Chapter Seven

The Plan

Mayli sat across the kitchen table from Jac, who nursed his bruised chin with a rag of cool water, looking back at her almost amused. His smugness made her want to punch him again. How could he be here, in their home, at their table? Some plan to save the galaxy? Something Ben seemed to be going along with despite the fact this man was a Sith? How had the day, which began like most others, turned into this?

"I want to know everything," she said. "Now."

Jac reached into his pocket and spilled several data chips as well as the holocron she recognized from years ago, not the one she'd taken, but another of the original three from the Sith base. She shuddered, remembering Obi-Wan's encounter with the other holocron, his frightening brush with the Dark Side. Now he looked stoic regarding the pieces on the table, and Mayli knew everything would change this evening, their future plans obliterated.

She turned to the two teenagers, Zella and Jac's son Sam, who leaned against the counter watching the adults.

"Zella, please take Sam outside, show him around," Mayli said firmly, her eyes indicating her daughter should not protest.

Zella got the point and nodded, leading the boy outside.

Mayli's attention snapped back to Jac. "Listen, you prick. I don't know what kind of…"

"Darling," Obi-Wan interrupted, and his voice had a strange sereneness about it. She locked eyes with him, and sadness welled in her, threatening to come out in tears again, this time wracked with sobs. "Mayli, this is it. The Force calls to me…to him…to us. This is the beginning…"

"Of the end," Jac finished, and for the first time he looked serious. Sad. Distraught.

"Explain," she said.

Jac picked up a small data chip. "For nearly two decades now, since our departure, I have worked as an apprentice to Emperor Palpatine, or as he is known amongst his accolades, Darth Sidious."

Mayli heard Ben's sharp intake of breath.

"While Vader plays warrior, I took on the role of scientist, working on projects using the Force, the Dark Side. In this capacity, I have access to all the Empire's research and development," Jac continued.

"And how did this Sam come to be?" Mayli hissed. "Grow him in a test tube?"

Dangerous anger flashed across Jac's face. "I had a wife. Callie. She died last week. Killed. Murdered."

"Oh," said Mayli weakly.

Silence fell over the table. Jac fiddled with a data chip, twirling it between his fingers, seeming lost in thought.

"Callie…was a Jedi who survived the purge," he said. "Worked at Imperial Human Resources undercover, plotting to kill Sheev. I stopped her. We fell in love. I thought she would remain hidden…I thought…he wouldn't…."

Silence again. Mayli swallowed hard, unexpectedly sorry for Jac.

Jac suddenly glared at her. "Don't pity me."

"Please…explain the plan to Mayli," Obi-Wan said.

Jac flicked the chip in his hand her way, and she caught it in her palm.

"This are the most recent specs for the Death Star, the Empire's combo space station and super weapon, which can destroy a planet," Jac explained. "The original architect seems to be a bit of a rebel, as he designed a flaw in the reactor, which can blow with a single hit. I can only assume he did this to assist the Rebellion. Clever. I might be the only one to have seen it…but I am a genius after all." The smugness returned, and Mayli actually found this comforting after the previous anger.

"Well, why didn't you tell the Emperor?" Mayli asked angrily.

Jac raised an eyebrow. "I can't stand that asshole Tarkin."

"So?"

"The Death Star is his baby. I would just love to see him fail. That's why I plan to head toward his labs in the Maw Cluster during my destructive tour of the galaxy," Jac said with a warm grin.

Then something occurred to her, and she rose. "We should get these plans to the Rebellion and…"

"Sit down and cool it, babe," he said, waving her aside. "They already have them…or will. I saw it in a vision two weeks ago, although I didn't understand it until I pieced this all together. Unfortunately, my visions don't come with dates, so I don't know if they have the plans yet or not. No, no…these plans are for ol' Ben here. To study."

"Why?"

"He needs to sabotage the Death Star."

Mayli stared at him, eyebrow raised. "But you said yourself, the flaw in the design…"

"Have you ever built anything?" Jac asked, eyebrows raised.

