The excitement that had flooded my heart was short-lived, however, when the face I saw coming towards me was not my beloved Master Obi-Wan Kenobi's, but was indeed a horrible-looking creature, with scary teeth and strange goggles and animal rage pouring forth from its countenance.

I tried to brandish my lightsaber to defend myself, but before I could reach it, I felt my legs being knocked out from under me. I heard more rustling, and angry guttural speech in a tongue I didn't understand, some sort of honking sound, and then I heard the unmistakable snap-hiss of a lightsaber. My heart caught in my throat, and suddenly the prospect of being killed with my own weapon was did not seem quite as appealing as it had days earlier. I winced in pain from my legs, but I tried to rise, only to be hit square in the lower back from that horrible stick-weapon. I fell all over myself again, landing in the sand with a hard thud. The strange part was, I felt my lightsaber press against my left hip, though it did not ignite.

This recognition was the last thought I had before my world was black once more.

………

This is pathetic, I thought to myself as I was waking up for the fourth-or-fifth time in two days. You are weak. No wonder you were never chosen to be anyone's Padawan.

Tears stung my eyes at my own berating.

I tried to get my bearings, remembering vaguely a dream about Obi-Wan's all-too-familiar presence… and hearing a lightsaber…

And then I felt a warm, rough hand on my forehead.

Followed by that feeling came a rush of cold air, but it felt as if it were a breeze blowing inside my body. It was instantly soothing, and my entire body relaxed.

Soon after, I felt a familiar presence hovering above me, followed by an even more familiar voice.

"There now," he said, "you'll be good as new, soon enough."

Master Obi-Wan!?

Was it a dream… am I still dreaming?

I feared opening my eyes; he was so close, I could almost touch him.

Experimentally, as if testing the limits of my dreaming, I extended my arm completely, wiggling my fingers.

My hand brushed a very familiar fabric.

My breath stopped short.

"Oh, my," the voice said again, sounding both weary and startled.

Tears pushed their way to the place where my lids met, threatening to pour down my flushed face. What a cruel, yet wonderful dream, I thought wistfully.

At least I am with him when I am unconscious. That is better than never at all.

But I felt someone stroking my short hair, felt breath in my face, felt the texture of work-roughened skin as a hand was rested palm-up on my forehead.

Dreams cannot be so realistic, can they?

My heart pounded with hope.

I forced my eyes open, figuring, that wouldn't disturb the dream much, if it already feel so very real. I'd just be waking in the dream, right?

The hand that was resting on my forehead was attached to an arm that was covered by a sleeve that was blocking my view.

Oh no, I thought woefully, I'm blind!

No, it's just a sleeve.

A sleeve!?

Instinctively, I grabbed the wrist attached to the hand, and pulled the sleeve from impairing my vision.

The face that I stared up into caused any and all emotional dams to break.

Before I could think my face was streaked with tears.

"M--Master Obi-Wan?" I dared ask aloud, barely above a whisper.

He did not respond with speech, but I felt a stirring in the Force.

Blue-green eyes widened with shock at being recognized. Or was it at recognizing me?

Dirty, short-cropped reddish-brown hair hung down in those eyes despite his hope that they wouldn't, and a normally well-trimmed beard was being worn scraggly and unkempt. But the eyes… the eyes were unmistakably Master Obi-Wan Kenobi's, yet they were not simply the warm, compassionate eyes they once were.

Now they were full of guilt, and pain, and anguish, and suffering, with intensity unlike any I had ever seen before.

"Do you—remember me?" I asked hoarsely, trying to talk through sobs.

Again, he didn't answer verbally.

Instead, he crushed me to his chest, as if I were his only child that had run away from home and just returned.

And we wept together, sobbing and clinging to each other.

Like a child separated from parent, like a daughter separated from her father…

The attachment was undeniable, from him as well as me, if only slightly duller.

It eased my guilt, and warmed my heart, and yet it still made me sad.

Some people might have looked in and found this scene questionable, but there was only innocence in our embrace.

My beloved Master Obi-Wan was the only link between me and sanity.

Even Kasen has been making me nervous and unsettled lately.

Master Obi-Wan was my solid rock; my home away from home!

But he felt different now.

"Master Obi-Wan, what's wrong?" I asked dumbly.

What a stupid question, Keelee. It's the other Masters! You're an idiot.

He wiped his nose on his sleeve, and exhaled with purpose.

I knew it had to be the death of the Masters; he would've felt it even deeper than I could have… but what about Anakin? I wondered if he knew, and if not, if I could bear to put him through the pain of knowing.

"Anakin…" he said softly, his voice cracking with emotion, eyes down.

My eyes widened. He knows?

