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Chapter 39

Alcohol was always a preferred beverage for Obi-Wan even during his younger days. Truth be told, he always had a problem with anxiety and getting nervous. It was only due to his Jedi training that he'd never shown it as much.

The Jedi Master continued sitting at the corner of the bar, taking notice of the suspicious-looking figures and shady criminals entering the establishment. The hive of crime and villainy on Mos Espa was, as always, revolting.

But he was able to blend in.

He had cleaned up his appearance somewhat, now having his reddish brown hair with strands of silver, and shaving his beard. Almost did he resembled the way he'd used to look before everything headed downhill, just with added wrinkles.

Obi-Wan recognized that he wasn't angry at Luke.

No, it just wasn't that.

He was... sad.

He wished with all of his heart that he had the chance Luke had.

According to Yoda, Luke had attachments. Attachments were described, for a lifetime, to be the destruction of the Jedi. It was different as an individual who lived in the common galaxy. To them, the description of attachment was always the shadow of greed, leading to jealousy, and when one formed an attachment, it meant they were holding on to something or someone, and they were afraid to lose it. Attachment should be broken by letting go of what they fear losing and accepting death as a natural part of life.

Obi-Wan had done so his entire life. He'd let go of everybody and everything he'd cared about. In the Temple, the Younglings' deaths were a travesty, testing even his sheer, betrayed heart, but Kenobi had held on, refusing to allow himself to be lost in those feelings of despair and lost when he'd believed Anakin to be gunned down by his troops, and following, when Anakin turned to the Dark Side.

He'd recalled Luke outright pleading with him on Tatooine to come with him, to settle this score with Vader, and talk it out without lightsabers. It had impressed even the Wizard in the Desert that Luke had managed to seize both of their lightsabers and stand against them, not as a young man but equal. Luke had been a true embodiment of peace and calmness, rivaled only by Master Yoda, despite his own turmoil in such a stressful situation.

He sighed, 'I should have went with him.'

The shame of his failure remained with him, but Obi-Wan recognized now that he had been too clouded with grief and emotion that it had blinded him to the reality of the situation. Luke, despite his attachments, was able to keep a level head and didn't allow Vader to strike him down. Oddly, Obi-Wan reflected, Vader seemed much more terrified than vengeful; a quality Sith Lords with such hatred for someone would not have. The Dark Side inherited selfishness.

Was he scared for Luke and Leia?

'Does he think I would hurt his children?'

The thought of doing so to either Luke or Leia, despite their connection to their father, disgusted him. Obi-Wan would never hurt Anakin's children. He was not...

'You had hurt Anakin.' A far more unreasonable voice pointed out, the voice that always reminded him of his terrible failures since the day Anakin fell to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. 'And for what? He'd left with his son willingly. He would have done the same for Padmé. You should have never manipulated her as you did and followed her to Mustafar.'

Obi-Wan's teeth clattered against one another, shame and guilt colliding. If Luke was successful, was it possible his mother could have stopped Anakin from going even further? Padmé shared a lot of similarities with Luke that, upon every recollection of that moment, it was as if he was staring down the Senator again.

'If Luke wanted you dead, he would have let Vader kill you.'

Yes, that was true as well. Obi-Wan couldn't deny how overpowered he was. By all means, Luke was protecting Obi-Wan more than protecting Vader in that moment at the Larses' farm. Vader, at that point, killed so many Jedi following the Purge of the Order, overwhelming some of the best swordsmen in the galaxy, stopped only by his son, who claimed to be from the future.

He'd supposed it was not important.

'And what about this girl Luke is in love with?'

Obi-Wan took another slurp, sighing. He'd remembered Lena Cobral, a young widow from so long ago. He'd felt strongly for her. The attraction wasn't returned, and that was the day Obi-Wan learnt not to let a similar attraction cloud his judgement. The responsibility of the Jedi was never to give in to such attachments because it would be a destructive path. And despite Luke maintaining his composure, Obi-Wan felt similar scars from Luke. He had many attachments to his family and friends.

'It's still possible. Look at what happened to the woman your former Padawan fell in love with.' The more neutral voice reminded, not a taunt, but also not merciless either.

