Here's a really long chapter for you guys. Enjoy!
As the suns began to set, Boonta Eve got into full swing. The streets of Mos Espa were packed with all varieties of sentient beings eating, drinking, dancing and celebrating the Huttese holiday. Every cantina, pub, bar and dive in the spaceport was filled to overflowing. Many of the more resourceful establishments set up tables and chairs outside in the street to accomodate those who weren't early enough to get a seat indoors. But that was alright; it was almost nicer being outdoors.
At least, that was what Han Solo was thinking as he sipped his beer. He was able to see finally, and every face save one was familiar. Chewie was right beside him one one side, and the princess on his other. Luke across from him, smirking slightly in response to something Lando had said. But on Luke's other side was the enigmatic Jedi Master, who as of yet hasn't been too forthcoming about who he was. But Han thought there was something familiar about him, though he couldn't quite say what. The stranger had a small green drink in his hand, barely said a word, but kept eyeing Luke carefully, as though hoping he didn't revert back to being the fun-loving former farmboy that Han had gotten to know so well. There was an undercurrent that Han didn't like, and it revolved around this man.
"Lando, I'm still getting over the fact that you were running that mining colony on Bespin, never mind that you're now a general in the Alliance army! This from a person whose entire adult life consisted of one long beer run when I knew him!" Han pointed out.
This got some laughs from everyone, except the Jedi Master. "Han, my friend, I've turned over a new leaf. Time has passed," Lando shrugged.
"Yeah, well, time will tell, won't it?" Han commented lightly. Even as he spoke though, it secretly occurred to him that Lando did appear to have changed as much as he claimed. A robotic waiter loomed over them wanting to see if anyone wanted refills. Luke held his glass up, and Han joked again, "Waiter, you ought to ask for his id!"
"Han, I'm almost 25, even though you still insist on calling me 'Kid,'" Luke pointed out.
"Now wait just a minute! Last time I heard, you were barely 23..." Han started, then fell silent. If Luke was almost 25, and the last time he saw Luke, he'd been only three months past his 23rd birthday (for which they'd had a most memorable celebration on Ord Mantell), then more time had passed than anyone had let on.
Han's hand began to shake, so he set his beer on the table to hide it. His shock made him more receptive to the anger he'd been feeling since the carbonite first dissolved off his skin. He glared at everyone else. "I've been in hibernation for over a year? Why the hell didn't anyone say anything? Here I am going on like a dope about Luke and Lando, and not one word out of any of you! Not even out of Chewie, thank you very much! Anything else anyone needs to tell me?"
At first, no one said a word. Leia looked like tears were filling her eyes. Then, the Jedi Master spoke up. "You had no concept of any passage of time while frozen?"
"No. I was unaware of anything at all. When I was unfrozen, I almost expected to be back on Bespin, in that terrible chamber! Instead, I'm on Tatooine, and I find out a year has passed! More than a year! And now, I want to know just who the hell you are!" he snapped back in annoyance.
Luke was about to speak up, but the Jedi Master stopped him, much in a way that Han had seen someone else stop Luke once... "It's alright, my Padawan. I should not have tried to keep my identity from him long. I only wished to keep him from getting an overload of shocks in one evening. I know now that he doesn't appreciate it. You could say, Captain Solo, that I'm the fool you followed a while ago."
Han seached his memories. Why did that statement tease his mind? And then, the memory flashes of him came in a sequence: in a smoky cantina with a very young Luke, across from him in a secret cargo compartment, battling Darth Vader with lightsabers. That was where he'd seen him before! Which, of course, was absolutely impossible.
"How? There's no way you could be Ben Kenobi..." was all that Han could manage to get out of his mouth.
Obi-Wan placed his drink down, and looked very troubled. "I can assure you that dying was much easier than being brought back."
"I saw you getting killed. You were gone! How did you get brought back?" Han stammered.
"It would appear that Darth Vader's mastery over the Dark Side of the Force is nearly complete. He is the one who has this ability. Among the Jedi, this sort of thing was unheard of. It's something only a Sith Lord like him would attempt!" Obi-Wan downed his drink then.
