Thank you all so much for your patience! Bringing you chapter 39 straight off the press!
Thank you and welcome to all new followers, hope you're ready for a fun ride!
And a huge thanks to all the people leaving constructive and kind comments! You're the best :)
I will now answer them and let you get on with the chapter!
-TheEmeraldMage: Oh man... believe me I went over the decision of Owen and Beru for a long time. it felt like the most powerful sendoff I could give them, and I hope I did my job right if it felt brutal. Also happy that I was able to give Boba a better sendoff then he got in the movies and TV show ;) I 100% feel your rant about Disney's treatment of Boba Fett. It feels good to get back into this story, especially as we're reaching the climax of episode 6. Hope you're well and lots of love.
-RKF22: couldn't ask for a better duo to have your back :)
-stars90: Thanks! appreciate it. Glad those emotions all came across convincingly. let's keep this trend going as we get into the very heady stuff of our final act ;)
-NoTredOnSnek: that's amazing! Glad you liked it and so excited for the next few chapters!
-Jeda31: you formulate it all so perfectly! This chapter was a lot of fun to write and is one that'll definitely have consequences on future events! Hope I'll be able to be at this level for the next chapters :)
-LordBod1970: So awesome to have you onboard! Happy to hear you're enjoying it so far. I see what you mean, and definitely part of how Luke is is because this is an AU. I wanted to give him a bit more room to grow and see how he reacted when the two people he holds dearest were taken from him. I think part of the reason Luke was so calm and confident at Jabba's palace in ROTJ was that he had a solid plan and was confident in his abilities against Jabba and his goons. But I can understand the concern of having it feel like he's regressing to episode 6 Luke. I'll be sure that doesn't happen :) Thanks for the comment!
-TiaMaria710: Thank you! I always hope these changes still feel faithful and plausible. Hope you enjoyed the rest!
-TiaMaria710: Ha ha! Obi-Wan will never be gone, he's still the protagonist. It's unfortunate that he is sidelined for some of these chapters, but I have big plans for him in the very near future. So if you came for ONLY obi-wan content, hang tight, it's just around the corner ;)
Thank you so much for all your amazing reviews! And without further ado, on with the chapter!
No one said a word. No one wanted to, and frankly, they had all experienced the same things. Speaking about what they'd just gone through felt redundant and cheap.
The escape from Jabba's palace had been nothing short of miraculous. In the confusion caused by the Krayt Dragon and the explosion of the Hutt's barge, all the Rebels had managed to escape the planet. A beat-up old T-6 shuttle had gotten them off of Tattooine where they linked up with an Alliance cruiser. The remains of the Rebel fleet emerged from hyperspace to engage the remaining Imperial fleet in orbit, before dispersing at lightspeed.
The remaining members of the Rebel envoy to Tattooine were gathered in the central hangar of the cruiser that had picked them up. Han, Leia, Rex, Madine, and other injured soldiers had been rushed to the medical bay. Part of everyone's weariness had to do with their injured comrades and just pure physical exhaustion from everything they had gone through.
But no one wanted to rest until they heard back from the chief medical officer.
The remaining commandos and soldiers mingled amongst themselves. Nearby, Cody comforted a shell-shocked Ezra Bridger. He had not said a word since Madine disappeared into the operating room. His eyes were unblinkingly riveted on that door, barely registering Cody's attempts to calm his nerves.
Lando had left the hangar very quickly after arriving to go brief the Rebel High Command and pass on Crix Madine's orders before he passed out.
Mara was conversing with Ahsoka and Master Yoda. Out of everyone, they were the ones who seemed able to process things most rationally; in part because they had seen this exact sort of scenario before during the Clone Wars.
Mara had tried approaching Luke to talk to him and had been shocked to come up against a wall. His emotions were locked off, and his tie to the Force was completely severed. He would not even look at her or speak to her. Yoda convinced her to give him some space, and despite her reservations, he was right. Even if he would listen, Mara had no idea what to say. Part of her even blamed herself for his aunt and uncle's death, but she was quick to push that thought away. There was enough misery and pain in this room, no need to add to it.
