A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you! After that last chapter, there was a huge influx of readers adding this fic to their Favorite Story category and signing up for Story Alerts for when I posted again. Not to mention an incredible increase in the number of hits. So thank you to everyone for reading! You guys have totally made my day! And of course, much love to those who took the time to write replies as well.

ObiBettina7, there was supposed to be more Obi-wan in that chapter, but like I said, the time sequencing didn't match up. So as a result, there is a lot of Obi-wan in this last chapter and only two scenes with Anakin. It's all just wrap-up mostly, but a surprise for our favorite Jedi Master thrown in.

(On a side note, for people who have signed up for Alerts on RotL, I'm so sorry if you got a thousand or so e-mails the other day telling you updates had been made. I was going through the earlier chapters, using some of the new tools available to reinsert scene breaks, which requires me to replace chapters. No chapters were actually replaced – just a few changes were made. Oh, except in #14 (Chapter 2 of The Return Home) in which I discovered I'd left off the scene where Padme joins Anakin on his trip – had posted it on another site but not on , so if anyone is interested, it's there.)

That's enough from me.


Chapter Ten:

The End of the Beginning

Five Years After Rebirth of the Light


They didn't make it to the crevice, even with Threepio remaining behind.

Explosions rocked the mountain ranges and the very ground quivered under their feet. The air became thick with the blue dust, choking the three as they ran, searching in the darkness for that sliver of light that promised escape from the tunnel. Of course, that would take them out into the open crevice, with the threat of falling rocks or being targeted by overflying enemy fighters. But they couldn't just stay put either.

Obi-wan felt his throat tighten as they ran, not with panic or fear, but something from the very depths of his soul, something that had leaked into the marrow of his bones. He tried to concentrate on getting out of the tunnel, or not thinking beyond the moment, but still it pulled at him, dragging him back to that vision.

In the shadows of the passageway, he saw again the Falcon careen into the mountain, saw the hull invert from the impact and fire rise up from the ship's belly.

Logic told him the twins were safe within the caves, in the care of the Blue Dust clan. But something akin to parental instincts, horned after years of caring for young charges, told him otherwise. Obi-wan knew that Luke and Leia were on the Falcon, the hows and whys of it irrelevant. They were so much like their father, like their mother, even at so young an age – too young! His mind screamed, too young to have been brought along on this journey! – that there was no other place they could be.

"Force protect them," he rasped under his breath.

"Luke and Leia?" Padme gasped beside him, stumbling as the entire mountain around them shook.

"They're fine."

"No worries, Milady!" Han, running just behind them, had to shout to be heard over the thunder. "Ain't no one you want watching your kids in a time like this other than a Wookie. Except maybe a Jedi." He offered Kenobi a lopsided grin, but the boy's eyes carried a weight in them similar to his own.

Entire parts of the tunnel were coming loose now, falling from above, the walls crumbling on either side. The Tie's torpedoes were dull thuds above, but their impact rocked the mountains with a deafening bellow. Now they were not only running in the dark with only the aid of a glow rod, but the very earth had become a nightmarish obstacle course.

Over the rush of blood in his ears, Obi-wan could hear the Force screaming at him. He had been ignoring it, fearing what it would tell him, fearing the worst news. Now it cancelled out his very thoughts, demanding attention as the very roof above them crumbled under the duress of the Imperial bombardment.

Padme reached behind her and grabbed Han, pulling him to her. They collapsed together on the ground, Padme shielding the boy as much as she could with her body. Obi-wan knelt over them, covering both their heads entirely, for what little it could do, and turned his full power towards protecting them from the falling rocks.

The world became a whorl of thunderous sound and choking dust, deafening all thoughts and sensation. All the bits and pieces of the universe seemed to be pulling themselves apart in a single instant that somehow also managed to last forever.

When it finally calmed, the pulse of torpedoes moving away farther down the range, they remained huddled together, reclaiming their identities separate from the madness.

"Is-is it over?" Han finally managed.

"For now." Coughing up dust, every inch of his smeared with dirt, Obi-wan raised up and took a shuddering breath. "Padme?"

