Last of the Jedi
The Clone Wars were finished.
The Republic that had sprung forth from Coruscant for a thousand years was dead, replaced by an Empire devoted to the Dark Side. The planet's citizens were still in shock. They darted to and from their duties, silent, heads bowed. They were deep in their own thoughts, but one could also never be sure when one of the Emperor's foot soldiers might come through looking for sport. It was safest to blend in.
One of these figures, hidden almost entirely by a deep brown cloak and hood, stole through the darkness of the metropolis that was Coruscant. His garment was identical to the style of the Jedi's cloaks, which should have instantly brought attention to himself, even though he, like the others he passed in the street, kept his eyes on the ground.
But no one seemed to notice, even the squad of Imperial Stormtroopers that stopped him. They had strict orders to report any Jedi-like activity to the Emperor. Palpatine was certain all of the Jedi had been killed, of course, but some bodies were still unaccounted for and some of the citizenry might decide to pretend the power of The Force was with them the way it had been with the Jedi for a Millennium.
The figure in brown simply lifted his head when stopped and waved his hand in front of the squadron leader. The Stormtrooper immediately stepped out of the man's way. "He's simply an old peasant," he announced to his squad.
The man in brown continued on through the dark streets: quiet now since the wars' end. Once the skies had teemed with transports, but now only Imperial ships and those authorized by the Emperor moved above. The skyscrapers were silent too; many of them had no lights on inside at all. And one lay absolutely in ruins.
It was to that one that the man ventured. And as he stopped to look up at the wreckage of what was once a most beautiful symbol of the old order – the Jedi Temple – he pulled back the hood of his cloak slightly, just so that he could take it all in.
Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi had heard from his friends in the Underground Resistance that the Temple had been destroyed, but this was the first night he'd dared to venture from their hiding place to see it.
He felt alone in the galaxy. All the Jedi were gone. The Emperor's extermination of them had been both devious and efficient. The young ones who had not yet been assigned as Padawans had been taken away from the Temple before it was destroyed, some said. No doubt the Emperor wanted to finish their training, emphasizing on the Dark Side of The Force.
All the Padawans and Master Jedi he'd ever known were dead… or transformed... All except Yoda, who had been in hiding with him in the same small cell of Resistance until two nights ago when he had announced his intention to leave the planet. "Go, I will," he had told Obi-Wan, "Matter of time it is before the Emperor finds us here. Dangerous it is for the last of the Jedi in the same place to be."
Obi-Wan had nodded his head slowly. The wisdom of his old teacher's words rang true, but a part of him died to hear it. "Master Yoda, will I ever see you again?" he had asked.
"Know that, I do not," Yoda had touched his shoulder, "But strange the ways of The Force do be."
With no further instructions, he was gone out into the night to find an off-world transport. One piloted by someone who didn't ask questions, but would not turn down a small fortune offered by a small green man cloaked in the brown of the Jedi.
Obi-Wan was not certain of Yoda's destination, the Master Jedi had not spoken of it, but he had a good idea. That was the way of The Force sometimes, which was why he was here, lurking in the shadows of the Temple tonight.
Sure enough, while he had been lost in his thoughts, an Imperial transport pulled up in front of the ruins. This was the other part of the rumor he'd heard and come to see for himself. On this night, the six-month anniversary of the Jedi Temple's destruction, the Emperor planned a special ceremony on-site to commemorate the event.
The Jedi pulled his hood back over, full in front of his face, and drew himself in the shadows to watch unobserved.
The Stormtroopers disembarked off the transport first, followed by the Emperor's own guards and then, together, Obi-Wan felt as much as saw the Emperor descend the ramp with his new pupil, a man covered from head to toe in a black protective suit that covered his bionic as well as biological parts. Most grotesque was the skeletal mask that kept him alive. Even with the delicate gas the mask provided, Darth Vader's breathing was slow, labored and painful.
Obi-Wan himself struggled to breathe for a moment before he realized what he was doing. But he knew this man, perhaps better than anyone did. He looked on as the Emperor climbed to the tallest point of the ruins and all the assembly bowed to acknowledge him as their new leader in the ways of The Force. But he concentrated on Vader, remembered the Padawan he had been.
And then his thoughts turned on his own apprenticeship. "Qui-Gon," called out in his mind, "Do you see what has happened? How could you not see it? We should have left the boy on Tatooine where we found him. If he had never been trained in the ways of The Force, this could have never happened."
But, of course, there was no answer. Qui-Gon Jinn had been gone longer than Obi-Wan liked to think. And anger did no good. That was not the Jedi way. What was done was done. But he had never dreamed of being one day "the last of the Jedi." He was sure his Master had never thought that would be the consequence of taking the young Anakin Skywalker in. The prophecy of "the one who would bring balance to The Force" had clouded Qui-Gon's judgment, perhaps.
