The Path
Obi-Wan finds an unexpected marking on the wall of the Mapuso safehouse, and soon, the Force reunites him with Shaak Ti, whom he had thought had lost during the Purge. This is a what-if scenario of Shaak Ti being part of the events in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Usual disclaimers apply. I don't own the characters; I just borrowed them for fun. Mistakes are mine, though.
"What is this place?" Obi-Wan asked as they stepped into the hidden room behind the droid maintenance shop and took a look around.
"We have safehouses like this throughout the galaxy," the woman explained. "Trying to link the systems. Some call it the Path. You're not the first Jedi to come through here. It all leads to Jabiim, and from there, we give them new identities and get them out. There's a lot of good people risking their lives out there."
"Were they all Jedi?" Leia inquired.
"Not all. These days, the Empire hunts anyone who's Force-sensitive. Even children."
"What happens to them?"
"We're not sure," she sighed. "But no one ever sees them again."
"Quinlan was here," Obi-Wan said, looking at the wall for the first time and noticing the carvings on it.
"Yeah, he helps now and again. Smuggling younglings."
"What does it say?" Leia walked up to him.
"Only when the eyes are closed can you truly see."
"See what?"
"The Way."
Then his eyes fell on a carved marking, and memories washed over him as he ran his fingers over it.
A crown made of sharp teeth, the beast they belonged to was long gone, killed by a small but fierce hunter. He himself made the centerpiece, taking great care in collecting the stones. He was so proud of her. She wore it in open defiance to the Order's rigid Code and so sure in her steadfast devotion to him. No one knew but them.
The same marking that was now haunting him on the wall was carved onto his belt as a lasting testament to a bond that should not be. His hand ran over his belt, feeling the familiar pattern, remembering a time long ago when his beloved belt was lovingly placed into his hands.
He wasn't allowed much time to dwell on the presence of that marking on the wall, nor did he have time to ask about it. But hope flared in his chest.
Then he felt it, a presence so dark and oppressive that it almost choked him.
Vader had arrived.
He didn't remember much after that realization. He knew he asked Tala to take Leia home. He knew he tried to lead Vader away from the camp. He knew he was weak. Standing face to face with Vader... No, Anakin, he could feel the weight of all the years he had spent in exile. He was no match for his old padawan, and Anakin knew that.
He could feel his flesh burn and heat scorch his lungs. He could see Anakin's expressionless mask.
He could see a headpiece made of sharp teeth.
A pair of expressive grey eyes that could always see into his very soul.
"Ben, stay with me." A woman's voice. But her eyes were all wrong. Brown. "You're gonna be okay."
Everything hurt.
"Hold on."
He didn't have the strength. He didn't have the will.
Hold on, my love, he heard. He could feel her. How he missed that feeling. Hold on.
He would find the strength. For her, he would.
I'm here.
Very few things could shake her these days.
Watching Obi-Wan floating in the bacta tank, fighting his inner demons, was one of those few things.
Standing in the shadows of the dark structure, she could feel his torment eating at her own soul.
Their lives had never been easy, but ever since the appearance of that Sith he had killed, it had taken a turn for the worse. The war had taken its toll on everyone involved. And while she could not be by his side, through their frequent holocalls, she could spy the changes in the man she loved. It was true that assuming the responsibility of training his padawan was the first step on the road he was forced to walk. But it was a conscious decision. She knew that Obi-Wan had not taken the boy as his padawan because of any kind of obligation. He loved that boy. But the responsibility that came with it was a heavy burden.
Then came the war, and the cheeky boy who could pull her out of her self-imposed shell disappeared before her eyes. Their conversations became darker and heavier. The optimism with which they vowed to look to the future dispersed in the shadow of a never-ending conflict.
They were to have a future together. She could still remember the dreams of two young initiates who steadfastly refused reality to beat them down.
But reality was cruel.
After more than a decade of self-imposed separation in which only their friendship was allowed to bloom, they were cruelly torn apart by the fall of the Jedi Order.
And now, against all odds, he was here.
She just wasn't prepared to see such a broken man.
