Title: Always
Author: XVIII
Rating: PG13
Setting: A/U
Pairing: Obi/Ami
Summary: Obi-Wan's mistake leads to a loved one's death…
Archive: Ask me first!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to Mr. Lucas.
AN: Sorry Ami fans, but this chapter focuses mainly on Obi. It's still pretty vital to the storyline, so I'd still recommend you read it.
AN2: This is a question for you major Star Wars fans out there: Why is it that Obi-Wan disappeared when he was killed by Darth Vader, but Qui-Gon didn't disappear when he was killed by Darth Maul?
AN3: Since this is the end of a story arc, I will take a couple of days to figure out where the fic will go next and plan the other chapters. Don't expect an update to this story for 2-3 days…
Chapter 5: Invasion
Obi-Wan looked out the window as the Millennium Falcon soared toward Yavin 4. He checked their coordinates. They were still a few hours away, which was plenty of time to get to know the princess sitting next to him better. He decided to start with a political topic that had been bothering him for quite some time. He turned to face the monarch.
"I was wondering… doesn't it hurt when you need to sit on that awful throne of yours for more than… say… eight hours at a banquet of some sort and…" He trailed off when he saw the weird look Amidala was giving him.
"Um… nevermind."
The two sat silently for a while until Obi-Wan tactfully decided to change the subject.
"Your people are a democratic people, are you not?"
Amidala nodded yes, wondering where this topic was going.
"Well… if you live in a democracy, how are there kings and queens?"
Amidala nodded again.
"Yes… we get that a lot. The king or queen is elected by the people, not chosen by blood relation or anything like that. Every ten years or so, the present king or queen may choose to run for reelection along with other candidates. That way, the people are able to choose the leader with views closest to their own."
"Yes, I understand that, but why are there princes and princesses as well?"
"The princes and princesses don't really have any ruling power or anything. At a young age, boys and girls are chosen by the Naboo government to learn the ways of the politician. They become princesses and princes until they are sixteen, when they are eligible to become king or queen at the next election. Even if they decline to run, they still become influential politicians because of their training."
She was about to continue when suddenly a sudden jolt shook the ship. A silvery object flew out of Obi-Wan's cloak, but before it could break he pulled it into his hand with the Force. He examined it for a short time, seeming surprised, then turned to Amidala, his eyes inquisitive.
"You say you were taken away by the Nubian government when you were still young. How young were you?"
She frowned.
"About two or three. Why do you ask?"
Obi-Wan looked at the device he was holding again, then showed it to Amidala.
"Why, your midichlorian count is high enough to be a Jedi! If you had been at your home when the Masters had visited you could have been trained as one! And that is why we've been able to establish the bond that we have!"
Amidala nodded excitedly.
"Wow! Do you think I could be a Jedi? I could have one of those laser-sword-thingies and we could be partners and stuff!"
Obi-Wan shook his head in amusement.
"First of all, the 'laser swords' are called lightsabers. And second of all, I'm sorry, but you are much too old to be trained as a Jedi."
"Oh." She seemed surprisingly crestfallen at his answer. When she noticed his concerned gaze, she quickly added,
"It's just that… I've had such a great time with you these past few days, and I could really be myself and not some snobby politician, and… I'm gonna miss that… I'm gonna miss you."
Obi-Wan shook his head.
"Don't worry, Amidala. We'll meet again; I am certain of this."
~ - ~ - ~
Obi-Wan smiled that boyish grin that made Amidala melt inside. She shook it off. She wasn't falling for him, she knew that much. It was probably just some schoolgirl crush that she would get over. It couldn't be love…could it?
"Look! There it is… Yavin 4." Obi-Wan pointed to a bluish-green circle rapidly growing larger. Amidala stared at the beauty of the planet. About half of the planet was covered in water, and the rest was a lush green. Even the gray and orange dots circling around the planet looked beautiful.
*Waitaminute. Gray and orange dots?*She looked closer as the planet became a giant.
