tried to slightly foreshadow that momentary regression.
And then there was the ending, Ahsoka's last vision of her friends. I aimed for it to be happy, but in the end, I fear that it was bittersweet at best. Perhaps I've let Tolkien influence me a bit too much. Victory in this world often comes at so terrible a cost...
Come back for the epilogue. I hope you won't be disappointed.
