Chapter 9: The Last of the Jedi

"So Satine Kryz was harboring Obi-Wan Kenobi this entire time." The Emperor was talking to a holo-image of his apprentice, Darth Vader, and was quite incredulous over what he was hearing.

"She wasn't quite harboring him, at least, she wasn't when I arrived here." Vader was just about the only person in the galaxy who felt zero fear over correcting the Emperor. "He had been hiding out here for most of the last year but coming and going quite frequently. From what I can gather, he seemed quite uninterested in finding other Jedi and protecting them. He apparently had a mission known only to himself that he was carrying out."

Palpatine smiled and almost laughed as a thought occurred to him. "Perhaps he took to heart his failure with you and exiled himself from the rest of the Jedi because of it. They knew the truth about you, so they couldn't exactly have looked to him as any sort of savior."

"Or perhaps he knew the only way to stay alive was to stay hidden, even from other Jedi," Vader countered. "Exposing himself to save Satine was a much bolder move than I would have expected out of him. When I learned of it, though, I made the decision to let him escape so we could track him and found out he is on a trajectory for Mustafar. There might be other Jedi there too. I pledge to head there so that I might be able to finish the Jedi once and for all."

The excitement and anger in Vadar's voice was apparent. He wanted to finish the Jedi, as quickly as possible. However, Palpatine had other plans.

"You will not pursue the Jedi at this moment," Palpatine said. From the holo-image of Vader's face, he could tell his apprentice was shocked and stunned over what he was being told.

"Not pursue the Jedi, when they are on the brink of elimination?"

"The brink of elimination is all we need. For centuries, the Jedi used fear of us in order to keep the populace and other leaders in line, and we will do the same thing. If a known Jedi, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi is still on the loose, then people will always be fearful of the return of the Jedi. Besides that, I have a need for you here. I must thank you for your actions in deposing Satine, as it provides a perfect example why more leaders with your level of political power are needed. The local governments cannot be trusted to obey the orders of the central government. That is why I am proposing a law that will allow me to appoint regional governors with the same level of political power as you currently enjoy. This will allow me to deploy the military anywhere it seems there may be an uprising against me. It is going to be a tough sell, but one I believe I can get the Senate to pass. I need you here to explain what happened on Mandalore and why it shows how more people need such power."

"So, you are finally going to let me operate in public."

In a rare move, Palpatine suddenly looked hesitant. "Not quite, you will just be speaking to legislators behind the scenes. There is just too much going on right now for a public unveiling."

Vader was furious with what he was hearing. "You said I would be unveiled to the public when the Jedi were completely eliminated, but now you claim that will never happen."

"Things have changed, yes, but that does not mean I want you to stay incognito forever. The time for you to be introduced to the public is close, but we are not there yet. We might be once this law is passed. You will be on the same level as my Grand Moffs, and it might be best to introduce you when the rest of the Grand Moffs are appointed and introduced."

Palpatine said just enough of what Vader wanted to hear to placate him for the moment. "Okay, my master. I will forgo facing Obi-Wan and return to Coruscant."

After the image of Vader's face disappeared, Palpatine sighed to himself as he had to grab a chair and lean against it. It appeared Vader was starting to be a problem, and he wondered what he was going to do about him.

...

After the Sith ship emerged from hyperspace, Obi-Wan piloted it down to the surface of Mustafar. As he flew, he wondered how much time he had until Vader arrived. He knew Vader wouldn't come immediately, he would have to get permission from his master to do so. Despite feeling he had some time, he wanted Satine to leave immediately.

Obi-Wan had taken up residence on the planet in the middle of one of the mining colonies overlooking a giant pool of lava. Once the ship was on the ground, Obi-Wan carried Satine to what had once been a crude dormitory for the miners. He laid her out on a bed in a room that had once been a medic station. He hooked her up to another IV to inject her with something that would wake her up. Her eyes fluttered before opening. When she opened them and saw Obi-Wan, she sighed before turning her head away from him.

"You knocked me out because you didn't like what I was telling you."

"No, I knocked you out because you were getting agitated and it wasn't helping you heal. I need you healthy and at full strength to leave here."

Satine appeared heartbroken as she reached out and stroked Obi-Wan's face. "As I said before, I don't want to leave you. I love you Obi-Wan, and I can't stand the thought of leaving you alone to face your fate. If the Jedi are extinct, then you can abandon the code. You are free now. You can live as you want, love as you want. I know you are being hunted, but that does not scare me. I want to be with you. There is a galaxy in turmoil, and the two of us can do much more together than we could individually."

