The last thing Obi-Wan remembered before passing out was the gut-sinking realization that the controls of his escape pod had become unresponsive, causing him to hurtle aimlessly through space. Just then, his legs began to crumple under the weight of being forced to kneel for so long. He keeled over, gasping as agonizing tremors took over his body.
The next thing he knew, LOLA suddenly flashed green and started to beep urgently. He reached out and cradled her in his arms, unable to speak from the pain.
"Obi-Wan?" He thought he could hear a voice emitting from LOLA's speaker. "Obi-Wan, can you hear me?"
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and grunted. Perhaps it was all a hallucination brought on by the aftershock of the spasms. He thought he heard the sound of Leia's voice, crying and calling out to him.
I feel like I have forgotten something, he thought to himself. Something important...
"Obi-Wan," the voice kept saying to him. "Obi-Wan..."
"OBI-WAN!"
Obi-Wan opened his eyes wide, suddenly overwhelmed by the dazzling light above him.
Once his pupils adjusted to the brightness, he glanced around him. He was no longer strapped inside a claustrophobic escape pod. Instead, he was lying on a stretcher in the main bay area of an unfamiliar ship. LOLA buzzed anxiously in front of him, clearly distressed by his passing out in front of her. As he turned to his side, he noticed a female medic dressed in the red and beige colors of the Rebel Alliance.
I must be on some sort of rebel medical frigate, he thought to himself. What a stroke of luck that the Empire didn't get to him first. Or, worse, Hondo. Or even Bo-Katan, who would probably stab him through the chest if he ever dared to encroach on Mandalore again.
"Hello," the medical officer said in a friendly voice, turning around to face him. He watched dazedly as she efficiently used a cutter to tear through the lower legs of his pants. If his amputated limbs surprised her, she did not let it show on her face. "My name is Kaeden, and I'll be your medic for today. Do you remember anything about yourself?"
Kaeden. Why did that name sound strangely familiar?
"We found you orbiting on the edge of the Outer Rim," Kaeden said. "Do you know what your name is?"
Obi-Wan breathed in, suddenly realizing where he had heard about her before.
"Ben," he heard himself saying hoarsely. "Ben Kenobi."
Kaeden nodded and immediately began to apply bacta salve to his legs. She was very gentle with her touch, though also firm. Whenever she asked Obi-Wan if he was feeling any pain he replied that he did not, which was true. Soon, the superficial cuts and scrapes on his skin began to heal. Unfortunately there was nothing she could do for his severed limbs.
"Let's get you fitted with some prosthetics, what do you think?" Kaeden asked. Obi-Wan just nodded silently, still trying to process everything that was happening. LOLA buzzed again, demanding attention. He allowed her to come sit on her chest and he petted her wings as she minded over him.
"How did you find me?" he asked.
"Funny you should ask," Kaeden said. "Your little toy droid saved your life," she nodded, pointing at LOLA. "We received her distress signal and intercepted your escape pod right next to the boundary of the Unknown Regions. If it had been just a second later, we might not have found you."
Obi-Wan looked down at the little toy droid as she buzzed eagerly, waiting for him to praise her. "Good girl," he said absentmindedly. She immediately erupted into a little dance, her mechanical legs hopping with joy as her wings opened and closed rapidly.
Just then he heard the familiar sound of a coarse, rough, and irritating voice shouting.
"Stop blocking me!" Reva yelled. "What do you mean, only family can visit? I know this man! That's good enough, isn't it?"
"I'm-I'm sorry we mistook you for an Inquisitor, ma'am," a rebel medic said frantically, "But the patient needs to rest-"
"Let me through or so help me, I'll report this whole place to the Empire!"
Obi-Wan sighed and laid back down, debating if he should feign his death and ask Kaeden to cover his face with a white sheet.
She really is just like Anakin, he thought to himself. And here he thought his days of being a babysitter were over.
"Please, it's just protocol," the hapless medic begged.
"Protocol schmotocol," Reva grunted irritably. "I'll show you protocol-"
He thought he could hear the sound of a lightsaber being ignited. Obi-Wan grimaced and rolled over, burying his face into the pillow. Maybe it was all a bad dream.
"Please," Leia begged, and he cracked one of his eyes open slightly. "Could I see him, just for a little bit? I miss him," she said sadly.
Obi-Wan almost sat up and gave himself away. Almost.
"No," the medic said.
"But...but it's been years since I last saw my old grandfather," Leia said in a weepy voice. "And I'm not sure if I'll even get the chance to talk to him again before he...before he..." She sobbed, covering her face in her hands. She was a lot better than any of the actors on Anakin's trashy old holodramas.
OLD GRANDFATHER?
