Until We Die
—Chapter 4—
OUTER-RIM: TATOOINE
Obi-wan set the ship down and worked to centre himself. His heart was pounding. The Force screaming inside his head urging him to move. Luke was in danger, but he had no way of knowing how bad that danger was until he found him. Turning from the cockpit, he looked to Vader in the cargo-hold, the wounded Sith still tied-up and asleep on the floor. He knew he needed to go, leave the dropship and find Luke before something terrible happened to him.
But that meant leaving Vader. Unguarded and alone.
Not the best of situations really. If his luck today, turned out to be anything like it had been of late; Vader would choose this particular moment to wake up. And if he did, Obi-wan knew he would not be pleased with his current predicament. And all he needed now, was for an irate Sith Lord to suddenly wake-up, break free of the cargo-webbing securing him and decide to destroy the ship. Or worse still... escape the ship, hunt down Obi-wan and start asking questions as to why they were now on Tatooine. The horrid planet alone would probably set him off on some anger-fuelled rampage. But couple that with the knowledge that his long believed dead son was in-fact alive... and Obi-wan didn't see himself living very long.
Back on the moon, after Vader had buried him with rocks in that pit, he'd actually contemplated telling him about his children. Curious as to whether the revelation of their existence would be enough to reach Anakin. But he'd soon thought better of it. As much as it pained him, he couldn't tell Vader about Luke. Not until he'd had the chance to get a proper read on him anyway—away from the Empire, and away from the Emperor. Besides, if his initial suspicions did prove to be accurate, and Anakin was truly lost to the Dark Side, then Luke could very well be their only hope to finally defeating him and Sidious.
Rising from his seat, Obi-wan left the cockpit and stood beside Vader in the cargo-hold. Thankfully, he was still breathing, the smashed and charred box on his chest visibly rising and falling with each wheezing rasp. And the Force had gone stagnant around him, meaning he was presently making no conscious or subconscious attempt to awaken. Watching Vader, Obi-wan stroked his beard and waited to see if he sensed his presence alongside him. He would know if he did. Anakin had always despised feeling vulnerable. So much so, that in the past, back when he'd still been a padawan, Obi-wan had noted his tendency to aggressively strike out at those he'd perceived to be threatening. Sometimes even the other padawans.
He blew out a long, tired breath and shook his head. Warning signs. So, so many warning signs.
"LUKE!"
Hearing someone yell outside the dropship, Obi-wan looked to the open cargo hatch. He could just make out two figures on the sand outside the Lars homestead.
"LUKE. LUKE!"
Blast! That was Beru calling out. And by the sounds of it, Luke wasn't only in danger—he was missing. That was it, he couldn't wait around any longer. If something happened to Luke now, he would never forgive himself. Whirling from the door, he turned and jabbed his finger at the comatose Vader on the floor. "You—Stay here. I mean it! Don't you dare move."
Again, no answer from Vader, so hopefully he should be good for now. Then, giving the unresponsive Sith one last cautious glance, he turned for the cargo hatch and ran.
The desert night was cold, but it was nothing compared to the ice forming in his veins as he sprinted across the sand toward Owen and Beru. He could feel their panic surging through the Force, the powerful waves of emotion only serving to strengthen his own festering anxiety. Hearing his approach, the couple turned around, and Obi-wan called out. "Where is he?"
Owen didn't answer, and Beru shook her head. "He's gone!" she said.
The pained expression on her face said it all, and Obi-wan felt his heart go hollow inside his chest. But now wasn't the time for asking questions, all that mattered was finding Luke. The rest would become clear in its own time. He went to run for the sand dunes. "I'll look in the Dune Sea. We'll search until we find him."
No sooner had he taken five steps toward the dunes, than he'd stopped, hearing Beru call out again. "Ben!"
And following her line of sight, Obi-wan looked to the shadowed cliffs in the distance. A dark cloaked-figure was slowly crossing the sand toward them. Then, it soon became clear that the figure was carrying something—a body-shaped something.
Obi-wan swallowed.
No... Please, no.
His heart stopped cold, and he froze. Wavering unsteadily, he staggered back two more steps, looked briefly to Owen and Beru, then looked back to the dark-cloaked figure. The three of them watched silently as the figure moved closer. And after a long agonising minute, he was able to finally get a good look at the shadow...
And recognised her in an instant.
The Third Sister... the same blasted Inquisitor who had relentlessly chased him and Leia across the galaxy. And now, to his horror, she had hold of Luke; his tiny, innocent little body seemingly lifeless and slumped over in her arms. Appearing to struggle with the effort of carrying him, she stopped roughly five metres from Owen and Beru, then, gently lowered Luke's body to the sand and knelt down beside him.