He'd wondered who the woman was and if Luke had gone for her. The thought of three old wounds returned with a fearsome might, bringing his mind into a very dark place. He could have saved Satine if he had been able to do something, maybe bring Anakin along with him to Mandalore and admit his feelings! He could have saved Siri from Magus if he had been quicker as well! He could have saved Cerasi if...

"Aren't you a little too old to be drinking, old man?"

The self-loathing stopped. At the voice, Obi-Wan startled slightly, looking up in preparation for being escorted out, or bothered by a criminal, only to halt. A cloaked figure stood there, much different than the last Obi-Wan had seen them. The figure's hood concealed their physical features, and the dark robe concealed their body enough for no one to discern who the individual standing before him was.

"I take it you aren't here to insult my age," Obi-Wan responded dryly.

"Impatient, now, are we?" The figure responded with a snicker. "Old age has changed you a lot."

"We have important things to do," he said flatly. "I've made contact with Senator Organa over five hours ago and we've been busy agreeing to our... issues. Whatever you were doing, it certainly has taken away a lot of time."

"Well it isn't like you didn't find anything to occupy your time with."

"You being an hour late isn't an excuse. I'd almost left you behind. In case you've forgotten, this is not the days of fighting and charging off into the Clone Wars. This is a dark time." He glared.

The figure shrugged, "I had important things to do."

"Oh, I would have loved to be involved if you had so told me," Obi-Wan responded flatly.

He felt his companion rolling their eyes behind the hood.

"Stop nagging like a old grandpa. This is the golden days again, Kenobi!" the figure exclaimed eagerly.

"If you are done," Obi-Wan remarked dryly. "Can we go? I hate being surrounded by this much... crime."

The figure snickered. "You know, I can still leave you here."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but groan partially. "But you want your chance to take down Palpatine, don't you?"

"Yavin IV, right?" The figure straightened.

"Yavin IV," Obi-Wan confirmed with a small nod. He couldn't help but sass. "Unless you still have business you're attending to."

"No, I think my work is done. Unless you're complaining."

Kenobi couldn't deny a burst of amusement, "I could take your ship and leave you."

"And I can take your legs and leave you," the figure remarked, unable to resist a dark joke. "I'm sure you know a lot about aiming for limbs, Kenobi. You are very renowned for doing it. Should start aiming for the head more. That guarantees them staying dead. Believe me."

This partnership was going to drive Obi-Wan mad.

Mara was running.

Running to... where?

Well, she didn't know, but anywhere but here.

Someone called out, "Hey, you! No running in the halls!"

She didn't listen.

Eventually, she stopped and breathed heavily.

"Hey, excuse me, young lady," a gentle voice said from behind her, gripping her wrist.

She stiffened and turned around, resisting the urge to forcibly remove physical contact from her person.

"Oh, it's you," the gentle voice said as if recognizing her.

She'd seen it was the elderly woman.

Mara's eyebrows wrinkled. "Did we meet?"

"I supposed I shouldn't be surprised. I mean you're the only one who I know that have that type of hair."

Mara became confused. "Who are you?"

"Beru Lars. I know who you are. My nephew, Luke's girlfriend; he talked about you before." She responded. "Mara Jade."

Oh, so maybe Luke wasn't the type of guy who kept things a secret.

But still, she couldn't stop the blood rushing to her cheeks. "I'm not his girlfriend."

"Hmm, he does seem to care heavily for you," Beru wrapped her arms around Mara and motioned her forward. Her first instinct was to swat her away, but she felt nothing but gentility and friendliness from the older woman.

Torn for a moment, she eventually relented. Sithspit, who would have known she would run into Skywalker's guardian? But it wasn't like Luke wasn't busy, so the likelihood of her being lured into a trap was low.

In the quarters, Lars loaded up three cups of tea. When Mara began to drink it, she understood quickly that it was harsh but flavorful. She didn't know what type of tea it was, but it was likely from the Outer Rim since all types of Core's recipients were already something she had tried. The benefits of being an Emperor's Hand were like that.

"I know you were sent by the Emperor to spy on Luke."

