A/N: Hello dear readers! Well, here we are. This is the last chapter (besides an epilogue that I will post in a week or so). There is quite a lot of time jumps in this one but it was not necessary (at least in my opinion) to fill in more than what I have. I hope I chose rightly and that you enjoy this ending. Again ... there WILL be an epilogue posted that will close everything up and tie up any loose ends. Thank you, thank you for coming on this journey with me. Add me to your followed authors' list because there MAY be another Obi-Wan/Kat story in the works (anyone in the mood for an AU?). ;)

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ksecc1: I'm glad you found my story and that you are enjoying it. Thank you for your kind words about Kat and my writing. :)

ColdOnePaul: It was so hard to write about their farewells. I love Obi-Wan so much.

emilia: Yeah, sadly it had to happen and yes, she will survive.

LoveFiction2017: Thank you. :)

Smile Back: Sadly, yes, we are at the end. Thank you for your kind review! And I am working on an Obi/Kat AU story though it will be some time before its ready to go.

kaia: It is so much sadder to me now since we got to know him so much better in the prequels.

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Yadda yadda yadda. It all belongs to George Lucas and the actors. I can only claim my OCs. :)

Though the Empire tried to contain it, news of what had happened to Alderaan slowly filtered across the galaxy. What actually caused its destruction was not quite as clear but all began to realize the Empire and the Emperor had something to do with it. Then, several days later, came more news. It filtered through the spaceports and cantinas that, despite that horrific loss of life, the Rebellion had some how achieved its first victory by destroying the Empire's newest weapon, the Death Star, and that it was this colossal floating space station that had destroyed Alderaan. The outrage that began to build was the only bit of solace Rela could find when they heard the stories. When she and Obi-Wan had gone into exile two decades earlier they had all known - hoped - that eventually public opinion would begin to turn against Palpatine. However now, when the first strong indications of that happening were becoming clear, she had a hard time remembering that was what they'd been hoping for all along. All she could think about was who she had most likely lost in that peaceful planet's destruction: Bail Organa and his wife, Padmé, Sabé, not to mention the thousands of innocent citizens. She was pretty certain Leia had not been there; her message to Obi-Wan had mentioned her ship being attacked. At least there was hope there ... as long as she hadn't been lost in the battle they were hearing whispers of occurring not long afterwards.

Thaya seemed to think Luke would return to Tatooine but Rela knew that would not be happening ... at least not any time soon. She could feel his presence in the Force, distantly, so she did have the comforting knowledge that he had at least survived the battle to tell her daughter, but his destiny was not on the desert planet. He had been set on his path and now had to follow it. The Rebellion had only won this one battle, the war was far from over, and if Luke was going to defeat Vader and the Emperor, it would take time and training. She wasn't sure where that training would come from, perhaps Obi-Wan had told him about Master Yoda, but if he did not receive it, if he tried to rush, it would make him an easier target for the Dark Side. If Luke Skywalker fell just as Anakin Skywalker had before him there was no hope for the galaxy.

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Time seemed to pass slowly and speed by at once. As she came to realize Luke wasn't coming home Thaya focused all her time and effort into her own training. Rela began to wonder if her daughter harbored some feelings stronger than friendship for the young man; all her questions seemed to point in that direction. She did not push her on the subject, only offered her help the times it was asked. Sometimes Rela would just sit in the cave and watch as her daughter went through the well known cadences, occasionally offering some tip or trick she'd learned from Master Drallig. It was during these sessions that Thaya would ask about her life before the fall of the Republic, her time in the Jedi Temple, and, of course, about Obi-Wan. She was grateful to be able to pass on what she had known; the Emperor had made it a crime to even mention the Jedi and knowledge of their very existence was beginning to wane. It made her incredibly sad.

As her daughter found solace in her Jedi training, Rela found her own comfort in meditation. It was the only way to keep from dwelling on the past, which was something she found herself guilty of more and more as time went on. Having never enjoyed it much in the past - usually because of the visions she would receive - she was surprised at the comfort she found in it now. Obi-Wan did not come to her and she tried to tell herself that his focus, even in his present "form" had to be elsewhere. Luke and Leia were more important at the moment. She did have one visitor during some of her meditations that took her completely by surprise. Rela almost doubted her own senses when he first came to her.

"What a Jedi you would have made, Katavé Diaanti." The curtains of darkness parted and through it stepped someone she'd never expected to see again.

"Qui-Gon!"

"It is good to see you, too," he replied, his voice as warm as she remembered.

