Hello everyone! I am back after a very long hiatus which I would like to sincerely apologize for. Things were happening in my personal life and I struggled to find the motivation to write for a while, but I'm back! And eager to post new chapters and see this story through to the end.

Thank you to everyone who left wonderful reviews and comments! Starting with the next chapter, I will answer each of them individually.

And without further ado, enjoy chapter 37 of Never Too Old When You Have the High Ground!

"You were the Chosen One!"

"You will not take her from me!"

"I will do what I must…"

"You will try."

"You were my brother, Anakin… I loved you."

"I HATE YOU!"

He's suffering… I've never sensed such pain in him since now… His emotional suffering matches his physical pain. Put him out of his misery… I must put him out of his misery…

For the Order, for all those he killed— NO! This isn't revenge or justice for his crimes, it must never be that. I did it because he needed to be stopped, he's too powerful to be left alive!

He's my brother, my companion during this endless bloody war, I should not be here… Sidious is the one I should be facing… if only I were more powerful…

Focus on him. Leaving him like this is cruel, he deserves a quick and painless death. He's already had to endure enough… Place my lightsaber against his temple, ignite it once and it will all be over…

Farewell, old friend. I'm sorry. I failed you. I promise to keep them both safe.

…

It is done.

"How did my father die?"

No… No, what is he doing here? This can't be real, I had to do it. Your father had become the very thing he swore to destroy!

"Obi-Wan… how could you…"

"Luke, please, I never wanted to lie to you… I wanted you to know the truth when you were ready—"

"LIAR! You killed him! You killed my father!"

Those eyes… why are his eyes yellow? Luke is the Chosen One, meant to bring balance—

"Luke, I don't want to fight you! Anakin had to be stopped!"

"But you didn't stop him! You turned him into Vader! It wasn't Sidious, it was YOU!"

No, that's not true… I finished him off, look— Where is his body? What happened to Mustafar? Where am I?

"My dear Obi-Wan…"

"Master Kenobi."

"Obi-Wan, promise me—"

"KENOBI!"

"Obi-Wan… there's good in him…"

No, no… NOOOO!

Obi-Wan woke up with a start, his brow covered in sweat. It took him less than a second to remember where he was and quickly get his emotions under control. As he regulated his breathing and did his best to calm his mind with his limited access to the Force, he recalled what he had seen and heard in his nightmare.

His sleep had not been peaceful for some time. Without a strong connection to the Force, his old demons could creep back into his mind much more easily. All his regrets and failings over his long life as a Jedi kept coming back to haunt him.

Since there was little Obi-Wan could do to keep them away, he chose to embrace these visions. It would be hypocritical and naïve to think he had acted perfectly, but he was confident he had always acted in accordance with what he felt was right.

Obi-Wan laid back down on his cot, trying to keep his mind focused on happier memories. It was a while before he found one…

The capital ship of the Rebel fleet had gone eerily quiet. Everyone was still busy with their individual tasks, but everything was being done in hushed voices and with a noticeable lack of gusto.

Admiral Ackbar, Jan Dodonna, and Mon Mothma had secluded themselves in a private meeting room to discuss their next move, as they waited for the scattered remnants of the fleet to regroup at their rendezvous point.

Ashoka contemplated the Rebel soldiers solemnly. They were all working in complete silence, as if afraid that speaking too loud would alert the Empire to their location. As she looked around the bridge, Ahsoka could not find Master Yoda. When she asked one of the analysts, he said he saw him leave the bridge a few minutes ago.

There were about a thousand places that Yoda could have gone on this ship, but only one made sense for Ahsoka: the flight hangars.

After asking around, she eventually made her way into a small hangar that housed a single two ship. Master Yoda was patiently waiting for her in the cockpit, curiously flipping through all the switches and levers with his gimmer stick.

"Am I late?"

"On time you are, Ahsoka," the old master replied. "Some reservations, you have?"

"Of course," she admitted. "But I also know that I'd never forgive myself if I sat back and did nothing."

