Well, since this seems to be the second chapter, I shall do some shoutouts, as I was actually pleasantly surprised at the number of reviews that have come in for the first chapter alone. Cool!
Jedi from Rohan: Wassup? And yes, it is sort of scary…I plan to pop in an unexpected and possibly disturbing ending. It is an AU, after all.
Kynstar: That braid idea…(snicker) Sounds like something my friend Jandalf the Orange would use in one of her spoofs. You should tell her about it.
Jedi Nifet: Thankees…unfortunately, I don't know Siri's character that well, and besides that, having more than one Old Republic Jedi clone would get…well…messy.
Princess-Kinky, NathanPostmark, and Maren: Many thankees! I hope you all enjoy…I try.
And now, for your collective entertainment…Chapter the Second.
~~~***~~~
Mara Jade had nearly worked herself into a frantic rage. He had been here, only yesterday, and now she came in just before dawn to find his room empty…
She didn't care in the slightest as to Kenobi's well-being. Mara did, however, care about her own, and she knew full well what displeasing her master would mean.
So when she hesitantly connected with him, wanting to get it over with, she was struck by surprise at the sole order he gave:
Bring him back, to me. He did not have to send any threats to accentuate the command.
The first problem Mara came across was that she hadn't the slightest idea as to where he had gone. So, strange as it seemed, she sank into a technique that she rarely used, that only worked on occasion.
In her mind, she made herself to be Obi-Wan Kenobi, and began to perceive things from his perspective. She filed through everything she had told him, all the other information he had received that she knew of, and his most probable choice…
Three weeks ago.
"Darth Vader's flagship is the Executor," she told him. "It's where the most promising officers are put to work, and sometimes death."
He still wanted to see it.
She laughed at the request and said sardonically, "Maybe you can ask for a tour when Vader's returned from his trip."
"What trip?"
"He's leaving with the Executor in three weeks…"
She uttered a vile curse. Surely she should have known better than to tell Kenobi something like that. He was a sponge for information, absorbing anything and everything. The discontent had been plain in his eyes from day one, and he had obeyed her every whim for four weeks.
He was biding his time, she realized. And I didn't see it through his innocent little façade.
There was only one thing for it. Mara Jade would follow the Executor.
***
He had found something fascinating in the equipment room a couple of weeks ago. Two thumb-sized glimmering crystals, both perfectly cut, one tinted blue and slightly larger than the other. He hadn't known why they had attracted him so, only that he had wiped off the dust and pocketed them at his first opportunity.
No one had noticed. No one had cared. He had kept them, looking at them every night before going to sleep.
But now he didn't dare draw any sort of unusual attention toward himself. He was under cover as a snow trooper in one of the Executor's reserves. He had learned enough over the last four weeks, from both Mara Jade and his own inquisitive studying, to disappear among the ranks of troopers. The few who actually saw his face believed the story he made of getting the scar during a training mishap, which wasn't astronomically far from the truth.
He was lying in his bunk, awaiting nearly unattainable sleep, fingering the crystals in his pocket, when everything when completely white. He gasped and his back arched rigidly.
A hallway formed in his mind's eye…the hallway just outside the dormitory. It seemed as if he was floating through the hall rapidly, taking a left turn, entering the turbolift, down four floors, across the hall, taking another turbolift nine levels down, turning right and following the hall down to one of the side shuttle bays…In a rush, the vision took him into one of the shuttles, launched, and punched in a reel of coordinates once free of the Super Star Destroyer.
The string of numbers echoed through his mind as the vision faded. Still gasping, his eased himself back into a relaxed position, eyes wide.
"Hey. You all right?" whispered the man in the bunk next to his.
He gritted his teeth, feigning pain, and nodded. "Just a cramp," he lied in a weary voice, and pretended to stretch his back out before settling down again.
It was only a matter of minutes before the other trooper began softly snoring. Feeling a twinge of envy, Obi-Wan rose silently and dressed, curious at where exactly the vision would take him after he was out in the shuttle. To Hoth, I suppose?
He followed the exact pattern through the halls using the same two turbolifts, and came to the shuttle hangar. There were five Lambda-class shuttles on the docking bay floor, and to his surprise no one was on patrol.