"What are you doing ... here?"

"Obi-Wan asked me to keep an eye on you and to give you more training."

She frowned at him. "I'm afraid my training days are long behind me. I have trouble keeping up with Thaya now."

"Your daughter is indeed strong in the Force, a credit to you and Obi-Wan, but it is not physical training of which I speak." His image settled itself cross-legged in front of her. "There are some things I taught Obi-Wan and Master Yoda that I will pass along to you ... if you are willing."

From the recesses of her brain came a memory, a short comment Yoda had made before they'd parted on Polis Massa. He'd told Obi-Wan he had more training for him during their exile on Tatooine. He'd never really told her what that had been about. Rela nodded eagerly.

"I am ready to learn, Master."

There was a scare when the HoloNet gleefully reported a "major" victory over the Rebels on a planet called Hoth. It took her some time after that to be able to feel Luke in the Force again. During their scarce visited into Mos Epsa they noticed an increase in the number of stormtroopers patrolling the area. Even a whisper of the Rebellion was taken care of swiftly; it seemed the Empire had finally realized what a threat they were facing. Rela was extremely glad Luke was no longer on the planet and that her identity had never been discovered. Even though Obi-Wan was gone, and she'd always suspected Vader hunted for him relentlessly, she still harbored knowledge of the true fate of Anakin's wife and children. Only when he and the Emperor were defeated would she feel safe.

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"Luke!" she said in surprise. "I didn't even feel your presence."

"I've had more training ... on Dahobah."

"Yoda," she breathed quietly, overjoyed to learn that the Jedi Master was still alive. He nodded and she indicated that he should join them in the shade of the house.

"I'm glad you're safe," Thaya spoke up as they settled into their seats. "We heard about Alderaan and the Death Star though there hasn't been much news since they reported on what happened on Hoth."

"I've been ... busy. There has been so much to do with the Rebellion and my training; I've been pulled all over the galaxy."

Rela watched as the two conversed quietly between themselves for a moment, noticing the subtle differences the last four years had wrought on Luke. Besides the scars on his face there wasn't much physically that showed any change but she could see the difference. Gone was the innocent, naive farm boy, replaced with a wiser, grounded young man. There was a heaviness sitting on him that she couldn't puzzle out, his mental shields were too strong, though she suspected his showing up on their doorstep played some part in it.

"So what brings you back to Tatooine?"

He pressed his lips together. "A few things. My friend Han was taken by a bounty hunter and delivered to Jabba. I've come to piece together a rescue. I had hoped I might be able to stay here for a while."

"Of course but that is not the only reason you are here."

"Obi-Wan said he had saved information that would help in my training and I could find it here. I also need to build a new lightsaber and he told me to come here, that he had all that I would need."

She nodded. "It is all downstairs but what happened to your father's saber?"

A look she didn't understand crossed his face. "I lost it when Vader did this." He pulled back his sleeve and they got a full view of his cybernetic hand. While Thaya was rightfully concerned Rela sucked in a deep breath, her eyes fixed on Luke's right arm. It was all too familiar.

"Vader did this?" she asked in a low voice.

"Yes, right before he told me he was my father."

Everything seemed to freeze around them. Luke was watching for her reaction but all she could do was stare at him, thoughts screeching through her mind. Vader actually told him that? How did he find out and did he know about Leia? What should she say? What would Obi-Wan or Yoda want her to say? As the silence stretched Thaya could only look between them in complete shock.

"You knew."

With a sigh she nodded at him. "Yes."

"Why didn't one of you tell me the truth?" There was no hardness in his tone, which he would have been completely justified in feeling. There was only confusion mixed with sadness.

"Luke, you had a hard enough time accepting the fact that your father was a Jedi and you could become one. In the span of a moment you learned that what you had been told your entire life was not the truth, though I cannot fault your uncle for keeping that from you. He acted in a way that he felt would keep you safe and who knows? Perhaps it did keep you safe. You lived here for almost twenty years without being discovered. How would you have reacted if we'd also said Anakin Skywalker had been seduced by the Dark Side and had fallen completely, becoming the Emperor's right hand and helping to destroy everything he'd once held dear?" Luke didn't answer but she wasn't expecting one. "You would have hurried to face him much too soon. Without the proper training you would have fallen just as he did."

Silence descended on them again but she was not inclined to break it. The young man in front of her needed to process what he was learning in his own time. Thaya was watching him closely, clearly at a loss as to what to say or do.

"He had the chance to kill me but he didn't."