All Obi-wan could do was stare. Just seeing Luke... so small and still and helpless... brought tears to his eyes. He just couldn't believe it. He... he'd failed again. Failed to protect the boy, just as he'd failed to protect his father. And now he'd lost both Skywalkers; lost the Chosen One father to the Sith, and the son to the Force itself. He shook his head, the weight of his lightsaber too heavy on his belt. He had no right to call himself a Jedi.
He was a failure.
Then, at that very moment, a quiet groan came from Luke and he rolled his head. Obi-wan went to rush forward, but caught himself when Owen and Beru did the same. He forced himself to wait. It was only right for the couple to go to Luke, they were his adoptive parents. Owen scooped Luke into his arms, then paused to stare at the third sister. The third sister said nothing, just looked up, met the man's gaze and looked down again. Then, as Owen and Beru turned to carry Luke back inside their homestead, she started to cry. He stayed with the Inquisitor while she sobbed, refusing to leave until she'd left the homestead.
"I couldn't do it," the third sister said between sobs, and he moved closer. "I couldn't do it. I failed them. He killed them all, and I couldn't do it."
He lowered to one knee beside the inquisitor and worked to console her. He needed to wrap this up. "You haven't failed them," Obi-wan said softly. "By showing mercy, you have given them peace. You have honoured them."
The third sister looked up, then nodded as if already knowing the answer to her next question. "Have I become him?" she asked him.
"No..." Obi-wan said, absolving her of her guilt. The former youngling was conflicted, and he sensed that given the gentlest of pushes, she would abandon the dark side altogether. "You've chosen not to," he said. "Who you become now... that is up to you."
Hearing this, she gazed up to the night sky, at the stars and sand surrounding her and pulled out her lightsaber. Weighing the circular hilt in her hands, she studied it a moment, then gently lowered it to the sand.
Obi-wan rose to his feet, and she moved to join him. "Now you're free," he said. "We both are."
LOCATION UNKNOWN: MOON'S SURFACE
Closing the last of the overhead storage compartments, the Grand Inquisitor turned in place and glanced around the abandoned shuttle. Someone else had been in here—someone other than Lord Vader. The medi-kits were all missing, and there were random bits and pieces left strewn across the floor. Plus, he could almost smell and taste the ghost of Kenobi's presence; as if the once welcoming and embracing warmth of the Jedi was now tightening like a noose around his neck. Or at least, soon would be, if he failed in his mission to locate Lord Vader and return him to the Emperor.
But, there was no point in wasting any more time looking inside the shuttle—Lord Vader wasn't here. So, giving the cabin and cockpit one final check, he made for the boarding ramp and left.
When he reached the end of the ramp, he was surprised to see the pilot already on his way to meet him.
"Grand Inquisitor, I've just received news from the Devastator," the officer said, panting through the words. "They said they've been trying to reach you. Apparently the escape craft left the moon almost an hour ago. They opened fire, but it slipped through the turbo-lasers and jumped straight to lightspeed."
"What? How many lifeforms were aboard? Did they manage to complete a scan before it jumped?"
The pilot shook his head. "I don't know, sir. They didn't say."
With a growl, he looked to his black scythe parked beside Vader's Lambda. If Kenobi had somehow managed to defeat Vader and had now taken him hostage, then this whole exercise of searching the moon was pointless. He needed to know now, while there was still time to follow their last known trajectory.
Pushing passed the pilot, he strode up the ramp to his scythe and headed for the cockpit. Then, keying the ship's communicator, he hailed the Devastator. Seconds later, the translucent blue holo-image of the star destroyer's captain rezzed into view above the command console.
"Captain..." the Grand Inquisitor said, glaring at the man.
The captain squared his shoulders before the communicator. "Grand Inquisitor," he acknowledged. "I tried to reach you several times. We intercepted the escape craft leaving the moon approximately one standard hour ago. Though, despite our best efforts, it evaded us and jumped to lightspeed."
"Yes, I am aware of that Captain. Did you complete a scan before it jumped?"
The captain nodded. "Yes sir. Scanners indicated two lifeforms aboard."
Squeezing his fists, the Grand Inquisitor looked past the blue figure of the Devastator's captain to the viewport, stared at Vader's Lambda parked outside. So his suspicions had been accurate. Lord Vader was gone, left with Kenobi. Though, whether he'd left by his own accord, or been taken against his will, still remained unclear. He returned to the communicator. "Captain, set a course for their last known trajectory, and prepare the ship. We leave the moment I return."
OUTER-RIM: TATOOINE
With Luke safe, and the Inquisitor gone, Obi-wan returned to the dropship. Vader was groaning again, his head rolling from side to side on the floor. He wasn't awake; just groaning in his sleep.
He needed to get moving. Hurrying to the cockpit, he took his seat and fired up the ship's engines. Then, inputting the coordinates for Alderaan, he hit the main thrusters and lifted off.
. . .