*Were those… ships?*She could now see laser blasts being fired rapidly from all directions and fighters zooming, weaving in and out of the action. In the distance, she could see several large ships, no doubt carriers or transports. Explosions lit the darkness.
"Quite a welcoming committee we have, huh?" She asked Obi-Wan jovially. Her smile disappeared when she saw him frozen in shock, his face a mix of anger and terror. She grew concerned when he did not return her smile.
He turned to look at her, a grave expression on his face.
"I think we're… we're under attack!"
~ - ~ - ~
Obi-Wan never felt more panicked in his life. Yavin 4 was under attack! The only structure on the planet was the Jedi base!! He knew he needed to get down there as quickly as possible to help defend their base. He pushed the ship to full power. Amidala looked at him in surprise, but she didn't protest.
He brought the ship down for a smooth landing in a forest near the base and pulled Amidala down under the seats as blaster fire erupted around them.
"Listen to me. You must stay close to me until we reach the Jedi temple, okay?"
She nodded yes and he ignited his lightsaber. He jumped up, deflecting bolts at the attacking humanoids. Obi-Wan pulled Amidala to him and they jumped out of the ship. Obi-Wan stole a blaster using the Force and gave it to the princess.
"Do you know how to fire one of these?"
She glared back.
"Of course I do! What, do you think I'm some sort of Gungan or something? I was trained in the palace in case need arose!"
She proved it by hitting four men with four shots from her blaster. She blew at the smoke coming from the point of the blaster almost boastfully until Obi-Wan yanked her along, still deflecting shots with his saber with one hand while hugging her to him with the other.
They finally made their way to the base, where Obi-Wan could make out master Windu valiantly leading a few Jedi against hundreds of attackers. He ran toward them, relinquishing his hold on Amidala, who ran toward a bunker and started gunning down the creatures. Obi wan jumped and rolled under heavy fire, jumped again, and landed next to a golden-yellow blade that seemed strikingly familiar.
"Obi!"
~ - ~ - ~
Amidala glanced over at Obi-Wan from her position in a bunker. He seemed to be doing fine. She turned her concentration to the humanoids rushing toward them. She recognized the creatures as Mandalorians. They were famous for their armor, which could only be pierced by Mandalorian blasters or lightsabers. Luckily, the side she was fighting for had plenty of lightsabers.
She pulled the trigger several times, but nothing shot out. She checked the pack.
"Damn!"
Her energy cell was out. She would have to steal another blaster or a lightsaber or something. She preferred the lightsaber, but knew that she wasn't trained to use it. When a blade-relishing Mandalorian rushed her, she knocked him unconscious with the butt of her blaster and stole his. She then ducked back into her bunker and started gunning down Mandalorians again.
*Hey, I'm pretty good at this!*~ - ~ - ~
Obi-Wan looked up at the sound of his name. He knew that energetic voice! He grinned. It was
"Cor!"
As soon as he stood up he was practically run over by ninety pounds of ecstatic Jedi. He picked himself and Corro-Phay up again and dusted his robes off. His grin was wider than a river when he pulled his best friend into a bear hug.
"It's great to see you again, Cor, but don't you think we still have some business to take care of?"
"Oh, right!" Corro-Phay released her grip on Obi-Wan and ignited her golden-yellow blade as Obi-Wan ignited his electric blue blade. By then, the fighting had died down, and the two young Jedi took out most of the remaining attackers. A triumphant cheer rose among the Jedi as the last of the attackers retreated. Master Windu silenced them.
"We have won this battle, but there is still much fighting left. Come, we must travel into the jungles."
Obi-Wan turned to Amidala, who was trotting over to the Jedi.
"Stay here where it is safe! There will be chaos in the jungles and there is a chance that you might be hurt!"
Amidala shook her head and glared at Obi-Wan.
"No way! Look, if you think that I'm still not going to go after you tell me to stay, you must be crazy! I'm going to go fight in those forests whether it's with you or by myself!"