Forget it, Obi-Wan thought sulkily as he turned his back on them and grumbled under his breath. So much for having second thoughts.
"I'm sorry, but unless you can provide proof of family connection, we can't let you in until the patient is conscious," the medic said gently.
Leia looked up at them and glared. Suddenly her face changed. "You mean you won't let me see him?" she asked, her lower lip quivering.
"I-"
Leia threw back her head and let out a loud wail.
"Look at her!" Reva pointed out as Leia put on her best performance, sobbing and screaming broken-heartedly. "You're making her cry! What sort of cruel hospital is this, that you won't even let a poor child see her dying elderly grandfather?" she demanded in an accusatory tone.
DYING?
I'm hardly fifty, thank you very much!
Obi-Wan's eyebrow furrowed and twitched with irritation. Embarrassed, the medic finally stepped aside and allowed them in. Reva marched over huffily with Leia in tow and Obi-Wan groaned, finally turning over to face them.
"Hello, old man," Reva said snarkily.
Obi-Wan opened one eye a tiny crack and stared warily at her. "Hello, Reva," he said tiredly.
"Ben!" Leia yelled, running forwards and attacking him violently. Obi-Wan cried out, feeling as if he was being attacked by a Sabertooth tiger. After some coaxing, Leia eased her death grip on him and Obi-Wan caught his breath, finally able to hug her back. The two of them stayed in the same position for a few minutes until Reva cleared her throat and Leia stepped back, giving him some space. Obi-Wan smiled fondly at her and reached down, patting her head. Her hair was messy, as if she hadn't slept much. He gently began to push the hairs out of her tiny face with his much larger, callused hand.
"It's good to see you again, Princess," he said. Leia beamed back at him and grabbed onto his hand just as he started to withdraw it, not willing to let go. She really is just like her father, he thought wryly. "I thought I was done for. How did you find me?" he asked, turning to Reva.
"Braids here had an epiphany," Reva said, looking down and mussing up Leia's hair. Leia squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head back and forth like a wet bantha trying to shake off rainwater. "She figured out that if we logged onto the Holonet and connected to LOLA's interface, we might be able to directly pinpoint your location."
"I came up with it all by myself!" Leia said smugly.
"You did?" Obi-Wan asked. "That was very smart of you indeed. What a little genius you are."
"I'm not little!"
"Stubborn too," Reva said in a mean sort of way that indicated she was actually quite fond of her.
"I'm not stubborn."
"Scuse me," Kaeden said politely as she returned holding some prosthetic legs. "Oh!" she said, looking around at Reva and Leia. "You have visitors already!" she exclaimed, surprised. "Are you guys family members or something?" she asked teasingly.
Obi-Wan looked over at them, pondering what she had just said. "Well...yes," he said. "A family of sorts."
A Jedi, a Jedi-turned-Inquisitor-turned-Jedi, and their budding Jedi child.
"Ahhh I see, cute," Kaeden grinned. "Should I give you guys some space?"
"No," Obi-Wan exclaimed. Please, do not leave me alone with them. "I am ready to be fitted with new prosthetics," he said hastily. Kaeden nodded and walked over, setting the heaping pile of metallic parts on the table beside him. Leia's eyes widened and glinted eagerly. Obi-Wan smiled, knowing just how much Anakin loved to play with stray droid parts as a child. After he got his prosthetic arm, it wasn't uncommon to walk in on Anakin with a screwdriver in his mouth, one bionic arm strapped down to a workbench and the other holding a drill. He was always messing around with it and adding new modifications to it before they headed out into battle.
"Ooh!" Leia said excitedly, grabbing the flashiest and bulkiest prosthetic she could find. "You should use this one!"
"Hmmm, I'm not sure," Obi-Wan said in a slightly embarrassed tone. "I think it might be best to go with something more discreet, we are trying to keep a low profile after all..."
Leia pouted and he felt bad for disappointing her. Without wasting a beat, she went right back to rummaging through different models. Reva raised her eyebrows at the sheer flashiness and impracticality of some of them. Obi-Wan began to wish the medic had made good on their threats to send them off.
"How about this one?" he asked, pointing at the plainest most bare-bones prosthetic he could find.
"Oh," Kaeden seemed surprised. "Hang on, this shouldn't be here," she said. "I'm sorry, this is actually a droid leg that we recovered from a trash compactor. It's not fit to be used on a patient."
"That's not an issue. I'd like it, if you please."
Kaeden blinked. "You sure? I can get you something a bit less scrappy, you know. I'm sure it'd be much more comfortable too."
"No, scrappy will do just fine," Obi-Wan replied, pushing the bronze leg towards her. "I like it."