She was pulled out of her thoughts as Obi-Wan started to fight against the machine and all but pulled himself out of the tank. Tala was by his side, trying to make him see reason, but he was not having it. He was asking about the little girl Tala had mentioned, but then his eyes fell on her, stepping out of the shadows.
He physically recoiled at her sight, which stung, but then his grief and despair hit her with such force that she gasped. She reached out, but he cowered against the cold wall, sinking to the floor, eyes shut tight.
Tears came to her eyes as she slowly crouched down next to him.
"Obi-Wan," she breathed. "Look at me."
He took forever to raise his head from his knees and lock eyes with hers. Comprehension was even slower to come, but finally, he opened his mouth.
"Shaak?" he croaked, uncertain.
"It's me, my love. I'm here."
"I'm dead then?" Was that relief in his voice?
"I would not let that happen," she stated firmly, and her steady voice seemed to pull him out of his panic. He stilled and blinked up at her with bleary eyes.
"Shaak?" he asked, stunned but calmer than before.
"Hello, Obi-Wan," she smiled at him, cupping his bearded cheek. Oh, how she missed that.
"You are truly here?"
"I am."
A small, unbelieving smile appeared on his weary face, which turned into a small chuckle as he reached out to touch the hand resting on his face, and then the chuckle turned into a sob. As she gathered the crying man into her arms, she could feel Tala leave the room.
They didn't say a word as Shaak Ti helped him clean up and dressed. When he was ready, he only allowed himself a moment to gather her into his arms, take a deep breath, and center himself. When he pulled away, he was ready.
"Let's go, find Tala," she told him.
Roken wasn't easy to convince to help. He was downright hostile as they walked up to him. And why wouldn't he be? He had a lot of people and a whole operation depending on him, which he couldn't jeopardize. And Obi-Wan's presence in the camp was doing just that. But, at the end of the day, Roken couldn't say no to saving a little girl from the Empire.
So, soon enough, they were standing around a holotable, trying to come up with a plan. The only problem was that these people were no soldiers.
"You can barely stand. You're not getting in there." And there was that, too, as Sully pointed out. Obi-Wan was far from recovered from his ordeal. But he was not to be stopped. She didn't try.
"I'll go with him," Tala offered. "Well, I have officer clearance," she explained as every head turned to her. That was not a plan, but it was something. "I can get you inside, and I can get you access."
"Is your cover still intact?"
"We'll find out soon enough," she shrugged. "We're wasting time. Get my ship fueled and ready," Tala ordered, already leaving to prepare.
Obi-Wan stood, too, but Shaak Ti grabbed his hand to make him stop.
"I'll go with you."
"Shaak..."
"I know," she nodded. "But I'd rather be there when things go south. And let's be honest here, they will go south. Nothing ever goes as planned. And you don't even have a plan."
"It's not like it's the first time," Obi-Wan allowed himself a sheepish look, no doubt recalling all the missions during the war that hadn't exactly gone as planned and Anakin's penchant for running into battle without forethought.
"Haven't I heard it all?"
"All right," he nodded finally. "We'll leave as soon as Tala's ready."
The plane ride was silent.
The feelings bleeding through their bond troubled Shaak Ti a great deal, but there was no time to deal with it. Instead, she tried to center herself, getting rid of her worry towards him. She trusted him, and her being unfocused when her help was needed wouldn't do anybody any good. So, she settled on the floor of Tala's plane and started to meditate.
It was hard to stay focused when Obi-Wan's frustration was so palpable, but she managed a semi-meditative state.
"I'll be all right," she could hear him say hastily and not so convincingly as Tala walked back to them.
"Your body is not the only thing that needs to heal, Ben. The past is a hard thing to forget. And you just need time, that's all."
"Some things can't be forgotten."
"You care about Leia?" He did. "Then you're going to have to try. We still have some time. Try to rest."
"Come, Obi-Wan," she finally spoke up. "Meditate with me."
He gave her a small smile and joined her without any further words.
"Are you ready?" Obi-Wan asked when they finally stood by the open ramp, looking down at the dark water.
"Not really," Shaak Ti admitted disdainfully. "Water really messes up my senses."
Obi-Wan reached out and squeezed her hand. "Just stay close, and you'll be all right."