"I, it's, uh..." She had always been commendable with her words, but now that power was depleted as she desperately gripped for anything resembling a coherent sentence. "I was... am an Enforcer for the Emperor... and your nephew is a dangerous fugitive and Rebel. I had no choice..." Damn, she wasn't the stuttering type.

Almost in an instant, the older woman's face fell. She didn't look angry, though. She looked like she was pitying her. It made something within her clench tightly.

"The Emperor sent a girl so young to go after someone?" She began sipping more of her tea before Mara could correct her and say she wasn't even that young. "And in danger, for that matter...?"

"Stop being protective over me," Mara spat. "I have been forced to survive such conditions before-"

"It doesn't make it right though, sweetheart. At first, I thought you were going to try to play Luke for a fool but now..." She sighed and placed the cup of tea to the side. "I can't believe that the Emperor would do that to you. It's not right. It's like he doesn't even care about you."

'He might not.' Something within her reflected bitterly.

She felt tiny, like when she was a young girl, being raised in the Imperial Palace, and told the stories about the Jedi monsters...

"Where did you even come from?"

"We'd left Tatooine with Luke," she answered. "Me and my husband, Owen Lars. We'd talked about it. None of us wanted to leave our home behind but we love Luke. We always be there for him since... well, since his childhood. We was there when Indiana died."

"Indiana?"

Beru seemed to curse, "Yes, Luke used to have a dog. It devastated him when she died. He was always too attached."

"How did she die?" Mara couldn't help but wonder if the bloody Jedi killed her.

That thought was squandered. "Old age. On Tatooine, living beings age faster. It's not the best place to raise an animal."

"He only wanted to leave home more after that, but he didn't recognize that he deserves to be loved." She gripped her hand and rubbed it. "Like you deserve to be loved."

"I was loved," Mara refuted, her green eyes burning with temporary fury.

"I doubt that. He sent a 19-year-old girl to an active warzone with no reluctance on his part? Even with my nephew being as powerful as he was, I would have some words to say about that!"

Mara grunted.

"Goes to show how cruel the Empire is, I suppose. I do fear that you won't assassinate my nephew."

Mara felt a pang of shame and sadness at the fear that engulfed the woman's eyes. "Not every Imperial is heartlessly evil and dishonorable."

"Most I've met are," Beru rebuked.

"Then they're an disgrace to the uniform. I'm not going to kill your nephew," Mara saw the disbelieving look in her eyes, and the shame increased. Was that how many people in the galaxy viewed the Empire? She grabbed the older woman's hands. "You have my word."

"It's not just that," Beru's face was pained. "Luke is my baby boy. He's everything to me. I... I don't know if you have feelings for my nephew, but please don't lead him on. Don't hurt him."

"I don't understand..."

Tears threatened to spill from the older woman's eyes. "A girl back at home had led him on and she hurt him badly. She'd took his credits, taunted him for days afterwards."

'Who's the bitch that hurt him?' That ugly, green-eyed animal roared from within again. 'Leading someone like him on... how dare they?'

Someone like him... Mara caught herself.

"I don't know why they were friends afterwards, but my nephew is a very forgiving person by nature."

"He's quite something," Mara said before she could stop herself.

"You know, I had my doubts before. I'd thought you would hurt my nephew, but I think what I know he sees in you. A woman who wants to be loved. Who deserves to be loved. I hope you can find it within you to let yourself find true love instead of clinging onto delusions."

"I..." Mara struggled to find words, not liking the direction this conversation was going.

She just wanted to know why the Emperor didn't tell her the bloody truth. Why did he need to have others like her? Why didn't he ever tell her?

Resentment and sadness clashed inside of her.

"I should really... get some rest." And she'd meant it. She was starting to feel seriously tired.

"If you ever feel like you need someone..."

"I can take care of myself," Mara brushed off.

Beru gave a small smile, "A little help from others is never a bad thing."

Mara left without saying another word.

Erv Lekauf approached the form of the sitting Emperor and bowed at once before him. He had genuine respect for Palpatine, and most of all, for Vader. He'd told his grandson all types of stories about the Sith Lord. While Vader was a firm military man, it didn't mean that his actions didn't produce results.

Clad in his dark robes, the Emperor stared at him, a small smile falling across his lips.