Shift change? he wondered, and softly padded toward the shuttle on the far right. The boarding ramp hissed open upon his approach and he jumped, looking around to search for troopers he hoped weren't there.
But the bay was still empty. Feeling somewhat isolated, he crept up the ramp, into the shuttle.
Fortunately, Mara had taught him first off how to fly a Lambda-class, and he reviewed the controls mentally as he sunk into the pilot's seat, and started the warm-up procedure.
It seemed that the shuttle roared to life in the silence. He was seized by a sudden anxiety as he thought of all the ways this could go horribly wrong…but despite his feelings on the matter, he slid the shuttle smoothly forward and shivered with delight at the mere thought of doing something so audacious.
Troopers began flowing out of a door near the end of the docking bay, threatening to fire. They formed a line, blasters bearing on the shuttle—
He swallowed, and gunned the controls. Troopers scattered madly, some diving to the floor as he grazed by less than a meter overhead. Some began to fire, but he was going fast enough to evade their unsteady shots, and punched through into hard vacuum.
He knew they would already have called an alert; he searched and spotted the navicomputer on the control panel, fingers hesitating over the keypad.
Were they the right coordinates? Or would he hammer into a star? Or even worse, would he get hopelessly lost and run out of fuel, food, and air?
But he steeled himself. A worse fate no doubt awaited if he went back. His fingers took on a life of their own as they steadily punched in the reel of numbers…
Here goes nothing, he thought, and pulled the lever.
***
Mara came triumphantly out of hyperspace to see the Executor looming before her. She saw there were some small objects launching from the hold at the base of the Star Destroyer; upon scanning she confirmed them to be probe droids. What's Vader looking for? The Rebels? she wondered, thankful that the Executor had needed to come to realspace periodically to launch the droids, or she might not have caught up.
Suddenly her sharp eyes caught a ship…more specifically a Lambda-class shuttle, launching from a starboard docking bay. Curious, she turned her sensors toward the shuttle…
One life form. She narrowed her eyes, puzzled, and straining, carefully attempted to reach out and brush this mind…it couldn't possibly be Vader…
Mara's breath caught in her throat. It's him. Kenobi's making a break for it. Angrily, she slammed her own ship to accelerate madly toward the shuttle; she let slip a vile curse when her quarry rocketed into hyperspace. Her sublight engines might have been better than the shuttle's, but when it came to hyperspace, the match was nearly even.
Focusing intensely on her equipment, she plotted and tracked the vector, narrowing down his approximate coordinates to one system that was a mere lightyear away.
Hoth? She frowned. What does he want with the giant ice cube? But she labeled the question irrelevant—all she needed to do was go to Hoth, capture him, and bring his miserable little hide back to the Emperor.
Mara was acting the bounty hunter, except she was fueled differently. Bounty hunters were driven by credits. Mara Jade was driven by rage, and her blazing green eyes reflected the burning fire within as the stars lengthened into strips of light, twisting into the patterns of hyperspace…
***
The shifting light outside his cockpit entranced him. The quiet beauty of the flickering patterns let his mind wander, and one thought in particular brought a shimmering tear to form in the corner of his eye, spilling over and trailing down his face, following the line of his scar. Anakin always loved watching the lights of hyperspace wash over the cockpit. He would sit in the copilot's seat, especially in the first few years, and ask me what made the light so beautiful. And I told him the light was made beautiful when someone took the time to look at it and fall into wonder…
He snapped out of his reverie suddenly. Where had that thought come from? Certainly not his memory…
He touched the treasure again, ran through it again, saw a small boy's face lit with the mesmerizing patterns, his blue eyes shining. The boy turned his solemnly fascinated gaze to Obi-Wan and said, I wish I could keep watching it forever, Master.
I understand, he heard himself softly telling the boy, but some things must come to an end.
I know, came the enthusiastic response, but I'll keep watching it as long as I can, so I can remember it better when it's gone. And maybe it'll still be beautiful even if I'm just remembering it.
Obi-Wan turned with the boy back to the dancing light. I'm sure it will.