"I know." And with that, they jumped.
Tala's credentials proved intact after all, and soon, they were inside the fortress. Obi-Wan disposed of the guard, and then they were on their way to find Leia. The base was well fortified, making their progress slower than she would have liked. But after long last, they were standing in front of the door that led to the little girl.
The disposed guard's credentials got them inside, but having stepped in, she stopped in her tracks, shocked and terrified. Obi-Wan bumped into her before he, too, looked around.
"Force!" he breathed.
"There is no end to this darkness?" she asked hopelessly, her lekku twitching as she took in the horrifying sight before her. Faintly, she could hear Obi-Wan telling Tala what they had found, but soon, she could feel him press up against her, pulling her close and pressing his face against her head-tail. They took a calming breath and then proceeded, slowly, mourning their lost comrades.
That was when they heard it: Leia calling for help.
"Tala," Obi-Wan called. "We need a distraction." Then they began to run.
"I cut the power. You go and get her out."
He nodded, and they separated. Everything went relatively fast after that, and events accelerated in earnest when a seeker bot was activated. Shaak Ti found herself stuck in a corridor with Stormtroopers trapping them on both sides. They pushed Leia into the middle, doing their best to protect her by deflecting the shots with their lightsabers, but they couldn't keep that up. Finally, she managed to dispose of the Troopers on her side, and Obi-Wan shot the control panel, and the door closed on his end, earning them some time. They hadn't finished taking a deep breath when Leia cried out.
The window was breaking.
Without thinking, they both reached out, using the Force to hold back the pressure of the water. They couldn't afford to stay put for long, though. The Troopers were just about to open the door on the other side. They began to shoot through the crack of the door, so Obi-Wan was forced to let go to be able to shield them.
"Go," Shaak Ti pressed through gritted teeth. Obi-Wan gave her a torn look. "Go," she repeated more forcefully.
He ran to the others just as more cracks appeared on the window. She concentrated on being able to last to the last second and to be able to move as soon as the Troopers breached the door. She shifted, then pushed forward, making the window crack faster. She took a deep breath. Then she stood frozen for a split second, eyes wide. The door opened, the widow cracked, and the water broke into the corridor with a deafening sound that made her montrals ache. Then she realized that the water wasn't moving towards her, at least not at the speed that it should have. Tala and Leia's screaming pulled her out of her shock, and she quickly turned and ran, registering Obi-Wan struggling to keep the massive body of water at bay. She propelled into the wall in front of her with a painful thud as the door closed behind her.
She took a deep breath and then turned.
Obi-Wan gave her a rather unimpressed look. She shrugged and gave him a sheepish smile. He smiled, shaking his head before looking back at the door.
"This won't hold long," he said.
"Here," Tala grabbed a coat from one of the soldiers lying on the ground. "Take this." She pressed it into Obi-Wan's hand.
Shaak Ti knew what that meant. They were leaving through the main entrance.
"I can't go with you," she spoke up, and Obi-Wan's head snapped in her direction, stopping mid-movement of putting on the coat.
"What?"
"I can't go."
"Why?"
"I'm not exactly inconspicuous on an Imperial base."
"Then we'll find another way," he offered, unwilling to leave her behind.
"No, Tala's right. The main entrance is the fastest way. You go, and I'll find my way out. We'll meet by the ship."
"Then we'll go with you."
"No." It hurt to see the desperation on his face. "I can get out without being noticed. But I can't do that with you lot around."
"What do you mean?"
"I can shield myself from others so they do not notice me."
"You can make yourself invisible?" Leia shrieked excitedly.
"In a way, yes," she smiled at the little girl. Then she got serious. "Given that I don't run into any droids or Force-sensitives."
"All right," Obi-Wan cocked an eyebrow, intrigued. "Then take Leia. Can you shield her?"
She looked at the little girl. "I think so."
"Great," Tala chimed in impatiently. "Now, we should really get going."
They quickly parted ways, and Shaak Ti led Leia by the hand through the base in high alert. She really hated this. Being forced to hide.
"Are we really invisible now?"
"Yes, little one, in a way. They can all see us, but to them, we are inconsequential enough not to pay any attention or to remember us."