Kaeden frowned. "Hang on," she said, sorting through the rest of the pile. "I don't think there's another one of these, sorry. You should pick one with a duplicate-"
"It's alright," Obi-Wan said. "You can just apply an extender to another prosthetic to make them the same length," he suggested.
"Yeah, I guess...huh," Kaeden stopped talking and went silent. Reva and Leia both stared at her, surprised to see the talkative medic suddenly cut herself off so suddenly. "I'm sorry," Kaeden said, brushing herself off. "You just...reminded me of someone."
Obi-Wan blinked.
The name was at the tip of his tongue, but he dared not speak it.
"Anyway," Kaeden said, "I can get you fitted with these in two to three hours, probably discharge you in two weeks or so. You guys can come visit as much as you want, of course," she nodded at Reva and Leia.
"Two weeks?" Reva asked. "That's way too long! We have to be at Alderaan within the next few days," she protested.
Kaeden blinked. "I'm sorry," she said in a tone that indicated she was quite used to patients throwing tantrums around her. "But we can't speed up the process of recovery. We need to make sure that once the prosthetics are installed, they won't be rejected. This way, full mobility can be restored."
"Rejected? Why would they be rejected? They're not applying for a job position," Reva argued.
Obi-Wan felt a migraine starting to bloom in the back of his head. Some things just never change. He began to consider the benefits of releasing the airlock and just launching himself back into space.
"We can do the mobility training and physickotherapy ourselves," Reva said haughtily. "It's just walking, isn't it? Can't be all that hard. Plus, I bet it'll cost way less than whatever you charge," she said accusatorily.
"Ma'am, this is a volunteer medical frigate," Kaeden said. "Everything is free."
"Oh." Reva said. "And where is this frigate heading, exactly?"
Kaeden shrugged. "We cycle around various parts of the Outer Rim," she said slowly. "Right now we are in the Kessel Sector, but we always cycle back to the old base on Yavin."
"How long will that take?"
"Could take up to three weeks."
"We need to be on Alderaan within the next few days," Reva frowned.
Kaeden scratched her hair absentmindedly. "Hm. Well, this medical frigate can only go at 0.75 Hyperspace speed," she admitted. "But maybe some of the pilots here could help you get a leg on."
"Could you ask them, please? We're really desperate to get back on time," Leia said.
"I can try," Kaeden replied, switching on her comlink. "Normally I'd ask my sister, but she's pretty busy...I'll have to see if the Captain can assign you one of his squad. Sometimes, you get lucky and there's a pilot or two off-duty." With that, she brought the comlink speaker to her mouth. "Captain, come in. I have some patients who need a ride to your home planet. Any chance you're thinking of going back soon?"
There was a pause before a voice responded on the other end. "Hello, Kaeden," a gruff voice responded. "I'm afraid I'm not taking anyone to Alderaan right now."
Leia immediately perked up. "Captain Antilles!" she said excitedly, standing up straight. "I know him! He works for my father," she told Obi-Wan. "Let me talk to him!"
Kaeden obliged and handed her the comlink.
"Captain Antilles!" Leia yelled. "I want you to send me to Alderaan! And if you can't do it, send me your best man!" she ordered, trying to sound as royal as possible.
There was an audible gasp on the other end. "Is that...Princess Leia?" Captain Antilles gasped. "We thought...we thought we would never hear from you again," he exclaimed.
"Yes and you better hurry over! Otherwise I'll tell my dad to fire you," Leia chirped back.
Within minutes, they had an extremely apologetic Captain Raymus Antilles wringing his hat and bowing to them. "I'm so sorry I didn't know you were here, Princess," he mumbled. "If I had known, I would have sent for you immediately!"
Kaeden blinked. "Princess, huh." This was certainly news to her.
Obi-Wan looked down at the strangely familiar rusty blue R2 model astromech droid that had joined them. "Hello, little friend," he said. "You look an awful lot like someone I used to know." The droid just beeped at him nonchalantly in binary.
This day was just turning out to be weirder and weirder.
"So, can you fly us back then?" Leia asked eagerly.
Captain Antilles blinked. "I'm afraid not, Your Highness," he murmured. "I've been off Yavin for far too long. I can't afford any more diversions," he explained. Leia crossed her arms and pouted. "However, I might know someone who could take you." Reaching up so he could speak better into his comlink, he pressed the switch and brought his mouth close to the speaker. "This is Captain Antilles contacting Fulcrum. Fulcrum, are you here?"
That's Ahsoka's title, Obi-Wan realized.
Obi-Wan, Leia and Reva all held their breath. Kaeden also seemed unusually anxious to hear their response.
"Fulcrum responding to Captain Antilles," a male voice replied. Leia and Reva frowned, dejected. "How can I be of service?"
