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Chapter 6
Deep down, somewhere within Obi-Wan Kenobi, this was a confrontation he had known would be coming eventually. Not now. He would have preferred Luke to start his training already... but the presence of Anakin Skywalker, the Anakin Skywalker untamed, unstable, moments away from the darkness had disrupted all of that, unintentionally luring the "Darth" here. Vader was here, had come to him, finding him sooner.
"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan," that voice thundered, and even in its sharp tone, he could feel the anger, the hate, the rage, the... grief that slammed into him in waves. Shuffling slightly, he pulled his left foot back as the Force flowed through him, retracting the slump from his shoulders, the ache of old age from his bones.
The Sith didn't seem to notice, twisting his lightsaber idly as he watched him, that metal mask concealing any expression from the face behind it. "The circle is now complete," he persisted, taking a step forward as Obi-Wan backed away in sync. "When I left you I was but the learner. Now, I am the master."
"Only a master of evil, Darth," he countered.
Steadying himself, he pushed his lightsaber low, aiming for a quick strike at the Sith's midsection. Vader parried the strike, catching it on the tip of his blade as he shoved it away, launching an assault of his own; a quick swipe at Obi-Wan's head, obviously craving to end this quickly. Just before the strike could connect, he dodged, barely catching the strike with his own as he twisted to the side.
Blast, he was fast, he couldn't help but note, a small shadow of him feeling almost proud at the restraint this broken excuse of the man who was once his brother was showing. As soon as he felt it, it was submerged by the nausea cutting through his stomach.
With a huff of effort, he ducked and span, retreating further down the sandy desert as his former brother advanced, taking his retreat for weakness. Using the Force to amplify his speed, Vader followed behind him-lightsaber poised.
He led them to a nearby cave, one he was familiar with.
Arrogant as always, Obi-Wan couldn't help but think.
"You cannot run from me, Obi-Wan," the Darth spoke menacingly.
"I wasn't planning on running," Obi-Wan retorted.
As the crimson blade hummed as it swept through the air, Obi-Wan opened himself to the Force, letting it strive through him, directing his lightsaber as it had all those years ago, when this duel had first been fought. Feeling as though he was watching like a spectator, his own blade poised to the ground, the azure blade a web of fire as it parried the Sith's, throwing him off-balance as his own arm twisted again, the blade poised straight at the Darth's heart.
The arm snapped out before his lightsaber even touched his armor.
As he threw his weight behind the strike, Vader stabbed his free hand out, the darkness around him exploding as it collided with him and sent him stumbling backward, his feeble barrier the only thing that halted him from being crushed by the force of the blow. It answered at a cost; he could feel the Force fading from his limbs, what remained being tinged with tiredness as he delivered a heavy breath. Vader barely even froze as the saber extended out again, so fast Obi-Wan was barely able to catch it on his own. It required years of training he could do to prevent it from being driven straight through his skull.
As he sweated and grinded, he envisioned them; Luke, the droids, the Princess, Anakin Skywalker-the one who hadn't fallen to the Dark Side yet. Even now, he almost smiled. Anakin Skywalker. The man disrupted everything in a split second. The current of time. Closing off futures. Destinies altered. Paths end sooner, others later. But maybe it was for a reason. Maybe to enlighten Vader on what path he was walking and avoiding. It was this thought that granted him the strength to push the lightsaber to the side, stepping away a few steps as he gripped his chest for breath, his aged body aching with tiredness as his chest rose and fell rapidly.
"Your powers are weak, old man," Vader taunted him, raising a gloved hand towards him. At once, Obi-Wan felt a familiar pressure closing around his neck like an iron vice, making breathing a faint, desperate thing.
Looking at those black orbs, he grinned. "You…can't win, Darth," he said, able to cut through this. "If you…strike me down, I'll become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." He knew his words hit their mark as the center of that web of darkness radiated confusion.
But only for a second.
Muscle memory saved Kenobi in that moment. Kenobi reached out and pushed the Dark Lord down, his cape billowing behind him. The visor stared up at him as he recovered.
