Finding the Millenium Falcon again proved easy, it was simply getting there, through the slick slopes and sudden drops. They finally reached the cavern entrance and paused long enough to pull on gloves and protective cloaks. They hurried out into the open and rushed up the ramp, but were already soaked with acidic rain threatening to melt through their clothes. Pockmarks steamed on their capes as as Leia and Obi-Wan cast them off.
Han signaled the other groups over the comlink quickly. "You guys ready?"
Chewbacca's growling affirmative answered with a backdrop of blaster fire and yelling. Luke let out a nearly breathless 'yeah.' accompanied by the hum of his lightsaber.
Kenobi and Leia both strapped into the rear cockpit seats. Han took a moment to shed the cloak and tossed it aside. The Millenium Falcon lifted off the moss green slopes of the dark world with a roar of engines burning the sky. It charged to the upper hanger, battling storm winds, even as a pair of TIE fighters showed up on long distance scopes.
Leia pointed them out.
"Yeah, hit the guns. They might have time to launch, we can't fire on the hanger while they're still in there."
"No kidding." Leia hurried to the guns.
Obi-Wan followed her, settling into the lower turret reluctantly. They opened fire on the lower hanger platform as they passed, demolishing the entrance and trapping ships inside. One TIE fighter was already lifting off. It fired and a shot skipped of the Falcon's shields. Falling debris slammed into it before it could dodge and it crashed with fiery sparks quickly extinguished in the rain.
The TIE fighter group was on them then. The ships dodged and twisted trying to hit the Falcon but were unable to get a fix while dodging the laser fire. Finally the two TIEs exploded, followed by another. The last one was clipped by it's wing mate. Han spun the ship on it's side and roughly let it down in the top hanger. Obi-Wan spun his weapon carefully, firing a progression of shots at the TIEs. Some people retreated. Others, determined to reach their ships, were caught in the conflagration. Obi-Wan shook his head sadly. His eyes caught a glimpse of Ahsoka leaping and twisting, deflecting bolts and leading four escaped prisoners at a halting, limping run. The twilek fell. The pantolomin wobbled trying to stay on his feet as he double over in pain. The captain roared with indignation, refusing to leave his crew. Chewbacca stood over them and kept shooting back at the enemy, head thrown back in a wookiee roar of fury. He had a woman propped in one arm and she was struggling to stand unaided.
A blaze of bright Force energy brought his head around as Leia cried that she'd spotted Luke. Anakin and Luke were battling into the hanger, blue and green laser blades reflecting the blasters. Shots sent guards flying backwards that dared poke out of cover and reflected sparks and molten shards off the walls. Anakin broke into a run and joined Ahsoka while Luke moved around to cover the rear. Anakin offered to take the woman and Chewbacca glared at him, suspicious, hesitant but with no time to debate. The woman made the decision, falling into Anakin's grip and leaning on him while he continued to deflect enemy fire one handed. Chewbacca swept up the twilek.
Finally the whole group made it to the Falcon's ramp, not without some injury. Ahsoka stood inside as the ramp rose, deflecting the last energy bolts that blasted his way.
"That was incredible," Narla gasped as she lay on one of the bunks.
Obi-Wan paused by the door as Anakin treated the more immediate injuries. He wasn't great at healing with the Force, but plenty of battlefield experience had trained him in the basics. "Jedi! I thought Jedi were extinct."
"We're making a comeback." Anakin said, and then frowned in surprise.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing. Just take it easy."
Anakin pulled out and let Jayo into the room with his wife. He found Obi-Wan watching. "I don't know why I said 'we'."
"Because it's true?" The Jedi master smiled.
Anakin studied him and handed by his weapon. Obi-Wan took it, hefted it and studied it as if he could read the last few minutes of it's actions while being apart from him.
"Did you need it?" Anakin asked.
"Not really. They were all busy pursuing you."
"Good. You were right. I did." Anakin stared at it uncertainly. "The Alliance wouldn't approve of arming me."
"The Alliance trusted me as your guard. You've done well on this trip, considering the place."
"Better than you expected?"
Kenobi countered, "Better than you expected, my friend."
Anakin shrugged and nodded. "I wouldn't have wanted to do it alone though."
"Quite."
"I've been meaning to ask you something."
"You can ask." Obi-Wan stated, implying he would not guarantee an answer.
"That day on the first Death Star, when you and I were fighting. You stopped and raised your lightsaber like you were saluting and closed your eyes. I started to swing and you didn't twitch. Then Luke yelled and you knew he was in trouble and just moved..." Anakin met Obi-Wan's eyes. "Were you...just going to let me kill you?"
"No."
"Oh."
"I was going to let you strike and I would become one with the Force completely."
Anakin's jaw dropped.
"I would've continued to communicate with Luke as Qui-Gon taught me."
"But...but..." Anakin folded his arms over his chest and frowned. "That is letting me kill you!"
"The battle wasn't physical, Anakin. Not really. The true battle wasn't with you. Fighting you would solve nothing, unless it allowed Luke to escape. I'd reached the point where if I'm going to do battle, I want to know it means something in the larger picture. We hoped for that in the Clone Wars, but settled for not knowing. I won't wallow in the pain of the past, but I will learn from it. Let the soldiers and politicians focus on their disagreements. They must learn to come to terms with the cost of war. But our enemy was the dark side in the form of a Sith, who went out of his way to prevent peace and honest negotiations. I'd no intention of forgetting that mistake." He paused. "My turn."
"Yes?"
"Were you really going to let Leia shoot you?"
Anakin shook his head with a wry smile. "No. I just...well, she wasn't my enemy either. She may think she is, but she's not. I'd rather let her shoot me then risk hurting my own daughter. Even if she'd rather forget we're related."
"In other words, you had much the same reason as me."