"No, we can't be together." To Satine, Obi-Wan sounded emotionless as he talked. "Your destiny lies on a different path from mine. I will always be a Jedi, and I will always follow the code. The Jedi code is not something that can so easily be tossed aside. If am truly the last of the Jedi, then it is more vital than ever that I hold to the code, so that I may be able to one day find a way to pass it on. Only a Jedi can defeat Vader and the Emperor, and as the only Jedi left, that responsibility falls to me."

"But you don't have to abandon those you love you in order to do that. I want to fight Vader. I want to fight the emperor. I want to restore the Republic to what it once was. The two of us can find allies to do this. You do not have to fight alone. We will be stronger together, and we will defeat Vader and his master."

"No. Fighting Vader is something I must do alone." Obi-Wan was adamant in his reply. Tears started welling up in Satine's eyes, forcing her to look away from him. "If I have any allies, Vader will hurt them to hurt me. If he knew how important I truly was to you, what you suffered would have been infinitely worse. This abandoned planet is the best place for the two of us to fight, and for me to end this. There will be no person for him to use against me. This is where the fight to end it all must take place, this why I allowed him to track us, so that he would come. Once he gets here and finds out I am the last of the Jedi, I anticipate he will gloat, and get overconfident. That may just be what I need to throw him off and defeat him."

Satine knew Obi-wan well, and knew he had made a decision that no one, including her, would ever be able to talk him out of. She had to accept that and go from there. "And once this is over, if you kill him, I mean. Then what."

"I don't know. I would do what I have to in order to rebuild the Jedi." He looked at Satine and could tell what she had really been asking. "In rebuilding the Jedi, I would still have to abide by all the rules of the code. It would be a solitary affair, although I would have to find allies in my opposition to the Empire."

"And what allies are out there."

"There is chatter about Bail Organa. He is playing the reluctant supporter of the Emperor in the Senate, but in reality, he is looking to build an opposition force against him."

"I have heard that, and I understand Bail is a fool. The Emperor wants any opposition to him to coalesce around Bail, as he believes the man is someone he can monitor and control."

"I don't know much about Bail, but the plans the Emperor has for him can work to the advantage of the resistance if used properly. With the proper amount of deception, the Emperor could be lulled into a false sense of security if he sees the resistance force behind Bail as small and weak, even if it is strong and growing. Carrying out something like that would require leaders who could operate behind the scenes."

"And you think I could be that very leader. The behind the scenes leader to Bails' more public face."

"Yes."

"If I go and find Bail, will you join us were you to defeat Vader?"

"I will do whatever I need to rebuild the Jedi. If I can do that while working with you, I will, but if I can't, I will stay on my own." Satine appeared heartbroken by what she was hearing. "Given that there is a high probability I will not be joining you, there is a very important piece of information I need you to deliver to Bail." Obi-Wan took out the holo-imager he had taken off Geonosis a year and a half ago. He activated it so it showed an image of the superweapon the Emperor was seeking to build.

"I had promised you that I would eventually reveal to you what I was doing every time I left Mandalore. On Geonosis, Darth Plagueis allowed me to find these plans along with information that indicated the Emperor was seeking to actually build this."

"What is it?" Satine asked.

"A space station, one that contains a laser that can destroy planets." Satine's eyes grew wide as she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"And the Empire is actually building this."

"They're starting to. Where, I haven't been able to ascertain, but I know the effort is real. I had to be sure it wasn't just some trick to keep any resistance distracted. Now that I know its construction is a real effort, it's time for the resistance to try and destroy it. The sooner the better. Under construction, it is vulnerable, but if it ever becomes fully operational, it will be almost impossible to destroy. That is why I want you to take it to Bail. He needs to tell others about it, so something can be done to stop it.

"I will do as you request," Satine said as she took the imager from Obi-Wan. She tried to grab his head and bring it down to meet hers so she could give him a kiss, but he was having none of it. He bid her an unemotional good-bye before he led her to the Sith ship.

Satine piloted the ship away from the planet, knowing she would likely never see Obi-Wan again. Punching the coordinates in for Alderaan, she saw she was going to have a long journey as it was located on the other side of the galaxy. Content to sit out the long journey, she went ahead and punched the ship into hyperspace.