'I hate you!'
'You were my brother, Anakin, I loved you!'
Keep this up. Kenobi reminded himself. Every second, Anakin, the one so close to darkness but stopping from that slope, the one who lured Vader here, was coming close to getting the twins out!
Vader struck again and again, probing the feeble old man's defenses for weak spots. His anger and irritation grew along with his hatred and contempt, he could not stand what this decrepit specimen of a man reminded him of what he once was.
Obi-Wan was barely keeping up. Contrary to his looks, he still had considerable skills and mobility that served him well. He had simply become more refined, more tactical. So had Vader. They both knew that there would be no grand speeches at this battle, no acrobatics, no dilly-dallying about. They were playing for the fate.
Beyond natural perception, in the very atmosphere around them, the Force acted under havoc. Posturing and levying in the Force, each combatant fought to gain the upper hand. Kenobi only spotted a thin red line amidst a shroud of utter darkness. Vader, on the other hand, was almost blinded by the unnatural light emitting from Kenobi's blade. They wrestled with one another again, their lightsabers straining, and Vader's attacks began again.
His strokes were powerful, but no longer flamboyant and masked in arrogance. Each stoke delivered its own malice, and a single-minded intent to end this now. Kenobi's parries, on the other hand, were delayed. Each well-placed block was like a move in a chess game, leading to a definite end. Kenobi was visibly sweating from the physical exertion of the fight, and yet Vader appeared to only grow stronger.
With the full command of the Dark Side at his hold, Vader moved.
Sensing his advantage, the horrifying visage of evil pressed the attack on both fronts, protecting Kenobi from having waking nightmares as he struggled to maintain a grasp on reality, and his lightsaber which seemed to be moving on its own to counter the devastating blows from his opponent. He'd fought Vader once before. Last time had been the man on Mustafar, capable of much potential, homicidal. Obi-Wan realized now that he should have been merciful and put him out of his misery, to bring an end to this darkness.
If only to give himself time to breathe, Kenobi yielded ground. Keeping his attacker away from him gave him time to think, regroup, and re-concentrate. Another lull in the fighting and the mental assault started anew. Kenobi witnessed his own death again and again at the hands of Vader. A gruesome beheading, sliced in half, being physically ripped open by the Force.
The Force surged within him. He couldn't allow Vader to get to the Skywalkers! None of them! He conserved his age as much as possible, knowing his youthful days were far over. Within this shell of a man, Anakin Skywalker was long gone. Obi-Wan pushed the Force harder than he'd ever done before. Vader bypassed his lightsaber to Kenobi, resulting in him ducking under, his foot bucking.
Three.
Two.
One.
Kenobi absorbed each strike, doing well to keep his blade away from him. Afterwards, he threw himself into Darth's.
Vader went into the battle heavily. His lightsaber blasted at Obi-Wan's with raw strength and power.
Master Kenobi defended everything, countering where he could but keeping the fight on his side of the battlefield. Vader used the Force and lobbed Kenobi into the sand, before launching his lightsaber at him.
Kenobi leaned over so the blade missed him before getting to his feet, and throwing a wave of sand at the Dark Lord. In his old age, it took a moment, but he did it as fast as he could. Vader was right up in his face by the time he got to his feet.
"There is no escape..." The Dark Lord hissed... solemnly?
Kenobi stumbled back but held his blade over his face. Vader's raw strength was too much. Obi-Wan had beaten Skywalker with Form III on Mustafar. But that had been Skywalker in his prime, only on the verge of accomplishing his full potential. There weren't many other tricks he could just use. The one he used on Maul worked because of his arrogance, but he didn't believe that would be the same case here. Kenobi needed another play, and so as their duel continued he saw the opportunity present itself.
He knew he wouldn't win this fight, but he had to injure Vader enough to make sure he wouldn't have the energy to go after the Skywalkers. Anakin needed time! He needed-
A lightbulb went off in Obi-Wan's head.
