Chapter Thirty-Six: Kamino: Catch-Up

Ben kept his attention on Kenobi, his arms still out to hold back Finn and Rex. "Sada Vu, go find out what's happened. I'll take care of this."

The Kaminoan left quickly back down the corridor. Ben didn't really need to find out what happened. He was already putting things together in his head. He brought his hands up in the air as a sign of surrender. "Finn, Rex... Helmets off."

The stormtrooper helmets clattered to the ground. "I don't want to fight, Master Kenobi. Whoever you think I am..."

"You're Maul's apprentice," Kenobi spat. "It's obvious."

Ben shook his head. "I'm not. Maul has been dead for nearly forty years. I'm not a Sith Lord. I swear to you. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Forty years?" Kenobi blinked. He maintained his fighting stance, ready to attack at any moment. "I came here to investigate the attempt on Senator Amidala. You're saying that was thirty years ago?"

Ben grimaced. "More like sixty. Darth Maul wasn't quite defeated on Naboo. It's a long story, Master Kenobi. We can get into it later." He gestured to himself. "My name is Obi-Wan as well. I just go by Ben. Ben Solo. My grandfather is Anakin Skywalker... My grandmother was Senator Amidala."

Kenobi shifted slightly, his stance becoming less aggressive, less certain. "That's all ridiculous."

Ben nodded. "Yes, but it doesn't make it any less true."

"The Kaminoans have kept me captive for sixty years?" Kenobi roared, however he flicked the beam of the lightsaber off.

Ben grimaced. "Not quite. I told you... It's a very long story. I'll explain it all. Just give me the-"

Kaminoans were moving up behind Kenobi, guns drawn. Ben's eyes widened. "WAIT!"

But it was too late. They'd shot Kenobi in the back. Ben ran up to him, skidding to his knees in front of the fallen Jedi. "What did you do?" Ben demanded. He checked Kenobi's vitals. Still alive. He was just stunned.

"He knows who he is." Ben looked up at the Kaminoans. "How is this possible?"

One of the cloners- Ben didn't know his name- shook his head. "We have no idea, Master Ren. It isn't possible. You cannot replicate someone's memories. They are not a part of DNA."

"He can also use the Force with stunning precision and wake up on his own." He stood back up. "What about the other Kenobi clones?"

"Most of them were destroyed in this one's escape," the Kaminoan replied. "The others... Expired."

"They just expired?" Rex snarled.

"The bodies have shriveled. We will need to examine the logs, but-"

"There's no need." Ben sighed, looking over the Master Jedi. "I know what happened already. We're leaving."

"Master Ren-" The Kaminoan started.

Ben shook his head. "I don't want to hear it. Send me a transmission with your report on the situation. We'll handle Master Kenobi."

"Master, I don't think-"

Kylo Ren glared up at the Kaminoans, lip curled in disgust. "You have been paid in full. He seems to be fully functioning. I'll take my clone and leave. I'll send transport for the rest in a month. Pray you have no more malfunctions."

Ben took his lightsaber back, clipping it to his waist. He picked up the unconscious Kenobi. "FN-2187, CT-7567... We're leaving."

"Ben, what the hell is happening?" Finn demanded as they walked back towards the entrance

"That's not a clone," Rex snapped. He pointed to the body in Ben's arms. "I met the man. I fought alongside him. That's General Kenobi."

Ben shook his head. "No, Rex... It's not. Not yet. This is Master Kenobi before the Clone Wars. Only by a matter of days, but still... You are right though. He's not a clone. The body, yes... But the rest of him..."

They got back to Phantom III. Ben set Kenobi down in the back and strapped him in. What had he done? The Kaminoans had never cloned a Force User before. It was clear to him now what a mistake it was.

Doing this must have been against the Light Side. Tearing a spirit out of the Living Force and into a new body. That was the only explanation. Ben could sense the spirit of the man. His body may have been artificial, but in spirit it was very much Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Rex, Finn, I need you to fly us back to Cataalda. Fast as you can. My mother needs to know about this."

"And what are you going to do?" Finn asked.

Ben gestured to Kenobi. "I'm going to stay with him."

"He doesn't seem to like you," Finn challenged.

"I'm sure he doesn't." Ben shrugged slightly. "But out of everyone on this ship, I'm the only person who could subdue him. Just get us back to the base. Cut down the time as much as possible."

Ben went into the back and began to change out of his robes. He didn't want to be Kylo Ren any longer. Just pretending had made him sick to his stomach. He took out the Corellian Bloodstripe pants and slipped them on. He'd become used to dressing like his father. He breathed a sigh of relief once he was garbed in the smuggler clothes again. It wouldn't be a long trip. Rex could no doubt cut it down to seven hours if he tried.

