Broken Dreams
Fire. Ash. Smoke. He could see it, feel it, smell it, he could almost even tasted it. All around him men and women were screaming. People were running, the children were crying. To his left he saw a river of blood. There was death all around him. He looked through the smoke and he could see a face. Her face. "Obi-Wan," she whispered.
He awoke with a start. His heart was pounding. He slowly sat up and looked around at his surroundings. The room was dusty, mellow in color, and small. It was his home. He threw his sheets off of his body and stood up. Quietly he dressed into his usual garb, a coarse, white robe, and perfect for the desert.
He then sat back down. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. Just weeks ago Anakin, his padawan, his apprentice, his brother, had turned to the dark side, forsaking everything Obi-Wan had thought he had believed in. Anakin had killed the woman he had claimed to love. Obi-Wan let the tears flow freely as he leaned back against the wall and removed his hands from his face.
Anakin hadn't killed her directly but he sure did move things along. Obi-Wan shook his head. He was full of pain and anguish. The galaxy was now in age of darkness and despair as the emperor ruled with an iron fist. Emperor Palpatine and his right hand man, Darth Vader.
Obi-wan opened his eyes and looked down at his hands, they were shaking. Everything the Jedi Council had hoped for Anakin, for the galaxy, was gone. In a single moment of passion and desperation Anakin had joined with Palpatine. Sadly, Obi-Wan knew it had something to do with Padme. What is was he wasn't sure.
Padme haunted his dreams every time he closed his eyes. He could see her, dying, as her children were being born. The one was safely away on Alderaan, never to be recognized for whom she really was but the other, well Yoda had plans for the boy. He wanted him to be trained, when the time was right as Jedi.
Whether Bail would let his new daughter be trained as a Jedi remained to be seen. Bail had always been a friend to the Jedi and a valuable ally near the end, but whether he would allow his daughter into the heart of war he didn't know.
He pulled his emotions inward as he tried to calmly reflect on the events that had only just recently happened. He had failed Anakin as a Jedi Master, as a brother, and most importantly as a friend. He had failed Padme as a friend. He had failed the Jedi Order, the Republic, and even his old Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
He had failed to protect the galaxy from the things he had promised to always protect it against. Anakin had betrayed them all to the darkside. Obi-Wan's hurt over the betrayal had been immense but not nearly enough as Padme's hurt. Padme, the mother to his child, had been crushed to discover that her beloved husband had murdered innocent children.
They had had plans for Anakin. His destiny was supposed to destroy the Sith, instead he had joined them. Padme had had plans for Anakin. She had wanted to raise a family with him. Palpatine had had plans for Anakin and it was his plans that had succeeded.
Obi-Wan stood up and into the small living room. "You couldn't have saved her." Obi-Wan looked up and saw the ghostly image of his old mater, Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan ignored him and prepared his morning breakfast. "You couldn't have saved any of them."
Obi-Wan poured a tiny glass of milk as he waited for his breakfast to cook. He sat down on a chair and faced the image of Qui-Gon, sitting across from him, "There must have been something I could have done."
"You know, as well as I, that fate must be allowed to take its course."
"Fate," Obi-Wan spat out, "Fate betrayed us all." Obi-Wan knew there was anger in his voice and anger in his heart. Anger is the path to the darkside.
"Fate does what it does," Qui-Gon said. "Fate and destiny go hand in hand and you know that one cannot be deterred from their destiny."
"So it was Padme's destiny to die at Anakin's hands? For her to lose her children? For innocents to lose their lives over the anger of one man's heart?"
Qui-Gon sighed, "You've grown much. I once told you that I foresaw you to become a greater Jedi than I and you already have. The whole universe was fooled by Palpatine. You are just another."
Obi-Wan spooned his food into a bowl and slowly began to eat it. Padme had died from a broken heart. Thousands of Jedi had died at the hands of those they had trusted. Was there no one left? Where Yoda had gone he didn't know. It was safest that way.
Obi-Wan slowly breathed in and managed to calm his emotions. Darth Vader was out there, this instant, slaying the Jedi that had escaped their grasp. The last thing he needed was to be discovered. He had to protect Anakin's young son, Luke. Owen and Beru had taken him in.
Obi-Wan looked over at the silver chest. Inside it contained Anakin's lightsaber. Obi-Wan would give it to the boy when he was old enough and he swore that he would never tell Luke about what had truly become of his father.
He finished his breakfast and set the empty dishes aside. He turned to Qui-Gon, "I know its not my place, but I still wish there was something I could have done. Anything, anything at all."
"You did more than most," Qui-Gon said assuredly, "You saved Anakin and Padme's children. That is the most important thing. When the time is right you and Yoda will train them. The next generation of Jedi is the most important."
Obi-Wan blinked, "just me and Yoda?"
Qui-Gon ghostly form gave a nod, "Yes. As soon as you know how to keep yourself from moving on, I will move on. My place is simply to teach you how to teach them."
"Always the Jedi Master," Obi-Wan said, trying to remain humorous. He knew that he couldn't fool Qui-Gon but it felt good to try.
Qui-Gon gave his old padawan a small smile, "Let's get to work."
THE END