"Then perhaps there is a glimmer of the man he once was buried somewhere deep inside him, some spark of humanity." He looked up quickly but she held a hand up in caution. "Do not think that you can change him. Once you start down the dark path forever will it dominate your destiny. Your father was not a bad man, Luke, I knew him, but he was never satisfied. He wanted to control things that cannot be controlled and that desire led him to believe the lies of the Emperor." She gave him a hard look. "What Obi-Wan told you about his part in the Jedi's destruction was true. After he became Palpatine's apprentice he led troops into the Jedi Temple and massacred everyone within its walls, not even sparing the children. Since then he has led the push to eradicate any that managed to avoid the Emperor's order to kill the Jedi. Yes, he was a good man once but that man was essentially killed when he became Darth Vader and there is no bringing anyone back from the dead."

Knowing there was no more she could tell him at the moment she rose and retrieved two small boxes from her room then motioned for him to follow her. He had come seeking knowledge and she would do as Obi-Wan would wish - show him the way. Luke came down the stairs into the tiny basement and stared around in faint surprise. Rela stifled a chuckle; she had tried to tidy it up a bit but it certainly didn't look like where a Jedi Master would work. Thaya seated herself on one of the steps and watched.

"You will find all his notes in the data pads," she explained. "I do not know what Master Yoda has taught you or what you seek to learn, but everything he knew he recorded. He even said they may help you or Thaya one day." Her daughter perked up at being included though Rela caught the blush that crossed her cheeks when Luke glanced her way. No, she didn't think she had been wrong in her suspicions there.

"Everything you could need to build a saber are down here. Did he or Master Yoda explain what goes into constructing a lightsaber?"

"Yes. Only through a deep connection with the Force will I be able to achieve it."

She nodded, pleased. "There are two other things I would like to offer you, Luke." Pulling one of the boxes out she held it towards him. He opened it carefully, Thaya peering over his shoulder. Both of them looked at her in confusion. "These are Jedi Holocrons. The Jedi Archives were full of them and they stored all their knowledge and history in them. I managed to rescue these two from the Temple before coming to Tatooine. I wish I could have saved more ..." A wave of sadness washed over her before she could stop it. She would never be able to forget how it felt to walk within those deathly silent halls, feeling the presence of all those lost hovering nearby.

Luke picked one up gently, turning it over in his hand. "How does it work?"

"Concentrate, focus, reach into the Force and it will show you how to open it." He contemplated it for a moment longer before setting it back in the box. Rela then handed him the other. The expression of wonder was clear on his face. "Kyber crystals. Once taken by padawans from the crystal caves of Ilum, they are the power, the heart of your lightsaber. When you are ready to begin construction, close your eyes and reach into the Force. Listen for the one that calls to you." Turning she began making her way back up the stairs. Thaya seemed a bit reluctant to follow but finally pried herself from Luke's side.

Feeling a little nudge from the Force she paused. "Whenever you are ready to open the holocrons, call Thaya and together the two of you can learn from the Jedi's knowledge."

He nodded. "Thank you. I am sorry for my harshness when I first arrived."

"There is nothing to apologize for, Luke. I will help you in whatever way I can."

Luke remained with them for a few months. After he'd constructed his new saber he and Thaya would spar in the caves, their green and yellow blades brightening the dimness as they practiced what they gleaned from Obi-Wan's data pads. Rela enjoyed watching these sessions. They worked well together and it wasn't hard to see the attachment growing between them. Thaya proved invaluable in her help as Luke organized and planned the rescue of his friend. Since her face was not plastered all over the Holonet as a wanted member of the Rebellion, she was able to go into Mos Epsa or even to Mos Eisley whenever needed. It made Rela a bit nervous but she knew not to interfere; Thaya had to follow her own path and she did not doubt that the Force would lead her in the right direction. When Luke mentioned Leia, however, she was hard pressed to keep her thoughts shielded and her reaction calm, though she did ask a few questions about her well-being. She couldn't keep back the smile when she learned how involved in the Senate and the Rebellion Padmé's daughter was. It was clear he had not been told about his relationship to her and though she wanted to reveal all to him she would not mess with Obi-Wan and Yoda's plans. She could understand their reasoning for not telling him but that didn't lessen her desire to say something.

The day finally came when all the pieces were in place and Luke was to leave them. Thaya had tried to convince him to let her help in the actual rescue but he refused. She tried to change his mind but was unsuccessful. Rela could have told her that; he was a Skywalker and they had always had a strong streak of stubbornness. He did promise to return as soon as he could and Thaya had to be content with that. After the two had said their good byes Luke approached her rather solemnly.