It was dark, twisted, and borderline unethical, but it could work. Vader pressed forward, doing well to keep his distance. Their strikes weren't so violent anymore. They were short and testy.
The fight had come to an end and they could both feel it. 20 years of resentment would die out right here, but he had to hold on a little bit longer. Vader could feel the victory he was about to have...
He threw the words right into the Dark Lord's face. "How disappointed Shmi, Qui-Gon, and Padmé must be. Seeing what you have become."
Vader was mid-swing when the words crossed his ears and he froze, it gave Kenobi a chance to thrust his blade forward, cutting straight through the control panel on his armor. Kenobi used the Force and launched Vader back. This only made the Sith Lord angrier. He recovered to his feet, and lunged forward again, all of that fury, every single ounce of pain he had been holding onto for so long rose up within him and he struck. Unfortunately for the Jedi, Kenobi's energy diminished greatly-the moment of the temporary winding attack, but he relished his victory. For today at least, Vader would not be in the condition to chase after Anakin. Something Obi-Wan never thought he would imagine.
In spite of that, Kenobi focused on a single image. The man in the suit, before the suit, lying on a lake… Not a lake. The water turned to lava, and the man into a broken, burned screaming mass of anger, hatred, suffering, and pain. The words left his mouth in real-time even as he heard them in his mind.
Kenobi prepared. Now, the Dark Lord battered and bullied through his defenses one by one, cutting him apart. His defenses kept up for one singular second but not for long.
As the world began to spin around him, he groaned and fell to a knee, his lightsaber falling from his grasp… only to fly into the hand of his opponent.
"You were my brother, Anakin."
Vader said nothing for a long moment as both lightsabers were aimed at his throat, his visor glaring at him. His breathing was faster than normal, more intense.
SSSHHH HOHHHHHHHH... SSSHHH HOHHHHHHHH... SSSHHH HOHHHHHHHHH...
Finally, the response: "Anakin Skywalker is no more. I am what remains. There is only Vader."
Kenobi didn't allow himself to feel pain or despair. Not any longer.
"Let this desert be your final resting place, Kenobi, fitting for one who forsakes loyalty."
Meeting the eyes of the man he'd once thought of as his best friend, Obi-Wan smiled. He didn't feel terrified, or in pain. All he felt was a soothing calm, as he saw their faces swim in front of him; Satine, Siri, Cerasi... their beauty only vibrant and enhanced as they smiled gently at him; Mace Windu, that stern face smiling slightly; and there, in the middle, was Qui-Gon Jinn, staring proudly at him, looking just as he recalled them. He knew they were waiting for him, as he'd once waited in return. He could hear them all, all those he'd known who'd become one with the Force. And suddenly, dying didn't appear so terrible after all.
In the eye of the storm, Obi-Wan reached out and connected with an old friend. The small form of the former Grandmaster just sitting in a seat. Yoda's face was stunned for a moment but immediately collapsed in sadness.
"Why you're here, I know."
Obi-Wan said. "Because you know what's about to happen." he placed a hand in the small green one's right hand. "There is still hope."
Yoda nodded, "Lives again, Anakin Skywalker does."
"So does Darth Vader."
"Works in mysterious ways, the Force does."
Obi-Wan nodded. "May the Force be with you."
"And with you."
Obi-Wan came back to the present as the cave shook. The walls trembled far more violently, the cavern began to collapse. Rocks and debris continued to fall..
"Embrace darkness, Obi-Wan Kenobi..." the baritone voice said.
It was as the blades warmed his neck, as he lowered his head and closed his eyes, he did a thing he only did rarely. The first thing Yoda had taught him as a Youngling when he came to the Jedi Temple, so many years ago.
He let go.
And was embraced by peace.
Darth Vader, on the other hand, was empty more than anything else. For decades, the Sith Lord craved Kenobi's death. He'd amputated him and left him to burn alive. Yet again, he was robbed of his victory. Kenobi was gone. There was no doubt about that. But the defeat didn't bring instant satisfaction and amusement that the Sith Lord expected.