"Well..., I get the idea you thought it out, with me it was more just an instinct..." Anakin's eyes sparkled as the Force lightened. They had left atmosphere and put the world behind them. "So. Have I earned a drink yet?"
"Perhaps one glass to celebrate." Obi-Wan smiled back.
Within a few hours Luke pondered his father who was more relaxed as he sipped a second glass of the Naboo wine. Obi-Wan nursed his first. Han and Chewbacca were sharing war stories with the other Captain. Leia sat at the dejarik table between Luke and Ahsoka.
Ahsoka was studying the lightsaber she'd been using.
"Will you keep it?"
"I don't know."
"Why not build another?" Luke asked.
Ahsoka looked up at him. At this young man, son of her old master who'd had not a quarter of her training yet become a Jedi knight. She could do this. She could become a new kind of Jedi and still honor the old. She looked at her old master and he was smiling. He and Obi-Wan were joking about old times, reminiscing about long lost friends. It was a vast improvement over focusing on what was lost. Instead, the appreciated the good memories.
She looked at Leia. "What about you? Will you become a Jedi? At the very least …?"
"…the mediations would help." Leia finished. "I'll think about it. I want to talk to my father first." She frowned. "I value his advice."
Luke noticed her gaze kept shifting to Obi-Wan and Anakin. She was very thoughtful.
"He did fine." Luke said suddenly. "Sent a lot of people flying and did a lot of property damage. But I guarantee you, I killed way more than he did. He was determined not to cause anymore harm than we absolutely had too."
"Good." Leia said uncertainly. Her eyes dropped to the dejarik board. "It's unnerving to see him like this. The camaraderie he has with Obi-Wan, and you … I expect to see that black shadow and I get him instead."
"But you don't want the shadow. None of us does." Ahsoka pointed out.
"Why aren't you angry at him? They were your friends too weren't they?"
Ahsoka's eyes slid half shut. "My family of Jedi accused me of a crime I didn't commit, then rather than investigate deeper tossed me out so the military led by then Captain Tarkin could try me and execute me."
Leia's eyes jerked around to stare at the mention of Tarkin.
"It was Anakin who cleared me. When the council apologized and they wanted me back I said no. I felt like … I didn't trust them, or myself anymore. It wasn't Anakin, mind you. He wanted me to come back. But I felt it was wrong to just go back after that. Then when Order 66 happened … I felt like I'd abandoned them when they needed me. And part of me wondered if I'd stayed if he might not have fallen…of course, that sounds arrogant."
"You knew it was him?" Luke said slowly.
Ahsoka nodded. "I suspected. The master padawan bond wasn't quite broken at the time. I felt his fear and agony and I was nowhere near Coruscant." She paused and looked at Leia. "I guess what it comes down to is, those of us were there, know he isn't the only one that messed up. There were things that we all did that affected his decision. And none of us recognized Palpatine was a threat. There is plenty of blame to go around."
Sleeping on the Falcon proved challenging. To start with, the bunks tended to be a certain average size. This was not a size for someone of above average height like Chewbacca, who had one custom resized or Anakin, who was forced to half curl on the bunk. His eyes slid shut, finally weary from the exertions.
The dream that launched this time was different. The nightmare blasted into him. But this time, he was by Qui-Gon's side in an instant.
"Feeling better?" His old mentor asked.
Anakin nodded slowly. His gaze on the Jedi battling to save the temple against the dark shape of Darth Vader. "They were brilliant. So brave, no matter the age." He remarked softly. Had he ever noticed before, how even the youngest showed such courage and ingenuity right up to the end?
"Yes, Anakin. They were." His smile was gentle.
For the first time, Anakin managed to completely turn away and focus on Qui-Gon. "They are safe in the light, aren't they?"
"Yes. They are." Qui-Gon nodded firmly, holding his gaze.
Anakin hardly noticed as he talked with Qui-Gon when the dark side nightmare retreated and the Jedi temple was quiet. The bodies vanished and they walked through the room of a thousand fountains, talking. They reached the lake and Anakin finally noticed they were not alone. The Jedi were there, many of them. Master to youngling they hovered in ghostly aspect like Qui-Gon. Then one by one they faded. Smiling and nodding to him. The last two were Master Windu and Yoda. Mace came forward and stared him in the eye. Anakin wanted to apologize, but the words caught in his throat. Nonetheless, the Jedi master unexpectedly gave a small smile and nod before fading. Anakin dropped to one knee to face Yoda. The small master studied him carefully. Then he gave a sigh of relief, nodded to him and faded as well. The dreams themselves faded into a deep and peaceful sleep.
Leia headed for her own bunk of the starship, pondering the wildly unexpected things that had happened on this trip. The biggest one was her own Force ability. She'd never recognized it before and hadn't truly believed she had it, until attacked by the dark forces in the caverns. She paused beside a door, to the room Kenobi shared with Anakin. She blinked. When on this journey had she gone from automatically thinking 'Vader' to thinking 'Anakin'. She noticed the Jedi pause beside his sleeping former apprentice. He gently pulled the blanket up a bit higher on him and smiled. Leia hurried on, blushing at witnessing the tender moment.
Her last thought as she drifted off was how, when she fired at him in the cave, he hadn't even tried to defend himself. That night her nightmare took an odd twist. She could still see through the black mask. But this time there was an odd disconnect. Instead of a twisted look of rage there was a look of quiet, hopeless desperation in the blue eyes. And she could almost see an inverse shadow, a hint of light pulling against the dark form of Vader, futilely attempting to stop.
When she woke, she sat up in surprise, thinking. She knew what she'd seen. She'd seen what Luke had seen, what drove him to seek out Anakin Skywalker within Darth Vader. She wasn't sure what to make of this insight. It was a long time before she drifted back to sleep.