"Thank you again for all your help."

"That is why I stayed even after Obi-Wan's death. This war is not over yet and I suspected you might need what I had rescued from the Temple." She laid a hand on his arm. "You are a Skywalker and strong in the Force but I see your mother in you as well. You have her strength of mind."

His eyes widened. "You knew my mother?"

"I did. I counted her as my closest friend besides Obi-Wan." She saw the questions in his eyes. "When all this is over, when Vader is defeated, I will tell you all I can about her."

"I will hold you to that."

"It is a conversation I look forward to, Luke."

With a parting smile he vaulted into his speeder and sped away towards the south where she knew he was planning on meeting Threepio and Artoo.

"I could have helped him with the rescue." She put an arm around Thaya's shoulders and they returned to the shade of the house.

"This was something he has to do on his own. Your path did not lie in that way, my dear, but don't give up hope. He will return again and perhaps then the Force will point the two of you in the same direction."

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After that, besides the shocking news that Jabba the Hutt had been killed in an explosion while on his own sail barge, there was virtual silence on the Holonet. To Rela it felt like the galaxy was holding its breath, just waiting for whatever would happen next. She knew the fate of them all rested on Luke and the Rebellion and the decisive battle was coming.

"We're going into Mos Epsa."

Thaya looked up in momentary surprise but came to her feet and followed her out the door. There was no discussion for a little while as they sped across the sand; Rela was lost in her thoughts, focused on what she was feeling in the Force. She took a deep breath. For the first time in decades she could fully feel the Force around her; it was thrumming with energy. It seemed brighter, as if a veil had been removed. That told her all she needed to know.

"Something has happened."

"Why do you say that?" She gave her daughter a quick glance. Though Thaya was concentrating on steering the speeder Rela could see the look of distraction on her face.

"The Force feels ... different, brighter. I can't quite explain it."

"What you are feeling is how the Jedi felt before the shadow of the Dark Side clouded and hid everything."

Thaya looked at her in shock. "Do you mean ... the Emperor ... ?"

"I believe so, my dear. I believe so."

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They stood watching the fighters fly overhead as part of the celebrations. The scenes flashing across the Holonets from Naboo, Corellia, Coruscant, and other systems showed similar celebrating. Citizens of the galaxy were filling streets in their joy. After two and a half decades of oppression and fear there was finally the breath of hope. However, in the midst of all those celebrating, Rela became quiet. As she watched images streaming in from the Capital she was almost overcome with sadness. Sadness at the thought of all those who would not see this day: Padmé, Bail, the Jedi Order ... Obi-Wan. It had been over twenty-five years since she'd last walked the halls of the Temple, last felt its comforting aura wrap around her, and in that moment she grieved.

"Mother, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, my dear."

"You don't look too happy. I thought with all you and Father went through under the Empire ... "

"I'm ecstatic, Thaya, I'm just ... thinking."

"About Father?" She nodded. "But he would've known this was coming long before now and I can feel him with us now."

She put an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Oh, I know. I just wish he was here to experience everything we sacrificed and hoped coming to pass."

Thaya hugged her tightly. "Will everything go back the way they were before the Emperor?"

"The Rebellion leaders will work quickly to fill that void of power, to establish a sense of normalcy in the galaxy, but we will never be able to get back what was lost." Her daughter pursed her lips in thought for a bit. A Togruta from a nearby cantina fairly danced by, handing them each a mug of ... something.

"Luke is alive?" Rela closed her eyes briefly then nodded. She could feel Luke's light in the Force stronger than ever. "Will he come back here?"

She tried to hide her smile. "Oh I imagine he'll turn up eventually."

And he did.

It wasn't right away but a few months after the battle on and above the planet of Endor, Rela sensed that he was coming. She noticed a slight change in Thaya's disposition and knew she had picked up on his Force signature as well. They both waited anxiously though for different reasons. She wanted to hear how he had defeated Vader and the Emperor, along with wanting to tell him about his parents, while her daughter merely wanted the man she loved to return to her. Rela wasn't entirely sure about Luke's feelings but she somehow knew her time on Tatooine with Thaya was drawing to a close.

A week or so after sensing his approach, she woke knowing that it was finally the day. In mid afternoon she stood in the doorway of the house and watched the cloud of dust that heralded a speeder heading in their direction.