Kaeden's face fell as if she had been expecting someone else. Obi-Wan's eyes widened with recognition.
I know that voice! He thought to himself. He had heard it a million times over in various different cadences and inflections. He had even heard it spoken to him when he was on Daiyu.
Is it...? He thought to himself, daring to hope.
"I got a mission for you," Captain Antilles announced. "The princess needs someone to escort her back home. It'll be a short trip, faster with R2's starcharts guiding you. What do you say? Are you game?"
"I don't mind."
It's definitely one of them, Obi-Wan thought to himself silently. Possibly Rex or Cody.
As far as he knew, most of their men did not survive...he had seen it for himself, the way that the mind-control chips had left most of the clones completely braindead or unable to function. It was a grave sight. He had just barely been able to tear himself away from Cody after the moment had passed.
Cody, he thought to himself with a small tinge of bitterness.
They used to get along quite well, in a way that was different from the way that he got along with Anakin or Rex. Rex was much closer to all of the Generals, naturally, but there was just something about Cody that made him different. His company was always quite enjoyable, even welcome. During their time serving in the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan had become preoccupied after a conversation with Satine about his tendency to hold others at arms' length. At least with Cody, he did not have to worry about maintaining that constant boundary. He was a good commander and understood perfectly where that line was.
It was a shame that their friendship had to end in Cody trying to kill him.
Then again, most of his relationships seemed to end up that way.
"Well, looks like you're in luck Princess," Captain Antilles grinned. "I wish I could come with you myself, but I'll have to settle for leaving you with my astromech droid. Don't worry, he may be old but he knows what he's doing. In fact, he already seems to have taken a liking to you," he said, nodding at the R2 model, which had rolled up to Leia and was emitting small excited beeps. Leia blinked curiously and reached towards him, putting her hands on his big domed head. The R2 allowed her to paw at his rusty metal body, patiently tolerating the child's prying hands and excited squeals as she all but tried to take him apart. Obi-Wan smiled slightly.
"By the way," Captain Antilles said, "I think you've got my protocol droid's leg. We were on a mission, and we ended up in a trash compactor somehow. Made it out alive, all except for his limbs. Poor thing was so traumatized, he asked me to wipe his entire memory. So I did."
Obi-Wan looked down at the bronze leg, suddenly wondering if it was too late to put it back. "Huh," he said. "Funny how that works out." Glancing over at the R2 droid, he narrowed his eyes as it laughed mechanically at him. "You never even said a word," he said accusatorily.
The R2 just beeped at him mischievously as if it had been playing a prank on him this whole time, waiting to see his reaction. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.
"I'm not sure if you are who I think you are," he said slowly, "But if you are...just know that I certainly didn't miss you," he crossed his arms. The R2 model hummed as if it had been expecting him to say something like that already.
As they waited for the pilot to arrive, Kaeden helped Obi-Wan adjust to his new legs. Although she still talked quite a bit, her demeanor was a bit different. She seemed more as if she was just talking to try and fill the silence, to quiet the noise in her own head. Anakin used to do that too whenever he was particularly anxious.
"And after that, make sure you take it off to apply bacta to the amputated area and oil the joints," she instructed him. "I'm sorry if I'm talking too fast," she said, nervously running a hand through her hair. "It's...been a bit of a rough week for me. I'm usually not this unprofessional," she apologized.
Obi-Wan blinked. "There's no need to apologize, dear. You've been absolutely lovely this whole time and we cannot thank you enough," he said. "Is there something on your mind? There appears to be something bothering you," he said.
Kaeden blinked. "Oh, it's nothing," she said. "I just..." she sighed. "You know, I had a partner who was actually really into droid repairs and this kinda stuff," she gestured vaguely at the prosthetic legs. "I picked up some tips from her, but never quite got as good she was. Trust me, if she was here, she'd have all of this repaired in like two clicks," she laughed nervously.
Obi-Wan blinked. "That is interesting," he said. "I know someone like that, too. I just parted ways with her, in fact."
Kaeden laughed drily. She didn't seem to be really listening to him. "Yeah? Well, if you just saw her, then I'm afraid they can't be the same person. Mine's been missing for about a month a half."
Obi-Wan felt his heart flutter with guilt, and finally he decided to tell her. "That may be true, but...I have a feeling you might recognize her if I just tell you her name," he said. "Ahsoka. Her name is Ahsoka. We split up somewhere around the Unknown Regions, and she headed in a completely direction than me. That was a few days ago."
Kaeden's eyes went wide like two dinner plates. For a few moments, Obi-Wan thought she was going to have a panic attack and pass out.
Suddenly, he felt something grip his arm and yelped. Kaeden grabbed his arm and thrust her face close to his, her expression now completely different.