And then the phantom memory faded, and he found himself staring at the copilot's seat where the boy had been sitting. And he thought, Anakin. Where are you? Where are you now?
…Who are you?
***
Hoth magnified in his view as he came out of hyperspace. He stared down at the barren-looking planet, and could imagine the swirling snow again, that he had seen in the training room in his mind's eye.
The hanging white sphere looked beautifully pristine, though. He flew closer, entered the atmosphere, and cruised slowly along the line between the day and the night, several hundred feet in the air.
His eyes were trained on the horizon when he heard her, a soft sweet voice laden with concern. Obi-Wan, please, you must help my son…
He looked down to the drifting snow below, and descended, searching for he knew not what. He didn't know if he could trust the disembodied voice that rang within his head. Was it something metaphysical, or just one of those new memories?
My son…
Then he spotted a lone figure struggling through the snow, far away. He lowered the shuttle, slowing, preparing to land. The lower wings of the Lambda-class folded upward, and he eased the craft to a stop a bare ten meters from the person he had seen, who collapsed in the snow.
Hurrying from the shuttle, the howling wind struck him a bitterly cold blow across the face. Despite knowing he was hardly dressed adequately for the severe climate, he plunged into the snow drifts, wallowing up to his knees as the cold gripped his toes.
The biting wind nipped at his cheeks and ears as he waded closer. The figure in the snow, he decided, was a man who looked to be several years older than him. Sprawled on his stomach, the young man looked up at him in confusion, then his blue eyes rolled backwards and his face plunged into the snow.
Obi-Wan stood astonished for a moment, but the below-freezing temperatures quickly snapped him into action. He brought his arms under the other, turning him onto his back and preparing to haul him off the ground.
The sound reached his ears, then. It was possibly one of the oddest noises he had heard yet, sounding like it came from an animal, a throaty yakkim-yakkim. He stood up with the young man in his arms, and saw someone approaching mounted on the furry animal he had seen in the vision.
"Luke?" came the rider's confused voice through the howling wind. "Luke? What the hell…" He dismounted hastily and approached Obi-Wan, blaster drawn. "Who're you?"
Obi-Wan shivered violently in the cold, but peered closely at the man's face. "Han?" The word sprang from his lips automatically. What? I don't know this man…that's likely not even his name…
But the man reacted, hesitating. "What? Who're you? Answer me," he demanded, "or I'll shoot. You're wearing an Imperial lounge outfit, aren't you?"
"I'm Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan Kenobi. I thought he…Luke…needed help, so I was going to bring him into the shuttle…" Obi-Wan trailed off in confusion as Han pulled off his snow goggles and stared at him in complete bewilderment.
The taun-taun gave one last pathetic gurgle and fell over.
Han glanced over his shoulder, and his scowl deepened. "Well. Go on, take him into the shuttle. I don't know what you're trying to pull on me, kid, but I've got you covered. Don't you try anything."
Obi-Wan nodded and started wallowing back to the shuttle, Han following him suspiciously. Han hesitated just before stepping onto the boarding ramp, but the thought of leaving his unconscious friend at the hands of a possibly Imperial stranger motivated him enough to forgo his personal concerns. Besides, he would be no use to Luke frozen solid, or to anyone else, for that matter…
The shuttle's roomy interior provided a couple of long padded couches facing each other. Obi-Wan carefully laid Luke down on one of them and began peeling off some of his snow-laden outer garments while Han took a seat on the other couch, watching everything at once, but especially the strange youth looking after Luke.
Obi-Wan pulled Luke's gloves and boots off and began working circulation into his ice-cold feet. "I'm only trying to help. You can trust me."
"I don't know about that," Han snarled. "I have a tough time trusting anyone who claims to be a dead man."
"A what?" Then Obi-Wan realized. "I'm not…I mean…I'm a clone," he finished, feeling ridiculous. "I'm not who you think I am."
Han stared at him incredulously. "The Imps cloned him?" The blaster rose again, this time without a waver. "You're conditioned, aren't you? Get away from him," he ordered, standing up.
Obi-Wan slowly backed off, raising his empty hands. "They didn't condition me. I'm not one of them."
