A man of Tarkin's insatiable ambition could only make the most of any opportunity presented to distinguish himself. Naturally.
He remained on the orbiting command cruiser, dispatching a garrison of troops to the surface of the system's sole habitable planet; an un-inviting, barren dirtball listed in official charts as... "Tatooine." The gaunt commander spoke as though the word left a bad taste in his mouth. As usual, he glared out of the ship's viewport, brooding, at the dull yellow disk beneath them. "There's nothing here... nothing! We survive twenty years of war and some overzealous little magistrate condemns us to death by boredom!"
"It will only be a short time before the Imperial fleet arrives, sir." A young officer replied helpfully. "Then we will be reassigned."
"Imperial fleet!" Tarkin grumbled in distaste. "Reassignment to where is what concerns me. And what, in the name of the Core, is a Sithlord?"
"We'll find out soon, sir." The officer moved, gratefully, to another viewport; thankful that there was no more to say. His superior's mood was overshadowing the content anticipation of the crew. They only wanted to return to civilization. Tarkin, for some incomprehensible reason, considered himself still at war.
* * *
The perimeter scoutships saw them first and reported back. Tarkin was asleep when his First Officer requested his return to the bridge. Rumpled and annoyed, he listened in silence as the information was received. "The fleet? So soon?"
"No sir," An officer replied. "Captain Raille says it's a luxury cruiser and two armed escorts. What could they be doing out here, Commander?"
"Have they identified themselves? "Tarkin squinted suspiciously.
"Not exactly, sir. Her captain claims it is a consular vessel and entitled to diplomatic immunity. We have visual contact..." He indicated the comm screen. An image of an ornate cruiser and two smaller ships was plainly visible. A look of savored satisfaction crossed Tarkin's face. There it was! The long awaited opportunity to repay the humiliation he had suffered. Repay it with interest.
"Immunity indeed!" Tarkin sneered. "The crest of the Royal House of Alderaan .Board her immediately!" * * *
The ship was the cruiser Allestra . Aboard her was her captain, a pilot for the Organa family for over ten years, as skeleton crew of seven, and Linaire Skywalker.
Reviewing Celis' transmission tape had revealed the truth. A furious Bail Organa had imparted Kenobi's exact location, ordered a ship readied, and sent Linaire too retrieve her baby before another dawn came to Alderaan. Now that ship approached the baleful yellow planet, unsuspectingly. Sensors aboard detected the other ships in orbit high above Tatooine, but it was too late, and they were outnumbered.
"What's happening?" Linaire rushed to the cruiser's bridge as the warning klaxons sounded. "Why haven't we reached Tatooine? What's wrong?"
"We have reached it, my Lady." The ashen faced captain shouted above the noise. Peraza looked grim. "But this system has already been annexed by the Empire. I have been ordered to stand to for boarding by Commander Tarkin."
Tarkin? She had heard that name before! "Tarkin," Linaire whispered hollowly. "That's the monster who nearly destroyed Alderaan! You can't allow boarding. We'll all be killed!"
Panic clawed at her throat. Tatooine filled the viewport with a dull gold radiance. Desperation replaced anger as she looked at it. During the entire trip, she had nursed a seething hatred for the Jedi. He had stolen her baby, betrayed her faith in him and in the Jedi religion. Kenobi had looked into her eyes and lied! Said there was a reason...a good reason. Now Linaire pushed aside the hatred. There was still enough of the Jedi faith in her to know hate would harm her more than it did the Jedi.
She began to cry. The tall, dignified captain winced; there was no time to comfort her. His communications officer signaled him from the deck. The look on the man's face told him the news was bad. "Resist boarding." Peraza ordered with a sorrowful glance at the young noblewoman. His orders were to see her safely to Tatooine and to return her to Alderaan, but this was the best he could do. They were in for it now.
Peraza had heard of Tarkin , and not just the irrational attack on Alderaan. The hatchet faced minor officer had made a name for himself during the war. An unrepeatable one. Cold, calculating and dangerously ambitious, Tarkin was not a man one wanted to face even when the odds were even. These weren't even close.
Tarkin was finally in a position to erase his previous humiliation at Alderaan, effortlessly. There was a promotion in this, if it were justified and correctly executed. When the Allestra's fighter escort blasted the boarding tubes, allowing the cruiser to make a run for it, the Immolator opened fire. In the criss-cross laser fire of their pitiful defense, Eschai Tarkin saw his future in the Empire assured.