"And that is the strength and curse of all Jedi," Yoda reflected. "When others are in danger, remain passive we cannot. Fly, you will."

Ahsoka did not expect anything else since this craft was not built for people of Yoda's stature. She climbed into the second cockpit and began all her pre-flight adjustments.

"Have you warned the members of the Council?"

"Warned them, I have. Out of options they were, so reluctantly they agreed."

"So this is officially a rescue mission!" Ahsoka said in mock surprise. "And I was beginning to think all missions the Jedi performed for the Alliance were clandestine. Standby for take-off."

Ahsoka lifted and pushed the ship out of the hangar. The navi-computer quickly plotted the hyperspace route to Tatooine and a few seconds later, they made the jump. The blue swirls of the hyperspace tunnels would only last a couple of minutes.

Ashoka activated the autopilot and headed towards the rear of the ship to join master Yoda. It didn't take her very long to do so. Their "ship" had been sarcastically referred to as an "escape pod with extra seating". It was just about the most barebones and pragmatic vessel the Alliance could spare.

The old master was meditating, as he so often did. Except upon closer inspecting, he was actually disassembling his lightsaber using the Force. The tiniest of screws were floating individually around the rotating components of the saber. A lightsaber is one of the most complicated pieces of machinery in the galaxy and was intentionally overbuilt and over-engineered so that they, theoretically, could only be disassembled and reassembled by Jedi using the Force. Of course, there had been instances of non-Jedi managing to take apart and tinker with lightsaber components, but it required such godlike engineering skills that only a handful of people in the entire galaxy could manage it.

Ahsoka waited for Yoda to reassemble his lightsaber before speaking.

"We'll soon be arriving over Tattooine, master."

"Prepare thoroughly, we must," Yoda returned his lightsaber to his belt. "Surprise the enemy and swiftly rescue our friends we will."

They both returned to the cockpit and strapped in. Ahsoka deactivated the autopilot and guided the ship down towards the planet's surface. It did not take them long to reach the outskirts of Jabba's palace. Ahsoka set the ship down on a small rocky outcrop far away from the Hutt's base of operations, in case there were any long-range scanners in the vicinity.

Ahsoka had been on Tattooine only once before, and that was after she left the Jedi order. Even during the Clone Wars, the Jedi had very little business on Tattooine. Jabba's grip over the planet was just as prevalent back then as it was now, and the Jedi had always maintained a reluctantly amicable relationship with the Hutts. When the Republic fell, the Empire allowed Jabba to continue with his operations so long as he cooperated with them.

Yoda had also not been on this planet in a long time. The two Jedi sniffed the hot air and squinted to make out Jabba's palace amidst the blazing mid-day sun.

"How do you want to approach this, master?"

When Ahsoka did not hear a reply, she turned around to find Yoda sitting cross-legged on the ground, searching for something through the Force. She knew better than to interrupt, so she just sat down and joined him.

"Imbued within all life is the Force," Yoda spoke in Ahsoka's mind as she let go of any troubling feelings. "Each grain of sand, power they hold. But impossible to see through the noise it is. Disturbances are everywhere, hiding the true beauty of the Force. Focus we must, push past the disturbances we must…"

As he spoke, Yoda held out his hand, feeling for something through the Force…

"… and find an ally, we will."

The ground started to rumble as Ahsoka realized what Master Yoda was doing. She could not help but smile in amazement. In terms of mastery of the Force, the old grandmaster was still the greatest in the galaxy.

"I'm sure the Empire will be thrilled to meet our new ally, master," Ahsoka said with a sly smirk.

Luke, for the first time in his life, felt hopeless. The remnants of the Rebel forces on Tattooine were now imprisoned inside Jabba's palace. Madine had taken one look at their situation and agreed with Luke's plan to surrender. It was Madine who had negotiated the terms for their surrender with Boba Fett.

Luke had been placed in a separate cell, while the rest of his comrades had been led who knows where. There were no guards by Luke's cell since there was a risk he could mind control them, but Boba had been insistent on the fact that the lives of Mara, his aunt, and his uncle were in his hands.