As horrible as the thought of pulling a spirit from the Living Force was, a thrill went through Ben at the idea of Obi-Wan Kenobi being back. Of course he knew all of the stories of the man. He could help turn the tide of the war. He could take the responsibility of teaching the next generation of Jedi.

That thought made him think of Rey. He was surprised at how little he'd thought about her since he'd been on his mission. It was not that he didn't care about her. He'd simply had other things on his mind. In some ways,he was relieved that he could put her out of his mind enough to get things done.

Hours past before Obi-Wan stirred. Ben looked over him as he began to wake. "I'm glad you're unharmed, Master Kenobi."

Kenobi struggled with his bonds. Ben leaned in and freed him. "I just restrained you in case our ship was jostled."

"Ship?" Kenobi sat up. "Where are you taking me?"

"Back to the base," Ben explained. "My mother will want to meet you."

Kenobi looked warily at Ben, but he made no move against him. "You said at the facility that Anakin Skywalker was your grandfather."

Ben nodded. "He was. My mother's biological father."

"Leia," Obi-Wan said under his breath.

Ben blinked in shock. Had he heard Obi-Wan correctly? "What was that?"

Obi-Wan blinked, looking surprised himself. He shook his head. "I thought I... I don't know. I thought I remembered something, but it was gone in a moment."

That answered things for Ben. This was not some quirk of cloning. Kenobi had not simply retained the memories of his template. Kenobi at this time would have no way of knowing who Leia was. "Do you remember anything that you can't explain? Things you know never happened?"

Obi-Wan seemed to think about it. "I remember... Heat and fire. Black armor." He shook his head. "No... I don't. I don't know what you expect of me." He looked over Ben. "You're not a Sith Lord."

Ben shook his head. "No. I don't blame you for the mistake. You were confused and... I'm not a Jedi. Not yet." He paused. "I was never a Sith, but I was just as bad. Not too long ago. I'm sure you sensed it in me. But I'm trying to redeem myself. I've become a Padawan again."

"The Council would never stand for that." Obi-Wan rose to his feet. "You would never be allowed to train if you'd been corrupted."

"There really is a lot to tell you," Ben sighed. "I don't think I'm the best person to do it. I know you're confused. We're almost at the base. Everything will be a lot easier to explain once we're there. Can you wait?"

Kenobi hesitated. He then nodded. "Fine. But I expect an explanation right away."

Obi-Wan sat in General Organa's private office. The General and Ben were sitting across the table from him.

Obi-Wan stared down at his hands. He let out a deep sigh. "Let me get this straight... There was a war. And then there was another war. And then another war, in which you are currently embroiled."

"I'm afraid so, General Kenobi," General Organa sighed.

Obi-Wan looked up. "I don't remember being a General. I'm not sure I believe any of this. Chancellor Palpatine was the Sith Lord we were searching for. Anakin married Padme and was corrupted by Palpatine before you and your twin brother were born? And the Jedi..."

He felt a wave of sickness go over him. "The Jedi fell ? The Council is gone. How many Jedi are left?"

"Sorry we're late," a breathless Coruscanti-accented voice said. "Major Syndulla and I were duelling. We only just heard Phantom III was back."

Obi-Wan felt the wave of power. He swivelled in his chair to the new arrivals, a small brunette girl and a tall Twi'lek.

"By the Force," the Twi'lek breathed, staring at Obi-Wan. "Is it my birthday?"

"At least the Dameron clones aren't here yet," Ben grumbled beneath his breath.

"What was that?" The Twi'lek asked.

"Enough," General Organa said. She rose and stood between Obi-Wan and the new arrivals. "Master Kenobi, this is Major Kaila Syndulla and Rey. Along with Ben, they're... It."

"It?" Obi-Wan looked around. "As in these are the last Jedi?"

General Organa nodded. "Yes. There are some children we recently rescued with Force Potential, but Order 66 nearly destroyed the Jedi. Once my brother Luke began to restore the order... They were again destroyed." She paused, glancing towards Ben. "By Snoke."

Major Syndulla held up her hand. "Yeah, Leia?" She pointed at Obi-Wan. "That's General Obi-Wan Kenobi. What the hell is going on?" She then groaned, covering her face with her hands. "Kriff, Ben you're an idiot."

"No one will tell me anything but," Ben groused.

Obi-Wan looked over the gathered people within the office. He felt a deep pange of loss. Sixty years. Everyone he'd known. He now stood with the daughter and grandson of his dearest friend, his brother. A man he'd apparently failed. And two girls who represented the last of the Jedi. "This is a lot to take in, General Organa."

General Organa nodded. "I am sure it is. We can set you up with accommodations. Give you time to acclimatize."