"I'm-I'm alright, I think. Nothing broken." With shaking hands, she reached out to Han and brushed his hair out of his face, leaving smudge marks. "Sweetheart? Are you okay?"

At her touch, his bottom lip trembled, but he nodded fiercely.

Padme glanced around them at the pile of dirt and boulders. Already the blue dust was settling over everything. But the area around them was mostly clear. She turned questioning eyes on her Jedi Master and found him looking up.

"Look."

Where a large portion of the tunnel ceiling had caved in, light shown through. They had managed to run far enough before the bombardment to be somewhere near the surface, probably in the foothill of the mountain they had just been under. There was still all that rock, hanging over their heads.

"Come on, come on," Obi-wan barked, grabbing them both and practically throwing them in the direction of the opening. "We've got to get out of here before the rest of the tunnel gives." They scrambled around the debris, wary of the structural integrity of the roof above them. With youthful ease, Han used the fallen rocks that had once made up the tunnel to shimmy up and through the cave-in.

"You next," the Jedi instructed, but Padme shook her head.

"My shoulder. I can't-"

She didn't get another word out, as Obi-wan again scooped her up into his arms, and with only two steps and the aid of the Force, bounded up the wall and out into the clear open sky.

The world outside the tunnel was bleak. The Imperial bombardment had done its work, and all along the mountain ranges, clouds of dirt and rock showered down, as though the hills were exploding. Their innards rained down into the gullies, or the winds picked it up, swirled it around so that the sky took on a grayish hue.

In the direction of their landing pad, fires burned.

Off in the distance, they could see the receding black dots that marked the Ties.

They huddled together, staring, looking ragged and tired. In the hazy sunlight, their clothes and hair glowed softly from the blue dust covering them. The wind tugged at them lightly, but still Padme shivered at its touch.

"Obi-wan," she murmured, "can you feel…?"

The Jedi Master clenched his jaw and continued to stare off at the horizon. With a gentle firmness, he took her hand in one of his.

"We head for the caves where the clan lives." He replied, not looking at her.

"Yeah, great plan," Han muttered, scrubbing at his face with a dirt-ridden sleeve. "And just what are we going to do when we get there? We got Imps in the air, Imps on the ground, probably got Imps hanging over us in space, which means no escape even if they didn't bomb the hell out of the Falcon. We got no resources, no way to call for help, no way to get off planet, and I don't exactly think the natives are up to taking on Imperial forces all by their lonesome, even with a Jedi playing for their team. So basically, the mission has gone to space-dust and we're all out of options."

"We're never out of options," Padme replied confidently, squeezing Obi-wan's hand in hers. "We do as Obi-wan suggested. We head for the caves. We regroup, and trust in the Force." And we find my children, she silently added, knowing it didn't need to be said aloud. They were all thinking it.

"It's going to be a hell of a walk," the boy replied, not looking the least bit reassured by her optimism. "What with you and your injury, and the very mountains practically coming down around our heads, and under our feet."

"All the more reason to get moving," Obi-wan said, effectively ending the conversation.

He could feel the lights that marked lives in the Force going out all around him. Try as he might, there were two in particular that he's couldn't find.


"All troops stand down. This is order number twelve-oh-thirty-three. I repeat, all troops stand down in accordance with order number twelve-oh-thirty-three. One-two-zero-three-three. Stand down. This station is now under new management."

Cast in the glow of the numerous light of the control panels, Sabe spoke determinedly into a comm. unit, keeping an eye out for any immediate signs of danger marked by the flash of alarms. Taking the control room meant victory only if the Imperials acknowledged themselves beat and didn't try to mount a defensive. She had hopes that, despite the high level of security this station was no doubt filed under, the troopers would be willing to give it up without further bloodshed.

"Well?"

Anakin was bracing himself against the blast doors through which she had come running earlier, pressed against it as if actually listening for sounds of surrender. He had told her he thought the troopers were all clones, and therefore conditioned to obey orders, but had insisted on reading their reactions through the Force before taking any risks.