"Vader!" Han looked very thoughtful. And then he asked, "Bringing people back from the dead is a Dark thing?"
Obi-Wan glared at him. "It is monstrous!" The mood quickly took a dive from there.
"Hey, is the Falcon docked anywhere near here? I think I want to check on it..." Han announced, gulping down the remnants of his bottle.
"I'll go with you, Han. I can show you where it is, and we can do some more catching up," Luke told him. "Chewie, is it okay if I go with him alone? It's kind of, well, I'm sure Han will tell you all about it later." Chewie rumbled a bit, but didn't really argue.
Leia looked miserable and Obi-Wan appeared a bit uncomfortable. /Luke, are you certain of this/ he asked his Padawan through the bond.
/He needs to know the truth, Master. Tell Leia I'll try to make him understand about her not saying anything before./ Luke answered as he pushed his chair in.
Soon, the two friends made their way through the teeming streets. "Now that we're out of earshot, I can say it. I can't beleive this about the old man! Vader brought him back? How much more far-fetched can a story get, Luke?" Han protested.
Luke looked very grim. "Oh, you'd be surprised, Han. Very surprised. Here's the docking bay," he said as he pointed to the large, bowl-shaped structure up ahead.
"So what do you want to talk to me about?" Han asked, almost warily. He searched for his precious YT1300 and finally found it. For a moment, Han just grinned. His ship was alright. Life couldn't be that bad if his ship was alright... Docked next to it was a sleek, smaller cruiser.
"That's the Phoenix, Master Obi-Wan's ship," Luke told him.
"Hmm... Nubian huh? Pretty slick. Must've set him back a pretty credit," Han commented.
"Well, actually... It's a long story. Can we go inside the Falcon? I'd rather not talk out here," Luke winced as people and aliens scurried back and forth.
"Hey, no problem! Come on in!" Han lowered the cargo hold door, and they both climbed up. Han's eyes were everywhere, scanning his ship for signs of damage or neglect. They made it to the cockpit, and Han plopped into his captain's seat, and Luke took Chewie's co-pilot place.
"Oh, look at this. I'll bet Leia must've loved these..." Han shook his head as he batted the fuzzy dice installed over their heads. "No doubt, this was Lando. What else has been done to pimp out the Falcon?"
"Um, yeah, actually, we got into the habit of putting some fuel colorant in the tank... It glows green when you switch gears..." Luke said quietly, not sure he could face Han's reaction.
"You've gotta be kidding! As if I'm going to be able to see it when I'm going into hyperspace!" Han scoffed, suddenly making Luke feel like he was about fifteen years old again.
"Trust me, Han, you do see it. It's a blaze of green all around. It's actually kinda cool..." Luke grinned, for a moment forgetting about the tale of woe he was about to tell Han.
Han looked sardonic. "There, now that's the Luke I used to know. I thought he was gone for good when I first saw you again. I mean, here you are, all dressed up in brown clothes like the old man was. I mean, your Jedi Master, sorry! Yeah, and how come he's younger?" Han pointed out, as if trying to prove to Luke that he was a big fool.
"Well, let's look at it this way. If I had the ability to bring Obi-Wan Kenobi back from the netherworld of the Force, I would have envisioned him as the older man you had met in Mos Eisley. But Vader, he knew Obi-Wan when they were both younger. That was how he saw him, as younger. Whenever he recieved visions of him, it was always the younger version he saw. Whenever I saw him, it was the older version," Luke explained.
"Oh. Just like that huh? Visions? Ok, Kid, now I'm starting to get really worried about you," Han frowned.
Luke was surprised; Han sounded like he was really worried, and not joking around. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll be alright, as soon as I can straighten out Vader."
Han looked more alramed than ever. "Luke! Don't go anywhere near him. He's big, big trouble!"
"Han, I have to. I don't have a choice. I must do it, even if only for my own sanity," Luke admitted. "I can't leave things the way they are. If you'd just let me explain, you'd understand."