Han saw the truth in his eyes, but still held his ground. "The Empire's got their special techniques. You might not even be aware of it, and then you'll come around and give them the signal to swarm in. No, I don't trust you. You're telling the truth, but I can't trust you."
"But what about Luke? He needs attention."
Han shook his head. "There's nothing you can do for him, kid, not more than you've done already. We're staying right here." Then a different light entered his eyes. "Or not. I'm assuming this bucket can still fly."
Obi-Wan nodded uneasily, still staring down the business end of Han's blaster.
"Good. Get into the copilot's seat."
Obi-Wan hesitated, looking back at Luke, who was beginning to stir.
"Go," Han growled. "He'll be fine."
Obi-Wan complied, seeing the anxiety in Han's eyes. He seated himself and watched one of Han's hands fly over the control panel while the other held his blaster. He was amazed at the familiar dexterity Han had, almost as if he had flown one of these before. Han seemed as experienced as Mara Jade. "You've flown a Lambda-class before?"
Memory kindled in Han's eyes, and he furrowed his brow. "Yeah…" His blaster was still in his hand, finger poised on the trigger, but it was no longer pointed at Obi-Wan as he recalled his own Imperial past. "Yeah. I've flown a few."
Obi-Wan noticed, with a measure of gratitude, that Han's blaster had never yet been set to kill, only stun.
Luke moaned behind them. "Ben…Ben…please…"
Han quickly moved to cover Obi-Wan. "Not a word. You're an average defector, understand? Everyone's been messed around with as is. We'll deal with this Obi-Wan Kenobi thing later."
"All right. But I'll need an alias, in that case."
Han waved his blaster in irritation. "Make one up yourself. I've run out of ideas over the years. Now you sit right here and act all normal, and don't touch Luke."
Obi-Wan nodded, and sat in obedient silence.
Han moved back to Luke, never taking his attention off Obi-Wan. He sat down beside the head of his friend and ruffled his hair, something he had unconsciously picked up from hanging around Wookiees. "Hey, kid. You awake?"
Luke opened his eyes groggily. "Wha…Han? 'm cold…" He tried to sit up.
Han gently pushed him back down. "Yeah, kid, on account of being on Hoth and all. Relax. We'll get you back real soon, okay?"
"Where are we?" Luke murmured, taking in their surroundings. This time Han let him sit up, and he spotted the teenager sitting in the copilot's seat.
Obi-Wan attempted a smile, wondering how in all the nine hells of Kessel did he know the names of these two men before him…and the name of Luke's father.
Father? Of course; the little boy's eyes were just like his.
Luke tensed as he saw the Imperial insignia embroidered on the breast of the stranger's outfit. "What's going on?"
"I defected from the Empire," Obi-Wan announced quietly, "and I'm never going back."
A look of gladness replaced the one of misgiving in Luke's eyes. "Oh. I'm sure everyone will be happy to have you on board. What's your name?"
Alias. What's a good alias? One rapidly came to mind and he spoke it without pause. "Orlan Ytho, sir," he said, sensing Luke had a rank in command, by the way he spoke, however uncertainly.
Luke smiled, belying the weariness he felt. "I'm Commander Skywalker, but you can call me Luke. And this is Captain Han Solo."
Obi-Wan inclined his head. "A pleasure. Shall I warm up the ship?"
"Go right ahead," Han told him, "but I'll be flying."
***
The shield was impenetrable for her small craft. She had gone over it as surreptitiously as she possibly could, and found no entrance.
My master…I have failed. Mara had arrived just in time to see Kenobi slipping into Hoth's atmosphere, and the shield readings hadn't even flickered. His entrance was a complete mystery to her. But I have found that Hoth is shielded. There is most likely a Rebel presence here.
Her master fed cold, silent anger to her, and sent, You will stay in orbit. You will contact Lord Vader and tell him of your findings. Tell him I instruct him to search the planet and to crush any traces of the Rebellion he finds. You will assist him in the invasion and capture Kenobi. YOU WILL NOT FAIL.
Filled with a mortal fear, she activated her communications system, and hailed the Executor.