"I think they're buying it. They seem a little confused, which is understandable, considering that not five minutes ago, they were chasing hostiles through the corridors. But overall, I think they're grateful to have received orders, after having been left to just stand around out there."

"Great. A lucky break at last."

Anakin groaned. "Sabe, please. You're going to jinx it."

She laughed and slammed her hand down on the door controls on the panel. The blast doors slid open without a complaint, revealing the squadron of troopers that had very nearly been responsible for her death. They were a mere handful, fewer than they had seemed in the midst of pursuit. At the sight that greeted them in the control room, the troopers started to raise their guns.

"Tsk, tsk," Anakin remarked playfully, raising a hand. "That's not very nice. Didn't you hear the order? You're to stand down."

The troopers hesitated, a few even glancing at their companions. Anakin took that as a sign he had been right about their breeding. None of them were wearing anything marking rank. "Who is the highest rank among you?"

After another hesitation, a trooper at the front of the small group lowered his blaster and stepped forward. The voice that issued from out of the vocorder was immediately familiar, and Anakin felt a brief nostalgia for the days of the Clone Wars, and the clones with which he had made friends.

"That would be me, sir."

"Your rank?"

"Captain, sir."

"Captain?" Anakin was taken aback. "Are there no more senior officers among you?"

"There were, sir. But conditions beyond our control have limited our forces."

"Conditions?" Sabe stepped forward now as well, seeing the other troopers had lowered their blasters. "Explain, Captain."

The Imperial hesitated a moment more, then reached up and removed his helmet. The face that stared back at them was familiar, the face of every clone they had ever known, except for the changes the man had undergone. The clean-shaven, crew-cut look enforced among the troopers allowed for every wrinkle to be seen, every age spot the man had acquired. It suddenly made sense to Sabe how she had so easily out-run her hunters, their strong reliance on battle droids. The once-young men created from the genetic material of Jango Fett, and spurred into maturity through accelerated growth hormones, had aged into grizzled veterans.

"Many of our number gave into age," the captain explained. "Others faced health concernes, and the station couldn't provide for them. A handful, shamefully, became dissatisfied with our duty, and sought to end their tour before receiving termination papers." For a moment, the trooper linked eyes with Anakin, and the Jedi saw something he would have never expected in a clone's eyes. "We've been here a very long time, sir."

For the second time in the last few minutes, Anakin found himself sympathizing and feeling a wash of pity for men who only a moment ago he had been combative with. Would it be like this with other Imperials he came across, other individuals he had once envisioned as enemies? Was the entire galaxy like this, so very weary of conflict, as weary as he was?

If so, then Anakin was infinitely grateful. It would make everything so much easier, both in the taking control of this station and in refusing the fractured bits of this galaxy.

"Then I have some good news for you, captain. You and your men are soon to be relieved of duty."

The captain cast a glance in the direction of Tarkin's body, which Anakin had left lying just off to the side.

"Nothing like that, captain," Sabe hurried to reassure the man. "I am Commander Ulin, and am now in charge of this station. The moff was found to be acting against the wishes of the people of the Empire and was executed. We are here to rectify the situation."

No wonder Obi-wan was in love with this woman. She executed his point-of-view theory flawlessly.

The Imperial troopers seemed to take this quite well, a number of them even snapping to attention. The chain of command, which Tarkin had allegedly broken, was the equivalent to a religion for these men, and the need to reinstate order was what they had been bred for.

The captain was one among them who had snapped to attention, purpose shining in his eyes. "Your orders, Commander?"

Sabe couldn't resist herself. She shot a smug look Anakin's way. He glowered. Wasn't he ever going to get to be in command of anything ever again? Be careful what you wish for, he reminded himself. Still, her smugness rankled.

"Gather your men, inform them of the change of command. Then, I need you to round up the entire crew of this station, no matter their occupation. I have a particular interest in the technicians, the men who helped built it. If they come willingly, do not harm them. If they resist, take precautions to ensure their cooperation. We want them alive, Captain." She stressed the last bit. They may be under her command now, but Sabe remembered all too well the infamous Order Sixty-Six that had turned the clone troops on the Jedi. If these soldiers could turn on their allies like that, there was no reason to doubt the extremes to which they might go to make the station's crew cooperate.