Of the thirty-five man crew aboard the Immolator , slightly less than half considered their commanding officer insane. The majority of his men were, fortunately, unscrupulous followers who would obey any order if it would profit them. What Tarkin had planned would get them official recognition they had been denied. It would get them sweet revenge. Three weapons' officers, two comm-crewmen, one navigator, three junior officers and one cadet. They all had to go. Quickly, Tarkin ordered. There was no time to waste. There could be only one version of what was about to happen. The official one. His.
The bodies were still being shoved into an airlock when Tarkin ordered the main laser cannon turned away from the Alderaanian cruiser, and onto the Immolator's sister ship. With one, great blast, the Perdition was blown to hell. Racing for the protection of Tatooine's night side, the Allestra's captain ordered all shields angled aft. It was too easy. Tarkin's ships hadn't even fired on them.
Then, sensors detected lasers firing behind them. Sudden, unexpected...no, not unexpected, not for Tarkin. Only one ship followed now. This was a man who would kill his own men, destroy his own ships, for a reason. A reason Peraza finally saw.
* * *
Linaire Skywalker sat before the forward viewport, rocking gently in her seat. It was minutes away...just minutes.. "Mother's coming, Luke," She whispered to herself and to the advancing surface of that harsh world. ""I'll hold you soon...take you home to your sister."
Her thoughts were on the last time she had seen him; a little pink crying thing with hair the color of soft sunlight and eyes as blue as a clear morning sky. Her son. Her Luke. She sensed someone behind her; it was the captain. She looked up at him, smiling, blissful. "We'll be landing soon, won't we captain?"
Peraza knew they would never land. The big warship was closing on them, At any moment, it would be in firing distance. The fighters turned back to buy a few seconds of time, and disappeared in twin puffs of fire and gas. The words were there, but the froze in Peraza's throat as he looked into the young woman's eyes. In seconds, they would be dead, and he couldn't tell her. She was lost in her own visions.
"Wait until you see him, Peraza. He's perfect and beautiful, like his father."
"...and like his mother..."Peraza forced a sad smile.
"I hope he remembers me." She turned away, blushing. Linaire looked down at Anakin's lightsaber in her lap and felt foolish. She had armed herself with it when boarding threatened and she wasn't even sure she could have wielded the heavy weapon. One day her son would...She saw the baby's hands around the silver pommel, saw them grow into a man's hand's...tried to imagine his face. Then something erased the vision; something cold , a flash of cold fire in her brain. It's taloned fingers snaked through her soul. Never, it screamed. Never.
One look at Peraza gave the voice a face. Death.
The captain put his arms, protectively, around her; as if he could stop it. Tried to hold her face to his jacket so she wouldn't see.
But Linaire pulled away from him. She groped frantically beneath the console, pulled out a long, black cylinder, Tatooine's ocher surface could be seen for the first time...for the last time, Linaire realized. She would never reach it, or her baby.
Tarkin had the Allestra in his sights when Linaire Skywalker held the last link she had to Anakin to her chest for just a second. "I forgive you ,Obi Wan," she murmured. "Protect him, please...."
Swiftly, she placed the lightsaber into the canister and ejected it toward Tatooine's atmosphere.
Tarkin looked, pressed the firing buttons himself, and smiled. The Alderaanian cruiser was no more. Tarkin's bony face reflected pure delight as he watched the expanding collection of debris that had been a consular ship. A small measure of revenge, really. He wondered which of the Royal family had been aboard. Dare he hope it had been both Organa's? No matter. The Imperial fleet had arrived. Tarkin had taken his first step into a bloody and brilliant career. Not the last, however. He and those who were loyal to him would prove valuable assents to the new Empire. Oh, yes; Eschai Tarkin and the new Sithlord understood each other perfectly.
* * *
Following his master's advice, Obi-Wan Kenobi returned to Alderaan with Anakin Skywalker's son. Every step he took toward the Organa palace was agony. How could he face Linaire and his friends? What would he say? Linaire wouldn't ask or care why, and he could only pray that she would not hate him. The Jedi looked at the sleeping baby nestled against his chest, knowing he would never see him again unless the Force willed it. Trust and faith, he mused grimly, a stinging antidote for hubris.