Shallow emptiness and... sadness?
He looked at the invisible robes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, stepping on his robes in curiosity. A familiar voice vibrated in his mind...
'YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!'
The moment passed. His emptiness led to anger. The remnants of Skywalker's life have been destroyed, but there was one final challenge.
Skywalker was too weak.
Too weak to control his own emotions which destroyed him to begin with.
Vader must teach him strength!
Despite his injuries, he was barely winded-only knocked down. As he emerged from the rumble, the damaged Vader gazed upwards to the sun, one yellow eye glaring out on the right side of the helmet, his face contorted in rage.
"Anakin! Skywalker! I will find you! You cannot escape your destiny!"
Anakin felt a hole being ripped out of him.
Only barely could he control the darkening emotions within him. Fear, anger, suffering, loneliness!
Obi-Wan was gone!
He was... dead!
He wanted to turn back around and make that monster pay for what he'd done.
Was that Vader?
It didn't matter.
'Keep going, Anakin, don't look back.' the voice radiated in the back of his head, sounding just like his old Master's, pushing him forward.
Vader's work here was done.
Palpatine's work here was done.
For all of what was happening to transverse so quickly in just the last day, Anakin was ill-prepared for it.
His Master was just murdered.
The Jedi as an organization was wiped out, betrayed by the Clones they'd fought so hard beside, and destroyed.
Obi-Wan was gone.
And, that meant only one thing:
He was the Last Jedi.
He'd wanted to see his brother-in-law and wife nineteen years later. The Force was pulling him in their direction. Did the Larses keep the graves intact?
He went further down to the Larses homestead. It had taken longer than he liked, but eventually, they'd arrived.
Imagine Anakin's ire when he'd spotted the headstones have been removed...
He stalked around for a few minutes, having a hard time not rushing inside and trashing the farmer Larses' homestead. He liked them last time, but he wondered if he and his mother were wrong...
"Hey..." a voice called out, and a young man in a farmer's uniform ran up, cutting through his unpleasant thoughts. A slight blond-haired boy, no older than twenty. "Hey! Who are you?"
The boy was audibly concerned as he ran up in front of the two.
Two questions came to mind: Who was the boy and why did he feel an instant connection to him?
More importantly, why did the Princess feel bound to him as well?
What was Anakin missing here?
"I ask the questions here. Who are you?" He asked tightly, glaring at the young man.
The man looked taken aback by his tone, but managed nervously, "Luke."
"Well, Luke, I am looking for Shmi Skywalker's tombstone." he declared tightly, not going easy on him just because he seemed like a kid.
"Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru hid hers and his father's, Cliegg's, tombstones under the sand years ago."
"Why?" He pressed darkly.
"It caused too much pain," the man swallowed. "That's what they told me." He looked down and sighed, "I wish I got to know my grandmother and my father."
The Force rippled at those words, and Anakin paid close attention to it. The boy was powerful, that much could be deciphered. "Your father?" Did his mother have another child? "Just who is your father?"
"Do you know him?" Luke asked hopefully, shuffling slightly.
"I might," Anakin replied tightly, growing impatient with his lack of cooperation.
"Well, I don't know much about him. But my father was a navigator on a spice freighter. His name was Anakin Skywalker."
His heart stopped in his chest.
"Are you okay?" Luke asked him, sounding concerned.
Oh, oh!
Anakin fell back, burying his head into his hands...
It all clicked.
Damn it!
He saw it now!
The truth!
Together, the Princess and Farmer shone so colorfully in the Force! A center point around which destiny itself would be determined!
They didn't know each other but they were connected!
Separately, the act could be brought! One could almost not be able to feel them! But together... kriff!
Had the two of them been raised together, there was no cogitable way they would have remained undiscovered!
The Force shielded them so much that a Force Adept would have to come close to both to see it. Just as Anakin did...
THE CHILDREN SURVIVED?!