"I daresay that may be a tall order, General." Obi-Wan stood up, shaking his head. "Sixty years... So many wars and destruction... I don't know how I'll be able to come to terms with all of that."

"Major Syndulla, could you please provide Master Kenobi with your holodocs?" General Organa asked.

Major Syndulla nodded. "Of course. Everything I have from the Clone Wars onwards."

"The quarters next to Commander Dameron's are unoccupied. Can you escort Master Kenobi there?"

"Of course." Major Syndulla gestured to Obi-Wan to follow her. "Come with me, Master Kenobi."

Obi-Wan followed after the Twi'lek. There was a sense of peace around her that was lacking in both Rey and Ben. She was much further along in her training. He eyed her lightsaber. "That weapon is very old."

Major Syndulla touched a hand to it. "It is. It belonged to my father."

"Who was your father?" Of course he knew there were indiscretions in the Jedi Order, but he was surprised how many people were open about it.

Major's Syndulla's nose crinkled in deep thought. "I'm not sure if you knew him yet. He was only a youngling when you're from. Caleb Dume."

He did know the name, but only vaguely. Caleb Dume was just a boy from Obi-Wan's recollection. "I believe I have met him. But he's human?"

"My mother is Twi'lek." She gestured to her head and smiled. "I got the lekku from her and the Force from him."

Obi-Wan smiled back. "You're a full Jedi Knight, aren't you? I can sense it."

"With so few of us, there's little need for rank any longer," Major Syndulla replied. She then nodded. "But yes. I am the last of the old Jedi Knights. Rey and Ben are... Something new. Honestly, I'm still trying to figure it out myself."

"You're their teacher?"

"I'm Ben's... Rey..." Major Syndulla sighed. "Like I said, she's different. I'm sure you'll find that out soon, Master Kenobi."

"I'm not a Master yet, Major," Obi-Wan pointed out. "You're no longer the last of the Jedi Knights. Please call me Obi-Wan."

"Then you may call me Kaila." She stopped in front of a door, opened it and went inside. Obi-Wan awkwardly remained in the doorway, waiting. There was someone already in the quarters, hunched over a droid. It was a barrel-unit Astromech. It looked absolutely ancient, but Obi-Wan recalled when that model first came out. Another droid rolled around the room on a single ball. Obi-Wan had never seen anything like it before. It whistled and rolled out to the door to greet him.

Obi-Wan knelt down next to him. "Hello there." He touched him on the top of the dome. "Droids have certainly changed. You're extraordinary."

The droid beeped his thanks, his head whirling around.

"Oh, you weren't kidding." The handsome, dark-haired man working on the other droid had turned towards the door. He rose and strode over. His eyes were wide. "Master Kenobi. Commander Poe Dameron."

Obi-Wan accepted his hand. "Commander, it's nice to meet you." He noted the green kyber crystal shard around his neck. He didn't sense the Force with him. Ah... He suppose it wasn't surprising Kaila had a lover, if her father had a child.

"Likewise. It's... Surprising." He glanced back at Kaila, who was searching a shelf. He still looked quite wary, nervousness coming off him in waves. "Very, very surprising."

"I find I am quite surprised myself," Obi-Wan replied. He supposed he was going to have to get used to people having such odd reactions to him.

"I've got the discs." Kaila returned with a small number of thin discs. They were much smaller than anything Obi-Wan had seen before. "Let's get you set up next door."

"It was nice to meet you, Commander." Obi-Wan nodded his head to Commander Dameron, following Kaila next door.

The room was sparse, but Obi-Wan had stayed in worse. Kaila placed a small device on the table. "Holodevices have changed a bit since your day, but it's fairly easy. Just insert the disc here." She gestured to the port. "And press this button. There are some tuning controls, but you should be able to play things at least. These docs will help you catch up. The Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War are the areas I focus on."

"Oh, when you say your holodocs, you meant you created them. You're a historian?"

Kaila nodded. "There's a lot that's been lost. I'm just trying to get it back." She sighed. "Obi-Wan... you're in them. And you're not going to like what you see. What you went through."

Obi-Wan felt the dread deep in his stomach. "General Organa didn't tell me how I..." He swallowed hard. "It was Anakin, wasn't it?"

Kaila nodded. "Yeah. It was. I'm very sorry."

Obi-Wan touched his chest. His solid, utterly real chest. "I don't know what this means. I know I was created by the Kaminoans. But I don't know if that makes me any less Obi-Wan Kenobi. I can't help but feel there's a reason I'm here."

Kaila nodded. "If I have learned anything since I took Ben as a Padawan, it is that the Force works in mysterious ways. I'm sure there is a reason for it."