* * * The Organa's knew he was coming, coming back to explain, to ask for forgiveness. More likely, Celis concluded, to accept their offer of sanctuary. An offer made before his deceptions and manipulations came to light.
"I don't want him here!" Celis repeated firmly for the third time since she and her husband had begun arguing, shortly after Linaire Skywalker's departure. "What can he say, Bail? To lie to us , of all people, and that poor young girl! Her husband...her baby."
Bail Organa paced their private quarters trying to maintain control over his emotions. Regardless of the fact that neither of them wanted it, the Jedi had landed at the spaceport. He knew Kenobi well enough to know he would not come to Alderaan now for pardon or asylum. One did not measure Obi-Wan, or any Jedi, with the same scale used for other men. "Regardless of what he has done, we shall receive him." The Viceroy insisted.
"You receive the liar alone! " Celis sneered, turning to walk up the corridor.
` "Don't you dare walk out on me, woman!" Bail finally exploded. "I order you to..."
"You what?!" His wife shrieked. She didn't care if the servant's heard. She had administered the orders on Alderaan during the war! "You don't order ME, Admiral, any more than you could Kenobi!"
"Excuse...pardon me, Your Majesty..." Organa, red faced and sputtering, turned and came face to metal with an unfamiliar protocol droid. The rest of it's announcement went unheard.
Behind the droid stood the Jedi, draped in a worn brown cloak. In his arms, unbelievably, was a baby.
The three people stared at each other. speechless. The utter silence grew more oppressive as Kenobi's impassive expression changed to anxiety. If he didn't do it now, he never would. While the Organa's gaped in shock, Obi-Wan placed the whimpering infant in Bail's arms. "May I speak with Lady Skywalker?" He asked simply.
Bail was speechless, but Celis' anger gave way to panic. She flew at Kenobi, pulled him around to face her. "WHERE IS SHE,WHERE IS LINAIRE?!?"
"What?" The blood drained from the Jedi's face.
"She left for Tatooine before dawn today." Bail glared back. The look of suspicion and distrust in his friends eye's kit Kenobi like a blow. "I TOLD HER YOU LIED TO ME!" Celis snarled." AND STOLE HER BABY! SHE KNOWS ABOUT YOU!" If she hoped for a defensive or violent rejoinder, it wasn't forthcoming.
Kenobi didn't even look at her, but covered his face with his hands and took an unsteady step backward. Something was pushing at the back of his mind; something powerful and threatening; at once alien and familiar. The Force itself was being warped and twisted by this new presence.
"I...I didn't go directly to Tatooine," He murmured, straining to identify the presence, but he could not. There were too many intertwining impressions. Cross currents, the babies especially. Together now, their tiny but powerful presence's now being overshadowed by a menacing one. He didn't attempt an explanation, even if one were possible. Men were running toward them. One was Einar Antilles, and the others wore the robes of governmental officials. All three were wide eyed and breathing hard when they halted before Bail Organa.
"Your Majesty," The Defense Minister gasped. "The Imperial Fleet is approaching the spaceport."
* * *
Time was of the essence. The baby had been whisked away be servants and Kenobi hustled off to an adjoining suite by the time the Imperial delegation approached the palace. Unsure of what to expect, Organa prepared for the worst. All sensitive material that could be considered seditious was destroyed; any personnel not directly connected to palace offices was dismissed for their own safety. If the Empire's representatives were comparable to it's military, everyone in the palace would be taken prisoner or executed.
Obi Wan was trapped, and he knew it. He wouldn't have left the planet, even if the spaceport were not blockaded, Skywalker's son had to be protected at all costs. Leaning against the door separating the throne room from the private apartments, the Jedi listened anxiously to the Organa's as they received their unwelcome guests. Yoda's warning against interference still rang in his mind as he thought of the babies somewhere in the palace. The overwhelming specter of evil drew near.
"All kneel-" A voice rang out. "-in the presence of his Lordship, Darth Vader!" Four armed soldiers preceded a visage draped in black. Towering and ominous, it resembled nothing human. Organa started; Kenobi had said that Vader died on Avernus, along with Skywalker...
Vader!? Kenobi could hear his own heart throbbing in his ears. Darth was alive? He saw the fiery pits of Avernus, the fight, both men falling into the molten crevasse. He had heard the death screams, smelled the burning human flesh. Vader could not have lived! Kenobi had been so certain. He would never have left either of them.