Luke tried his best to mediate and calm his mind, but it wasn't helping much. He could feel a net was tightening around him, and more importantly around his friends. Luke would gladly give up his life for them, but he could not allow them to do the same for him.

He remembered Yoda's warning before the battle:

"Your greatest flaw that is, Skywalker. When your friends are involved, conflicted you become, quick to anger, blinded by aggression. Like your father..."

Luke had been so eager to prove Yoda wrong, prove to himself and everyone else that he was not like his father, yet here he was, unable to think or act clearly because his friends' lives hung in the balance.

"Your feelings make you weak."

Luke recalled this sentence he had heard in one of his nightmares when he first began his training to become a Jedi. Only now did he realize how right it was. I am weak. My feelings are holding me back from my true potential…

Luke was brought out of his dark thoughts when he heard footsteps approach his cell. It was Boba Fett, alongside several other bounty hunters and Jabba's guards. He gestured for the rest of them to wait as Boba approached Luke's cell alone.

The young Jedi barely seemed to register his presence. Luke just stared aimlessly at the ground with hollow eyes.

"Time to move, kid," Boba said, kicking the bars of the cell for emphasis. "We're taking a little trip to the Dunes."

"What's out in the Dunes?" Luke's question was rhetorical. He knew Tatooine like the back of his hand. "You plan to feed us to a Sarlaac? Or a Krayt Dragon, maybe?"

"Nothing so dramatic. We want you alive. You're being sold to the Empire. The exchange is taking place in the Dunes. Come on, get up."

Luke got to his feet quietly. Boba was holding out handcuffs through the bars of his cell, which Luke put on without resistance.

As he was ushered out of the cell, Boba was the only one who stayed close to him. All the other bounty hunters stood several feet in front or behind Luke, all with their fingers on the trigger and anxiety in their eyes.

"They seem a bit jumpy," Luke noted drily, to which Boba chuckled.

"They've all heard stories of how powerful a Jedi can be. Can't blame them for wanting extra insurance. Wouldn't be surprised if some of them thought you breathed fire."

"How do you know I don't?"

"I've had experience with your kind. Hell, I was able to see the most powerful Jedi who ever lived all fighting together for their lives. The myths might be exaggerated, but the reality isn't any more comforting. Jedi are powerful monsters, I know that much."

"Well, glad to know I'm in the hands of an expert," Luke said sarcastically.

If Bobba was honest with himself, he actually liked Luke, or at least he was curious about him. Bobba never felt that way about his bounties, except on a few very rare occasions. For every thousand scumbags and miscreants he killed or captured, there was one person who captured his curiosity.

Maybe in another life, he and Luke would have been friends? Unlikely. Bobba didn't even know what that word meant anymore.

When they arrived at Jabba's court, the entire room fell silent. The musicians and dancers made themselves scarce, the buzz of voices fizzled out to a bare whisper. The bounty hunters fanned out around Luke, keeping him squarely in their sights.

The young Jedi cast a glance at the other people present. Mara was sat in front of Jabba with a chain tied around her neck, doing her best to resist being in contact with him. This sight brought a wave of sickness and anger which Luke did his best to suppress.

In a corner of the room were his aunt and uncle. They looked terrified. Their eyes pleaded to Luke, and all he could do was stare back with a mix of shame and detachment. He wanted to reassure them, but something held him back. He couldn't show weakness or sentiment now, especially in front of his enemies.

Luke was reminded of that when he gazed upon the frozen silhouettes of Han and Leia. They looked so peaceful, locked in each other's arms, lips almost touching. Luke could sense that they were still alive, which reassured him, but he also remembered that Boba was able to supercharge the carbonite coolant which would kill Han and Leia instantly.

On the other side of the room, Crix Madine and Ezra Bridger were somber and focused. The rest of their troops must still be in their cells, along with Rex and Cody. No doubt to be sold by Jabba as slaves since the Empire was only interested in high-ranking Rebellion leaders and Jedi. R2-D2 also stood beside them, trapped by a restraining bolt.

