Part Four: Face Me
Obi-Wan staggered to find a hiding place, to think things through first, before he would face his former apprentice again. The pain in his ankle told him it was more than a sprain. He pushed away some small boulders and slipped underneath an even bigger rock for safety. It wasn't long until the entire area was filled with an evil darkness. He heard the heavy breathing of Vader grow louder.
"Come out, Obi-Wan. Come out and face me like the Jedi you are."
Obi-Wan shook away the anger he felt for Mace's loss, the other Jedi, and slipped deeper into the hiding place. He watched Vader's feet move about, searching for his former Master. His lightsaber was no longer blue, but glowed an evil scarlet red.
"Face me, Obi-Wan." Vader grew impatient.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and began to concentrate, to calm himself and try to make contact with any Jedi nearby. But all he could see was the fiery colors of that lava pit. He saw his hand extend out to nothing more. His apprentice was consumed by the pit, no longer visible. He shuddered. He was cold.
"I'm so sorry, Anakin." His voice was barely above a whisper.
Vader's head shot quickly to his left. He smiled underneath the black mask and walked over to the huge boulder in which his master hid. He peered around the side and saw where a person Obi-Wan's size could easily squeeze through to hide underneath it.
"An obvious choice. But not that wise." He drove his lightsaber through the rock, cutting it down to size.
The boulder began to break with the movement of the lightsaber. Vader pushed away the bits of debris through the Force and continued to cut at the rock. Obi-Wan pushed himself out and slipped between Vader's legs to safety. Vader turned to face him, every breath grew with every step he took. "I should of destroyed you when I had the chance, Obi-Wan."
"You wouldn't. You couldn't then. You still can't now, Anakin. You never could. You're too afraid to."
Vader hacked down on the Jedi, but Obi-Wan pushed away and ignited his lightsaber.
"You were always the weaker of the two of us, Obi-Wan. But I can make you stronger," Vader's grip tightened around his lightsaber.
"I won't fight you. Not this way. You're only under the influence of the Dark Side, allowing it to control your every move. But it isn't too late to save you, Anakin. Come with me and I can save you from it."
Vader pushed away the thoughts of them together in the past and flung out his hand. Obi-Wan was thrown into the air, hitting a distant tree. He slumped over in pain. He needed to get up, but he couldn't. He couldn't feel the Force around him anymore. His mind was in a blur.
"You've gotten weaker, Obi-Wan. The Force is subsiding in you. Leaving you," Vader taunted.
Obi-Wan caught his breath. "I won't join you, Vader."
"You will, Obi-Wan. There is no other way."
"Then you will have to destroy me, Anakin. I won't allow you to destroy the Republic more than you have already."
"Very well. If that's your decision, Obi-Wan."
Vader raised his saber high over his head, but before he was about to strike the fallen Jedi, the saber was released from his grasp. Vader turned quickly in which his saber flew. Yoda was sitting atop a tree, Vader's lightsaber firmly held in his hand.
"Master Yoda." Vader greeted.
"Strong you have become, Vader. But still much you have to learn. And still not that strong. Power you could never gain, Padawan, without destroying something to bring it to you."
Vader approached the small green master. "The old ways will die right along with you, Yoda."
Yoda smiled and jumped down to face the dark Jedi, his green lightsaber ignited in a flash. Obi-Wan looked quickly at his lightsaber in the distant, but Vader followed his gaze and got to it before Obi-Wan could. The green and blue blades disappeared into blurs, but the green was quicker.
"Go, Obi-Wan. Your assistance the remaining Jedi need." Yoda held down one of Vader's attacks.
Obi-Wan slowly got to his feet and disappeared behind the tree. And Yoda was left to face the dark Jedi, alone.
tbc..............