A bass voice rumbled, intimidating even the steel-nerved Organa. "You may rise, Admiral, now that our positions are understood. I am here in the name of the Emperor, to present the terms of your surrender."
"Darth?" Organa asked in amazement." No! It's a lie! Vader is dead!"
An armed guard to Organa's right clubbed Organa with a rifle stock, but halted when Vader ordered it. "Death is a relative term, Admiral." The electronically modulated voice droned. Organa rose with difficulty, helped by his wife." Your assumptions are incorrect and your familiarity will not be tolerated."
Vader motioned for an aide, who stepped forward with a small metal case. "Your belief in hearsay was foolish, Organa, as was your decision to send one of your ships to the Tatooine system."
Vader turned away from the Organa's to scan the room, as though he had been momentarily distracted. When he whirled around, the grotesque armored head tilted questioningly. "What did you hope to gain, Admiral? I have never known you to waste lives."
Bail Organa paled visibly, but said nothing. He didn't have to be told,. Linaire Skywalker was dead. Hot tears coursed down Obi-Wan's face. One slip now, and all was lost. His eyes scanned the room, frantically, for an exit. The conversation in the next room didn't even matter any longer. Somewhere in the palace, the two babies were together and their presence altered the Force perceptibly. Vader's presence he could sense too, groping curiously, like an animal, tracking by scent.
But there was something abnormal about the probing mind, something unfocused and vague. Vader should have sensed him! Whatever the reason, Kenobi knew he soon would; or he would detect the infants. Either way, too much was at stake. He could not use the Force to shield himself, or the babies, lest he be revealed by it's usage. Then there was Yoda's warning. He could either stand by, powerless, or leave the palace; reducing the danger to himself but leaving Skywalker's son unprotected. Obi-Wan's heart was pounding in his ears. Then it almost stopped.
Celis Organa was talking! "Murderer!" She shrieked and lunged for the massive black form. "Your own wife died in torment!"
She actually succeeded in pummeling the armored chest plate before she was pulled away by her husband and two of the Dark Lord's bodyguards. Vader studied the hysterical woman as if she were a specimen on a tray. What was it she had said?
"...my...wife...?" He muttered, almost inaudibly, then he looked to a stony faced Organa." Who was on that ship, Admiral?"
"A...friend of the family, my Lord." The Viceroy responded icily."My wife is understandably upset. She considers herself responsible."
Bail could feel his thoughts being probed and the blood ran cold in his veins. You bastard! he screamed mentally. He filled his mind with obscenities. Vader would learn nothing from him!
Celis was crying uncontrollably now, her words incoherent as she was supported by the two soldiers. Bail Organa stared defiantly. The only sound, for several long seconds, was that of his poor wife being consumed by her guilt and grief.
Kenobi froze in sheer horror, praying harder than he ever had in his life for guidance, divine intervention, anything.
"And you are."Vader intoned finally, his confused demeanor changing to a cold, official one. "Remove Lady Organa." He ordered.
The guards escorted the former queen away, and the Dark Lord motioned Organa to his desk. An aide opened the case he had placed there, and stepped back. "You will now sign the formal surrender, Admiral." Vader commanded." Thereby placing your government under the direct control of the Emperor."
Kenobi could bear it no longer. The sense of imminent disaster was so intense it overrode his every qualm against disregarding Yoda's warnings. Pushing aside a secret panel that led to a maze of escape corridors between the palace walls, Obi Wan began running; praying all the while that he would reach Skywalker's son before Vader sensed him.
* * *
The Imperial entourage watched with satisfaction as the former ruler of Alderaan affixed his signature and seal to the surrender. These were men who delighted in humiliation and cruelty; they knew what this act was costing Organa.
How little they perceived, Vader thought as he shifted his gaze from his former commander to the men and back again. A man like Organa would not accept submission so meekly; his was a spirit that would be enraged by humiliation, not broken by it. Bail Organa...the face, the man....some voiceless part of Anakin Skywalker wanted to say he was sorry as the Admiral stepped back.
"The Emperor will be pleased with your cooperation, Admiral." Vader commented pleasantly. "As a gesture of his benevolence, and to hasten post-war reconstruction, the Emperor is allowing you to retain your titles and your form of planetary government. Subject to his dictates, of course." "Of course." Organa repeated contemptuously.