"Kid, I'm gonna tell you this straight up, and I know you're gonna get mad, but I don't care. Don't trust that Kenobi fellow. He's pushing you down a path you shouldn't be going down. I know you got some 'vision' on Hoth, Luke. You ought to stick with this Yoda guy instead, if you're so insistent on doing this Jedi thing. Which I happen to think is a lousy idea, just for the record," Han said.
Luke regarded him coolly. "First of all, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a great Jedi master. He fought during the Clone Wars, alongside my father, and Yoda... By the way, how do you know about Yoda?"
Han grinned mischievously. "Oh, so now I know something you don't huh? Well, back on Hoth, you must've been having one of those Ben Visions, because you started rambling about Ben, Yoda, and Dagoba." Han didn't miss the look of shielded shock that came across Luke's face at the mention of Dagoba. "Now, I knew who Ben was of course, and I've heard of Yoda. Yoda was a Jedi Master that fought in the Battle of Kashyyyk, one of the final battles of the Clone Wars. Back in those days, news of Jedi was not as suppressed as it became later on, and I was a young kid, curious about battles and stuff like that. And later on, when I met Chewie, he told me he had fought right beside Yoda during that battle. So there."
Luke struggled to keep his mouth from dropping open. "Chewie and I are going to have a long talk one of these days! Imagine, he knew all about Yoda, and he never said a word!"
"Well, he never knew for sure that Yoda was still alive, not until you started muttering about him. Then I thought that maybe I'd just say something to Chewie in passing. We wound up putting our heads together, while waiting for you to get out of the Bacta tank. We figured out that Ben somehow had told you to go to Yoda. Chewie told me that after the Battle of Kashyyyk, Yoda was going to hide out somewhere, and now we know that that somewhere must have been Dagoba. Gee, Luke, you don't look so good. I hope you're not upset."
Luke tried to clear his look from the shadow that must have fallen across it. "I have to go back to Dagoba, now that you're alright."
Han appeared very pleased by this. "Good, Kid. You're finally listening to reason. Stay away from Kenobi. Remember, he's Darth Vader's old teacher, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is. But Han, I need to talk to you about something, it's important. It's about me and Leia," Luke began in a rush, before Han tried to interrupt.
Not that he didn't interrupt anyway. "Luke, please, not another word! I had a feeling all day that something wasn't right. Well, I always had figured that it would be you if it wasn't me..." Han announced sadly.
"Huh? No, Han, it's not like that," Luke began. "Leia was afraid to tell you, because she thought you wouldn't understand."
"No wonder she's been acting like she was a million light years away tonight! But she didn't have to be afraid of telling me! I would've been cool with it. Well, maybe not cool with it, but I'm not going to get in the way. I'm gonna take off out of here as soon as I can get myself together, and you two can go on with your lives. You should not be putting anything off on account of me!"
"Han, you don't understand, there's more to it," Luke stammered.
"Oh, there always is more to it, isn't there? And you're wrong, I do understand, all too well. You're going to be a Jedi Knight soon, and she's a princess. Who am I but some messed-up space bum bogged down with bad debts and a price on his head? I always knew, deep down, that a princess and a guy like me could never really make it. You're a better person than I am, I've always known it. I know you two have been keeping it real quiet; I can tell even Chewie must have no idea. I'll bet Master Obi-Wan won't be too happy, but who cares about him?" Han fought with all his might to keep the tears out of his eyes and his voice. "Look, I know you think you need to explain yourselves a little more, but please, not right now. I think I need a little time to be alone. Please?" he pleaded when he saw the look on Luke's face, determined to talk more.
Luke frowned. He hadn't been eager to tell Han about Darth Vader's true identity, and his relationship to Leia. Han still didn't know, but Luke knew he needed the time he was asking for. After all, when Luke himself had found out, it wasn't a very good day for him either. "Promise me you'll call me later. I need to make you understand what's really going on here."
"Yes, I promise, I'll call you before I leave. Just, not right this minute," his friend answered. Without a word, Luke turned and left the Falcon.
Unlike Han, Luke was not going to keep fighting the tears. He quickly wiped his eyes, feeling very disgusted with himself. Master Obi-Wan was right; he should have waited until Leia had worked up enough courage to tell him, then gone with her. He just hoped that Han didn't take off without hearing the rest of the story. He had totally the wrong impression, and he vitally needed to know the truth.