It was an ability she had learned the hard way.
They made good time and got to the platform before Tala and Obi-Wan did. And it was a good thing, too, as the Inquisitor appeared right after them, yelling about betrayal to Tala. The Stormtroopers behind her were ready to fire. She saw the moment that the woman in black spotted their ship. She moved her hand and threw a bomb at the ship. Shaak Ti didn't stop to think.
"Stay behind me and run to the ship," she instructed Leia already halfway out of from behind the crate they were hiding behind. She stopped right in the open with her hand in front of her, and the bomb stopped. In the split second that it registered for her that she had just stepped in the line of fire, she locked eyes with Obi-Wan. His eyes were wide, and hers were like that, too.
It got really ugly really quickly after that. She pushed to send the bomb right back at the Troopers who were already firing. But there was fire from behind her as well. Wade and Sully must have arrived, she noted somewhere back in her mind, but she was too preoccupied pulling her saber and pressing her back against Obi-Wan to shield themselves.
"You have grown reckless, you know that?" he noted, hands moving quickly.
"I have to admit I hadn't exactly thought this through."
"Really?"
"You sound exasperated, my dear."
"And you sound too smug for your own good. Tala's in the plane. Let's move it before you pull another stunt and put me in an early grave."
As soon as they had made it on the plane, the ramp closed, and they were off.
"Well," Shaak Ti started with a shrug as she sheathed her saber. "That was just like our padawan years."
That put a smile on Obi-Wan's face. "Now I know how Qui-Gon and Master Koon must have felt."
"Oh, those were the days."
Indeed, those were the happiest years of their lives. They had come to realize and accept the full extent of their feelings, and they were not afraid to act on them. They were training to be knights, and their ability in the Force was growing stronger every day. They were without fear. Reckless, as their masters had called them on so many occasions. It was before reality hit them in the face and forced them on a path that was not their own choosing.
It was a lifetime ago.
Their stare was broken when they could feel Leia's presence. They stepped away from each other and looked at the little girl. Without a word, Leia ran up to Obi-Wan and hugged him around his legs, holding onto him silently. He put a gentle hand on her head and shared a look with Shaak Ti before she went and joined Tala in the cockpit.
Obi-Wan settled on the floor with Leia by his side. The little girl was exhausted, all the excitement and fear finally catching up with her. He watched with a small smile as she slowly drifted off to sleep next to him, remembering how Anakin used to do the same when he was her age.
The thought only further broke his already shattered heart, so he closed his eyes and concentrated, searching for his center. When he collected himself, he opened his eyes and glanced in the direction of the cockpit, where Tala and Shaak were engaged in a silent conversation.
He sighed and reflected on the woman he had thought he'd lost forever and who, against all odds, was back in his life.
She was so different, he mused, yet the same.
She was poised, serene, and centered in the Force as she'd learned to be and as she had always seemed to be to the world. But he could see the young Togruta of their youngling days coming to the surface. She was less guarded, her expression more open as he remembered from the private moments shared between them. Oh, and that spirited energy that captivated him and frustrated him to no end. He had always held a grudge against the Order for taming her like it did. For many years, only a few had the privilege to know the spirited, vibrant woman under the mask of cold detachment.
It was comforting to know that the hard years didn't break her.
There was something darker around her, too. He noticed she hadn't hesitated to cut through the Stormtroopers without considering whether they lived or died. He couldn't even fathom what years on the run would do to a person. Yet, here she was, helping families in need and forging bonds with others. And she was looking at him with the same love in her eyes as the last time they had met.
He was truly in awe of her.
He must have dozed off because it was to Shaak's gentle voice that he found himself blinking awake.
"We've arrived," she told him with a gentle smile, then left him to wake Leia.
When they exited the plane, he was met with an unexpected sight.
"Haja? What are you doing here?"
"I had nowhere else to go. Right after I saw you, I got into a fight with that scary lady Inquisitor. Now, I'm wanted by the Empire. But now, I know what it feels like being a real Jedi. It's not easy. This place is a good business opportunity, though."
Obi-Wan shook his head and looked down at Leia. He saw her eyeing a group of children about her age, so he petted her back. "On you go," he told her, and she merrily ran away.