Obi-Wan probed as much into Vader's mind as he dared, afraid of being recognized. Vader knew his mind as well as he knew his, but was distracted by paying homage to his new Master. It was dangerous, but perhaps Vader would not realize Obi-Wan was even still alive, let alone within sight.
Obi-Wan had to know what part of Anakin Skywalker remained in Vader and if he knew about…"
But there was nothing familiar in the mind of Vader. It was too twisted with the power of the Dark Side.
"Anakin is truly dead," he thought.
Armed with the knowledge he needed and with the night nearly spent, Obi-Wan turned his back on the rest of the ceremony and made his way back down the dark streets, careful to keep his head down once more.
He encountered no Stormtroopers this time and no one paid him any heed. About ten blocks away from the Temple, he turned into an alley. Glancing around and upwards to make sure he was not observed, he pulled a piece of corrugated metal away from the side of the building and ducked in before metal snapped back into place.
The small space he entered contained just one thing, a large manhole cover, which he pulled up, revealing a spiral staircase made of stone – ancient and forgotten. He made his way down, careful to replace the cover when he was far enough down.
The staircase went down and down. The stone walls started to sprout mold and Obi-Wan was glad for the cloak's protection from the cold. About halfway down, he started hearing faint screams and cries. Alarmed, his hand reached for his lightsaber. It was right where it always had been, attached to his belt under his cloak. But he realized he heard no other sounds of distress. The further he descended, the clearer the screams became clearer. The resistance cell was not being attacked. They were the cries of one woman only… and then, a baby.
Amidala's time had come, then. It was good that he found out what he needed to know on this night.
Yoda had led them to these old caves. Once, they had been attached to the underground facilities of the Jedi Temple, but over the centuries, they had fallen into disuse and been forgotten. Yoda was the only one who remembered their existence anymore.
As Obi-Wan reached the end of the stairs and entered a small cavern, the large figure of Bail Organa, the former Senator of the planet Alderaan, approached him. "Her physician was right, Master Kenobi."
"Twins?" Obi-Wan confirmed.
"Yes. The first was born only a few moments ago. Come see."
In a corner of the cavern, a few of the women had set up a variety of sheets and blankets to seclude the former Senator and Queen of Naboo during the birthing period. One of them waved the two men in.
Behind the curtain, bright lamps burned as nurses scurried. Amidala lay on a pile of mats Bail Organa had procured especially for her.
"Dr. Fortuna, is she doing all right?" Obi-Wan asked the woman in charge.
"She is weakening. She's been in labor all night. But she is determined. That is good."
"Where is the first child?"
"Right over here, Master Kenobi, the doctor pointed to a small cradle where her nurse was looking over the infant. "It's a girl."
Obi-Wan and Organa started towards the child, but a voice stopped them. The quiet, but strong voice of Padme Amidala herself, "Master Kenobi, is that you?"
He turned toward her bedside instead, "Indeed, my lady. I am back."
Panic flew into her eyes, "Does he know?"
"No, my lady," he took her hand, "I am confident he does not."
She nodded her head. "It is safe then, for these two little ones." With that, she began to bear down on her second child. A few minutes later, a boy baby entered the world and was placed on her chest.
Dr. Fortuna nodded her head. The delivery had gone well. Her part in ensuring the safety of the two young Skywalker children was done. The girl was brought to Amidala to nurse as well and as Obi-Wan looked down on the maternal scene he realized his part in keeping their safety was just beginning.
Organa was beaming with an almost fatherly pride. Obi-Wan had suspected the man had begun to feel that way some time ago. It had always been Bail Organa who had helped Amidala through the ups and downs of her pregnancy in this confining world of caves.
Surely, Anakin hadn't been around to take care of her. It had been eight months since his fall to the Dark Side. Amidala did not become aware she was with child until several weeks after he was gone.
She and Organa had worked together as senators, even before she had married Anakin. Perhaps…
But there were many things to think of before that. "Dangerous it is for the last of the Jedi in the same place to be, " Yoda's words flashed into his mind.
"Dr. Fortuna," he motioned for her to follow him outside the curtain, leaving the blissfully tired Amidala and her twins with the proud Organa. "Doctor," he lowered his voice, so as the family inside the curtain would not hear, "Certain tests need to be administered to the infants."
"You want to check their midi-chlorian levels, no doubt," she crossed her arms over her chest.
"It isn't often that a Jedi has children. I am not familiar with any other cases, but it stands to reason that if the father's count is high…"
"Then the childrens' will be too. Yes, you might be right. I believe Amidala's count was on the high end of average as well. But what good will it do now? The Jedi are finished."
"The Temple was destroyed," Obi-Wan restated. "If these children show Jedi potential, I will find a way for them to be trained."
The doctor shook her head and sighed, "I'll take blood samples… in a few days when they're ready for it."
"Thank you, doctor," he said, and returned to the curtain and the rejoicing behind it.