Suddenly, Luke sensed his father, not too far away. Vader's presence on Tatooine was beacon-like in nature. He was behaving himself, keeping his distance. If only I could get a minute or two to talk to my father, make him understand how many lives this plan of his was destroying! I know that Vader is really a good person, just waiting for that one standout moment to make him realize it! Luke thought, I could go; Master Obi-Wan thinks I'm still talking to Han.
Surely this meeting would have to be less disastrous than the one on Bespin. Luke stared at his hand, recalling how unready he really was that day. But he had more training since then. He'd even been face to face with Darth Vader already. Their meeting on Corellia hadn't been all that bad. No one got hurt at all. Could he dare to hope? Vader was staying at the governor's palace outside Mos Espa. It wasn't far at all. Maybe, just maybe...
Leia stirred her drink sadly. Chewie had wandered off with Lando, after they saw an old friend of theirs named Jix passing by. So now, it was just her and Obi-Wan, who was very quiet. Finally, she said "I can't help it, I'm nervous! Han has every reason to hate my father. After what he did to Han... I didn't want it to end like this."
"If Han loves you as much as he should, then he won't be bothered by who your father is," Obi-Wan told her.
"How could it not bother him? It bothers me! And I know it makes you uncomfortable too, I can see it!" Leia cried.
Obi-Wan sighed, gave Leia a sad look, and said, "If only you had known you real mother, you might feel differently. Padmé Amidala was a fine young woman, intelligent, honest and good."
There was something very wistful in Obi-Wan's voice as he spoke. Leia's head was buzzing from the drinks. It made her bolder. "Was Padmé beautiful, too? She must have been, if my father went through all he did to have her." she slurred.
"I was not to think of her in that manner; I'm a Jedi. When I first met her, she was far too young to be of any interest to anyone except to a nine year old, who apparently had such attachment to her over the subsequent years that nothing, even the Jedi Code, could stop him."
"Nine years old! Who would have thought a child would have such depth of feelings, when the grown-ups around him apparently didn't!" Leia cried.
"What do you mean? Are you implying that the Jedi are shallow, have no feelings?" Obi-Wan asked sharply.
"If you do have feelings, you certainly have been well trained to hide them!" Leia countered.
"That's your father talking," Obi-Wan frowned. "To him, if one didn't act on every feeling that crossed their hearts, then they were unfeeling altogether. Very extreme view of life, that is. Sometimes it is inappropriate to burden others with feelings that can go nowhere..." Obi-Wan winced after he said that. That hit too close to the mark.
Leia could see Obi-Wan's revelation had cost him his advantage. "So, you think that your feelings for me are inappropriate? Why? Because of Luke? My father? Or, maybe it was my mother?"
"Leia, I don't think..." Obi-Wan stammered. Damn, if only I had a little more defense against her. She was like her father, quite overwhelming when she wanted to be. "Padmé was, I mean to say, it wasn't with her like it is with you." Yes, damn it, Padmé wasn't Force-Sensitive! She hadn't healed me like you have. "She was your father's friend, or so I thought. Friend! Indeed, what a blind fool I had been! I saw their relationship the way I wanted to see it, not as it really was."
Leia nodded, suddenly more clear headed than she'd been in a long time. "There is no Jedi Order now. And my mother is gone. And you feel it would be wrong to act on your feelings for her daughter, don't you? Please don't say there aren't any, I can see it in your eyes. How do you think I feel? Luke suspects, and he's already freaking out. Han will be broken hearted. I hate the idea of causing him such misery, I love him. Yes, I do love him. But I love you too!" Obi-Wan gaped at her, but she continued, standing up and looking him straight in the eyes. "The one I'm most afraid of is my father. I know how he'll react to this. No wonder you stay away!"
Obi-Wan stood up, alarmed, but miserable all the same. "You have no idea what he'd do to me... Forget I said that, I shouldn't have," he answered shakily.
