The world changed in the space between heartbeats.
In one moment, Jedi Master and High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi sat with Qui-Gon Jinn as his former master was about to retrieve Anakin Skywalker before Chancellor Palpatine's arrival on Naboo.
In the next, he sat…aboard some kind of starship, if the humming around him were anything to judge by.
A physical glance around revealed two Human-appearing companions – one man and one woman – engaged in a quiet but intense conversation, and two droids, a golden protocol droid and an astromech droid that looked somehow familiar.
Stretching his Force-senses out informed him that there were two other beings aboard, a Human male and a Wookie male, who were presumably the crew of this vessel – a light freighter, if he had to guess.
"Oh, dear," the protocol droid said. "Master Kenobi appears to have changed again."
That drew the attention of the others in the room, and as the woman and the man turned to face him, Obi-Wan's breath caught. If he didn't know better, he'd think he was looking at Padmé and Anakin, though these two didn't show the cares and concerns of the war.
"Ben?" the man asked.
The woman appeared startled briefly, then smiled. "General Kenobi – though I don't think we've met yet in your memories. You were older than you are now, and I younger."
The Negotiator's smile slipped too easily into place. "Then it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance now, M'Lady…?"
"Leia Organa," she answered. "My companions are Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, and R2-D2. In the cockpit are Han Solo, captain of this vessel, the Millennium Falcon, and his co-pilot, Chewbacca."
There were so many surprises in that single sentence that Obi-Wan could only blink at her as he tried to sort which one to address first. Finally, he settled on the order in which she'd said them.
"How are you related to Senator Bail Organa?"
Her expression turned grim, and sorrow radiated from her through the Force. "He was my father."
"He was a good man," Obi-Wan said. "And a good friend. My sorrow for his passing."
She nodded curtly, and again the resemblance to Padmé Amidala almost shocked the breath out of him. Had Bail and Padmé…?
No, that thought dishonored both of them. Obi-Wan mentally shook it off and focused on Luke, who smiled briefly.
"Before you ask," Luke said, "Anakin Skywalker was my father, though I never knew him. I was raised on Tatooine by my uncle and aunt, Owen and Beru Lars."
Obi-Wan nodded even as he stretched out his Force senses to examine the two more closely. Both of them frowned at him, which only demonstrated their sensitivity to the Force – no surprise, given what he'd now confirmed through the Force.
The pair were clearly unaware of their true relationship, though Obi-Wan couldn't guess why that should be. Setting that aside in favor of more immediate concerns, he turned his attention to the astromech.
"Are you the same R2-D2 who helped us escape from the Trade Federation?"
The astromech beeped in the affirmative, and then emitted a long series of beeps, warbles, and whistles, speaking so quickly Obi-Wan had to draw on the Force to augment his comprehension.
When R2-D2 finally fell silent, Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "So. The Republic fell into an empire, with Sheev Palpatine at its head. Naturally, an underground rebel movement sprung up in its wake. As a result, the Empire has built a battle station capable of destroying entire planets, and we are taking the plans for the battle station – which are concealed within R2-D2's memory systems – to one of the rebel bases. Is that correct?"
Leia and Luke exchanged a glance before Leia nodded.
"In essence," she said. "There is far more to it, of course, but that is essentially correct."
Obi-Wan nodded, considering. "And how long to the rebel base?"
R2-D2 beeped.
"Excellent," Obi-Wan said. "Then we have time to go over the battle station plans. Can you project those for me, R2?"
Leia cleared her throat. "An entire team of analysts is ready to analyze the plans."
"And of course they shall," Obi-Wan said. "But what else is there to do while we travel but look at them ourselves?"
Luke shifted, his expression as awkward as his presence in the Force. "You had been showing me how to use a lightsaber."
"Had I?" Obi-Wan smiled gently. "Then we should certainly continue. Show me what you've learned so far."
Luke moved through an abbreviated version of Form I. Obi-Wan made a few minor corrections to his movements, and Luke accepted them easily.
After Luke had completed the movements three times without any corrections, Obi-Wan smiled at him.
"Excellent. You take to the blade as naturally as your father did."
Luke ducked his head to hide a bashful grin.
"But there is more to being a Jedi," Obi-Wan continued, "more to the Force itself than mastering the lightsaber."
Luke deactivated his lightsaber – that Obi-Wan only now recognized as Anakin's lightsaber, and that made him wonder about this future he'd found himself in. His future, Luke's past. What had happened to Anakin? How did he come to have a son?
And a daughter, if Obi-Wan's perceptions through the Force were correct?
What had happened to Padmé, if she were in fact the mother of Anakin's children?
What had happened to Obi-Wan himself?
No, that he desperately did not want to know. He shook off those questions in the face of Luke's open curiosity.
"What else?" Luke asked.