Amidala slowly regained her strength. Organa made sure to escort her on walks around the few connected caverns that made up their world at the moment. Both of them doted on the twins, who spent much of the time sleeping.
A month after their birth, Dr. Fortuna told Obi-Wan they were strong enough to test. He reached to his belt and produced a small mechanism. The two of them walked behind the curtain and Obi-Wan stooped beside the cradle of the girl to collect a blood sample. Then, he moved on to test the boy.
"Master Kenobi, What are you doing?" Amidala entered the curtained-off area. "No, no." She had noticed the device in his hand and knocked it away. "I won't allow it. There's no reason for it now!"
"My lady…"
"No, don't 'my lady' me. You won't test my children for midi-chlorian levels. Their place in the galaxy is dangerous enough. What would the Emperor do with the Jedi children of Anakin Skywalker if he found them?"
Dr. Fortuna laid a hand on Amidala's shoulder, "Calm yourself. They have not been harmed." She exited the curtained area.
"Amidala," Obi-Wan said calmly, "If The Force is strong with them, not running the test will not change that."
"I know that, but can't they just be normal children? I was always afraid, growing up, that one of my children someday might have a high midi-chlorian level and the Jedi would swoop in and take it away from me. I know the Temple is gone, but I can't shake that fear."
"Lady Amidala, you do know none of us can stay in these caverns much longer. If the Resistance stays anywhere too long, it odds of being exposed grow greater."
She nodded. "I know that. In fact, I was coming to tell you, Bail has asked me to marry him. We want you to come with us to Alderaan. If you want to teach the children about the Jedi and their father… when they're old enough to understand."
"I plan to teach them, when they reach an age that they can understand," Obi-Wan said, "But I'm afraid the twins cannot go with you to Alderaan."
"What?" Amidala's voice rose. "You're presuming to tell me what I can and cannot do with my children?"
"Yoda was right, my lady, 'Dangerous it is for the last of the Jedi in the same place to be'."
"I don't understand."
Obi-Wan took her hand and led her to a set of chairs against the wall. "If these two children are indeed strong in The Force, then they must be trained as Jedi. The order must not die out. If there's any hope of overthrowing this Empire and restoring the Republic, the people will need the Jedi."
"The guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy," Amidala stated tonelessly and looked on the sleeping faces of her babies. "What do you propose?"
"If you will let me have just one child, to observe for traits of The Force and train on some planet where the Emperor or Darth Vader will never find us…"
"You're asking me to give up my child! And, what planet? Are you saying I will not be able to see my child grow up?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying, my lady. And I'm afraid you can never know where we are. It will be safer that way."
Amidala sat with her head bowed, deep in thought. "But someday, we will all be together again," She took Obi-Wan's hand, "And I mean you too, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You are a part of this family too. Words cannot describe my appreciation to you for all you've done… and will do for me, for my children… for Anakin."
She stood up with resolve and let go of his hand, "Master Kenobi, I think perhaps the boy should go with you. Let us hope he is his father's son in a good way. That is not filled with anger that will lead him to the Dark Side.
"I'll go tell Bail about the change of plans," she finished.
But before she could walk past the curtain, Obi-Wan stopped her, "Lady Amidala, what name have you given the boy?"
Tears welled up in her eyes. He had reminded her that the time of parting from her child was close at hand. "His name is to be Luke," she said, "His sister is Leia. Now if you'll excuse me, I must let Bail know. He'll arrange to get us transported to Alderaan. You will make your own arrangements I take it?"
The Jedi nodded. Amidala strode forth with a determined look.
She was quite a woman, to face the horrific fact of separation from her child with such panache. Bail Organa was a lucky man, as Anakin Skywalker had been.
Obi-Wan felt old. His life's work was in ruins around him. But that was true with all of them.
He rose and walked over to the cradle where the baby Luke lay.
The child was awake. His large blue eyes were open and stared trustingly at the face of his Jedi protector.
The Force was with this child, strongly. Obi-Wan felt it deep in his soul. He picked Luke up in his arms and held him. Strange, this was the first time in his life he had held a baby. Strange that it did not feel so strange at all. This living thing moving its arms around in his arms was his to raise as he saw fit.
Tatooine. Surely that would be the last place the father would look for his son, if, indeed he ever found out he had a son. Did not Anakin have a stepbrother? Some sort of moisture-farmer? The residents of the outer rim didn't get caught in much with politics. They had ignored the Republic during its existence, just as the Senate had ignored them. Even with the Emperor in charge, things probably moved in much the same way.
Obi-Wan used to think Tatooine was a backwards planet, not worth a second thought. That was what made it the perfect spot for two fugitives to hide.
He lifted Luke up and echoed words he had spoken years ago to Anakin, "You will become a Jedi. I promise you that."
As the child looked at him with his large blue eyes, Obi-Wan knew it would take many years and there would be much more pain involved, but a new Republic would be born. He was no longer to be the Last of the Jedi. The galaxy had a new hope.