"I'm a pilot and a mechanic…of course!"

"Then you know sometimes things change during the building process. Contractors working on the Death Star noticed possible weaknesses, installed shields. These are not in the original plans, which the Rebellion will have. Only in the latest specification and updates," Jac said, nodding toward the data chip. "And that chip, downloaded mere hours ago, contains everything recent."

"Then the Rebellion needs it now!" Mayli argued.

Jac shook his head. "And what would they do? This is an inside job. Someone inside the Death Star. Someone who dies on the Death Star and comes back as a Force Spirit and sabotages the station," Jac said.

Mayli began to laugh. "You are a fool. I know some things about the Force. A Force Ghost cannot manipulate its environment." She turned to Ben. "You know this too."

Obi-Wan nodded. "That is where I am puzzled as well. But I disappear…I vanish. I told you about this vision of his, years ago."

A slamming sound brought Mayli's eyes back to Jac. He'd brought the holocron down hard on the table. "This holocron…the master of this cube knows the ways of becoming a Force Spirit."

Mayli laughed spitefully again. "Obi-Wan's former master already came back and taught him."

Jac turned to Obi-Wan. "But he could not manipulate his environment, correct?"

"His hands would pass right through things," Ben answered.

"And there was a body after he died?"

"Yes."

"But you, Obi-Wan Kenobi…you vanish. And that makes all the difference. You will learn when you enter the holocron with me and…"

Mayli stood again, thrusting the holocron out of Jac's hand, the Sith surprised. She threw the cube across the room, the piece landing on the sofa.

"No!" she shouted. "He will not go near that thing…and you will take your son and…"

"Mayli," Obi-Wan said, rising and pulling her aside, down the hall, into their bedroom. "Dearest…I know this sounds crazy…"

"That chip needs to get to Senator Organa!"

"But…this feels right. In every way…this feels…this is what I've been waiting all this time for…my destiny," he said, his voice level and quiet.

"But you die!" she sobbed. "Vanish or not…you are gone. Forever."

Standing in their room, they held one another, and soon Obi-Wan joined her in crying. Yes, she knew, like him, that this was happening, this would work. She always knew, the moment she learned she loved a Jedi, that a sacrifice would need to be made for that love. And now the time had come.

Sam stood beside Zella as they regarded the view of the desert, both silent and pensive.

"Well, mom asked me to show you around," Zella finally said, gesturing out to the great expanse of sand. "Here it is. The desert."

Sam smiled over at her but did not catch her eye. She stared sadly out over the Tatooine landscape.

"I can't believe dad didn't tell me…about Anakin being Vader," Zella said, still not meeting Sam's eyes. "He tells me all these wonderful stories about his best friend…a man he considered a brother and…and…that same man is responsible for the fall of the Jedi, the rise of the Empire. And Luke…I just saw him today!"

Sam just nodded, not knowing all she spoke of. He just knew that Zella seemed shocked by her dad's tales as the four sat together earlier.

"Today," Zella repeated. "This morning…we all had breakfast like usual. It was an ordinary day, like a thousand others here on the Jundland Wastes and…and…you and your dad show up and I find out my dad is going to die and…it was just an ordinary day."

Sam again looked out at the desert, understanding Zella completely. "Yeah. That's how I felt last week, the day my mom died. The night before, the three of us went to the opera, out to dinner, like we'd done dozens of times. And I sat with her and had caf the next morning, talking with her about my studies before I left. And then…everything was different when I got home." He sniffed, trying not to cry, but the realization he'd never see his mother again came on strong and painful. He wiped his nose with his sleeve, finally stealing a glance at Zella.

She looked at him, her red-blonde locks moving in the slight breeze, deep blue eyes taking him in, studying him, understanding him.

"Tell me about her," Zella said.

"She was a Jedi…and very funny…and she taught me how to use a lightsaber. Dad's terrible," he said.

"You have a lightsaber?" Zella asked.