Luke sat away from the others, kneeling in a ball, gazing off into the vacuum of space. What was he thinking? How he was feeling? People could only guess. R2 had tried rolling up to him with an empathetic whistle and chirp, but Luke had just pushed him away with his hand, leaving the little droid to wander away, sadly. It warmed R2's circuits when he saw a familiar golden silhouette enter the hangar.
"Oh my goodness," C3-PO whispered when he saw the state of the survivors of Tattooine. "What happened down there?"
R2 slowly made his way over to his old friend, without his usual peppy and hopeful attitude. 3PO immediately noticed.
"R2, what's wrong?"
When he got no response, 3PO knew this was serious. Many pessimists, including C3-PO, were uncomfortable thinking about droids being able to exhibit such things as 'emotions'. But the golden protocol droid could not think of another way of describing R2's state: he was grieving.
"Now, now, it's alright," 3PO placed a comforting hand on R2's dome. "Tell me everything from the start."
And this was why R2 called 3PO his best friend. The two droids left the hangar together, as the little protocol droid shared everything he had witnessed on Tatooine.
Soon after, the ship's chief medical officer entered the hangar. Everyone stood to attention, except Luke who stayed exactly where he was.
"Princess Leia and Captain Solo are going to be fine," that news brought a small sigh of relief to everyone present. "Captain Rex is also excepted to make a full recovery."
Cody and Ahsoka share a compassionate smile at hearing that news. Rex's injury had been pretty spectacular, but thankfully it was nothing life-threatening.
"What about… general Madine?" Ezra managed to ask weakly.
Just by the medical officer's silence, everyone understood. Ezra let out a low cry. Cody held the young man close, encouraging him to let out his pain. Everyone in the hangar shared mournful and crestfallen looks. This whole operation had been orchestrated and led by Crix. It felt wrong not to have him here.
"He passed away soon after reaching the operating table," the officer finally confirmed. He let a few seconds pass before continuing. "Before I could examine him, he grabbed my arm and asked me if everyone had made it back safely. I told him yes, he smiled and said 'that's good'. Then he just… let go."
"Hmmm…" Yoda's low rumble drew everyone's attention. "More concerned with our safety, than his own, he was. Truly selfless was he. In another life, a great Jedi he would be."
The commandos nodded, while the Jedi present appreciated the truth of Yoda's statement. The Rebellion had lost one of its best leaders and greatest strategists. No doubt the one who could most relate to his troops, other than Admiral Ackbar.
Luke suddenly stood up, and without looking at anyone, stormed out of the hangar.
This was fine for Yoda, he wanted to speak to Luke alone. Since he technically outranked everyone present, he decided to take charge.
"Return to your quarters, you should. Long this day has been. Even longer should your rest be."
Cody was the first one who moved, pushing Ezra to get up as well.
"Come on, kid," he spoke kindly but firmly. "Let's see if we can find ourselves something to eat."
The young Jedi let himself be guided by Cody out of the hangar. The remaining soldiers splintered off into smaller groups, leaving Yoda, Ahsoka, and Mara. The latter was rubbing sleep out of her eyes, but trying to be discreet about it.
"You should get some rest," Ahsoka encouraged. "You've given so much for this mission. You must be exhausted."
"I'm worried about him," she spoke quietly, looking off towards where Luke had been sitting. "I can't sense… anything. He's cut himself off from the Force. I didn't even think that was possible."
"Possible, but so rarely done it is," Yoda said, tracing invisible lines with his walking stick. "A Jedi without the Force, is a Jedi no longer."
"The important thing is he's safe," Ahsoka said. "You'll be able to speak to him once you're rested. Should we see if we can find you a spare room to use?"
"I think I might fall asleep where I'm standing," Mara admitted, trying to bite back a large yawn. "Lead the way."