* * *
Obi-Wan had forsaken the safety of the corridors for speed and had taken to the main hallways. The palace nursery was at the far end of a third floor hallway. Thankfully, Celis Organa was nowhere to be seen.
Trembling and out of breath, the Jedi burst into the room and was confronted by a dumbfounded See-Threepio. No one else was in the nursery.
"Good afternoon, General!" The droid was thankful to see any human." Have you seen Lady Organa, sir? The infants seem rather fretful. I don't know what..."
As the droid babbled, Kenobi bent over the bed. Side by side, for the last time, the two infants looked up at him. Accusing, pleading...bonding, Kenobi realized. Belonging. In the space of a breath he had gathered the quilt around the boy and headed for the door. If it damned him eternally, so be it. Again, he would follow his feelings.
"What are you doing, sir?" Threepio squealed in alarm.
"QUIET!" Kenobi whispered tensely. "Tell no one but Admiral Organa that you have seen me, and...protect that baby! At all costs. That's an order!" With one last glance at the little girl, the Jedi disappeared into the corridor without a sound. Darth Vader and his retinue had scarcely left the throne room when Bail Organa threw open the door to the private room. Kenobi was nowhere to be seen. Keeping close against the inside walls, Obi-Wan finally turned into the wide hallway that fanned out from the palace entrance. One hundred meters ahead, he knew, the path would be bisected by the twin corridors that led into the palace interior. Skywalker's son pressed tightly to his chest, Kenobi began running.
Obi-Wan was not as alone as he appeared to be; for no Jedi is ever alone. Light walked with him...it walked before him. Guarding and protecting. Listening. Knowing the Jedi had done all he could. It would not be enough.
Please Kenobi prayed silently. Did the Maker her him? Would he listen to one who had sinned so badly? A voice echoed through Obi-Wan's brain. "Save me." Again the mental plea, an insistent whisper. Kenobi slowed, drew in a rasped breath. "Darth.?" Skywalker's son began to cry, the sound echoing through the corridor. Another voice came... STOP! He halted. Foolish, he thought. Safety was just meters away. "Anakin?"
* * *
Several steps ahead of his men, the Dark Lord paused. He turned to listen. Bail Organa pushed past the confused guards. Something was happening . "Master?" Vader looked from side to side, puzzled. Organa caught up with him as he stepped into the corridor's junction."Kenobi."
In sheer horror, Organa's eyes followed the Dark Lord's gaze.
There, not two meter's away, absolutely still, stood Obi-Wan Kenobi, Skywalker's son in his arms. Then, the terrible black visage turned to Organa.
"Kenobi has been here."
"Yes." The Viceroy stammered. Didn't he see him? Kenobi looked mesmerized. Vader couldn't see the man! Somehow..."He is my friend; he was
yours! Obi-Wan can help you, Darth!"
The hand Bail Organa placed on the cold armor almost touched Anakin Skywalker. All Bail knew was that some miracle prevented Vader from seeing who was right before him.
Kenobi, too, was stunned. The monster that his student had become was close enough to touch, but between them...
A shimmering wall of light had materialized, separating the two as the Dark could not. Solid from Vader's view, translucent from Kenobi's. Blinding one, affording the other vision. Obi-Wan's first inclination was to flee back down the corridor. The Force itself had acted where he could not. The future of the galaxy was still dependent on Skywalker's son. Kenobi turned away from his greatest failure.
What Vader would do or say meant little here. The Jedi held the future in his hands. Unintimidated by the fearsome metal facemask, Bail Organa stared long and hard at the Dark Lord.
"He wept for you, son," he spoke gently. "The Emperor may have saved your life, but you don't owe him your soul."
"I..." Vader shook his head sadly, turning to gaze back down the hallway. Something intangible gnawed at him, but it was fading now. "It's too late, Bail."
His retinue encircled them now. The looks on the guards faces caused the Viceroy to step back. Although he had given ground, his tactics remained unchanged. It hadn't been Vader's words, but the way they had been spoken, the pain behind them, that stopped Kenobi in his tracks. He turned, once more, to the wall of light. Perhaps all was not lost; perhaps he and the child could save Vader.
"Dammit it man." Bail nearly shouted. "You're alive ! You were a Jedi ! How can it be too late?"
" I EXIST." Vader snarled as Organa began inexplicably, choking. "I exist to destroy! I have caused the Jedi's destruction. I WILL destroy Kenobi! The life of every pathetic being on this planet is in my hands, even as yours is now. The Dark Side rules, Organa! Defiance of it is death! Tell your 'friend' that for me!"