"Thank the Force you are safe," he said to me, looking up again. "I thought… I thought he had gotten all of you…" he choked up again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I said, trying to swallow the lump gathering in my throat.

He cleared his throat and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Do you know of Chancellor Palpatine?"

I rolled my eyes. "Current-Government lesson from last week; yes, Master, I know of him."

Master Kenobi hesitated, but spoke anyway:

"He is the Sith lord we've been searching for."

My eyes widened again.

"After the death of Count Dooku, he was looking for a new apprentice… one strong in the Force and easy prey…" Master Obi-Wan put his hands on his face.

I felt my heart sink to my intestines.

"And Anakin filled that void," I said, voice barely above a whisper.

Master Obi-Wan just nodded.

I couldn't believe it. Anakin, a Sith lord?

It was logical, given recent events. But it was Anakin. It couldn't be true.

"Senator Amidala suffered his loss greatly. She—she had his children, and was in perfect health, but…"

"You mean, he didn't kill her?" For some reason, that struck me as wonderful.

"No," The Master shook his head. "He loved Padmé and his attachment to her, as well as his mother, lead to many problems in his heart. That is how Darth Sideous was able to lure him to the Dark side."

Master Obi-Wan was not sobbing anymore.

I suppose one gets numb toward such things after a while, but it has been mere days since Anakin's fall…

"Master Obi-Wan, I heard rumors of a battle on Mustafar. Are they truth?"

He raised his eyes again, this time, his eyebrows too.

Guilt shone in them, also – guilt, and deep anguish.

"Yoda sent me to kill him."

…sent him to kill Anakin

"Kill him?"

Master Obi-Wan just nodded, getting teary-eyed again.

"So that is the Jedi way?" I spat.

I rose now, pacing the floor, frustrated and lost all over again.

"A Padawan goes astray, and we hunt them down and kill them for their attachment, for their humanness—," I was going to continue, but Master Obi-Wan was crying again.

"I didn't want to," he barely choked out.

"What?" I asked, wide-eyed and fearful.

"I didn't want to kill him, Keelee. He was like my brother, my son…"

"But Master Obi-Wan, he killed younglings… Babies! Children! Liam… and, he killed Keeloh," I whispered the last word, hot, angry tears filling my eyes as I remembered the loss.

A loud sob escaped his lips, one that sounded as if it hurt his ribs to let it.

"How could Yoda send you to do such a thing?" I was so confused.

I didn't know who to be mad at -- Yoda, for assigning my dear Master Obi-Wan to kill his own Padawan – even though that Padawan was now a dangerous criminal/Sith lord on the loose? Master Obi-Wan, for disobeying strict Master's orders by not killing his own Padawan – when I disobeyed strict orders from the beginning, getting attached to everyone I allowed myself to get to know? Should I have condemned poor, beautiful, unfortunate Padmé Amidala for falling in love with Anakin (or at him for falling for her, even though I had fallen for Kasen)? Or should I just hate that horrible, wicked Sideous person for being such a heartless snake and leading him astray?

The result of this conversation was, again, a heavy heart.

"I must go," I told Master Obi-Wan softly, regrettably.

"Where are you staying?"

I blushed. "I thought it was Mos Espa, but I was misinformed. Kasen and I don't know our way around the universe so well… apparently, we are nearest to Mos Eisley. …Or was it Anchorhead? Ugh, we are pretty bad at this…"

Master Obi-Wan gave a tiny smile. "I meant, who are you staying with?"

"Oh!" I blushed again. "…with Kasen's aunt and uncle."

Master Obi-Wan frowned. "He knows they are related?"

"They are Liam's parents."

His shoulders sagged as he breathed the phrase, "oh, dear."

I lifted one corner of my lips in a sad half-smile.

"Do they know?"

I shook my head.

"Oh, my…"

"I cannot tell them, Master Obi-Wan. I would rather let dear Nova die thinking Liam is a Jedi Knight, than tell her that he is dead." The last word stung to say.

Master Obi-Wan pursed his lips, considering this. Then he nodded, and I brightened.

"I think that is a wise decision, Keelee. But if she asks you of his whereabouts, you must not lie."

A twinge of guilt twisted my stomach. You didn't lie; you just told her what you remembered about Liam. But I promised anyway.

"Yes, Master."

"Be safe, dear Keelee." He took my hand in his own and patted it.

"I will try, Master." I bowed my head respectfully.

"And, Keelee…?" I heard him call as I was walking back outside.

"Yes, Master Obi-Wan?"

"Do try and visit – but bring Kasen next time."

"I will, Master. I promise."

And with a courteous bow, I walked out into the Tatooine suns-shine.