"He's here," Thaya whispered, excitement coloring those two words. However it wasn't just Luke in the speeder and Rela stared in shock at the young woman that entered behind him, Artoo and Threepio trailing behind.

"You look so much like your mother," she breathed in amazement. Leia looked at her in surprise but Luke's expression showed that he knew she'd known about this part of his life as well and refrained from telling him. It was clear Luke had told her they were related though it did seem the news was quite recent. She simply raised an eyebrow at his piercing gaze before ushering them to seats, overjoyed to see Padmé's children alive and together at last. However Thaya's original exuberance was gone. Rela had no trouble reading her tumultuous thoughts as she watched Leia with slightly narrowed eyes. It was time to clear up all the questions the three young people around her had - spoken and unspoken.

"You knew my mother?" Leia asked.

"I did indeed." She gestured for them to make themselves comfortable. "It is time you really heard where you come from and the truth about your parents."

"Their parents?" Thaya said, her brows together in confusion.

She held up a hand. "I think all of your questions will be answered eventually." Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she reached back through almost forty decades of memories. "My name, the one I was born with, is Katavé Diaanti. I grew up and lived on Naboo for the first thirty years or so of my life. When I was in my early twenties I was appointed as a handmaiden for the newly elected Queen of Naboo, Padmé Nabarrie." She looked at the twins. "She was just fourteen but it was the start of her life in public service. She would go on to be a formidable Senator ... and your mother."

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The night was half over when she finished her tale, sitting back and taking a sip of the drink Thaya had brought her at some point. Luke was staring at his hands pensively while there were a few tears in Leia's eyes. Her daughter's suspicion was gone and there was a look of awe and shock on her face.

"I only have a few memories of my mother," Leia finally said, meeting her gaze. "She died when I was young, probably five or six years old."

For a moment she couldn't respond. Rela had tried to grow accustomed to the idea that Padmé had been lost in Alderaan's destruction but to discover she had been gone for many years before that was almost like losing her all over again. Biting her lip she took a few steadying breaths, staring at where her hands were clasped in her lap.

The young woman came and sat next to her. "Thanks to you some of those memories make much more sense now. The image I have of her in my head is of a beautiful but tired and sad lady. Now I understand why she was like that." Leia frowned a bit. "You say she loved our father, Anakin?"

"Deeply and was willing to risk scandal, the possibility of being forced from her position, and the probability of Anakin having to leave the Order if their marriage was discovered. Even after what he tried to do to her she loved him, almost losing her will to live. She believed there was still good in him."

"There was," Luke spoke up, his voice firm. He had already told her what had transpired between the two of them and Palpatine on the new Death Star. While she was glad Anakin had come around in the end it certainly did not wipe away all the evil he had done over the past two decades. She could only hope that he was now at peace.

Leia looked at her brother. "I do not know if I will ever be comfortable with the knowledge that he was my biological father, that his blood flows in my veins, but I am glad I know more about my mother and her relationship with him." Luke only nodded then rose to his feet and strode out the door into the darkness.

After only a moment Thaya quickly followed after him, calling his name. Rela turned back to Leia, cherishing this time she had with her friend's daughter. It was her last connection to her old life.

"What will you do now that the Emperor and Vader are gone? Will you stay here on Tatooine?"

She took a sip of her tea. "I haven't given it much thought. I suspect Thaya will be leaving with the two of you. I can no longer keep her here, there is no reason to, and her heart seems to be leading her in the right direction." Leia looked out the door thoughtfully where the two had disappeared.

"Let me help you no matter what you decide, whether it is staying here or returning to Naboo or Coruscant."

Rela jerked a bit at the mention of the Capital; she never thought to see it again. She pondered on Leia's words for some time. What did she want to do? Where did she want to go? Did she want to return to the planet she had grown up on, where she'd lived a happy life and served Padmé ... and met Obi-Wan? Did she want to return to Coruscant and see what remained of the Jedi Temple, to see where she and Obi-Wan had finally come to realize their feelings for each other? Or would she prefer to remain here on Tatooine where the two of them had loved and lived together for almost twenty years? No matter where she ended up she would be alone with her memories.

"Not completely alone, my dear."

There was a gentle brush against her arm and she smiled.

"Did you send Qui-Gon to me?" She could almost feel him nod. "Thank you. It gives me hope that we will be together again."

"I will be by your side until you join me in the Force."

He fell silent but she knew he was still near by.

"It is over. All that we hoped and waited for has come to pass."

There was no response but she didn't need one. At least there would now be peace in the galaxy.