Leaving a gasping Organa crumbling to his knees, Vader and his men exited the palace.
Any pride, any faith Obi-Wan had in Vader's redemption had been slammed out of him in those timeless seconds. He had nearly assured the galaxy's damnation as well as his own. The Light that had protected Skywalker's son from Vader would not have saved him from choice; no matter the price. The Light had trusted Kenobi to choose wisely; he had almost made the wrong choice.
No longer needed, the iridescent barrier dissolved. The Jedi joined his friend, helped the wide-eyed Organa to his feet.
In all the years of violence and warfare Bail Organa had never come closer to the personal terror of death than he just had. Death without a weapon; death by a man's will. Murder by mind.
Whatever Vader had been, the perverse mutation he had become sickened Organa beyond comprehension. He wished he had never heard of the Jedi, or believed in their frightening, unfathomable religion. It was his own faith and belief that crippled the Admiral as he slumped against the cool stone archway. Nebulous theory and ancient myth had just been confirmed. Graphically.
Bail Organa had never been a man to turn from a challenge; never one to fear the unknown. In fact, he had found strength in the very concept of a greater power; but this unknown he wanted no part of. He wanted out. The look on Kenobi's face told him it was already much too late.
* * *
The last conversation Bail Organa and Obi-Wan Kenobi would ever have took place in Organa's dimly lit, private study. An elegant room, it's transparent ceiling offered a breathtaking view of the night sky. It was a conversation neither man relished.
"I wish with all my heart that Alderaan could offer the both of you sanctuary, Obi-Wan." The Viceroy stood, hands clasped behind his back, gazing pensively out the window. "His mother wanted that so much. Now even that has been denied him."
"You know what we face now, Bail." Kenobi replied gravely." This is how it must be. Keeping Vader's daughter is dangerous enough. What's important now is how they are both raised. Look, Bail, if she isn't taught control, if a strong sense of morality isn't instilled in her, the child could be as twisted and evil as your new Dark Lord."
"You needn't worry about that, my friend." Organa sighed. "She is our daughter now. Love should count for something."
Kenobi had to smile at that, remembering Yoda's words. Then he turned deadly serious. "Vader didn't sense them." He commented, joining Organa at the window. 'Of the two, Anakin's son is the stronger, but even his own child...."
"I don't believe there is a human emotion left in him, Obi-Wan. He means to kill you. Are you sure Tatooine will be the safest place?"
"No." The Jedi answered simply. "But it is the only place. The boy's only relatives are there. Sit down, my friend," Kenobi instructed, and both men took seats facing each other. "We must examine our positions and plot strategy. Vader's daughter must be taught of the Force's good side, lest her inherent tendencies toward the Dark be reinforced by what is to come. A life of privilege and comfort will soften and benefit her. But , she must be taught control, discipline...You are a soldier, Bail. Raise her as one!"
"Are you saying, Obi-Wan, that I am to school a daughter in the ways of warfare on a planet that will be, officially, pacifistic? While you take Skywalker's son, the natural born warrior, and make of him..."
"A farmer." Kenobi nodded. "That is what his family will teach him. The boy must learn hardship and sacrifice. He must learn strength. He will be underestimated; that will be his advantage."
"Are you so sure of this, my friend? " Organa worried. "A great deal can go wrong in thirteen years."
The Jedi rose solemnly. The Imperial fleet was far enough away now to insure a safe departure. Bail Organa stood to say goodbye, extending his hand which Kenobi clasped.
"Not this time." There was a genuine, knowing smile on the Jedi's face as the two friends embraced. "Thank you for everything, my friend."
"Clear skies to you, Obi-Wan." Bail smiled back.
Moments later, Organa stood on the wide balcony watching as a dark-robed figure, with a small bundle in it's arms, strode purposefully toward the palace gates. Unable to tear his gaze away, the former King of Alderaan saw the Jedi fade away into the darkness beneath a star-spangled sky. * * *
Return. Back to the beginning, Obi-Wan thought. He was resigned now. There was still much to learn and Tatooine would prove the ideal hermitage. Once he got there.
With the baby wrapped protectively against the chill night, the Jedi strode quickly from the spaceport's entrance to the docking bay containing his ship. Three Corellians crouched beneath the battered hull of a sad looking freighter, repairing as only Corellians could. Fast, dirty and loud.