Haja quickly attached himself to Shaak, which she took with exasperated patience, so Obi-Wan left to look for Roken.
"Roken, that transport, I need to get her back to Alderaan."
"Once we get all these people out of here, I'll do whatever you want. They've been waiting for months. We used an old trade route to get them out, but the window's closing. We held it to help you get the kid. We only have a few hours."
"We'll do whatever we can to help."
It was much later, when everybody settled to rest as much they could under the circumstances, that she found him sitting away from the people, watching Leia as she talked with Tala.
"Come on, Ben," she offered a hand to him. "It's time to sleep." He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off with a patient smile. "No buts. You need to rest. And she will be all right. Tala is looking after her. Come with me, love."
He sighed but did not argue. He followed her wordlessly to a silent corner where they settled down. Obi-Wan leaned against the wall, and she sat next to him, burrowing into his larger frame. He took her legs and pulled them across his lap, pulling her even closer to him. She still fit against him so perfectly.
Silence descended upon them, both of them lost in their own thoughts. When he finally looked down at her, he found large grey eyes regarding him inquisitively.
"You are beautiful," she said with so much reverence and love in her voice that it brought tears to his eyes.
"I am old," he managed with a choked-up scoff. He, at least, felt like a hundred-year-old man, tired and miserable. And, yet, here he was, the most wonderful creature in the galaxy, looking at him as if seeing the man he had once thought himself to be.
"You are still you," she told him, convinced about her truth. Had she seen the man he had become, the light in her eyes would surely die. The mere thought brought terror to his soul, and a sob escaped free. The tears he'd been fighting started to flow freely, and she gently gathered him into her loving arms.
He sobbed like a child, clinging to her, terrified that if he let her go, she'd disappear. Maybe that was why his eyes were shut close, too. He had spent so many nights dreaming about her, imagining holding her, feeling her by his side. But wakefulness always deprived him of her calming presence.
"I thought I lost you," he mumbled against her lek half-intelligibly between painful sobs. "I couldn't let you go... I couldn't..."
She held him until his sobs subsided, feeling every bit of pain through their bond. He thought she had died. Just the thought of it broke her heart. She, at least, knew that he was alive. She just had to hold onto the hope of seeing him again.
"I barely managed to escape the Temple," she started in a low voice after she felt him calm down. "With a couple of masters, we tried to save the younglings we found but the clones... they were relentless. I managed to escape with three children. Three, Obi-Wan. The others had all fallen. It took me a while to find them a safe place; then I went to Shili. I thought that I would be safe with my people. Shili had always been out of the way of any galactical interest. It was so wonderful being back with my people." Her wistful voice made him smile. "I learned so much about them... about myself. But then the Inquisitors found me." She was fiddling with a necklace Obi-Wan did not recognize. He stilled her hand and took a look at the jewelry. It seemed to be made of bones, he noted. Well, she was a Togruta to the bone. The Inquisitor learned that the hard way, it seemed. "They burnt the village to the ground. I left after that, never really staying in one place for long. I help if my help is needed, but I mostly keep to myself. It's safer that way." And it was a torture to her, Obi-Wan knew. He pressed a kiss on her montral.
"What happened, Ben?" she asked in a low voice.
"I wish I could tell you." He started with a heavy sigh. "All I know is that I failed him. I failed Anakin."
"Anakin? He died, they say."
"No. I was sent to kill him. But I couldn't. I told Yoda I would not... He sent me anyway. I failed as a Jedi, and I failed as a brother."
"I don't understand."
"Anakin fell, Shaak. He turned to the Dark Side. I saw him pledge himself to Sidious." He let out a self-deprecating laugh. "He led the massacre at the Temple. I was so blind. Palpatine was playing the long game, and I couldn't see it. I left Anakin at his mercy. And I couldn't give him a last act of mercy. I couldn't kill him even when he was lying on the ground, mutilated and burnt. He lives, Shaak, and he wreaks havoc on the galaxy because of me."
"Vader," Shaak Ti gasped, and all he could do was nod against her head. "Leia?" She asked after a short while. "She's his, right?"
"Yes," he croaked.