"Your Highness," Erv Lekauf said at once, bowing his head as he sat down at the offered hand.

"I do hope you have been enjoying your retirement. How is your family faring these days?" The Emperor had the good manners to ask.

Erv felt a mixture of pride and gratitude. "They are well, Your Highness. My grandson has became a fine young man, and my daughter has found happiness in her new role as a teacher. Life has been peaceful, and I am grateful for the quiet days."

Palpatine leaned back in his throne, his fingers rubbing against one another. "Peace is a rare commodity in this time of the Empire with the rising revolutions and terrorist groups, Lekauf. It is good to hear that you have found it. Tell me, have you kept in touch with any of your old comrades?"

Erv shook his head. "Not as much as I would have preferred, Majesty. Most are either retired themselves like me or in their own regions dealing with the same old, same old." He sighed and lowered his head. "I heard about Vader."

"Ah, yes, I know that Vader respected you more than most, and the feeling is returned." The Emperor replied, his voice still detached, despite the loss of such a promising individual.

"Yes, Vader was always something special. His death saddens my family incredibly." Erv Lekauf had been with his family when he'd heard the news from the broadcast. Vader was a standard weapon for the Empire to most. Hell, some Imperial Moffs and Admirals that belonged to the various houses of the Core were pleased with his departure so that they could get closer to the Emperor and try to take his role.

However, Lekauf was much more respectful than that. Any soldier who fell on the front lines was nothing short of a tragedy. Rebellions needed to be quelled for more lives to be saved. That was why Lekauf viewed the Rebel Alliance as an empty cause, fighting for a Republic that wasn't truly legitimate, and a galaxy that needed to be dead.

"There are many things about my former Apprentice that you mischaracterize," the Emperor licked his lips.

"Hmm?" Lekauf blinked. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Your Highness."

"You never will." Something cold shot through Lekauf, and the Emperor's eyes sparked. "Sometimes, memories can be a powerful motivator for a person. My former Apprentice will know."

Before Erv could open his mouth to query, he felt a sudden, crushing pressure around his throat. He was lifted off the ground, his feet dangling helplessly as he clawed at his neck, desperate for air, kicking the seat away.

"It's quite a shame it has to come to this."

Behind him, a figure approached from the shadows.

"M-my Lord...?" Lekauf wheezed.

"Sometimes, deceptions are paramount for stability, my friend. Take solace in this if nothing else. Vader is a traitor of the Galactic Empire. His desertion must remain a secret for now, of course, but his influence has to be removed. This is my new Apprentice, Darth Lumiya." The Emperor's cold voice cut through the haze of Erv's consciousness.

If they could, Lekauf's eyes would have bulged out of their sockets. The retired Imperial didn't know what this was about, nor could he ask. But it was quite clear that the Emperor had planned this. Why though?

As if sensing his thoughts, the Emperor said, "Unfortunately, Lekauf, Vader's betrayal has consequences. Those who were close to him must be... cleansed."

Erv's struggles slowly stopped, his vision fading to black.

He'd wanted to go home.

He'd wanted to be with his family, to be with his lovely grandson, to live his life with his family...

But no, the last thing he saw was the Emperor's cold, merciless gaze, and the dark figure of Darth Lumiya coming closer and closer to peer into his eyes.

Then, there was only darkness.

Author's note: Some people wish for more action. It will be coming, but the problem is the Rebellion doesn't trust Vader not to turn on them on the battlefield. Besides, the Rebel Alliance in episode 4 could ill-afford fighting on the battlefield in direct combat without their logistics turning against them. But I do plan to show some of Lumiya and the Imperial Navy's side shortly, as well as our heroes (or anti-heroes) fighting soon after Vader wins the Rebel Alliance's trust.

Obi-Wan's "friend" will be revealed soon, but I want you guys to guess who it is. I know who it is, obviously, but I'm not telling. XD

Luke actually had a dog in the ANH novelization, and I wanted to reference that here. It works because it shows Mara what life was like for him on Tatooine. I'm writing it based on the cool fun fact that George had an Alaskan malamute named Indiana, which later became a reference for Indiana Jones.

May the Force be with you all always.