Feel free to join my Discord server: . disc ord. gg /3b3B xdHQKG (delete the spaces). You can talk about whatever you want in there. SW and RDR channels are in there as well.
Chapter 34
Obi-Wan Kenobi approached his friend. After what happened on Tatooine, Obi-Wan knew nowhere else to go. With Luke's interesting deposition and the amount of power he was radiating, Kenobi knew he would just be a blind fool if he didn't believe Luke's story, especially with how graphic and uncharacteristically calm the boy was.
The idea to train both of the twins surrounded by Jedi had come up before they'd gone into hiding.
But, strategically, Kenobi knew it would have been a terrible idea.
The point was to be separate so that if one were somehow found the other could continue on with the potential of one day defeating Vader and the Emperor. Keeping Luke and Leia, and Obi-Wan and Yoda, apart was the best way to ensure that they all would not be discovered and taken out in one swift stroke. Besides, trying to raise Luke and Leia on this planet with himself and Yoda would have been a very abnormal circumstance and environment to raise children. It would have been rough. Bail Organa and his wife adopted Leia and raised her as their daughter, thus providing an environment favorable to her development. Luke being raised by his extended family on Tatooine provided the same for him.
This allowed Obi-Wan and Yoda to commune with the Force and plan for the future.
Of course, Kenobi had to grumpily accept that the plan was foiled by the Force itself.
Furthermore, Yoda himself was surprised at what happened, though the little green rarity had felt the Force that day when everything shifted. He had to hope that Yoda would have been able to reason with the young man; the common sense thing to do was to sever Vader from both of the twins and do so via a Force talk so the Dark Lord wouldn't attempt to interfere. No matter what Luke witnessed and may be able to endure, Vader's presence could be too overwhelming for Anakin's daughter and even himself.
Many great Jedi have fallen to the Dark Side.
Approaching the meditating form of the Grandmaster, rocks levitating around him, Kenobi stopped and stared at Yoda. Dagobah hadn't changed the Grandmaster, at least not for appearance's sake, and most certainly, not mentally.
Finally, his Master opened his eyes and stared over at him.
"A discussion, me and Young Skywalker had."
Obi-Wan was silent, his eyes merely waiting.
"Very different philosophies, we have." His voice dropped, though, in resignation or approval, the wizard from the desert couldn't tell. "An astounding amount of knowledge, he has of the past. A time traveler, he indeed is."
Kenobi furrowed an eyebrow. "What did Luke mention?" he inquired.
"Shared with me his opinions and interpretations of things, he has. A different view of the Force. Embrace his emotions as his father, he did. Feel strongly for his allies, he do. But one of a similar sort to what his father felt for his mother."
The implication went over Obi-Wan's head for a second.
"You mean he's in love?" he finally asked slowly. "Blast! That boy is as stubborn as his father!"
"Told you, I did, that focus on his sister, we should have," Yoda said, slight humor in his voice.
Annoyance leaked from Obi-Wan. "And what would have stopped her from being sent back in time and possibly allying with Vader? He believes that Vader can be turned. Leia is as rebellious as Luke is, though it's more subtle."
"Focus on what ifs, we cannot. Only on what is. Revan and others who fallen to defend his points in our discussion, he'd mentioned."
Obi-Wan's gray beard twitched at the mention of Revan. Tales of the one-time Jedi turned Sith had been whispered throughout the Temple for millennia, and every Jedi Librarian attempted to crack the case about whether or not the man even existed in the first place at one point in their lives, coming up blank. Most Archives and Holocrons that stored any information about Revan had been destroyed by either fallen Jedi or Sith of the past or buried seemingly through the space of time. There had been little evidence of his existence and what did exist were nothing but rumors of destruction.
Protestation was his only option right now. "But how could he get that much knowledge in the first place? I most certainly wouldn't have any reason to bring up a man who may never have existed."
"Located old texts or Holocrons, he may have." Yoda pointed out. "Understand the power of the Dark Side, he claims to."
Obi-Wan was alarmed. "It's proven then! He is close to a follower of the Dark Side, and is openly embracing emotions that can be his downfall! What more is there? Luke may adamantly refute he's Vader's Acolyte, but he already told you he knows the Dark Side. He's dangerous."
Yoda was silent, observing him.
"I saw this raw defiance once before. It didn't scare me enough then. It does now." Obi-Wan continued, his cheek shaky, throat clenching tightly.
It occurred to Obi-Wan that once upon a time he may have not been as rattled as he was.
"Advantage of him, Vader can still take. Prepared, we must. Too dangerous to leave the galaxy for the Skywalkers, it would be. Risk watching everything burn, we cannot." Yoda relented. "If Luke does undo Vader's indoctrination of the Dark Side, support him, we will. But prepare for the alternative that everything falls apart, we must.
"It is by his own admission that he accepts the Dark Side," Obi-Wan responded frantically. "He's already on the slippery slope! The Luke I've encountered was scarred and has his family bonds. If Vader choose to gather them all together and then take that from him..."