Kenobi stood watching for a few seconds. If the three men noticed him there, they gave no sign of it. Obi-Wan had already decided that he could not keep the Justice . He dare not. If he were ever to leave Tatooine, it would be by the Force's influence, not his own. He needed a pilot.
Dawes threw a hydrospanner down in disgust and crawled out from beneath the ship. "This is hopeless, Madine." He sneered. "The only thing you're gonna pilot, pal, is a cargo lifter in a one-droid town."
"Pardon me, gentlemen."
Dawes came face to face with a most serious looking man.
"Do any of you know a pilot who has been to the Tatooine system?" The three Corellians exchanged worried looks.
"Hey, Madine!" Tomen snickered. "Your last passenger's husband is lookin' for ya!"
"Rison's the man you want." Dawes gulped. The guy looked mean, but the baby didn't look a thing like Madine. Well, maybe just a little."He made Tatooine in record time."
"Got paid for it, too." Tomen added.
"Thanks, guys." A rather pale Madine wiped greasy hands on his trousers as he faced the stranger.
"Can you take me there now?" Obi-Wan asked." I can make it worth your while."
"I doubt if you could afford me, Pops." The bearded Corellian snickered." My fee is pretty high."
"Where's this fast ship of yours, Captain?" Kenobi wondered.
That brought derisive snorts from Dawes and Tomen.
"You're lookin' at her!" Tomen laughed, indicating the various panels and components littering the hangar deck.
"It seems you're bargaining without a ship." Kenobi observed dryly. "While I have one I will no longer have use for. You pilot her, and she's yours."
Who could resist a deal like that? The last Tomen and Dawes saw of Rison Madine was a smug grin from the cockpit window of the stranger's ship. The bastard had done it again.
* * *
Deep within the desert wastes, south of Tatooine's Dune Sea, lay the moisture farm of Owen and Beru Lars. A plain, hard-working couple in their mid thirties, the Lars' marriage of seven seasons was falling apart.
Year after year they barely scraped a living from their crude homestead. The sands took more than they gave. The pressures mounted. The summer sandstorms had just wiped out any hopes of a profitable season...again, and an argument about doing without money became one about doing without children. Another back-breaking season might bring financial prosperity, but Beru knew there would never be a baby.
It had been another disastrous day. Lying as far away as she could from Owen as he snored, Beru wiped her swollen eyes with her nightgown and tried to get to sleep. Dawn would come soon enough. It would be the same. It was always the same.
Owen's heavy arm thrown across her waist woke Beru only minutes, she was certain, after she had fallen asleep. A glance at the wall chrono disproved that, however; an hour had passed. But something was strange.
Beru listened intently. Owen's rumbling snores were loud and regular; but there was a background sound Beru couldn't place. It wasn't wind or one of the common nightstorms; not atmospheric. Machinery...engines. The noise was getting louder and louder. "Owen."
Sleeping soundly, the burly farmer needed a sharp jab in the ribs before he sat bolt upright.
"There's something outside!" His wife whispered nervously. Now the entire homestead reverberated with the ominous hum. Owen reached for the blaster rifle at the bedside.
"What could it be, Owen? What can we do?" Beru was terrified. She knew an attack, especially at night, meant certain death. The nearest homestead was three hundred kilometers to the south, and they had only hand weapons to defend themselves.
"We do the best we can." Owen answered grimly; but his face was pale and frightened in the dim light.
The couple had reached the homestead's entrance when the rumbling stopped.
No sound...nothing. Neither one breathed. Owen leveled the rifle at the entrance.
Then there were footsteps on the rear tunnel. Beru dug her nails into her husband's arm.
Both jumped reflexively at the loud knocking on the metal door.
"Identify yourself or be blasted!" Owen called out.
"In the name of the Force," a soft, clear voice came." Let me in. It's Ben Kenobi."
Beru hurried to open the door while Owen kept the weapon aimed, just in case.
Hunched over, his dark robes covered completely by sand, the Jedi entered the darkened living area.
"We never expected to see you again, Kenobi." Owen's greeting was clipped and cold.
"Owen, please!" Beru snapped. She hurried to Kenobi's side, led him to a chair." Are you alright Ben? How can we help you?"
The Jedi smiled wearily at Beru's concern and slowly opened his robe to reveal a tiny, golden haired baby.