"First and most basic," Obi-Wan said, "is learning to access the Force, to work with it rather than try to, well, force it to do your bidding."
Luke chuckled at his phrasing, but seemed eager to learn. "How do we do that?"
"Meditation works well for most species, at least as an introductory method."
Luke grimaced, and Obi-Wan smiled.
"I take it," Obi-Wan said, "that you prefer to be active rather than sitting still?"
"I'm always busy. If I'm not working on my uncle's moisture farm, I'm racing my friends. I only sit still for meals. Or when I'm forced to."
"In that, you are very like your father." Obi-Wan sank to the floor in a meditation pose and gestured for Luke to join him. "I promise not to make you sit still any longer than necessary."
Luke grimaced again, but hooked his lightsaber to his belt and sat across from Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan turned his gaze to Leia, who had been sitting at a small table watching Luke practice.
"Join us," he said.
Leia's mouth opened fractionally. "But – I'm no Jedi."
"Perhaps not," Obi-Wan allowed. "But you are strong in the Force. And even if you were not, meditation can help relieve stress and focus your thoughts."
Leia's face scrunched in a frown as she slipped from her seat and joined Obi-Wan and Luke on the floor.
"My parents never mentioned that I have the Force."
"Perhaps they didn't know," Obi-Wan suggested. "I don't know Breha nearly as well as I know Bail, but I do know that neither of them are strong in the Force."
Leia raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't tell me, either."
That made him frown – and then he remembered, "You said we've met before? In your past?"
She nodded. "When I was ten. I was kidnapped, and you rescued me. You told me a little about how the Force works, but not that I have it."
"I'm certain I had reasons, though I can't imagine what they might have been," Obi-Wan said. "But here and now, I see no reason not to tell you that you are strong in the Force, and meditation will help you – especially with your grief."
Leia glared at him, but there was very little heat behind it. "Very well, Master Kenobi. Where do we start?"
BREAK
When the Millennium Falcon dropped out of hyperspace, Obi-Wan was squeezed into the cockpit with Han Solo and Chewbacca as well as Luke and Leia. He recognized their location immediately.
"The fourth moon of Yavin," he murmured.
Solo glanced over his shoulder with a quirked eyebrow. "Been here before?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, but I always wanted to visit."
"Why?" Luke asked softly. Their meditation session seemed to have settled him somewhat, though Obi-Wan was certain some form of moving meditation – not least lightsaber forms – might help him more than the more traditional seated meditation, just as it had helped Anakin before him.
"There's an ancient Jedi temple here," Obi-Wan said in answer to Luke's question. "The remains of one, at least. I had hoped to come here with Master Nu, the archivist, to see what might remain of the Jedi who once lived here and perhaps convince her that I was worthy of being her successor. The war changed all of our priorities."
"Yeah, well," Solo began, "our priority right now is landing without being shot down. I don't suppose you have a clearance code, Your Worshipfulness?"
Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "While the question is important, Captain Solo, I would remind you that Leia only recently lost her family, and her entire planet, to the Empire. Perhaps a more considerate phrasing is appropriate?"
And that – the destruction of Alderaan – had very nearly thrown Obi-Wan out of their meditation. His first reaction had been, no wonder she's grieving so sharply, followed immediately by, why? Wouldn't planetary bombardment have been enough?
He'd recovered himself enough to continue the session, but knew he needed his own private meditation later.
Solo winced at Obi-Wan's question, but before he could apologize, let alone rephrase his question, Leia answered him.
"As it happens," she said in a tone as cool as an Ilum fall, "I do."
Solo turned back to the control panel. "Then everybody strap in for landing."
BREAK
When the Falcon was secured from landing, Leia was first down the ramp and into the bright sunlight of Yavin IV. Obi-Wan tucked in behind her, following at a more sedate pace with Luke beside him. The droids followed, and finally Solo and Chewbacca.
They were carted inside a building – not the temple proper, Obi-Wan decided, but an outlying building of the complex – on two small cargo haulers – where they were met by a man with silvering hair who immediately opened his arms.
Leia went into them without hesitating.
"You're safe," the man murmured. "When we heard the news about Alderaan, we feared the worst."
Leia stepped away from him. "We have no time for our sorrows, Commander. You must use the information in this R2 unit to help plan the attack. It's our only hope."
The group broke up after that – with a cry of, "Biggs!" Luke split off to, apparently, greet a friend. Chewbacca followed Solo to…somewhere Obi-Wan wouldn't begin to guess.
The droids followed Leia and the man she'd addressed as Commander, and the Force prompted Obi-Wan to join them.
Moments later, they brought R2-D2 to a terminal. R2 extended a utility arm and plugged himself into it. A series of images flashed across a small screen, displaying hints of the data the droid was downloading.