***
The shuttle came to a stop a stone's throw away from the blast doors of Echo Base. Inside, indiscriminate confusion prevailed as General Rieekan ordered someone to go wake the Princess, before somebody up and died or something equally drastic…
***
So far, it had been Leia's worst night on Hoth. She could think of nothing but the two men isolated outside for the rest of the night. Artoo's calculation of the odds hadn't helped much, either. And so she had asked Chewbacca if he wanted to move into her room for the night. The idea had comforted the big Wookiee partially, and they had moved an extra bed into her chamber. Now they lay quietly on opposite sides of the room, thinking of anything but sleep.
Leia's eyelids shot open as she heard the knocking on her door. Still fully dressed, she threw the heavy blankets off of her and palmed open the door while Chewie sat up and moaned inquiringly, anxiously.
It was a young recruit she recognized; he'd joined the Rebel forces earlier in the month. "Your Highness," he said, looking disconcerted. "I'm sorry if I woke you, but there appears to be an Imperial shuttle just outside the blast doors with Commander Skywalker and Captain Solo inside—" He watched her race down the hall, Chewbacca in close pursuit. "Your Highness?"
Leia burst into the main control room and demanded, "What's going on?"
General Rieekan turned to face her. "Your Highness. Captain Solo is reporting in from a Lambda-class shuttle that he seems to have…acquired." The look on Rieekan's face showed plainly that he hadn't the slightest clue as to how Han had managed to procure the ship.
"Has he found Luke?" she questioned, her dark eyes flashing.
"Yes, Skywalker is with him." Rieekan turned back to a panel and Leia recognized Han's voice emanating from one of the speakers.
"…would be nice for someone to slice us in. The commander isn't looking wonderful."
She came closer. "Han?"
"Leia." He sounded relieved. "Talk some sense into your friends there. They think I can't handle an Imperial visitor all by myself."
"A what? You've got someone with you? What happened?"
"Calm down, all right? Just get someone to open the damned doors and we can sort this all out once we're inside."
Leia frowned. The visitor Han had referred to couldn't possibly be an ambassador. The Imperials had long been finished with their negotiations with the Alliance; if they came knocking, it would be with turbolasers, not an unarmed shuttle…
She interrupted her own line of thought with an order. "Get a slicer to open the doors. And don't tell me they're hacksafe, because that would mean the entire base has been full of sitting ducks every single night."
The general nodded and summoned a subordinate, directing him to get a slicer on the job.
"How did this Imperial get through the shield?" she asked Rieekan, concerned.
He shook his head. "I don't know. But either way, we have to assume we're not safe here any longer."
She stared through the communications panel, hoping that maybe this Imperial had enough stature for them to leave unharmed, as long as they had him at blasterpoint…but she abandoned the thought quickly. Taking a hostage would make them no better than the Imperials, and certainly wouldn't heighten any quietly existing public support. No, he wouldn't be taken hostage…but he certainly would not be sent on his way.
"We also discovered a different presence in the system," the general added. "Also Imperial, as the identification holds, though this ship can't seem to come through the shield as the first did."
The slicer started overriding the lockdown, working so fast with the computers that Leia tried to amuse herself with the thought that the keypads might soon start aflame.
It was only a few minutes before he called, "Got it! Pull the controls."
"Open the doors," Rieekan directed.
***
As soon as he saw the blast doors gradually sliding open, Han fired up the engines again. He would have left the shuttle outside if Echo Base hadn't so desperately needed to be hidden.
Some deck crew members scurried to clear an area for the approaching shuttle while a few officers drew their blasters to cover the boarding ramp.
The shuttle came to a stop and Han walked out, pushing Obi-Wan in front of him.
Leia rushed forward despite protestations from General Rieekan. "Where's Luke?"
Han jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "He wasn't looking too good. I told him to stay inside and wait for the medics."
Obi-Wan fixated his gaze on the Princess. There was something familiar about her, a connection made that he knew he shouldn't have been feeling.
Leia saw him staring at her and snapped, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
He bowed quickly. "Forgive me, your Highness. I am Orlan Ytho, and I came to join the Alliance."
She looked him over critically. "Welcome, then. You'll excuse us, of course, but we can't afford to take the slightest chance."
He nodded. "I understand."