"Yes, Commander."

"Bring them to Hanger 85, where the passenger shuttles are docked. You are to get all personnel aboard and prepare for departure. Understood?"

"Yes, Commander." He hesitated. "Permission to speak, Commander?"

"Granted."

"Would I be correct in assuming personnel will not be allowed to return to the station?"

"You would be correct, yes."

"Permission to give personnel time to gather personal belongings, assuming they cooperate?"

The two rebels exchanged a glance.

It seemed like such a small kindness to allow that sort of thing. But if any of the crew figured out that they were being rounded up because rebels had taken control of the station, or one among them was an Imperial agent, they might very well use the opportunity to do some damage.

Sabe quirked an eyebrow, as if to say, "could you use the Force to monitor for that situation?" Or maybe it was a "what do you think?" Anakin wasn't quite sure, and just shrugged in return. If a threat arose, they would handle it.

"The station is almost the size a moon. It could take time to round everyone up. Days, even. No reason to rush if it's going to take time anyway."

"Agree. You have a window of three days," Sabe told the captain. "If a cooperative individual can obtain their personal items and get to the hanger in time for boarding, then they may do so. However, I want you to stress that if they cannot make that time, or there are any attempt to cause trouble, there will be consequences."

The trooper replaced his helmet before smartly saluting. "Understood, ma'am."

"Good. Dismissed."

"Wait."

Already halfway through the door, the trooper spun on his heel. "Sir?"

Anakin ignored Sabe's inquisitive look. "Do you have a crematorium on board?"

"Yes, sir."

He motioned to the crumpled form of the former station commander. "Have two of your men take the Moff's body and dispose of it. There is little time for ceremony, and perhaps no call for it if there was, but we cannot simply leave him here. Have it seen to, please."

The captain nodded tersely before waving forward two of his brethren. They stepped into the control room and, despite their age, lifted the corpse without too much effort.

Anakin watched silently as they bore the body of Tarkin away.

The captain saluted a final time and disappeared after his men into the hallway. The control room doors slid shut behind them.

Sabe eyed her partner as he turned back to the controls.

"You realize that body will be space dust in a matter of hours anyway, whether through cremation or when we blow this station."

"I know." He replied solemnly, examining the holographic map.

Sabe offered a knowing smile.

Anakin glanced at her from the corner of his eye before going back to staring at the map with a heavy sigh. "I killed a lot of officers when I was Supreme Commander of the Imperial military, Sabe. Many of them whom didn't deserve it, who simply got in my way or were less than that 100% efficient at their jobs. But that's what they were, just people, doing their jobs, like those troopers. And I should have shown them more respect. Tarkin may have been a ruthless, calculating and ultimately self-serving individual who didn't care about concepts of duty and honor when it came to serving. And he may not deserve a respectful end, but it would be dishonorable of me to leave his body here. We must treat our enemies with respect, especially when we are the victorious."

He noticed Sabe just continued to smile. "What?"

"There is the Anakin Skywalker I remember from the Clone Wars."

Anakin managed to both roll his eyes and look sheepish. "Don't we have some work to be doing?"

"You were the one who was being all self-reflective and philosophizing on morality."

"Maybe I should check in with Strike now."

"Maybe you should," Sabe laughed. "We can't have them taking out chunks of the Death Star while we're still in it. You got that update on our map ready?" Anakin plugged her datapad into the side of the panel and downloaded the necessary information before handing it back to her. "Great. I'll go make sure the crews get on the ships okay and no one gets any ideas about attempting any counterinsurgency. You stay here, get in contact with Tash, let him know the mission is nearing completion. Then put those legendary mechanical skills to work and figure out a way to blow this thing remotely."

"Yes, Commander, ma'am."

Sabe pointed a warning finger at him after palming the door.

When the doors had slid shut behind her, Anakin released a deep breath, feeling his stress being released into the Force. This had all been so much easier than he had thought it would be. Well, if he didn't count the harrowing trip through the Maw, the loss of squadron mates to black holes, the being chased and fired on battle droids, the near-loss of his lightsaber and the reunion with Tarkin. Still, past experience told him it could have been far worse.