I'm with you, Luke. Always.

Luke's eyes suddenly heard Mara's voice in his head. He shot a discreet look towards her, which she answered with a quiet smile. That small action loosened the tension in his gut and gave him the smallest hope that they would all be able to make it out of this unscathed.

Thank you. I love you.

At the center of the room sat Jabba the Hutt, proudly glaring at all his newly acquired prisoners which would generate an unholy amount of credits for him.

"So… this is the famous Jedi, Luke Skywalker?" Jabba's cavernous reverberated across the room. Thankfully, Luke was well-versed enough in Huttese to understand him.

"I had once met a Jedi who bore the Skywalker name," Jabba reflected as he reached for some poor squirming creature in a bowl which he swallowed in one gulp. "Way back during the Clone Wars he helped bring back my dear beloved son. And now, he and his kind have all been wiped out. Yet, here is HIS son… I will be able to demand an even higher price from you from the Empire."

While the news about his father having met Jabba surprised Luke, he also sensed a potential weakness that he could exploit. He was thinking a bit more clearly, now that he was not left alone in a cell with his thoughts, and since he could not risk any direct attack without putting his friends' lives at risk, the only option was to use trickery and verbiage. No doubt Obi-Wan would approve of this method.

Obi-Wan had warned Luke that Hutts were part of a handful of species who were not affected by Force mind tricks. There was no choice but to appeal to Jabba directly by stroking his ego.

"You certainly are wise, mighty Jabba," Luke stated respectfully, lowering his eyes submissively. "You speak true. I am the son of Anakin Skywalker, the most powerful Jedi to ever live. While I know I am your prisoner and you hold all the cards, I must advise you to be wary of the Empire. They are deceitful and will likely try to cheat you. You currently hold the highest-ranking and most powerful members of the Rebel Alliance as your prisoners, and I can promise you the Empire will attempt to downplay our importance. I only ask that you remember this: whatever the Empire offers, the Rebel Alliance will double it."

Jabba's eyes were obviously cautious, but Luke could see they held a spark of interest. He had planted a seed of doubt in Jabba's mind, and hopefully, the Hutt's own greed would do the rest.

"Hohohoho!" Jabba's laugh was like an echo. He rocked his entire body back in forth, seemingly entertained by Luke's words. "So crafty for such a young Jedi. You remind me of another Jedi who weaved words like a tapestry. He also helped return my son… Well, no matter. He's likely dead anyway."

Jabba cast a glance around the room, resting his eyes on each of his prisoners, as though already assessing their worth. Eventually, he settled on Mara, whom he pulled closer to him.

"All of you will be sold, but this one I think I'll keep," he whispered manically. Mara didn't even flinch. "The strongest and most prideful always make for the most entertaining playthings."

"For once, I couldn't agree more," Mara replied surprisingly, starting right back into Jabba's beady eyes which seemed to throw him off. "You do know I am a Jedi? And while I can't manipulate your mind, I have many more powers at my disposal that I could use to escape whenever I wished. Perhaps grab a gun from one of your guards to shoot you dead? Or maybe strangle you to death in your sleep with this very chain? If you're as wise as everyone claims, mighty Jabba, it would be best to sell me to the Empire now. Otherwise, you might not be alive long enough to enjoy me as you intend."

Luke was taken aback by Mara's negotiating, or rather threat-making, talent. Were he in Jabba's shoes, he'd likely prefer to have a Jedi like Mara nowhere near him. Entertainment was all well and good, but not when it posed a risk to your own survival.

"Let's get going!" Jabba finally shouted nervously, prompting the bounty hunters to lead Luke and his friends out of the room. "To the Great Dunes!"

"Let me guess," Ezra muttered sarcastically. "Even more sand?"