"You can't help me, my friends; but you can help this little one. You're the only family he has left."
"LINAIRE?!" Beru choked. Her little sister! Visions of Linaire on her wedding day shot through Beru's brain. It was the last time they had seen each other. She had been so lovely, so alive, so very much in love with her tall, dashing Anakin! Kenobi knew her thoughts, felt her sorrow.
"Anakin was killed in the war." The Jedi's voice was heavy with regret." And Linaire died soon after giving birth to her son."
Owen had to brush back a tear as Ben placed the sleeping infant in his sobbing wife's arms.
"I'm so sorry." Ben sighed. "I never meant for it to end this way. I know what you think, and I can't blame you if you hate me." He touched Beru's face tenderly, urging her eyes to meet his." He is all that matters now. He needs a home and a family who will protect him and love him...and I need a promise." "What kind of promise?" Owen asked, wary of the Jedi; but his eyes were fixed on his wife. He knew what the baby meant to her. Kenobi had answered their prayers.
"I know how much you have wanted a child of your own," Obi-Wan began gravely," But you cannot adopt him. He is a Skywalker and the Force is his birthright. Most importantly, I must have your word that you will nurture his faith in it. When he is of age, I will return for him, to begin his training as a Jedi."
Ben rose and looked down at the baby one last time, waiting for a response.
"You have our word." Owen replied listlessly, putting his arms around his wife.
"Yes, Ben. Yes." Beru managed. 'I thank you with all my heart. We will protect and love him, always!"
Kenobi nodded, turned and walked toward the door. He opened it then turned. "He is the product of a great love," The Jedi said softly, his eyes were brimming with tears as he pulled the robe's hood over his head. Outside, the desert was silent and dark, the only thing visible were the marks in the sand from the Justice's landing gear." Linaire named him,." Ben began walking, lest they see him weeping, walking into a night filled with hope. " His name," The Jedi smiled as he called back," Is Luke." EPILOGUE Sand and night stretched out before the Jedi. Endless. Silent. Obi-Wan Kenobi had been walking through the desert for over two hours. Hours spent soul searching, praying for guidance.
Had things been made right at last? He had placed the fate of an entire galaxy -and his own soul as well- into the hands of two people who had every reason to hate him. Any blame placed on him was deserved...but the innocents! They did not deserve the years of Darkness ahead.
'Mine to undo, mine to repay.' Kenobi thought wearily as he trudged through the sand. 'Is this considered payment, Master? I tried to un-do the wrong I did Linaire Skywalker, but I cannot undo death.' Destiny had begun to take a hand in things, and the Jedi knew that not interfering would be the hardest thing he had ever done. The agony was in not knowing. Obi-Wan crossed a ridge line, the last barrier between him and his dwelling, and quickened his pace. To the east, the sky was beginning to pale as first sunrise approached.
Twin suns. The first day in exile.
A sign! Kenobi's only prayer was for some undeniable indication that he had been pardoned by
fate.
He was tired, bone weary. Too tired to care about the questions, the guilt, the black desert turning to gold before him.
A meter, perhaps two, from the hut's entrance, Obi-Wan stopped. A flash of light. Something reflective buried in the sand. Metal.
The Jedi bent to examine it, picked up the heavy object.
It was a small canister, scarred and blackened. A ship's message canister.
He and Madine had arrive on Tatooine only hours before; no ships had been in the Tatooine
system at all. The capsule could have lain buried in the sand for years.
Obi-Wan unhooked the double latches and peered inside as the twin suns brought the full, blinding light of Tatooine's morning to the wastelands. Tears streamed sown the Jedi's lined face as he looked at Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. He lifted it reverently, dropping the capsule to the sand. The sun's rays reflected off the weapon, blindingly brilliant.
Linaire! The feelings that washed over him!
Pain. Anger. Sorrow. She had come for her child and met death in the sky over Tatooine. Was this his sign? Anakin Skywalker's son and his lightsaber, returned together to Tatooine?
A sign , yes. And a mother's gift. Kenobi felt love. Linaire's last feeling, her last thought. She was trying to tell him something, even now. She had come, and she had known' and in the end she had granted him the one thing only she could give...her forgiveness.
He could wait now. He could face the years of Darkness ahead because he knew. He knew at the end there would be Light. _-_END_-_
Dedicated to the memory of Robbie Woods