Leia gestured to him and the shuttle. "Scan him and his shuttle over, and take him to Inauguration." She smiled at his dubious expression. "Don't worry, it's much less painful than it sounds. You'll be asked a few questions, your identity will be checked, and it'll all be over. That's usually all it takes."
Obi-Wan nodded, then his breath caught in his throat. Identity check? "Er…I didn't bring my ID badge along. Is that a problem?" he asked, concerned.
"No. There'll be a DNA check." Leia nodded at him. "We'll be glad to have you along, Orlan."
He bowed once more, then stiffly walked away from the boarding ramp under the careful watch of at least a dozen officers with blasters. A DNA check? If they find out who my original was…is that good, or bad? These are enemies of the Empire, so I suppose a traitor to the Empire is an ally to them. But he still felt uneasy.
Han directed the medics into the shuttle. "He's resting on the couches inside." Watching them go, he sauntered down the boarding ramp and grinned down at Leia. "Well, your Worship, I managed to give you a good-bye present before I go."
"Recruitment is hardly your style," she said indifferently. "Besides, I'm sure anyone would object to being labeled a 'present'."
"Only in the best sense of the word," he teased. "He seems like a nice enough kid."
"Nicer than you, I hope," she countered, stalking away.
Slightly baffled, Han watched her go. She had been getting sharper these past few months, especially with him. He wondered if Luke had told her about his previous comment: "Wonderful girl! Either I'm going to shoot her, or I'm beginning to like her!"
No, he thought wryly. That's hardly Luke's "style".
In the best sense of the word.
***
Obi-Wan waited apprehensively with two technicians and a couple of officers while his DNA sample was being checked over.
One of the technicians frowned. "Strange. There's no Orlan Ytho on the Imperial databanks."
Obi-Wan saw one of the officers' hands moving over his blaster, and kept his face carefully neutral, adding a hint of surprise.
The technician began a matching search, and it wasn't long before his eyebrows rose in elaborate puzzlement. "What? It's a positive match with General Obi-Wan Kenobi."
The first officer, a lieutenant, shifted his stance to peer at the screen. "But that's impossible."
Oh, well, thought Obi-Wan. I suppose it's too late now to feign any shock or ignorance. "I'm a clone," he said quietly. "The Imperials found a hair on the general's robe just after he died."
The other technician frowned, an expression that seemed to be common among these two. "Why would they take a mere hair if they could procure a blood or skin cell sample?"
Obi-Wan blinked. "I—I don't know. I'm not a scientist."
The first technician sighed. "Right. It's off to the psychiatrist with you."
"I'm not conditioned," he protested.
The technician gave him a steely look. "We don't know that. Mysteries are made to be worked out, especially of this kind."
Obi-Wan knew he didn't have the same look on mysteries, but then he supposed that sort of perspective would make anyone a scientist, and soberly allowed himself to be led off by the officers.
***
He had already been treated with pokings, proddings, and bacta; the medical droids had commented that it would have been far worse if he would have been exposed to the frigid temperatures for the entire night, although he probably still would have survived if he would have found shelter of some sort. The scar underneath his eye from the wampa had already healed marvelously.
But Luke was already sick of the taste of bacta on his breath, and walked down the halls, purposefully away from the med center. He had heard that the new recruit that had rescued him had run into a bit of trouble with the technicians, and had been taken to the base's psychiatrist. Reve Hadan specialized in treating the people that had been mentally stricken by war, and was gifted with a wide range of species, but his skills were not limited to that.
An aide answered the door and gestured him in, asking him in a soft voice to remain quiet.
Luke nodded. Extreme care had to be taken; the mind was a fragile thing to tamper with. He followed the aide up to a pane of transparisteel that allowed him to look into the next room.
Hadan's mouth moved, though no sounds came through the clear barrier or the door leading into the treatment room. The young man's prone form lay still on the lounge couch, his eyes closed.
"He's being looked over in a relatively shallow state of hypnosis," the aide explained to the commander quietly.
Luke stared into the room, fascinated with what he saw. Orlan Ytho lay in an utter state of peace; he might have been mistaken for dead if not for the slow rising and falling of his chest.