"You know where Ahsoka is?" she asked frantically. "Tell me!" Obi-Wan choked slightly as she roughly shook him by the collar. "Where is she? What happened to her? I haven't heard from her in ages! Is she alive? Is she safe?"
Reva and Leia watched them from a distance, unsure of whether to intervene. Obi-Wan coughed and tried to catch his breath. "One question at a time, please-"
"I'm sorry, but I can't," Kaeden breathed, letting go of his robes and pacing around the room nervously. "I've been losing my mind, worrying about her and trying to figure out what happened...first, Bail Organa messaged me about two weeks ago telling me that he heard from her. I went all crazy, trying to get more information, but he told me the transmission got cut off. Then I tried to find a medic craft around the same area as where she last disappeared, but still nothing," she murmured, her voice cracking. "The only thing that's been keeping me going this whole time is my work. And even then, that's just not enough anymore. Where is she? If you know what happened to her, please, just tell me. Whatever it is, knowing it has to be better than what I've been going through."
Obi-Wan swallowed nervously, resisting the temptation to reach up and scratch his beard. "She...well, she..." He turned towards Reva and Leia, but both of them were also staring at him, as if to say You were with her last. Where did she go? He looked down and sighed. "I wish I could tell you, but I honestly don't know either. We were supposed to separate and reunite at Alderaan. I don't know where she is anymore."
Kaeden groaned and covered her face in her hands. Reva stood up and walked over to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Leia also walked over to her hesitantly.
"I'm sorry," Reva said quietly. "Maybe if you wait a bit longer, you'll hear from her again?"
Kaeden blinked and straightened up, stepping away from her. "Thank you, but I don't think so," she said cynically. "I'm done with waiting. I'm tired of waiting. I honestly just want her back, dead or alive, I don't care as long as I just find out what happened to her. I just want to bring her back home," she said miserably. Reva nodded silently and moved back. "I'm sorry, I should excuse myself, this is really not normal for me," she said, punching in a code into her comlink again. "This is Kaeden, could I please get another medic to cover this shift? I'm not feeling well-"
Reva lowered her arm with the comlink attached to it. "Please, take a breath," she said. "You're scaring us." Kaeden took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves.
"We can try to find her," Obi-Wan said. "I'm not sure where she is, since she didn't bring a droid with her, but we can try-"
"No," Kaeden shook her head, straightening up. "Please, don't give me false hope. I've been through enough," she said firmly. "Just...do what you set out to do," she said shakily. "Don't make any promises you can't keep."
Obi-Wan nodded. "We will," he said.
Just then, a knock sounded on their door. Obi-Wan took a deep breath, preparing himself as their pilot finally opened it and walked in.
"Greetings, Princess," a tall blonde-haired man with slightly greying hair said politely. "And company."
"Rex!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, and Rex's eyes widened as he struggled to process what had just happened. Obi-Wan smiled warmly and opened his arms, chuckling. "Rex, old boy! Come here, I haven't seen you in years!"
There was a moment of doubt and hesitation, but all of the concern vanished from Rex's face as he grinned and walked over, embracing his old friend. "General Kenobi," he said breathlessly, "I thought you were gone for good."
"Ah, well, no one is ever truly gone," Obi-Wan said cheerily.
The two men took a few minutes to chat lightheartedly together, careful not to mention the underlying darkness of their shared past that laid between them.
As far he knows, his brother and I were in the same location when the order was issued, Obi-Wan thought to himself silently. I was supposed to die, but I walked away. He may be wondering if I was forced to kill Cody in order to survive. And honestly, I can't say for sure that he is still alive. Now is probably not the best time for such a conversation.
Finally, Obi-Wan and Rex shook hands cordially and stepped back. Immediately, Reva straightened up and walked over. "Alright, princess," she said gruffly, nodding at Leia. "Time for you to go home."
Leia hesitated for a moment, then turned back around and moved closer to Kaeden. "If we find her, can we contact you?" she asked quietly.
Kaeden blinked and looked down at her. "Sure," she said hesitantly.
Leia reached up and took her hand into hers. "I care a lot about Ahsoka, too," she said firmly. "We won't give up on her until we at least know what happened to her. I swear on my word as the royal princess of Alderaan."
Kaeden did her best to muster a smile. "Thank you," she said, reaching down and ruffling Leia's hair. "I appreciate that."
Obi-Wan stood up and held out his hand towards her. Kaeden let go and Leia walked over to him, taking his hand.
"Your father is anxious to see you," he smiled. "Are you ready to see him again?"
Leia nodded. "Yes," she said firmly. "Let's go home."
The last thing Ahsoka remembered was telling Obi-Wan that she would meet him in Alderaan. That is, assuming she managed to find her way through the Chaos.