Ahsoka and Mara kept talking on their way out, leaving Yoda alone in the vast empty space. He took a moment to look out at the stars just past the force field. It always brought him serenity to project his mind to these far-off stars and systems, taking himself away from whatever was currently troubling him.
He slowly brought himself back to reality. He needed to talk to Luke. And now he had to find him without being able to reach out through the Force. Yoda did his best to not let that fact unsettle him.
It had been a while since Tarkin returned to Coruscant. Even in the Republic's heyday, the galactic capital elicited very little enthusiasm from him. He found it crowded, loud, opulent, and impractical. Moving the capital planet to another location had been discussed extensively, under the Galactic Republic and during the Empire's ascension, but the scale and cost of such an endeavor lead to the idea being abandoned rather quickly.
In a strange way, he welcomed the small measure of peace and quiet that the abandoned Jedi Temple afforded. The irony was not lost on Tarkin. If these walls could talk, this temple would be the most deafening place on all of Coruscant, perhaps in the entire galaxy.
After Order 66, any artifacts and relevant information had been stripped from the Temple. The general public was strictly forbidden from approaching. The patrolling Stormtroopers had an unequivocal 'shoot on sight' order and had had to execute them on several occasions.
It was just an empty ruin now, but one that had not weathered in the slightest. Aside from the damage sustained during Order 66, the structure itself could easily remain standing for another millennium without any upkeep. It was an architectural and engineering marvel, a sobering reminder that just because something was ancient did not mean it was outdated.
Of course, Tarkin would never share his admiration for the Temple with anyone. Amongst citizens of the Empire, and even more so in the Imperial army, the topic of the Jedi and their abandoned Temple was best left unspoken. Even mild curiosity about the old Order could lead to mysterious 'disappearances' for 'reeducation'.
"It is marvelous, isn't it?"
Tarkin tried not to cringe when he heard Thrawn's recognizable baritone. He turned around to face the Chiss Grand Moff with a perfectly neutral expression.
"Grand Moff Thrawn," Tarkin acknowledged curtly, leaving his question unanswered.
The Chiss glided past Tarkin to better observe the Temple. They were currently on Processional Way which lead towards the main entrance.
Thrawn had never seen the Jedi Temple in person before. In fact, he'd only ever been on Coruscant a handful of times. Most of his assignments took place far away in the Outer Rim, and he usually loathed being called back to Coruscant. But today, he was asked to convene here, which brought a certain amount of excitement that he did his best to disguise.
"I hear your mission on Tatooine was… unsuccessful," Tarkin tried not to sound enthusiastic when he said this.
Thrawn was too absorbed by the grandeur of the architecture to register Tarkin's jab. They were now at the foot of a wide row of stairs that led up to the main entrance, which was flanked by two sets of large statues on either side, one of which had been toppled.
"These are Warrior Masters," Thrawn said carefully, gesturing to the two statues on their left. "And these are Sage Masters. One focused on combat, the other on diplomacy. Perfectly balanced, such is the way of the Jedi… it is ironic that one of the statues is missing."
Tarkin was not a fan of this sort of conversation. Anything that could be misconstrued as respect for the Jedi and their Order was not treated lightly.
"The Emperor has finally decided to demolish it," Tarkin spoke up if only to keep Thrawn from sharing his thoughts out loud again. "Enjoy the view. Next time you're here, it will be a pile of rubble."
Thrawn knew this already and had yet to decide how he felt about the Temple's planned destruction. He had studied the Jedi and their ways in great detail, and had found himself endlessly fascinated by all their various rites, artifacts, weapons, power structures, combat techniques, diets, clothing… There was so much information, he felt he'd barely scratched the surface. Not to mention all the sealed Jedi holocrons that even the Emperor had yet to unlock.
"There is a saying: 'knowing your enemy is half the battle'," Thrawn finally spoke up, turning away from the Temple to face Tarkin. "And since our battle with the Jedi is drawing to an end, perhaps the time is right to destroy these empty ruins."
"Glad you see it that way, Grand Moff," the Emperor's sudden voice made Tarkin and Thrawn stand to attention by reflex.