And the strange thing was, he had felt confident through almost all of it. Not confident they would succeed, because there was always the chance, as there had been on every mission he had ever gone on, that this time he would be one of the ones not going home. But he had been confident in himself, in his reliance on the Force. There had been that terrible flight through the black holes, when he had felt the Darkness tugging at him. When he had been ready to use it to save Tash and Sabe.

But not a moment since seeing the Death Star had he felt that pull inside himself. Not when facing death with Sabe, and not when facing down Tarkin. Because this was something bigger than himself, something more important than his own fears and weaknesses. Destroying the Death Star meant protecting billions of planets, countless number of lives.

Maybe this had been his trial. Maybe this was the Force's way of telling him he was ready. That he no longer needed to lean on his wife or brother or children to find that connection to the Light. That it was inside him, ready to serve that purpose again.

Anakin laughed quietly to himself. He had been so excited about coming on this mission, till the reality of it had sunk in when Sabe told him about the station. And now, having completed that mission, having succeeded, he felt that contentment of purpose fill him. He could almost hear Master Yoda's voice, instructing an eager padawan "Adventure? Excitement? Heroism? A Jedi craves not these things!"

"Ah well," he sighed, "Being the perfect Jedi is overrated." He flipped a few switches till he found the right channel and waited for the static to settle before speaking into the comm. unit. "This is Strike Sixteen, calling in. Strike squadron, do you copy? This is Anakin Skywalker on board the station, let me hear you."

For a long moment, there was nothing but channel static. He glanced anxiously out the viewport, looking for sign of the rebel ships.

The battle had subsided while he and Sabe were dealing with the troopers, so there were no bright explosions to mark the tiny fighter ships. From this view, there was nothing but the darkness of the black holes before him.

Then the comm. crackled. "Why? You finally get tired of the sound of your own voice?"

"Tash!"

"Hey there, Skywalker. Strike Two, checking in. What's our status?"

"We've taken the control station and ordered a stand-down of all systems and personnel. So far, everybody has complied. At present, we're working on evacuation of the crew, and preparation for self-destruct. How are things looking on your end?"

There was a slight pause. "We lost Seven and Four." Anakin felt his heart sink into his gut. That totaled four out of the sixteen that first set off from Home One.

"And the Imperials?"

"Suffered far heavier losses. Were just about to take out the last of 'em when they peeled off and headed back to the station. I'm assuming that was in response to your orders. I'll keep an eye out anyway." The comm. rattled with the pilot's chuckle. "Well, maybe not. I need that one to concentrate on flying."

"Excuse me, Jedi Skywalker?"

Anakin felt his sense of relief continue to grow, first with Tash's voice and now his wingman's, sounding unharmed and business-minded as ever.

"Go ahead, Piett."

"Sir, systems are showing we're low on fuel. There is still the trip back to make. Would it be ill-advised at this point for the squadron to land in an available hanger and refuel?"

Points to Piett for practicality. Anakin brought up the holographic map of the station again and focused in on the hangers. It showed the Ties had landed, and he hoped some of the troopers were there filling them in on events. He would call Sabe just in case. In the meantime, he didn't see a reason the squadron couldn't land in a separate hanger, away from both personnel passenger ships and the enemy fighters. The station was certainly big enough to house them all.

"We've certainly got the time for it. Permission to dock, Strike squadron."

He gave them the coordinates and in a matter of minutes, the X-wings were docked and refueling. A quick check-in with Artoo confirmed the little droid was a step ahead of them all, and quite smug about it. He apparently seemed to think he had somehow saved the day.

After that, there was only the remote self-destruct to worry about, and Anakin busied himself in the quiet of the control room, half-wedged up underneath one of the panels. Though he normally would have enjoyed the chance to work with electronics again, there was something about being in this room that made him hurry.

With the last cable snapped in place, he climbed out from under the panel and made to leave. But, the Force called out to him, and Anakin hesitated, trying to determine the origin of these strange feelings. There was something here, something about this place the Force wanted him to know. He walked to the viewport and stared out, taking in the massive view of nothing.