"Yes," he said. "But a single blade, not like yours. But I mostly focus on my hands."

"Hands?"

"When I touch things, the Force tells me their history. Like when I touched your hand, I could see you were a Jedi. And I saw other things too," Sam said.

Zella's eyes widened. "What? You didn't see…"

Sam could feel himself reddening. "No! No…um…just you and your family. Very brief."

Narrowing her eyes and studying him, she relaxed again. "I'm sorry about your mother."

"I'm sorry about your father."

Zella nodded. "You and I, we have good skills. We can join the Rebellion."

"I'm going with my dad. To the labs. To destroy the experiments, the data, the prototypes," Sam said.

"I can help with that!" said Zella excitedly, and Sam found himself enjoying her gumption, even though they both seemed a little traumatized at the moment.

"Maybe…I'd…I'd like that," Sam said, trying not to sound eager but casual.

Zella led him around the house, moving back toward the garden where they sat before, listening to her father's revelation.

"Have you ever met Darth Vader?" she asked.

"Once, last year. At a banquet. Many of the higher officials attended, the Emperor putting out a feast and…"

"You've met the Emperor?"

"A couple of times," Sam said, not knowing by her look if this information impressed her or made her suspicious of him. "Anyways, the banquet was actually nice. Mom never attended these things with dad, but he would bring me on occasion, when families were welcome. And that night was actually fun, a couple guys from my school were there…"

"You went to school?"

"The Imperial Science Academy," Sam said, wondering what his classmates would think when he never showed up for classes. "The banquet was fine and suddenly Darth Vader enters, and the room just dies, silent, everyone uncomfortable. His breathing…you can hear every breathe he takes. And he's known for killing people underneath him, people who don't serve him well."

"My mom met him once," Zella said. "But to think he was Anakin…one of my dad's best friends." She grew silent again and an entire minute passed. "The duel my father mentioned. He must have really messed Anakin up."

Sam hadn't thought about this when he heard the story the hour before, how Zella's father fought Vader and thought he'd been dead.

"As my dad told the story…I was angry with him. I mean, why didn't he tell me?" Zella said. "But…to think he had to fight his friend, his brother…he loved Anakin…and Anakin betrayed everyone. My dad…he's been through so much. I don't think I fully understood it until now."

Sam nodded, thinking of his own father, quite a different man from this Obi-Wan

"Did he eat?" Zella asked, after another long silence.

"Huh? Who?"

"Vader. Did he eat at the banquet?"

"No. He roamed around for a bit, then left. Took a while for the guests to recover," Sam answered.

"I wonder what he eats," said Zella wistfully.

"Nuts, bolts, I don't know," Sam said, then made his voice deep and dramatic, like a narrator of a trailer for an upcoming holodrama. "He feeds off the fear of others."

Zella turned to him, a beautiful smile spreading across her face, and then she laughed delightedly, making Sam's heart feel light despite the heaviness of their recent conversation, the current events of the day. Images of he and Zella, lightsabers blazing as they ran through Palpatine's secret labs, fighting off stormtroopers and destroying weapons prototypes, filled his mind.

Obi-Wan stood at the window next to Jac, watching his daughter and the Sith's son sitting on the bench in the garden Mayli built for him years ago, laughing and talking, obviously taken with one another. He felt deeply dismayed from this view, knowing his protectiveness as a father reared up within him

"Well, that would certainly be interesting," Jac said with a little chuckle.

Obi-Wan turned and glared deeply at Jac. Did he imply Obi-Wan's intelligent, talented, and beautiful daughter would end up with the son of some evil Sith, an apprentice to Palpatine himself? Obi-Wan could taste bile.

"Over my dead body," he hissed.

Jac laughed. "According to my visions, there is no body."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to retort, but Mayli emerged from their bedroom, having cleaned up her face from crying.

"Okay…Jac," she said. "When are you two going into that…holocron."

"We need several hours…Cal and I would often spend an entire day with Si," Jac said.