It should have been easy, right? All she had to do was tap back into her Third Sight. For endless lightyears, she managed to do so, guiding herself past various asteroids and gravity wells that should have swallowed up her ship. Thankfully, she managed to avoid them for the most part.
However, after some time her path began to grow less clear. Her hands trembled as she tried to keep them steady on her steering, and her eyelids were fluttering shut. It felt as if she had been awake for several days on end.
I have to make it, she repeated to herself. I have to. I can't quit, can't stop, not here...I can't...
Just then, she heard a strange sound coming from her engine.
"Oh, great. This the last thing I need," she muttered.
Shrugging on her enviro-suit, she climbed out onto the exterior of her escape pod and examined it.
It appeared one of the asteroids had managed to dent it slightly. Reaching out with a wrench, she jammed it underneath the hood and attempted to pry the outer metal plating unstuck. Grunting with effort, she pulled as hard as she could. The plating still refused to come off. Panting, she tried to wedge her makeshift fulcrum even further into the metal casing, but when she pulled again the entire wrench bent slightly then snapped in half. Now she was left with half of a useless broken wrench.
Her first reaction was to try and use the Force to help her, but even once she dislodged the other half, she was too exhausted to try and extract the rest. Crushing the Grysk warships during the Marg Sabl maneuver had left her exhausted, and using Third Sight even more so. Ahsoka was all out of energy, and quickly running out of oxygen now that the gas synthesizer was broken as well.
Sighing, she climbed back into the escape pod and shut the hatch after herself.
So this is how it ends, she thought to herself.
When she was a child, she didn't think her life would lead to this. After she went with Master Plo, she had always imagined herself growing up and graduating from the Jedi order someday. Becoming a Jedi Knight. Going on missions by herself.
Yes, she would have become a Jedi Knight. And Anakin would have been a Jedi Master, finally allowed a seat on the council. Obi-Wan would sit there right across from them, proud of his two Padawans and smiling proudly at them.
Ahsoka covered her eyes with her hands and sobbed.
"I'm supposed to be smart," she mumbled. "I'm supposed to know how to handle this."
But she couldn't.
Ahsoka wiped her eyes, but the tears just kept coming out without any end in sight. It was hopeless. Why did she think she could do this by herself? It was foolishness. She knew she wasn't cut out for this, after all. She should have just stayed at home and kept her mouth shut.
Soon, her oxygen supplies would finally deplete. And then...what? Some Force Users could survive without oxygen by forcing themselves not to breathe. But Ahsoka was tired beyond words from running on nothing but adrenaline for the past few days. She couldn't even imagine trying to attempt such a dangerous technique, not without Anakin or Obi-Wan or even Master Plo to help her.
"I miss you," she sniffed forlornly. "Why aren't you here with me?"
"I'm sorry, young one," a voice responded gently. "I am here now. You are not alone."
Ahsoka lowered her hands and looked across from her.
"Master Plo," she breathed.
"Yes, Ahsoka. It is me."
She shook her head, unable to believe it. Tears began to stream down her cheeks again. She closed her eyes again.
"If I'm seeing your ghost right now, then this must mean I am going to die," she said dejectedly.
"Not necessarily," Master Plo said gently. He looked almost exactly how she remembered him when he was alive.
"If not, then why are you here?" Ahsoka retorted.
"Perhaps I just wish to keep you company," Master Plo replied.
A few moments passed. Ahsoka sighed.
"Wasn't this exactly the same situation I had to rescue you from?" she murmured. "Power failing...oxygen low...how funny it is, the way things always end up repeating themselves. It's almost like I don't learn anything," she muttered to herself.
Master Plo nodded. "Indeed," he said. "That was a long time ago."
"Did you have to wait very long?" Ahsoka asked.
"No, not at all."
"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."
"It was no trouble," Master Plo replied. "I knew you would come for me."
Ahsoka blinked.
"I'm sorry that I never got to tell you this," Master Plo said. "I did not know when would be a good time, since you had left the Order...I figured it would be better for me to leave you alone. But I wanted to tell you that I missed you," he said slowly. "Of course, I understand your decision completely. One of my greatest regrets is that I did not support you during your trial, and I see now that I failed you in your hardest times. For this, you do not have to forgive me. But I wish I had been a bit stronger, a bit braver. To have the courage to believe you and have faith in you," he said.
Ahsoka sobbed. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, her voice cracking. "I was so lonely. I thought you didn't want me anymore," she wept quietly.
"I thought you would not like to see me," Master Plo said. Ahsoka wailed softly.
"Of course I wanted to!" she cried. "Do you know how badly I was craving to hear from you? Anything, just anything," she gasped. "I thought you had moved on without me. That you forgot about me."
