Thanks again to all readers and reviewers! :)
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Han Solo ran to the base's command center where he knew Leia would be alongside her father. The base was under heavy attack by Imperial forces, and he didn't know how much longer the structure of the base would hold out. He had to periodically dodge falling debris as he sprinted. His hair almost looked gray thanks to the coating of dust.
As he reached the command center, he could hear General Kenobi's voice. "Red Squadron, focus all of your fire power on that laser canon! Let the Yellow Squadron handle the AT-ATs." The General continued barking out orders as he watched the action from several different holocam monitors.
Obi-Wan glanced up, having sensed Han's approach. "Han, get Leia, Garen, and Cordė out of here. Head to the rendezvous point."
Leia turned sharply from her console. "No! I'm staying here with you!"
"Not this time, Princess. We're running out of time." Obi-Wan turned back to his displays. "At this rate, the Imperial troops could be entering the base pretty soon."
Leia's heart dropped to her stomach as she sensed her father's intentions. "You plan to turn yourself in."
Sighing, Obi-Wan turned to his daughter. He had really hoped he could do this without her knowing, though there really hadn't been much of a chance of that happening. "I have to, Princess. If I continue to stay with the Rebellion, I will only endanger it. My shields are starting to slip and the emperor can sense me. I'm why this base is under attack. He's come for me."
Han was enveloped by a sense of dread when the General spoke that last part with absolute certainty. The man was completely calm, despite the attack and despite knowing he would soon be a prisoner of the emperor. Han had been watching General Kenobi closely for months now, trying to understand the man so respected by all those in the Rebellion and adored by the woman he had quickly grown to love. He had come to see that there was much more to the man then met the eye. Han had grudgingly changed his initial assessment of the pretty-boy General.
Han's heart clenched as he watched Leia throw herself into her father's arms. "Daddy, please!" The sheer devastation in Leia's voice made him want to rail against fate, the Force, God, whomever or whatever had brought them to this point.
Obi-Wan held his daughter for what he hoped would not be the last time. "I have to do this Princess – alone." He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "You and I both have a duty to perform. My duty is to go to the emperor. Yours is to get to the rendezvous point and step fully into a leadership role in the Rebellion."
Obi-Wan placed a finger over his daughter's mouth as she started to object. "There's no time to argue." He turned to Han. "Garen and Cordė are in the Healing Ward." He held Leia's arm and directed her towards the smuggler. "Get my children out of here safely." His eyes spoke, I'm entrusting you with their lives.
Han nodded, understanding both the spoken and unspoken requests. He suddenly hoped this would not be the last time he ever saw Leia's father. "I will, General."
"I love you, Princess. Tell your brothers and sisters I love them, as well."
Leia couldn't stop the new flood of tears as her father kissed her and hugged her one last time. "I love you, Daddy."
Jerking his head up suddenly, Obi-Wan raised his hand and stopped a heavy beam just above them with the Force as it started to descend. "Go!"
Han didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed Leia's arm and ran out the doorway. He pulled out his comlink. "Garen, come in, this is Han."
The connection crackled to life. "I hear you, Han, barely."
"You and Cordė get to the hangar right now! I'm taking you out of here on the Falcon."
"On our way."
Leia was now running solely on instinct. She could barely see for the tears in her eyes, relying almost completely on Han to guide her down the corridor. Everything in her heart was screaming for her to go back to her father. Her sense of duty was telling her she had to leave. All those lectures her father and Yoda had given about someday having to make a choice between duty and her own desires were now ringing in her head. It seems that time had come, and she didn't like it AT ALL.
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Noticing something with dismay on one of the camera screens, Obi-Wan punched the button on the com-panel. "Gunnery 2, do not try to defend the base anymore. It's too late for that. Focus all your efforts on providing cover fire for departing transports. Is that understood?"
"Understood, General."
"Good. Pass that on to all gunnery stations."
"Aye, General."
Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan made one last call. "Red Squadron Leader, come in please."
"Here, General." Luke was all business.
"I want all squadrons to escort the transports, providing as much cover as they can until the transports can get into hyperspace."
"Understood, Sir."
Obi-Wan paused. "Luke, get to the rendezvous point. Look after your sisters and Garen for me. I love you, Son." He quickly ended the connection and ran out of the command center. He could sense the entire ceiling was about to come crashing down.
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Luke blinked as his father ended the call. That sounded like goodbye. He lowered the mental shields he had raised during battle. A feeling of foreboding came over him as he sensed that his father had completely blocked their link. Luke shook it off as he saw some transports leaving the base. "All squadrons, I want two fighters to escort every transport. Repeat, two fighters per transport."
Acknowledgements quickly came in from every squadron. One by one, the transports were leaving the besieged base. He could tell his siblings were about depart the base, and he could easily sense their grief and desolation. As the Millennium Falcon shot out of the base, Luke quickly pulled in alongside to escort it out. He hit the com button. "Leia, are you there?"
"I'm here."
"What's going on?"
"Daddy is…" Leia's voiced hitched, "…turning himself in to the emperor, Luke!"
"WHAT?"
"He says he's the reason the base was attacked, and that he has to turn himself in to protect the Rebellion." Leia was fully crying now. "Oh, Luke, what if we never see him again?"
Luke couldn't answer as he was now engaged in fending off Imperial fighters. Damn, and double-damn! He destroyed one and angled down to go after another. "Hold on, Leia. We'll have to continue this conversation once we reach the rendezvous point."
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Obi-Wan watched as the last transport left the hangar. He fervently hoped that the gunnery staff would be able to get away. They had to be the last to leave in order to ensure the departure of everyone else. He reached out with the Force and could sense Sidious nearby. Probably on one of the Star Destoyers. He centered himself and released his guilt for leaving his children as he did and his trepidation of what was to come.
As the rumble of ship engines and the telltale clomping sound of the AT-ATs approached, Obi-Wan opened his eyes to face his destiny.
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Luke drew a deep breath as they all pulled out of hyperspace and headed to the rendezvous point.
"Luke, this is Han. How's your ship holding up?"
"It'll get me there. But it'll need some work before I can take it out again."
"Well, you're in one piece, Kid, and that's what matters."
"Yeah," Luke said distractedly. "That escape was almost too easy, though."
"You call that easy?"
"Yes, I do. They let us go."
"Now why would they do that, Buddy?"
Suddenly, Luke knew. "My dad! They wanted my dad! And I bet the emperor was on one of those Star Destroyers just waiting for his prize, and he didn't really care about preventing us from escaping."
"You know, your dad said pretty much the same thing back in the command center. Why does the emperor want him so bad?"
Luke sighed heavily. "It's a long story."
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Flanked by Storm Troopers and Imperial officers, Obi-Wan was escorted from the shuttle onto the Star Destroyer Vengeance. They hadn't bothered to put him in cuffs. What was the point with him being a Jedi, after all? Besides that, he had turned himself in. Why would he try to escape now?
Obi-Wan noticed the interest their little group was causing in the Imperial officers they passed. The officers gawked while trying not to appear they were gawking. Obi-Wan wondered if word had gotten around of who had been captured. The group entered a large lift, which took them up several levels. Upon exiting, Obi-Wan could see a couple of the emperor's personal guard in their distinct red armor in front of a doorway at the end of the corridor.
As he was escorted through the doors of a makeshift throne room, Obi-Wan released all worries and cares into the Force for what could end up being the last time. The dark throne swiveled around from its view of space through the enormous viewports. The pale, ancient-looking face of the emperor was barely visible under the cowl of the robe.
"We finally meet again, my Obi-Wan."