With no other pressing duties, and no one to tell him otherwise, Obi-Wan settled in to review the plans alongside the rebellion's team of analysts.
BREAK
As with all intelligence analysis, there was never enough time to thoroughly explore the topic. There was only the time available before the threat arrived and analysis had to give way to action.
So it was that barely an hour after he'd begun to study the plans for the orbital battle station, Obi-Wan found himself in a briefing room filled mostly with pilots. Along each side of the room stood officers and flight commanders – and Leia. Luke sat amongst the pilots, his simple white tunic bright in a sea of orange flight suits.
Solo and Chewbacca had taken up positions at the rear of the room, clearly distancing themselves from the rebel fighting force.
Obi-Wan also took a position to the rear, but immediately behind the last row of pilots. He might not be the Obi-Wan Kenobi Leia had intended to find, but he was still Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi who fought for the Republic, even if that Republic now survived only as a rebellion against and within the Empire that had usurped it.
An older man with silvery hair and beard, whom Obi-Wan had heard addressed as General Dodonna, strode to the front of the room, and the assembled pilots fell quiet.
Dodonna turned on a screen and began the briefing. "The battle station is heavily shielded and carries a firepower greater than half the star fleet. Its defenses are designed around a direct, large-scale assault. A small one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defense."
A man in a flight suit standing beside Leia stirred. "Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are snub fighters going to be against that?"
Dodonna nodded to acknowledge the question. "The Empire doesn't consider a small one-man fighter to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Leia has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station. But the approach will not be easy."
The image on the screen shifted and Dodonna indicated one portion of it. "You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point. The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. Only a precise hit will set off a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes."
An uneasy murmur ran through the assembled pilots, and Obi-Wan only barely heard one say, "That's impossible, even for a computer!"
Luke's voice answered, "It's not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, and they're not much bigger than two meters."
When it appeared Dodonna was about to end the briefing, Obi-Wan spoke.
"Your pardon, General Dodonna, but there is one other avenue of attack."
Dodonna's gaze locked onto him immediately. "Who are you?"
Leia stepped forward. "I have the honor of introducing my father's friend, High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, who commanded the Third Systems Army during the Clone Wars."
A murmur of "Jedi" rippled through the assembly.
"Jedi were traitors to the Republic," one of the pilots declared.
Giving thanks for the brief history he'd gotten from Luke and Leia during their meditation, Obi-Wan kept his tone even when he replied, "The man who named us so is the man you now rebel against, so perhaps that statement is worth reconsidering."
The commander who'd initially greeted Leia on their arrival spoke up. "Whether traitor or not, it is beyond question that General Kenobi was one of the greatest generals of the Clone Wars. We should hear what he has to say."
Dodonna ended the squabble before it could begin. "What other avenue of attack do you see, General Kenobi?"
"Would you kindly bring up the diagram of the battle station's weapon?" Obi-Wan glanced to Leia. "My apologies, Your Highness, for this discussion, but it is necessary."
Leia nodded once, sharply, accepting his words, even as the display on the screen changed.
"You'll notice," Obi-Wan slipped into the tone he used for briefing without pausing, "eight emplacements spaced evenly around the concave indentation in the station's exterior. Each one emits a beam that joins to the others to form the planet destroyer."
Several of those assembled nodded, but he saw no light of comprehension in anyone's eyes. He allowed himself a moment to regret that none of the clone commanders had apparently survived the war. Any one of them would have immediately understood his tactics. As it was, he'd have to explain his idea in detail.
"These emplacements are, of necessity, not as well-armored as the rest of the battle station. They are vulnerable to attack."
"So?" the commander asked.
Obi-Wan smiled grimly. "So, damaging or destroying any one of them might prevent the full beam from forming or might change its trajectory."
"That won't destroy the battle station," Dodonna observed.
"No," Obi-Wan agreed. "But it could buy us precious time to do so."
Dodonna nodded, his expression thoughtful, but the commander shook his head.
"We don't have enough pilots to split our attack," the commander said. "Especially since we're not sure how many fighters the Empire will deploy in counterattack."
Dodonna heaved out a breath. "I agree. You present a good plan, General Kenobi, but we don't have the resources to carry it out. Get to your ships, gentlebeings, and may the Force be with you."
Obi-Wan watched as the pilots dispersed, eyebrows climbing as one of them grabbed Luke and tugged him along, saying something about getting Luke a flight suit.
The image triggered a memory.
The commander had said, We don't have enough pilots. He didn't say anything about not having enough ships.
Obi-Wan waited for the pilots to clear the room, offering a smile and a nod when Luke looked back at him. Obi-Wan would speak to him before the pilots departed.
Then he strode to the front of the room.
"General Dodonna?"
The other man looked up. "Yes, General Kenobi?"