It wasn't that a man had just died here, or that he was more or less alone in the darkness. Not even the lack of stars outside the viewport really bothered him. It was the sense of it, the feel, the familiarity.

He had been here before, in another life, another time. Another reality that no longer existed. He had stood in this room, cloaked in all his Darkness, and stared out through red-tinged visors as this abomination had been put to use. And he hadn't cared. Had done nothing to stop it.

That was why the visions had come to him. He had dreamed of a planet being destroyed, of voices screaming his name as they died. To bring him here, to ensure that moment faded away forever.

How many more moments like this would there be? How many other times would he encounter places and people from that other life, and actually be able to sense it? Perhaps if Qui-gon had never told him about that other existence, he might have gone on unaware of it, thinking it nothing more than a peculiar anomaly in the Force. But at the same time, Anakin was grateful for it. Grateful to know the distance between that life and this one. To know he would never, in this reality, stand on the platform of the Death Star and see a world vanish in a blast of space dust.

So then, this was how it would be. The Darkness would always be whispering inside him, and there would be more moments in which that other life would find some small purchase in this one.

"I think I can handle that." The light inside him strengthened at the words, the Force seeming to pulse around him. "I can handle that now."


The winds carrying the dust and debris from the attack finally settled over the mountains. The sky would remain ash-ridden for some time, but for the moment, it seemed as if the entire planet had collapsed into weary slumber. Nothing moved on any of the foothills, the ranges had ceased their groans of pointless protest. In the sky, no fighters could be seen.

And in the grasslands, bodies lay still, in piled masses where they had fallen, some scattered about, twisted in odd shapes. A few small fires still burned.

On the curve of the last foothill before the ground gave way to the battleground, the three rebels were met with one of the remaining warriors of the clan. It had taken a great deal more time to return to the site than it had going the other way – boulders and blocked passages that hindered them at every step. They looked as ragged as the native.

He gave them water, and motioned for them to follow him. Other than that, communication was out of the question, without Threepio to translate.

"Obi-wan?"

"'I'm sorry, Padme. I don't know." The Jedi sighed, trudging after the warrior. They were all tired, and hungry, and weighed down with fear, but Padme's worry made her step quick while his seemed to leave him scuffling in the dirt. "There's just been so much death here. So many presences in the Force flickering out. It's hard to tell."

"But it's Luke and Leia! My children! Your niece and nephew! You've felt their presences almost every moment of their lives! Shouldn't you be able to feel something?!"

Obi-wan stretched out again, as he had been doing countless times in the last few hours. He felt so weary, so disheartened. The Force was like a piece of cloth worn thin, and he feared tearing it further. Even Padme and Han's presence seemed misty, though they were feet from him.

"I would have felt it." He said at last. "I would have felt it if they had – I would have known. Instantly, unquestionably. The silence I hear now is because the planet is suffering, so many people are in pain or dead from the attack. When that feeling passes, I'll be able to sense them."

"You think he's leading us to the Falcon?" Han asked, glancing at the warrior, who was leading them back into the mountains.

"More likely to a safe place, a cave perhaps, where the rest of the clan has gathered. It's unlikely he was out looking for us, as Nantook said they would not get involved. He's probably was just sent out to keep an eye out for more Ties. But the clan is the best place to be now. That is where the twins will be."

It did turn out to be a cave, though it was nothing like the large space Obi-wan had imagined. They only went a little ways up the face of the mountain, not far from where they had first met the clan, and then ducked inside an alcove in the side of the rock. It would have been barely big enough to hold the Falcon, and at first, he didn't understand why they had taken refuge in such an unprotected place. Surely there were spaces farther in, like the cave had that had held the Jedi artifacts in the other mountain, where they could retreat to.

But the sight of so many wounded explained why the clan had chosen not to venture further in. Many needed to stay right where they were while others saw to their care. Many had died where they lay. There was the twitter of their language and the crying of those in pain, the almost-forgotten stench of blood and battle, and for a long moment, the three of them were lost in the mess.

Then a familiar roar was heard over the crowd.