"I can see so much of him in her," she said with awe in her voice.
"Too much, sometimes," he chuckled softly.
"She is safe, Obi-Wan," she turned to face him. "She is safe. And you will get her home."
He nodded. Her gaze was so full of trust that he couldn't help but believe it.
She awoke to a sensation that she hadn't felt in a very long time: contentment.
She was lying on her side, facing the wall, as they seemed to have shifted positions during their sleep. Obi-Wan was spooning her, shielding her from the outer world. It was all so familiar. He had always loved to lay like this with her pressed tightly against him from head to toe, and his face pressed against her head-tail. It always amazed her how humbled he was to be allowed to touch her there. Togrutas were very sensitive about that part of their anatomy; she maybe even more so than others. But having Obi-Wan touch her there felt natural. He could express so many things with just one touch. He could make her feel so many things by just a simple caress.
Like now, as he was gently stroking her lek, which stirred sensations in her that she thought to have been forgotten during the long, lonely years.
"You keep that up, and I won't take responsibility for my actions," she warned him with a lazy smile.
"Is that so?" he goaded with humor in his voice. "Just so you know... I'm still waiting for a proper kiss."
She turned in his arms and looked at him challengingly. "Is that so?" Obi-Wan laughed, but the sound of his laughter was swallowed by her lips.
"Hello there," he breathed when they parted, the look in his eyes bringing tears to hers.
"I love you," she told him shakily, running a finger over the wrinkles around his eyes.
"I love you," he reciprocated. "And I always will."
Their moment was broken by the shaking of the base. They stood hastily and went to find the others.
"What's happening?" Obi-Wan asked even before they'd have reached the command center.
"The controls aren't responding." Sully was somewhat frenzied.
"An Imperial Destroyer just arrived in orbit above us," Roken added, and Shaak Ti could feel Obi-Wan reaching out into the Force.
"She must have tracked us," Tala concluded.
"It's not her. It's Vader," Obi-Wan finally said, and she reached out into the Force, too. What she found terrified the normally composed Jedi. She had spent the last ten years running from the Inquisitors, one more cruel than the other. But the darkness she found was so overwhelming, filled with anger and despair, it made her shiver. What had become of Anakin Skywalker?!
She felt Obi-Wan putting a steadying hand on the small of her back and forced herself to calm down.
"She wants us to surrender," Sully said.
"If we surrender, he'll kill us all," Tala objected.
"He'll attack next," Obi-Wan said, certain in his conclusion. "He hasn't the patience for a siege."
There was a clamor around them, and the fear of the families was palpable. These people might have just lost the hope to survive. She was about to speak up when she could hear Obi-Wan's uncertain voice.
"Everyone," Obi-Wan called out to the uneasy crowd. She looked at him and sent support and reassurance through their bond. He took her hand in response. "Everyone." His voice sounded more ascertained the second time, and the people slowly turned to him in attention. "I understand you're scared. The Empire will attack soon. They're stronger than us, better equipped, better trained. If we try and fight them, we will not survive. But we do not need to fight them. We just need to hold them off long enough to get you all out. Roken, how much time do you need to override the doors?"
"Three, four hours."
"You have one. And block every other remote access. Everyone else, we're going to lock down every other entrance in this facility. If we defend our position together, then by the time they get inside, we'll be gone."
"You heard him," Roken spoke up.
The next hour went by in a blur. She parted from Obi-Wan with a last reassuring look and went to help the families. But all too soon, the facility was shaking under Imperial attack. They needed more time. She was trying to calm a young mother when she heard the mechanical sound of the hangar door, but it stayed closed.
"That was underwhelming," Raja supplied unhelpfully just as she walked up to the group.
"I don't need your opinion." Roken was visibly tense, and understandably so.
"Did you try going in the vents to see what's going on?" Raja was clearly ignoring it.
"I'm a little too big to be crawling around in the vents. Would you like to try?"
"I'm going to need a ladder," Leia commanded the attention of the adults, and Shaak Ti smiled.
"It's not playtime right now, Princess."
"Do as she asks!" Shaak Ti stepped behind the little girl, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder. She earned some incredulous looks from the others, but Obi-Wan stepped up next to them.