Doubt still tinged the man's Force presence, but Obi-Wan couldn't focus on that now. Instead, he opted for bluntness.
"Do you have a ship I can borrow? I understand you don't have sufficient pilots, but if you have a spare ship and astromech, I can target the weapon system."
Dodonna regarded him curiously. This close, Obi-Wan could see the age in the man's eyes, a far better indicator of the life he'd lived than the silver in his hair. This man was old enough to remember the Clone Wars and, possibly, Obi-Wan himself.
"General Kenobi was known for many things," Dodonna said. "His skill as a negotiator, killing a Sith even before he was knighted…but I don't recall him being lauded as a particularly skilled pilot."
Obi-Wan chuckled. "It's true that my former padawan was the best star pilot in the galaxy, but I could – I can – hold my own. I won't be a problem for your mission, but I do hope to help."
After a long moment, Dodonna looked up and waved someone to join them. Obi-Wan recognized the newcomer without having to turn – not least because he'd sensed her presence lingering in the room after the pilots had gone.
"Yes, General?" Leia asked.
"Before you join us in the command center," Dodonna said, "if you would be so kind, I believe General Kenobi would be most comfortable with your escort to the maintenance hangar. There are a couple of older ships that have just been refurbished that we normally use for training."
Obi-Wan didn't even try to keep one eyebrow from shooting up.
"I mean no offense, General," Dodonna said, no deceit in his tone or expression. "But there's one that I think you might be quite comfortable with."
Beside him, Leia felt as comfortable as she probably could given the battle that was about to happen, but her confidence in the general was steady.
So Obi-Wan inclined his head. "My thanks, General. May the Force be with you."
BREAK
Obi-Wan insisted on a brief detour to speak to Luke, who had already changed into an orange flight suit like the other pilots and was now performing a pre-flight check on the X-wing that had been assigned to him.
"I know you've not practiced as much as either of us would've liked, but I have every confidence in you," Obi-Wan told the younger man.
He'd doubted whether his words would mean anything to Luke, but Luke flushed and ducked his head.
"Thank you – all three of you," Luke said. "I'd like to hear some stories about my father, after."
"After," Obi-Wan agreed, and then he fell into step with Leia once more.
She paused at a junction of two corridors and gestured to her left.
"That leads directly to the maintenance bay," she said. "I'd take you all the way, but I should see the pilots off."
"I understand completely, Your Highness," Obi-Wan said. "May the Force be with you."
"And with you." With that, she was gone, her gown swirling around her legs as she strode away.
The distinctive scent of engine lubricant grew stronger as Obi-Wan traversed the corridor, his pace quick and sure, until he reached the maintenance bay…
…and stopped at the sight of a Jedi Interceptor very like the one he'd intended to take to Utapau before the Force decided to use him as a plaything.
He crossed the final space between him and the Interceptor. "Well, aren't you lovely?"
He circled the craft, studying it with both his physical senses and his Force senses. It had been well-maintained over the years – decades – at least superficially. But if the Jedi had been all but exterminated, there would have been none of the ExploraCorps to examine it for minute stress fractures or the like.
Still, it felt ready enough for the mission he was about to undertake, only lacking,
"You wouldn't have a stray astromech, would you?" he asked.
Of course the Interceptor didn't answer back, but-
"General? General Kenobi?"
Obi-Wan turned at the familiar voice, and the mind he sensed behind it. "Captain Rex?"
The man before him appeared older, bald with a bushy white beard, and the thinnest of scars along his right temple, but his Force presence didn't lie.
Then he realized that Rex was crying.
"Captain?" He took a step forward, but Rex shook his head.
"We thought – we thought we'd killed you. The first of the Jedi to die by our hand. Our hand – but not our will. Never our will."
Obi-Wan blinked. Rex's words sparked questions – so many questions – but now was not the time to explore any of them, not with battle imminent, so he summoned his High General persona and straightened to military precision.
"Captain Rex," he snapped as he'd rarely had to do with either the 212th or the 501st, and the other man came to attention, sniffling.
"Whatever happened," Obi-Wan said, "I want to hear everything you want to tell me, but now is not the time. Now, we have a mission to complete. Are you with me, Captain?"
"Yes, sir!"
Rex looked startled to have responded so automatically, and Obi-Wan tucked that away for later discussion as well, assuming both of them survived the immediate battle.
"Thank you, Captain." Obi-Wan put as much warmth into the words as he could. "The first order of business is – do you have an astromech compatible with this Interceptor? Its processing capacity is less important than whether it has a cargo compartment. The cargo compartment need not be large, perhaps the size of my fist."
Rex took a deep, shaky breath, and when he let it out, he was the complete professional Obi-Wan had always known him to be, despite the tears drying on his cheeks.
"Yes, sir. What's the minimum necessary processing capacity?"