Young Orlan's hand suddenly twitched. Doctor Hadan saw this and uttered what Luke thought to be calming words, but the youth was beyond their effect…
His head rolled to the side, and azure eyes opened to clearly stare into Luke, who could not tear his gaze away. Luke. You will go to Dagobah. There you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi Master who instructed me. The gentle voice echoed through his mind…Ben's voice.
Luke gaped. "Ben?"
The youth's head rolled back, his eyes closing. Hadan looked confused, but continued regardless.
"Sir?" ventured the aide. "Are you all right?"
Luke blinked, remembering the message. Dagobah?
"Sir? Perhaps you should return to the ward—"
"No," Luke said quickly, "I'm fine…do you mind if I wait here for him to come out?"
"Not at all, sir." The aide looked slightly perturbed. "If you're sure you don't need anything."
"No, thanks…I just want to wait." He sat in one of the chairs to illustrate his point, but he kept gazing through the thick clear pane, hearing an echo of Ben's voice in his mind.
So that was what he had been hearing during the battle for Yavin. He had supposed it was a command from the Force, but from Ben himself…
His attention was entwined within his thoughts so much that he hardly paid any notice to the door sliding open and Doctor Hadan coming out with weary steps.
"Strange lad," the doctor said, "but I can't see any evidence of conditioning. We are fortunate to have come across such a one, I suppose."
Luke snapped his eyes to Hadan, and stood. "So he's all right, then?"
"That he is—I just told him to relax a bit. He's perfectly all right, Commander. But I do want to see him a few more times; I noticed some things that may hint at some future instability."
"Can I talk to him?" asked Luke, and grinned. "I promise not to mess him up too much."
Hadan smiled back. "I'm sure you'd be the best friend for him, right now."
Luke felt an implication in the doctor's words, but ignored it and softly walked inside the room.
***
Obi-Wan rolled off the lounger to face the young commander, looking at him a little dubiously. "Sir…am I any shorter?"
"What?"
"They said I was going in here to 'get shrunk'. I'm not sure what they meant by that."
Luke might have laughed if he hadn't have been silenced by a sudden awareness of the youth's lack of exposure. That was something that might have been expected from a child, not someone nearing adulthood. "Sometimes people refer to psychiatrists as 'shrinks', that's all."
"Oh." Obi-Wan relaxed, but stared into Luke. "You're wondering why I didn't know that, aren't you?"
Luke nodded, suddenly a little uncomfortable.
Obi-Wan shrugged. "I've only really been awake for a month, sir. I'm a clone…I suppose you hadn't been told yet."
"That explains," said Luke.
The youth's intensity heightened, if at all possible, his blue eyes shimmering with curiousity, seeking answers. "Did you know Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
Luke's heart lifted. He was surprised, of course, that someone so young might claim to know the old Jedi, but still… "Yes—I did. Why do you ask?"
"He is my original." Obi-Wan's eyebrows lifted quizzically. "I was hoping someone could tell me about him, so I might know where I came from."
"You," murmured Luke after a sudden silence. "You gave me the message."
But the young duplicate only blinked, puzzled. "What message?"
"I was told to go to Dagobah, to see a…" Luke frowned. "A Master Yoda. Don't you remember telling me that?"
"I was under hypnosis, apparently." Obi-Wan smiled helplessly. "I don't really know what's going on. There have been memories surfacing that I've never experienced, and I hoped that if you knew him, you could tell me about them."
Luke's discomfort returned, full force. "I didn't know him for very long. Only a day or so. He never even told me that much, just started to train me."
The pools of blue before him softened, deepened. "You must not focus on your anxiety, Luke. Keep yourself centered in the present moment. Your training will be complete enough, given time and proper instruction." Then young Obi-Wan shuddered, his eyes rolling back, and his legs gave out.
Luke was just in time to catch him, to keep him from collapsing on the floor. "Doctor Hadan!" he shouted through the open door. "Where's the doctor?"
~~~***~~~
I'm so evil with my cliffies, aren't I? Although this one isn't quite as cliffie-like as the others.
The next update might be a while in coming, as my life is too busy for me to have a life. But I will post as soon as I get another 9+ pages. (^^)