"You trust me?" he addressed Roken. "I trust her. Get her the ladder."
"Get her a ladder. Quick."
"Leia," he called after the girl as she walked away. "Be careful." Then he turned to the man next to him. "Haja, will you keep an eye on her?"
"I am not a babysitter, Ben," Haja protested as Obi-Wan pulled a communicator out of his pocket.
"I have to go." He ignored the man and hastily walked away, brushing her hand as he went.
As things tended to go, everything went really bad again in an astonishingly short time. Leia was still up in the vent, and Obi-Wan's talk with the Inquisitor didn't go well if the red blade trust through the thick metal gate was anything to go by. Shaak Ti had her blade ignited before Obi-Wan finished calling to fall back. It was chaos as the Troopers began to shoot, worse than the countless battles during the war. These were civilians around her. And the both of them weren't enough to save them. Some fell, some got injured. She herself was pulling a young man into safety as she was trying to deflect the rapid gunfire. And in the midst of it all, she lost sight of Obi-Wan.
She was by the door to the hangar, alternating between pushing Troopers back and pulling refugees in, all the while deflecting the shots, when she spotted Obi-Wan pulling up the rear with Tala and her droid. She felt relief, but in the next instant, Tala cried out. They were overrun. The droid tried to shield her, but it was in vain. She was shot. Obi-Wan tried to get back to her, and Shaak Ti did her best to aid him, but there were so many Troopers that it was all futile. Tala must have realized that, too, as she cried to Obi-Wan to go. But he was not giving up. Even overrun by Troopers, he was fighting to get her out. Shaak Ti shared a glance with Tala, and with a final nod, she reached out to Obi-Wan with the Force and yanked him back behind the door just as Tala shot the control panel, and the door closed. They could hear the explosion soon after.
Obi-Wan sank to his knees, and Shaak Ti found herself at a loss as to what to do. Then she could feel Obi-Wan reach out for her through the Force, so she slowly walked up to him, knelt in front of him, and pressed her forehead against his, enveloping him in her calming presence.
She waited until he centered himself, then helped him up to his feet. He tried to give her an encouraging smile, but it turned into a worried frown.
Next to them, Roken must have seen it, too, as he asked worriedly, "What is it? What's wrong?"
"It's over," Obi-Wan breathed, then continued in a surer tone. "I'm going back."
"You can't quit," Roken cut him off. "I fought for too long. You can't just throw that away. It won't make a difference. They want all of us."
"Vader wants me."
"If you surrender, she died for nothing. He'll keep coming."
"That's why I have to stop him."
"You're going to fight him?"
She closed her eyes. She knew he would if he had to. She also knew that if he could help it, he'd avoid open confrontation with Vader. She saw the haunted look in his eyes when he told her that he couldn't kill his friend no matter what he had become.
"He expects me to surrender. He knows I'll do everything I can to protect these people."
"You'll be on your own," Haja said.
"No," he said, and Shaak Ti narrowed her eyes. There was something he wasn't telling them. His eyes pleaded with her to trust him as he turned to her, and the bond between them was charged with the same sentiment. She trusted him, there was no question about that, and she made sure that he felt that. That didn't stop the worry, though. "Look out for her," he asked, pressing his lightsaber, gun, and communicator into her hands. She nodded wordlessly.
"You want to tell me how you're gonna fight without a weapon?" Roken sounded exasperated now.
"There are other ways to fight," Shaak Ti said in a low voice as she watched Obi-Wan walk away to give himself up.
As Roken left, Shaak Ti walked up to him silently. There was so much sadness in her eyes that were usually clear with serenity. Wordlessly, she brought her arms around his torso and buried her face against his chest. He enveloped her in his arms and pressed his cheek against the hollow of her montrals.
"Did you talk to her?" she asked against his chest, referring to the distraught Leia.
"Yes," he sighed. "She'll be all right." They stood in silence before he continued. "I have to go." And his heart ached.
"I know."
"I brought so much suffering to the galaxy."
"It was not your fault," she told him in a steady voice as she pulled away. Her grey eyes were hard with conviction.
"I should have killed him."