"I would never forget you, Ahsoka," Master Plo said. "You are one of the most precious things I have ever had the chance to hold in my hand. I would never forget about you. I do not wish for you to think that I did not care for you," he mumbled gently. "I only thought...that you did not wish to hear from the Jedi anymore."
It only made it worse.
Ahsoka hiccupped, feeling her eyelids grow heavier than usual as she struggled to keep them open through the flood of hot salty tears and drowsiness. "I did want to hear from you," she mumbled. "I did miss being a Jedi. I just...I just..."
She faltered, unable to finish her sentence. Master Plo held out his ghostly hand and placed it on her shoulder. Ahsoka struggled to catch her breath.
"...I just didn't feel like I deserved to be one anymore," she panted. "Not after what I went through with the Council."
Master Plo nodded solemnly, allowing her to sob onto his chest for a few minutes. Then finally, he spoke again.
"I'm sorry, Ahsoka. I know I cannot take back what has happened, but I can tell you this. I knew from the moment that I saw you that you were a Jedi," he said. "That was why I came to take you. And my opinion has not changed since then. I wish to support you, in whatever decisions you choose to make for yourself...so you need not continue to pursue an old religion if you do not feel any desire to. But, I will always be proud of you, and for having the chance to see you grow. That has always been my greatest joy."
Ahsoka wept quietly, wishing she wasn't stuck in a random escape pod on the edge of the Galaxy, wishing she wasn't about to pass out with nothing but the oxygen tank she had left with.
If only she had more time...
"Thank you, Master Plo," she whispered.
The hand on her shoulder started to fade away. "Stay strong, Little Soka."
Ahsoka groaned, just barely understanding the words in Kel Dor. "Goodbye, Master Plo. Thank you for staying with me until the end."
"This is not the end," she thought she heard him say. "Please do not close your eyes, Ahsoka."
But Ahsoka was too tired to remain awake. Her eyelids fluttered for a few minutes, struggling against the weight of exhaustion.
So sleepy, she yawned. What did Master Plo say? I don't remember...I'm so exhausted, I could probably fall asleep right now...
As she dozed off, however, something interrupted her. There was a faint sound of the hatch being opened, and she felt someone grabbing her by the shoulder. She stirred slightly as a pair of hands finally caught ahold of her and hauled her out of the escape pod.
"You're a bit out of your comfort zone, wouldn't you say, Commander?"
Ahsoka blinked sleepily. Through her heavy eyelids, all she managed to see was the blurry outline of a familiar face. One that she'd seen a million times, with a million different little variations.
"Rex...?" she asked weakly.
"Close," her rescuer replied, chuckling. "Guess again."
The last thing Vader remembered was the pain that woke him up and kept him alive. It was all he had ever known, and all he would ever wake up to. The days passed, and nothing ever changed. It did not get better. The darkness did not recede.
The only difference had been the momentary brilliance of the Light when Leia entered his life. And now that brief reprieve was gone. He cursed at it and swore that he was better off without it, that she had betrayed him by leaving him behind, but some days he found himself aimlessly gazing at the places where she had been.
Where are you? He found himself screaming in his head as he flew across the Galaxy, trying to collect materials to repair the Aeon Engine as Lord Sidious had instructed him to. Where did you go? Why did you leave me behind? How could you leave me like this?
Some days he woke up almost feeling close to alright. But then everything would come rushing back to him...the gaping holes in his life where Padme, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and now Leia used to be. It filled him with even more rage and hatred than before, a sort of insatiable grief that could never be satisfied. No matter how much blood he shed as he stormed the streets and brutally dragged every alleged descendant of Lady Corvax out of their homes.
"You will do as I tell you," he hissed into the ear of an unregistered smuggler as he trembled fearfully in his arms. "Or you will die. Choose wisely."
Soon, the man was lying on the ground with the rest and Vader had his holochron.
"Well done, my Apprentice," Palpatine congratulated him warmly. "You have impressed me greatly. I think I am ready to forgive you for your past transgressions now," he smiled.
Vader leaned forwards eagerly. "And what of the Grand Admiral?" he asked, hands trembling with anticipation.
Palpatine raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "What of him?"
"Whatever happened to him? He has not been seen in more than a week now."
Palpatine frowned. "Oh, him," he snarled dejectedly. "Yes, the Grand Admiral has mysteriously vanished along with his entire fleet. I'm afraid since we don't have the time or resources to spend searching all of the Unknown Regions for him, though...so that is, I should say, a problem that will have to be dealt with later."
Vader smirked, satisfied.
How wrong he was, trying to cling onto Obi-Wan and Ahsoka when they had only ever let him down. It was foolish of him. All he ever needed was his true Master, right here and right now.