"Believes that massive reformation for the Jedi is needed, he does. Rebuild the Code, he wants to."
The mention of rebuilding the Code set something off within Obi-Wan. It wasn't... right to do so! That Code worked for the Jedi for thousands of years and remaking the Jedi into something new wasn't right! The one Jedi who did give into his emotions wasn't prepared to shoulder the burden of letting go and the galaxy burnt for it! He'd remembered the temptations he had following Cerasi, Siri Tachi, and later Duchess Satine's death! He'd remembered Qui-Gon's reaction to Tahl! When loss happened, the Jedi could lose themselves in their grief and fall to the Dark Side, only soaking away their issues! A younger Obi-Wan longed for that, but that wasn't the life they were meant to have. And if their father's potential was anything to go by, the last the galaxy needed was two more Skywalkers following Vader's path! These excuses were...
Obi-Wan's lips twitched, "That's preposterous." he paused, receiving no response from Yoda. "His story may be truth, but that doesn't mean he's immune to darkness. For all we know, he may have fallen already! Why did he rush over to Vader, despite his dark deeds and defended him when it came to what happened on Tatooine? How is it that he claims to know so much without evidence? Luke is taking us for fools if he believes that the Code needs to be reformed. He expects us to believe that he would be standing with a Sith and would emerge without at least adopting some of his views. To even think that's possible is lunacy."
Yoda hummed, but Obi-Wan couldn't tell if he was doing so in acknowledgment.
"Master," Obi-Wan persisted, "we have to do something. Luke is looking to destroy everything at this point. He is behind the Rebellion, likely gaining influence. Manipulation is the way of the Sith. His enemy may be the Emperor, but that doesn't mean he has moral intent."
"Reasonable to assume that Skywalker is where he wants to be, it is. His destiny, he is crafting." Yoda answered.
Obi-Wan frowned at the comment and felt his irritation rise. "With all due respect Master Yoda! Of course he's working towards his destiny! Look at who he has around him! He could be losing himself in the darkness! We cannot sit idly by and allow the Rebellion to become a army fighting for the Dark Side as we did with the Old Republic!" His head ducked low. "We should hear what options we have for Luke. Vader has to be taken out immediately! We have to do what must be done!"
If only Obi-Wan wasn't feeling unmerciful that day...
"Yet, pose an imminent threat, he does not. That angle, the Rebellion may look at it with." Yoda responded. "Attempted, we did, to use the law against Chancellor Palpatine. Twisted it against the Jedi Order, he did, claiming it was a Jedi Coup and that we'd wanted to take over the Republic."
"But, we have an advantage this time. We have Bail Organa as an ally. I'm sure Bail doesn't approve of everything." Obi-Wan responded, knowing his old friend. The man had stood alongside the Jedi when he could have easily betrayed them in their most desperate hour and would most certainly not want his beloved daughter to be poisoned by Vader. "Maybe, we can reach Mon Mothma."
"Be informed, the Chancellor of the Rebellion should be," Yoda agreed. "A Sith, Mon Mothma is not. A gamble, that still may be. Yet, out of options, we are. Depend on them, we must."
Hope lit up in Obi-Wan. "We both know that when the Dark Side corrupts a Force User it does so permanently. Hope is lost for Vader at this point and if the Sith decides to fully train the Chosen One's son and daughter the galaxy as we know of it is doomed. For Luke alone to speak to change the very heart of the Order... Luke has already proven to have little care for the Order anymore. His aggressive actions have caused us plenty of trouble as is; the longer we stay away, the worse our chance is to prevent another Dark Side User's rise and more rift and balance within the Force. This is what we must do. Leia is certainly an option, but even she may be unconvinced if surrounded by her Father and Brother for too long."
Yoda's ears fell against the top of his head. "Reveal his true nature, Vader shall. Be it moral or not, consider all options, we will. Detect a lie in Luke's story, I have not. Adapt, we must." he answered. "Prepare for any alternatives and negative outcomes, we will. Treat the Skywalkers as an enemy, we will not. For now."
A plan.
It was a last gamble.
Everything depended on this.
But Yoda wasn't finished.
"Ask more of the Force, I will here."
"Here?" Obi-Wan repeated the word, shuffling closer on the instinct for a moment before pulling back. "But Master Yoda, I'd thought we would be more direct in our approach. Surely, Vader couldn't take us both on."
Truth be told, he didn't want to kill the man who was once Anakin. A small part of him still loved him, but what choice was there? He was gone.
"Not always, the answer fighting is. Trained enough, Luke has. Powerful, he is. Dangerous, it will be, if attack him and Vader at once. Confirm in Leia's mind as well, that the Jedi are evil, it will. Gain your own allies, you will have to. Find others."
Feeling the bitterness forming in his chest, Obi-Wan relented begrudgingly. It wasn't like he had much to go on. If he didn't do anything, they would have no political backing.