"Chewie!"

Han broke through the crowd, racing towards the back of the small cave where a massive figure could be seen towering over the humans. He made it halfway across before another figure brushed past him.

"Chewbacca! Do you have them?" Padme cried, barely avoiding stepping on those who lay injured. She blew past the young pilot and dodged those who did not move out of the way in time. "Luke? Leia?!"

"Mama!"

The entire weight of the galaxy seemed to fall off her shoulders at the sound of that single, most beautiful voice. It wouldn't be enough until she could see them, hold them, smell them, wipe the tears from her babies' eyes and tell them she would never, never, never put them in danger like that again. How foolish she had been to bring them, to leave them. What had she been thinking to bring two six-year-olds along, whether she had known the Imperials would be here or not?

All self-admonishments fell silent as Padme forced her way through the last of the crowd.

Chewie was there waiting for her. His fur was singed in some placed, matted and even completely torn out in others. He looked as though he had been through the worst, and she feared as much as she craved the sight of her children.

But they were there. The Wookie had a twin tucked under each arm, their feet dangling in the air. And they were unharmed. The worst Padme could see before she pulled them both into her embrace was a little bruising and a few tears in their clothing.

She cried, and held them.

Chewbacca gave a whoop and grabbed Solo as he came out of the crowd, barely a step behind the former senator. The boy found himself lifted up off the ground and instantly crushed.

"Yeah, okay," he choked out. If there was wetness in the corner of his eyes, he swore it was from the way his co-pilot and guardian seemed intent on squeezing all the liquid from his body. "Okay, Chewie, okay. I'm glad you didn't get blow up into a great pile of burned fur either. Okay, buddy, you gotta let me breathe."

The reunion was complete with Obi-wan appeared from the crowd. He let out a breath as he saw the twins in their mother's arms. They were a mixture of desperately relieved to be there, and sweetly trying to reassure her that they were both fine. All the air seemed to rush out of his body then, at the sight of them blessedly, beautifully alive. Before he knew it, Obi-wan found himself on the ground as well, elbows resting on his knees, head in his hands, just trying to breathe. The sense of relief was incredible, drowning out the noisiness of the cave.

Then there was a warm little body against his as Leia wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in the crook of his shoulder.

Looking up, he found Han had been released from Chewie's grasp, only to find Luke wrapped around him, glad to have his friend back. Padme still knelt, watching her son. She turned to the Jedi and smiled, tears still glistening in her eyes. Her children were unharmed.

Obi-wan buried his face in Leia's soft hair then, and allowed himself to cry for joy.


When Padme was fully reassured that both her children were relatively unharmed, she rolled up what was left of her sleeves, gathered her small group, and set them to work.

There was little they could do to communicate with the natives, what with Threepio still in the caves. (Luke made it very clear he was upset about that, and both Padme and Obi-wan had to admit that they now felt guilty about having to leave him. He was a nosy, prissy droid, but he was family.) But minor communication was available through hand signs and expressions. The twins were sent to help the other children fetch water from further inside the mountain. Han went along, though by the clan's standards he was an adult, but the boy had promised Padme he would not leave the twins unsupervised.

Chewie had taken something of a beating. It turned out that as the Falcon had lost all flight capabilities and veered into the side of a mountain, he had grabbed the children, and wrapped them all in the restraining harness of the massive co-pilot's seat. Then with them clinging face-first against his chest, Chewie had wrapped his arms around them and acted as a shield against the ships breaking apart around them.

When it had settled, tilted on its side in a gully, he had used the straps from his seat to tie them to his back and front, as a Wookie did with its own cubs while climbing trees, and clawed his way out, then up a mountain.

Though he had feared the ship would implode, the faithful ship lay groaning where she had fallen, allowing for them to escape without further harm.

Despite this series of heroics and the resulting injuries, the Wookie insisted on taking up sentry duty at the mouth of the cave.

Padme, now that her basic worry had been seen to, turned her full attention on the wounded. One moment she was the harried mother, fearful of her children's fate, the next she was the queen who had withstood the invasion of her planet. She wrapped bandages, cleaned wounds, and helped any way she could. Most of the life-saving work had been done while she and the others were make their way back through the ravines, but there was plenty of the sort of daily care needed for many of injured.