Obi-Wan sighed. *Women.*
He regretted his thought the moment he thought it. He had forgotten that he was outnumbered and that he was broadcasting his thoughts to two young women who could hear them. Obi-Wan was rewarded with two smacks on the back of his head.
"Hey! C'mon, it would've been okay if one of you had hit me first and then the other, but at the same time?!"
Corro-Phay grinned.
"I like her way of thinking. Who is she, by the way?"
Obi-Wan grimaced, rubbing the back of his head.
"Corro-Phay, I'd like to introduce you to Princess Amidala of Naboo. Amidala, this is Corro-Phay, padawan learner and my best friend."
Both young women smiled and immediately started talking about what girls talk about, completely ignoring the young Jedi next to them. They walked off, leaving Obi-Wan standing alone at in their dust. He stared after them.
"Well, they seemed to get along pretty well…" He said to nobody in particular.
He had to sprint to catch up.
~ - ~ - ~
"Obi, we need to talk." Corro-Phay's voice was unusually grim. Obi-Wan knew what she needed to talk about, but he wasn't looking forward to this either. She led him to some bushes away from the rest of the group. Obi-Wan waited patiently as Cor struggled to find the right words. He knew how difficult it would be, so he dreaded the moment. There was also the distinct tingly feeling he got whenever something bad was about to happen…
The silence was broken when two blaster shots rang out from out of nowhere. Two holes appeared in Corro-Phay's chest as she dropped like a rock, a shocked look on her face.
It took a moment for Obi-Wan to register what happened, and in that moment a man wearing a silver helmet with a slit in it jetted down from the sky. He took his helmet off to get a better view of his victory, and that was when Obi-Wan recognized him.
"Oh, gods! No! You're… you're Jango Fett! You killed her! Damn You!"
Jango Fett only chucked as he let loose a flurry of laser shots.
"DAMN YOU!!!"
Obi-Wan was blinded by his anger and rage. He deflected the lasers and aimed them all at Jango. He managed to dodge most of them, but some punctured his armor and he fell too. But Obi-Wan would give him no mercy. He drew on the Dark Side for more power. His force push sent Jango reeling almost off a cliff. Luckily, his hand caught on the edge. Obi-Wan sent boulders crashing after Jango.
Jango came to his senses and activated his booster pack. He floated higher into the sky, boulders and small trees pursuing him. He fired his two blasters at the debris, successfully eradicating all of them. As he flew away, he laughed at the Jedi boy, who was now slumped over in defeat.
~ - ~ - ~
Obi-Wan ran over to his fallen friend. He knew that there was little he could do to save her, but he had to try anyway. He knelt over and lifted his best friend's head up.
"Cor! Cor! Cor, you've gotta hold on! I'll get you out of here! Just hang on!"
"Obi?" Her voice was weak and Obi-Wan could feel her breath fast ebbing. He inspected her wounds. The two shots were clean, cutting two perfect circles into Corro-Phay's body. The intense heat of the lasers had sealed off the wounds, so at least there wouldn't be any blood shed. Still, hopes were grim for his friend.
"Obi, I'm cold… I'm really cold…"
"Shh, Cor! Save your strength! I'll get you outta here real quick. Just hold on, okay?" Obi-Wan was panicking and tears streaked down both their faces.
"I… I'm not sure I can make it…"
"Don't say that, Cor! You'll make it! Don't say that!"
"I… I'm sorry… O…bi…"
"Cor! No! Don't! C'mon, just hang on! You don't have to be sorry for anything, Cor! C'mon, just hang on!! Oh, gods, just hang on!!"
"Obi? I… I… I lo- l lov- lo…" Her head drooped back and her eyes closed. Her chest became still. Her body became limp, and her soul became peaceful.
"Cor? Cor?! Oh god, Cor! Wake up! Please… Don't leave me, Cor! Please!! Oh, gods… Cor, no… Wake up, Cor! Oh gods…" Sobs racked his body as he collapsed in grief on top of his friend.
"I… I love you too."