That terrible fear snaked it's way into Leia's heart. She should have known all along. It was Vader that was keeping them apart! "It's fine, I understand. Forget all this," Leia wept, turning to leave. But as soon as she began to make her way, Leia heard in her mind, No! Don't go! Then, she felt a strong hand on hers, pulling her back around. In an instant, she was in Obi-Wan's arms, his lips were on hers, but most importantly, his heart was pounding in exact time with her. There was no way this could be wrong!
When they finally let go of eachother, Leia said to him, "You'll see. I'm going to make this right. No matter what, I will do whatever it takes! You'll see!" And with that, she dashed off, leaving Obi-Wan in his own turmoil.
Leia struggled through the crowds, which showed no sign of thinning out. She knew where her father was lurking. At the governor's palace. Well, when I get there, she thought in a fury, his good times at her expense were coming to an end! Whatever threat Vader was holding over Obi-Wan was getting eliminated, or there would be no end to her wrath!
Obi-Wan could only watch her go. What have I done? he asked himself. How could I have become so weak? The shame of it was that Leia was right. Right about it all! He has fallen for his Padawan's daughter! If it had been up to him and the Jedi Council, she would never have been born! What he was feeling for Leia was wrong on so many levels he didn't even know where it began to grow worse. And how could he have been so stupid as to let it slip that Vader's boundless evil was part of what had kept him from her?
That lurking shadow in his heart was growing. How dare Vader do this to me? Obi-Wan clenched his hands tightly, felt his jaw go rigid. I'm not afraid of Vader and his threats! If anything, he should fear me! I've cleaved him limb from limb before. It's not my fault he was too foolish and stubborn to die the first time! Princess Leia would not be the one made to suffer for her father's evil ways. Luke would not have to deal with his father's lingering threat. And Han Solo, well, he felt sorry for him, but he would have to somehow recover from losing Leia.
I know what I must do. I must destroy Vader now, before he destroys what tenuous life I have. With this thought firmly in his mind, and this feeling firmly in his heart, the Jedi Master set one foot, then the other, down the path that his lurking shadow cast.
Han had looked for his hidden bottle of Rodian Firewater. He needed a drink like you read about. But nowhere on the Falcon was it to be found. He doubted Lando took it; he favored stuff like green champagne, not the harder stuff. Probably Leia found it and dumped it.
Leia! He'd lost Leia!
He shuffled out of the spaceport. He didn't mean to give Luke trouble or grief. Maybe he'd go back to that cantina, look for anyone that might still be left. It was night now, and the air was dry and somewhat chilly. Damn Tatooine; he hated it here. Luke hated it too, couldn't wait to bust out of here, Han could tell. And it was only on account of him and his troubles with Jabba that Luke had even returned. No, Luke and Leia were meant to be together. They were two of a kind, and Han, though he was their friend, could never hope to evolve into the kind of person they deserved as a friend.
Han wanted to find Luke, but he did hope that he wouldn't have to run into Kenobi again. Just the idea of him being around made him so uneasy that he felt like he was losing it. As the cantina came into sight, Han started scanning through the crowds outside for their old table. The sight he found made him stop still with the kind of shock that paralyzes a person.
Kenobi's red hair made him noticeable. He stood with a woman in his arms, kissing her with an unmistakable passion. The petite woman's dark hair was all that was visible, but when they tore themselves from one another, Han's heart lurched. It was Leia!
He watched her for a few more moments, and she hurried off. Sure, they were keeping it quiet, weren't they? She's not with Luke? She's with Obi-Wan Kenobi? Yeah, she'd keep that quiet, wouldn't she? Was that what Luke was trying to tell him? Han snuck off, trying to gather his thoughts.
After a few steps, Han had gathered his thoughts enough to figure out he wanted to incinerate Kenobi where he stood. He took out his blaster, turned around and dashed back to the table. But Kenobi was gone!
Seething with frustration, Han signalled the serving droid from earlier, when the world had been more beautiful and pure. He ordered that bottle of Rodian Firewater, no glass. When he got the bottle, Han started drinking straight from the bottle, trying to sort out his thoughts in spite of the alcohol that shuffled them even more.