Obi-wan went from patient to patient, doing what he could to ease their suffering with the Force. He was no great healer, and considering how drained he felt, it would have done no good to attempt much of anything. The least he could do was calm the frightened and reassure the dying.

And worry.

When his fears for the twins had passed, another came creeping in. How long had it been now since he had heard from Anakin? A week? Two? Surely more than even that. How long since he had seen Sabe, since that stupid fight they had had at that dinner?

He couldn't feel them, couldn't sense if they were alright or not. Usually he had some sense of Anakin in the back of his mind, could feel his presence pulsing. Even as Vader, his brother had been with him in some small, distant way, a dark sense of foreboding that Kenobi had always carried with him. Since they had reestablished their bond some four years ago, Obi-wan had always been able to have at least a vague sense of whether his friend was well or not.

But everything seemed to have come so unraveled. The attacked had torn more than the landscape, it had ripped at the fabric of the Force with its destruction.

He worried for their safety, chastised himself over their last conversation. When would he ever learn? If Sabe were to show up right now, he would say yes. Yes to it all. Yes to a life together, yes to the possibility of children of their own. He would demand Anakin promise never to go off on a mission again without him. They belonged together. They were a team. Qui-gon had told him as much not a few hours before. His old master had always known – that was why he had insisted his awkward apprentice train the former slave boy in the first place.

Be calm, he told himself. Worrying will not bring them back to you faster. It will not resolve anything. Focus on what you can do in the here and now. He could only hope his love and brother had been successful on whatever mission it was they had gone off on together.

Just as these reassurances were gaining ground and Obi-wan began to feel a sense of calm, a distant whine filled the air.

The cave fell silent as the clan strained to hear.

"More Ties?" Padme whispered as she crept over to the Jedi.

"No, the engine doesn't sound right. Too low in pitch."

The sound grew louder, closer. Then everyone jumped, as a roar ripped through the cave. Chewbacca stood at the entrance, waving his arms at the sky and howling like mad.

"Chewie!" Padme shouted, fear ripping through her. "Be quiet!"

The Wookie turned to her and hollered again. He pointed up in the direction the ships were coming from, then dashed out of the cave.

"Oh, dear." Obi-wan grabbed his lightsaber and rushed out after the co-pilot. Whatever new danger was about to face them, he couldn't let the Wookie face it alone. But the Force wasn't screaming danger at him – he was sure he would have heard that. And the engines were a different type than those used by Tie fighters.

He emerged from the shallow cave into the hazy light to find Chewbacca had run out into open space, still waving his arms.

"Look."

Padme had appeared at his side, blaster at the ready, a small group of warriors at her heels. They all paused and looked up where she was pointing.

Out of the clouds came the shape of fighters, and not a few passenger vessels. There was an Imperial shuttle among them, but it seemed out of place next to the fighters from the Republic and former smuggling vessels.

A snub fighter set down not far from where Chewie was. It kicked up dust so that everyone had to shield their eyes. When the cloud had passed, the cockpit opened and a sturdy figure descended. The pilot paused, looked around, and then headed towards the cave entrance.

"Hold your fire," Obi-wan instructed, waiting. Sensing he was on guard but not defensive, the warriors raised their weapons but did not advance.

Nearly to them, the figure removed the flight helmet, and they were greeted with a warm, familiar face.

"You had us worried. We saw the wreckage of a ship registered with the Alliance and thought you might have been on it."

Obi-wan had never been so pleased to see a politician.

Padme stepped forward to greet him. "Bail! You're late, but if you have medical supplies aboard those ships, I'll forgive you."

Organa grinned. "Medical supplies? You can have all you want. The Frigate is parked where that Star Destroyer used to be. The Rebellion is on the move. Tell your friends there to lower their weapons, because we're here to help."


I know, I know, I took forever in between posts. But at least now you know the twins are alive! (Okay, we all knew that – how could I write it otherwise?)

Happy College Exam Time,

Caslia