"Master Yoda was unfair to put that burden on your shoulders. You may carry the guilt towards Anakin, but the guilt towards the galaxy is not yours to bear. I hope the Force will show you a way to accept that."
He took her hands into his and let himself get lost for a moment in the intricacy of the familiar white patterns on them. She waited patiently as always.
"The Order was wrong about so many things," he started, and from the look on her face, it wasn't what she had expected him to say. He smiled a little. "Feelings and attachments are not something we should fear. We should embrace them. Because of you, because of your love and faith in me, I was stronger." He gathered her hands against his heart. "I am stronger. I could have never been the Jedi I was without you. And I thank you for that."
"Hush!" She freed a hand to run her fingers over his lips. He kissed them.
"After you return, Leia, go to Tatooine. There is a boy there. Owen Lars' nephew. Luke." He didn't have to say more about him. She knew. "Watch over him for a couple of days. I have a bad feeling... I was meant to train him, but... I think he should have the childhood his father was denied. The Force will have its way either way."
"Don't worry, my love. I will look after the boy."
"I love you."
"As I love you," she breathed against his lips, then leaned in to kiss him. "The Force will cross our paths again."
"May the Force be with you, darling."
"May the Force be with you."
It was one of the most difficult things to walk away from her.
The twin suns were burning her skin as she tried to bring the dead vaporator back to life without success. The heat, combined with her unsuccessful attempts at repairing the blasted thing, made her usually calm demeanor disappear with every ticking of the minutes. She was irate and frustrated. She needed to meditate.
She scoffed. Who was she kidding? She didn't need to meditate. She hadn't been really able to do so ever since she arrived at this place just after she had returned Leia to her family. The Organas were kind and offered her a place to stay. However, she knew that her place was elsewhere. She had a promise to keep. So, she traveled to Tatooine as soon as she could. And just in time, it turned out, to have a revealing conversation with the Inquisitor... Reva... a poor youngling who survived the massacre in the Temple. Poor child. The scars of the past would be slow to heal. But she hoped they would.
She came to this cave after that.
A poor excuse for a home.
Obi-Wan's home. Although he had few possessions, she could feel his presence everywhere. It surrounded her, enveloped her, especially in his hard bed, which she burrowed into at night.
She sorely missed him. She needed him.
She huffed and let out a curse that alone would have gotten her expelled from the Jedi Order.
"What are you doing?" An amused male voice inquired from behind her. But at that point, even his voice was not enough to dispel her irritation.
She turned with a huff.
"This thing is faulty." She looked at the processor board accusingly as if the look alone would make the thing work. She had a suspicion that that kriffing little caped puppet had scammed her really bad.
"Oh no, it works just fine," Obi-Wan laughed, which only irked her further. "Actually, that's the one that was in there." She looked at him sharply. "Teeka takes it every few weeks and sells it back to me. I always tell him to clean it at least." He took it from her hands and went inside to clean it somewhat. "Here," he returned it to her when he was done. "It should be good as new."
"I will break his slimy little hand if I catch him," she murmured uncharacteristically annoyed as she replaced the board.
Obi-Wan laughed, and soon after, the vaporator whirred to life.
"Much better," Shaak Ti concluded, satisfied. "And now..." she smiled at Obi-Wan, walked up to him, and brought her arms around him, looking up at him with such serenity that had no trace in her just a moment ago. Obi-Wan pulled her closer and bowed his head.
"Hello, darling," he murmured and kissed her.
"I told you that our paths will cross again," she told him, and he smiled at her lovingly before his eyes saddened.
"I have to go," he told her. "I have to find my path. For years, my soul was shrouded in grief and guilt. Now, I can see clearly. Now, I can hear what the Force is trying to say. I have to listen to it. Only after that will I be able to help. And I want to help."
She could see the plea in his eyes that he was unwilling to put into words. He didn't have to ask, though. Her mind had already been made up as soon as she laid eyes on him for the first time in ten years.
"My path is with you," she declared with certainty. "By your side, as we have always planned. That is what the Force is telling me."
"Then we go together."
"Together."
His smile was open, pulling the wrinkles around his eyes, and the Force smiled with him.
THE END
Thanks for reading!