Oh, how right he was. Sand as far as the eye could see. That was an apt way to describe Tatooine as a whole, but it was truest in the Great Dunes that covered nearly one-third of the planet's surface. There was something mesmerizing about the endless dunes that sometimes resembled waves in an ocean of sand. While the Great Dunes were beautiful, adventuring into them unprepared was essentially a guarantee of death. If dehydration and overexposure did not kill you, there were a plethora of other threats that would do the job…

Admiral Thrawn looked at this endless wasteland with a mix of disinterest and boredom. He and Darth Vader were waiting for Jabba to arrive onboard a hovering ship. Any vehicles that were used in the Great Dunes had to hover, or risk being engulfed by the many pitfalls that dotted this treacherous landscape. One of which was the dreaded Sarlaac, above which they were waiting, and which had been chosen as their meeting spot by Jabba.

Thrawn and Vader were traveling aboard a mid-sized transport vehicle, which only left enough space for a platoon of Stormtroopers to accompany them and leave enough room for their new prisoners.

"Fifteen minutes late," Thrawn muttered, casting his red gaze across the sweltering landscape. "At least the Hutts live up to their reputation."

Thrawn noticed that Vader had been conspicuously silent for a while. He was used to not hearing much from the Sith Lord, but even this felt out of character.

"Something on your mind, Lord Vader?"

"I've dealt with Hutts before," Vader replied slowly. "Things will not go as smoothly as you expect."

"I have no expectations," Thrawn stated simply. "If Jabba wishes to test our negotiating skills then I will certainly oblige him. I certainly doubt he will agree to our terms outright. And if worse comes to worst, I will let your more… persuasive side take over. Yes?"

As if by coincidence, Jabba's barge suddenly crested a faraway dune. It was flanked by three smaller skiffs. Thrawn and Vader could already hear music being blasted from Jabba's barge.

They waited in silence until the ships stopped on the other side of the Sarlaac Pit, opposite their Imperial transport vehicle. A panel on the side of Jabba's barge opened to reveal the large slug. Vader saw that the three small skiffs held the prisoners. On one he could make out Crix Madine and Ezra Bridger. Another held the carbonite slab which held the frozen bodies of Princess Leia and Han Solo. And on the last one was Luke Skywalker. Mara Jade was next to him. It took him a moment but he also recognized Owen and Beru… Darth Vader did not care who they were. They had no relation to him anyway.

"Grand Moff Thrawn and Lord Vader," the Hutt's booming voice reverberated through some speakers over to them. Both of them understood Hutese perfectly. "As promised, here are your prisoners. Alive as you requested, though it came with a heavy sacrifice to my men. You did not inform me of how powerful the Rebels would be, and I must therefore reconsider our agreement."

Thrawn resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the Hutt's tact. The Empire had warned Jabba extensively that he would be dealing with up to three Jedi, which meant he would have to be extremely vigilant. Thrawn had even offered to send troops to his palace to help capture them, but Jabba had refused, likely fearing it would lower the value of the bounty.

"The rumors about you were true, mighty Jabba," Thrawn replied to the Hutt over a voice projector, doing his best to sound respectful. "You are certainly a fierce negotiator. What is your proposition?"

"Three times what you offered for the Jedi, and twice your offer for all the other prisoners. AND I will be keeping Solo and his princess."

Thrawn saw Vader's fist grip tightly when he heard this. The Grand Moff kept his creeping smile at bay. Jabba was signing his own death warrant, and Thrawn felt absolutely no guilt in putting an official stamp on it.

"With respect, mighty Jabba," Thrawn spoke evenly. "I recommend you reconsider our offer carefully. The Empire is not in the habit of..."

Thrawn stopped talking since he felt like he could hear a distant humming in the distance. Everyone else, on both sides of the negotiating, seemed to hear it too since they were looking around to find out its origin. Then the humming evolved into a low rumbling which gained intensity with every passing second.

An image was suddenly conjured in Vader's mind. A memory from a childhood long forgotten when he had witnessed this sort of rumbling: the sign that a Krayt Dragon was on the move!

And done! Hope you enjoyed it! I hope that this chapter helped get you emerged back into this insane journey.

Next chapter, things are going to kick into another gear. I'm probably going to make it extra long so it's possible it takes a bit more time to come out.

Thank you all for your continued support and I'll see you in the next chapter!