"Come here, my boy," Palpatine urged him. "I have something to show you." Vader obeyed and stepped forwards slowly, as if in a trance. "Have I ever told you anything about my Master, Darth Plagueis?"
Vader was slightly disappointed, having expected that they would be discussing something else. "No," he admitted.
"I see," Palpatine sighed. "An error on my part, I must apologize. You know, my Master before me was a highly intelligent and wise man. It is a shame you will never get to meet him yourself. You could learn a great deal from him."
Vader paused.
The last time they had talked about Darth Plageuis, he had still been Anakin Skywalker. A young, innocent, naive Jedi Knight. He still had his dark secrets, of course...the Tusken raiders he had slayed, for example. But he had at least convinced himself that he was still capable of good, that he was the Chosen One back then.
"If you admired him so much," he said slowly, feeling like a clueless Apprentice again, "then why did you kill him?"
Palpatine paused, and Vader wondered if he had made a mistake. But the Lord of the Sith decided to entertain his question nonetheless.
"That is a good question," he said, "To which the answer is quite complicated. I suppose you could say I outgrew him," he muttered. "Do not mistake my feelings towards him as anything other than what every Apprentice feels for their Master," he warned Vader. "He was not an easy person to get along with, nor could he even be called one in my opinion. His temperament was so distasteful, so difficult that I truly wondered if he sent me to join the Senate because he did not wish to, or because he was simply incapable of doing it himself. Sometimes, I would feel as if I was being hounded and ordered around by a demon...a demon created by the Force itself," he hissed. "All of our time together, he never saw it coming. Never even saw me as powerful enough to be a threat. He only ever thought of me as a pawn."
Vader watched him silently, listening with rapt attention.
"But he has taught me everything that I know," Palpatine finished, "And you will too. Soon our time will come, my Apprentice."
Vader nodded silently.
"I apologize, I have spent all our time talking about myself," Palpatine said. "Tell me, Lord Vader. What is on your mind? What do you wish to say to me?"
Vader hesitated.
He had thought that surely, he would be punished for hiding Leia from his Master. But instead, he had granted him a second chance at reconstructing his family. It was a truly exciting and terrifying thought. "I...I am most conflicted about the possibility of being reunited with them," he said slowly. "But I am not opposed. I only wish that..."
That things did not go so badly.
He missed her. As much as he tried to convince himself that he did not, every day he longed to hear Leia's voice. The way she read out books during their meals together, the way she tried to hide her cheating despite how obvious it was, the way her greedy little eyes lit up whenever he gifted her a new droid. As soon as he figured out that was the way to make her happy, he immediately started losing more games on purpose, occasionally using the Force to stealthily knock down his own pieces while distracting her with fresh cups of Mintea. He would give anything to sit across from her now and play another blasted game together.
Because in the end, the games and the books and the droids didn't matter. They were all a distraction, a façade. A gift that he held out desperately in front of him hoping she would accept it. If only so she would touch his hands. If only so she would come to him willingly without shrinking away in fear.
"I do wish I could start over," he mumbled, more to himself than anyone else. "At being a father."
Palpatine pursed his lips.
"You may have another chance to," he said cryptically.
Vader blinked, confused.
Palpatine reached into his robes and pulled out another holochron and tossed it towards him. Vader caught it, and stared at it perplexed.
"Go ahead," Palpatine nodded. "Open it."
Confused, Vader waved his gloved hand above it and the holochron opened. It began to broadcast a holoprojection of a small blonde boy, although the recording was quite low quality and kept looping badly. "I do not understand," he said.
"I sent a few of my Inquisitors to Tatooine to see if Kenobi would return," Palpatine drawled. "It appears that two of them had an encounter with your daughter and our dear Second Sister-"
Vader's heart leapt in his throat and he stood up straighter.
Leia!
She was on Tatooine? Quick, he needed his ship-
"You are being too hasty, my Apprentice," Palpatine scolded. "No, she is not there anymore. But, we were able to collect some valuable information. One of my Inquisitors investigated the remaining area and discovered an interesting relationship between Kenobi and some of the locals. And wouldn't you know, they happened to have a boy just around the same age as Leia. Would you care to guess his name?"
Vader frowned, confused.
"Perhaps this may ring a bell," Palpatine said. "His name is Skywalker, my friend. Luke Skywalker."
Vader froze.
"I..." He tried to speak, but the words would not form. All his body felt paralyzed by the shock, just as it had been when Maul struck him with a bolt of lightning. His arms and legs trembled. He could not have moved if he wanted to.
"Yes, my dear boy," Palpatine nodded, finishing the sentence for him. "You have a son."