He wanted to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi, someone who was supposed to be dead. Damn that Darth Vader! Even now, when he was far away, he was torturing Han more. Why did he have to bring that Jedi bastard back to life? What was the purpose? As Han drank, the more he wanted to understand the reason. And the more he wanted to kill Vader too. Just like he wanted to kill Kenobi. Jedi can die from blaster fire just as easily as anyone else, even if they wear armor. Even if they have an ability to block laser blasts with one gloved hand... All it would take was one blast in his back. That would be it...
After about three quarters of the bottle was gone, Han had a plan. He'd find Darth Vader and kill him. Yep, that was it. Now he just had to find the Emperor's right hand man. He turned to the table at his left. There were a lot of space pilots seated there, looking like they'd just landed there. "Hey, you guys hear that Darth Vader is here? On Tatooine?" Han asked them, keeping in mind a rumor he'd heard earlier.
"I heard he was here to listen to some monks... Probably at the governor's palace, far away from us riffraff," one of the spacers snorted.
"Hey no kidding? Isn't that supposed to be on the other side of Mos Espa here?" Han asked.
"I'm sure one of the locals would know, sir. Probably just follow the stormtroopers," another joked.
"Yeah, probably," Han slurred as he got up from the table and left some coins. He felt a credit card in his pocket. It was still there, from Bespin. On the account was the money he was going to repay Jabba. Imagine, Jabba had his money the whole time right under his slug nostrils, and he didn't even know it. Han let out a loud "Ha!" and stumbled out of the cantina. Jabba could wait until Han was done with Vader...
Vader stood outside the governor's palace, looking at the stars. He strayed away from the dinner party that the governor was throwing in his honor once there got to be just too many people in there. He could not get his mind off the revelation he'd had earlier. His apprentice was on the way. And not a moment too soon. How would it be, once he became the Master Sith? What would life be like without being under the thumb of Palpatine at last? He had to admit, the thought of it made his heart lighter than it had been in so very long.
So light, in fact, that when the governor himself strolled outside and said, "Ah, there you are, Lord Vader!" he was not even bothered by the intrusion. "I heard the most amusing rumor just now, about Jabba the Hutt. It appears that a certain piece of artwork was stolen from his palace earlier during the Monk's Song."
"Indeed? Well, no doubt Jabba paid far too much for the artwork," Vader commented. It was amusing to Vader actually, since he knew that the "artwork" was really Han Solo in carbonite. Vader himself, it could be said, was the artist. From a certain point of view... "Governor, I will be leaving Tatooine tomorrow morning. I must return to Coruscant. Your hospitality has been generous."
In further effort to make small talk, the Imperial Governor of Tatooine leaned in and said, "Perhaps in the future, if we could convince the Monks to sing again, you will return, Lord Vader. I must say, the sales tax revenues from this weekend will make a big dent in the shortfalls we've had from those bad harvests we've been suffering the past few seasons..."
"Are you suggesting that Tatooine become a tourist destination, Governor?" Vader nearly laughed.
"Well, why not? The sunsets here are among the most beautiful in the Empire..." the governor rambled, only to get cut off from his comlink beeping. "Yes?" he sighed.
A faceless robotic voice replied, "A security alert by the South Gate."
"Tusken Raiders?" the governor asked. Vader crossed his arms. Still troubles with the Sand People! Why did some things never change?
"No Sir, only one. Human. Went by too quickly to detect anything else," the security system voice answered.
This grabbed Vader's attention. With the Force, he reached out, trying to sense a presence. Yes, he felt it. It surprised him, greatly, what he felt. Without a doubt, it was his future apprentice. The presence of the Force made the air suddenly crackle. "Governor, let this one come. I will deal with the situation myself," Vader ordered him.
"Very well, Lord Vader. I will advise my other guests to...stay out of the way." Vader watched him retreat back into his palace, and close the doors behind him. Vader strolled a bit until he found a courtyard that he'd seen earlier that day, on the side of the palace. He would wait there for his new apprentice's arrival.
He did not have to wait long. Closer, closer, the sense crept. Only Vader's breath cut through the silence. But Vader didn't hear his own breath, only this person's footsteps behind him. And once the one came close enough, Vader instantly ignited his lightsaber, and it's red light arced over their heads...