The ship dropped out of hyperspace a few hours later and the peaceful blue planet of Alderaan filled the viewport. Obi-wan breathed a sigh of relief. They'd made it. Now he just needed to get Vader down to the surface and secured inside the old military base. Keying the ship's communicator, he hailed the Senator on the surface.
"I have you on the scanners, Obi-wan," Organa said. "Follow the mountain pass and set down at these coordinates. The roof hatch will be open by the time you arrive."
Obi-wan guided the ship through the atmosphere, then angled for the snow covered alps that laid beyond the crystalline palace and capitol city of Alderaan. If he wasn't on such a time sensitive journey he would have taken a few moments to admire simple the beauty of the place. It was a far cry from the sand and dust covered deserts of Tatooine. Another time, perhaps. If Vader didn't kill him when he eventually awoke.
The shimmering city slipped by beneath him, and the dropship's navi-comp lit up with the countdown for their new coordinates. Flying over the crest of the first mountain peak, he dipped the nose and lowered for the valley pass behind it. Rocky mountain walls rushed past the sides of the ship, made the snow drift below look like a long winding road nestled between them. Red and green flashing lights blinked up ahead, shining from the top of what looked to be a large square mound of snow that rose to block the end of the valley pass. Obi-wan slowed his approach, increased the ship's altitude so as to clear the top of the mound, and disengaged the main thrusters.
Reaching the mound, he spotted the two hatch doors jutting out from the top, and settled in to hover above them. Then, activating the landing sequence, slowly guided the dropship to set down between them.
Bail was waiting for him in the hangar when he opened the dropship's cargo-hatch, and Obi-wan stepped out to greet him.
"Obi-wan!" Bail said, walking forward and holding his arms out to embrace him.
Obi-wan joined the senator and accepted his embrace, gave his friend a few heavy pats on the shoulder. Bail pulled back and looked past him to the dropship.
"Where is he?" Bail asked.
Glancing across his shoulder, Obi-wan turned to the open cargo-hatch and nodded. "Inside," he said. "I have him secured in the cargo-hold."
"Do you think he knows where he is?"
Obi-wan shook his head. "No. He's been slipping in and out of consciousness since we left."
Bail nodded. "Right. Well, we should transfer him to the holding chamber before he wakes up."
The senator tapped at his wrist-com and moments later, the massive blast door to the hangar slid open. Four droids ambled in; two 2-1b medical droids pushing a hover stretcher, and two other droids Obi-wan recognised in an instant. The small blue and white astromech: R2-D2, and the yellow-gold protocol droid: C-3PO. Obi-wan had forgotten about the two droids he and Yoda had surrendered to the senator after the birth of the twins. And now, they were here, like this was some sad family reunion. It made the weight of what he was doing feel so much heavier. "Come on," he said, shaking off the melancholic thought. "We should get moving."
STAR DESTROYER DEVASTATOR: IN ORBIT OVER THE MOON
The Grand Inquisitor knelt before the blue holo-projection in the star destroyer's main bridge, the Emperor's penetrative gaze boring holes into him from light years away.
"Grand Inquisitor," the Emperor hissed. "I trust your mission to locate Lord Vader was a success."
Keeping his eyes to the floor, the Grand Inquisitor swallowed and shook his head. "No, my Lord," he reluctantly answered. "We located his ship, but found no trace of either Lord Vader or Master Kenobi."
"I see..." the Emperor said. "And yet, I sense there is something else you are not telling me."
The Grand Inquisitor looked up, met the wrinkled man's hidden stare. "Yes, my lord," he said, knowing it was pointless to withhold information from the Emperor. He would see through it, saw things invisible to the normal naked eye. "Kenobi's ship departed the moon before my team set down on the surface. The star destroyer moved to intercept, but failed to prevent him from escaping."
"And?" the Emperor snarled, clearly sensing there was still more to be said.
"The ship's bio-scan revealed two lifeforms were aboard."
Anger coursed through the air between them, and even from this distance, the Grand Inquisitor could feel the Emperor's power swarming around him in the bridge.
"And you believe this second lifeform was Lord Vader?" said the emperor. It wasn't a question.
He nodded. "Yes, my lord."
A moment of silence passed, and the Grand Inquisitor felt the heat of the Emperor's ire rapidly building around him. The holo-projection fizzled and hissed, then slowly rezzed back into view.
"I want a full and detailed account of the events leading up to Lord Vader's disappearance," said the emperor. "You will cease all other pursuits, and document and transmit this report to me at once."
"Yes, my lord."
"Meanwhile, I will contact the ISB and have them put a bounty on Kenobi's head so large, that even the most loyal of Jedi sympathisers will be unable to resist it."
"And what of Lord Vader, my lord?" the Grand Inquisitor asked. "Shall we continue our search for him?"
The emperor cackled over the transmission, and his sithly-yellow eyes flared with knowing determination. "Oh... do not worry yourself about Lord Vader. I assure you, he will be found. I will see to it, personally."