"Si?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Darth Silenus," Jac said, a grin spreading across his face. "Oh, you're going to enjoy him. He's the creator of the holocron." Jac paused. "But I'm tired. We both need energy to open the cube. I suggest we begin in the morning."

Mayli nodded. "Then…would you like to stay for dinner?" she asked, the words seeming to come through gritted teeth, forced politeness. Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile, remembering why he fell in love with Mayli to begin with years ago.

Dinner began as strained, but when Mayli asked about news from the Imperial Center, conversation seemed to flow evenly. Obi-Wan almost forgot his days were numbered, and his mind drifted from Jac's stories of new architectural adventures on Coruscant to the fact he would die in days…a week…a month? He felt a little perturbed at Jac's uncertainty at time, but then remembered how the Force did act in strange ways.

A lull in the conversation brought him back, and Zella's voice suddenly filled the void.

"What am I to do?" she asked, looking at him.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Dad, you trained me to be a Jedi," Zella said. "I go with you. I can fight. I can…"

"No," Obi-Wan said evenly. "You go to the university like we planned and…"

"But dad, what was all that training for?! We are the last of the Jedi! Luke Skywalker…he might be Force sensitive, but he doesn't know anything! I can fight! Take on the Imperials…join the Rebellion," she said, her eyes pleading with him.

"No," he said again, simply.

Silence again, Zella staring at him angrily.

"But dad!" she protested.

Obi-Wan rose in a swift movement and slammed his fist down hard on the table, upsetting a few plates. The anger rose in him so quickly, he frightened himself.

"No!" he bellowed, seeing the entire group shocked. "No! My daughter will not be sacrificed for the good of the galaxy. I have given everything…everything! I will not give my daughter! Anakin's child can be sacrificed…not mine!"

The words hung in the air and seemed to cool the room several degrees. Obi-Wan felt shocked at his own speech, definitely not the Jedi way. But he realized this is truly how he felt, so he didn't speak again, could not lie to the group, who stared at him in disbelief. All except Jac, who looked up at him with a wise, knowing expression, nodding slowly.

Obi-Wan thought about Luke. He held no ill will toward the boy, wished he could have gotten to know Anakin's son. And from what Jac said, he would get a chance, however brief. But Zella, his daughter, his bright light…she meant everything to him. She would go away, hide like they planned, protected. No, he would not give her over.

Yes…Anakin did this. He pays, not Obi-Wan.

Despicable thoughts, yes. Cruel, heartless. But at least the Sith in the room approved, Obi-Wan thought sardonically.

Obi-Wan sat back down, paying too much attention to his food.

"Okay, daddy," Zella said softly.

Obi-Wan looked at her, now trying to choke back tears. He reached across the table and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Well, the new transit station is quite a sight," Jac said, returning to the previous conversation. "They used this new type of plastic for the railings and…"

That night, Obi-Wan and Mayli lie in bed, clinging to one another.

"I'll take the kids to Mos Espa tomorrow," she said. "Get them out of here so you and that ass…"

"Jac," Obi-Wan sighed then laughed.

"Jac…are you sure you can trust him?"

"Yes…I'm certain. I know through the Force."

Mayli sighed heavily. "This is it, then?

"Yes."

"When you are a Force Ghost, will you haunt me?" she asked.

Obi-Wan heart hurt again. Mayli, not Force sensitive, would not see or hear him. But what about this Darth Silenus, who held all these secrets of the Force Spirit?

"But if you do haunt me," Mayli continued. "Don't do stupid parlor tricks, like write on the 'fresher mirror in blood, those dumb stereotypes from those horror holodramas."

Obi-Wan smiled in the dark, not replying, loving her for her ability to always find the humor in even the most tragic situation.

A comfortable silence followed as the two held one another, both mentally preparing to face the inevitable.

Author's Note: A lot of angst in this chapter but a bit more fun to come. Next time, Jac and Obi-Wan enter the holocron, and Sam and Zella get to know each other better while exploring Mos Espa.

As always, I appreciate your readership!