Palpatine seemed to have materialized right next to them. It was even stranger to see him dressed in a crimson tunic that left his head uncovered by his usual hood. His pale, wrinkled face seemed oddly serene, with only his piercing yellow eyes breaking the illusion.
"Kenobi's execution and the destruction of this temple are set to take place in two days," the Emperor took his time to wander towards the Temple, leaving Thrawn and Tarkin to follow. "At last, my vision for this galaxy will soon have no more opponents."
"Do you believe the Rebels will attempt to rescue Kenobi?" Tarkin asked.
"Most likely," Palpatine replied. "They may have slipped through our fingers on Tattooine, but not this time."
"Master Yoda seems a formidable opponent," Thrawn spoke casually. "Are you concerned his presence here could prove too much for us to handle?"
A cold wind swept over them, somehow seeming to emanate from Palpatine. His yellow eyes had doubled in intensity, and he was doing his best not to grimace.
"Yoda and I have unfinished business," he said plainly. "He could not defeat me before, he will not defeat me now."
Palpatine flashed a toothy grin that made the two men nervous. A smile from the Emperor was simply too unnatural.
"The Deathstar's weapon is finally operational," Palpatine reveled. "That information will soon reach the ears of the Rebel's High Command. From now on, no matter their choices... I will be victorious. The only question I cannot yet answer is: who will go extinct first? The Jedi? Or the Rebellion?"
He let out a cackling laugh that seemed to echo, even though there was no surface nearby to reverberate the sound. Thrawn and Tarkin kept their cool despite the unsettling display.
They knew it was not going to be the last time they heard this laugh.
Yoda took his time making his way to Luke's quarters. Rather, he could not move as fast as he liked. Despite what he tried to display to everyone, the battle on Tattooine had taxed him physically. Even by his species' standards, nine-hundred years was considered very old. He had often heard theories that his species aged at one-tenth the rate of humans, which would equate to being ninety years old. Without the Force to support him, Yoda would likely have passed away some time ago.
He had thought about his own death quite often during his years of meditation on Dagobah. In his case, he had full control over when it could happen. All he would have needed to do was loosen his connection to the Force, bit by bit, like a noose slowly tightening. He had even experimented with tightening this noose only part of the way, before loosening it right at the cusp of oblivion. In those moments, Qui-Gon's presence had always been there to make sure he stayed on the correct side of the living Force.
The boy has cut himself off, speaking of which, Qui-Gon's voice projected itself into Yoda's mind.
It had been a while since the deceased Jedi Master had spoken to him.
"Understand him, I do," Yoda answered, only after making sure no one was around. "Since becoming a Jedi, only loss and hardship he has endured."
Perhaps we asked too much of him… Qui-Gon wondered. Do you think his sister should have been the one—
"Pointless to wonder about what has already happened," Yoda quickly cut him off. "Only move forward we can."
I can sense your reticence, old friend, Qui-Gon spoke congenially. You're thinking of letting the boy walk away from all this.
"Not made a decision I have…" Yoda spoke slowly. "But unsure of how to speak with him, I am."
Perhaps that is because you aren't the one suited for this task, Qui-Gon said with a knowing edge to his voice. Perhaps it is finally time that they both know the truth and let them figure things out together.
Yoda knew what Qui-Gon was implying. He wanted to find a reason not to go with this idea, but the more he thought about it, the less he was convinced this was the wrong decision.
Yoda had reached Luke's quarters, but instead of knocking, he continued past them, heading straight for the medical center.
Luke was convinced he no longer had any family in the galaxy. And Yoda knew exactly how to prove him wrong. If she was willing to help...
Et voila! This was a shorter chapter, I know, but I wanted to make sure I get something out for you before the actions starts kicking into high gear.
Right now, if we're tracking this in relation to the movies, we're around a third of the way into Return of the Jedi. I'm excited to get to see Obi-Wan again :)
See you all in the next one! Favorites and comments are always appreciated!