History must not be repeated!
"Clouded, your feelings are," Yoda reprimanded now, poking at his ankle with his favorite walking stick. "Remember what happened last time, you should..."
Kenobi caught his disappointment and allowed it to pass into the Force. There was no other way to word it. He should have killed Anakin on Mustafar as it would have been the Jedi Way. But he had been too angry, too disgusted. Mustafar clawed at him, transforming him on the inside if only briefly. It was a moment where, although there were practical reasons for leaving immediately, he knew Anakin would be suffering the rest of his life, however short or long it would be. Anakin destroyed Obi-Wan's entire life, it was only fitting that he also destroyed his own through his decisions.
Obi-Wan sighed and nodded, "May the Force be with you, Master Yoda."
"And with you, Master Kenobi."
Vader's dynamic with his son was an odd one.
While Luke wasn't as cold as the Emperor, as a Force Adept even stronger than the Emperor, Vader respected him; not as an equal, or a rival, but as a greater Master of the Force. Despite his emotions that made him more humane, Luke was able to summon the Force within himself, so his son may be the only one who Vader would answer whenever he called him through the Force.
"Vader," a voice said tightly, grabbing his attention. "Where are you going?"
Vader turned to spot the former Imperial. Juno Eclipse once viewed him as her superior and now she held internal hatred for him. She was only doing this because of her personal respect for the Princess. It was very likely she was hand-picked as the best of the worst because she was the type who prioritized duty and she had been among the number that led several relief missions for the Rebel Alliance post Starkiller's sacrifice, each of them being a success.
Then again, after the Clone Wars, the Imperial Hierarchy found itself with a complication. There were too many enlisted and commanding officers in the military who were too young for the positions they had and were promoted because of the necessity at the end of the Clone Wars. Many of them were subsequently learning how to equate to the position at the same time. This seemed to be a feature that the Rebel Alliance also shared if General Eclipse was anything to assume. What the Rebel Alliance and other enemies of the Empire loathed mentioning was the thriving economy that followed. It had been a method to increase Palpatine's popularity, yet that wasn't particularly bothersome for the populace of the Core and some parts closely affiliated in the Mid-Rim.
Indifferent on the surface, Vader responded, "To my son's quarters."
Eclipse's lips were still tight, her fists borderline shaking, "I see."
The jab was clear.
Eclipse was already a broken woman.
If Vader snapped now and killed her, it would just be the end of her pain.
Not that Vader had any interest in considering the Rebel Alliance an enemy any longer.
"Well, don't let me stop you."
It was obvious that she'd wished she could shoot him on the spot.
"I will not."
Vader brushed her attitude off and continued walking, finding Luke in his quarters.
The man was meditating.
"I have spoken with Master Yoda through the Force."
A surge of protectiveness shot through Vader.
Pure selfishness led to Vader's suffering in the first place.
Vader's jaw clenched. "I speculate that he knows of your... predicament."
"Yes."
"And they're believing that you are being corrupted by me and that I'm manipulating you?" Vader inquired, teeth smashed together.
A pained pause and then a nod, "Yes."
Letting that fire to slimmer within him, Vader restrained himself from lashing out. At the end of the day, he won. His two children were with him, and none of them would take them from him. They wouldn't harm what was his. They could no longer manipulate him. If it was up to him, he would destroy them. But that would piss Luke and Leia off, and they were his two priorities now. He refused to allow them to alienate him from his children, even in death.
"The Jedi are staunch in hypocrisy," Vader responded.
"I guess I am too."
Vader paused. "You're different, of course."
Luke chuckled. "Really? I hadn't noticed," he quipped. His demeanor turned serious. "However, I have something else that I want to focus on. I am not going to only depend on the Rebellion; I do know of your spies and I need you to get into immediate contact with them."
"My Noghri spies..." He started. The Noghri were still loyal to Vader, even though there hadn't been any contact with them lately. It required Vader to relinquish his hold over them for them.
"We need to locate Thrawn."
Thrawn disappeared during Lothal after an encounter with Bridger, yet was relocated months after the battle, making the Padawan of Jarrus' sacrifice moot yet preserving the planet. If Thrawn wasn't useful, he would have been terminated long ago.
Vader responded. "Most of them are still located on Yalara, most likely."
"The closer we get to Thrawn, we can have more from the inside for true reformation." Despite everything that happened, Vader felt a small twinge of disdain from his son at their actions. It was clear that the man within was still that Jedi who wished that the galaxy could be fixed without some form of manipulation.
"Thrawn is loyal to the Empire, but he can be convinced," Vader couldn't help but be proud of the carefully crafted cunning that his son was using. His son was an active force to be reckoned with; loyal, smart, prepared to call out the worst aspects of the Jedi, but also prepared for any outcome at this time.
"It would also solve plenty of problems in the coming future..." By the tone Luke used, Vader already knew.