Saga A Certain Point of View (Obi-Wan and Yoda POVs)

Title: A Certain Point of View
Author: darth_treyvah
Timeframe: OT
Primary Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda
Secondary Characters: Darth Vader, Palpatine, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Bail Organa
Genre: Drama, Philosophy, Introspection
Summary: As a Galactic Empire forms from the ashes of a murdered Republic and a Sith Lord rises from the remnants of a fallen Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Master Yoda begin to understand that in order to defeat the Sith they must learn from both their enemy's strategies ... and their own mistakes.

Obi-Wan

Obi-Wan Kenobi knew just how painfully fitting the name of Bail Organa's ship truly was. The Sundered Heart. Even the knowledge that the children--that Luke and Leia--would be safe for now, even knowing about his former Master Qui-Gon Jinn's survival in the Netherworld, was not enough to make him blind to the agony he was still trying unsuccessfully to release into the Force.

The Jedi Master still believed--even now--that he had done what he had to: that he had had no other choice. Yet the vision of Vader's--of Anakin's--burning eviscerated body would not leave his mind's eye. Somehow, he knew that even in the afterlife of the Force it never would. It made him think about everything that had happened: not merely their duel on Mustafar, but every event that occurred before it ... that led to that horrific day, this awful moment.

As Obi-Wan walked towards the hangar-bay within the Corellian corvette, he recalled the brief conversation he and Yoda had after the latter's revelation of Qui-Gon's spiritual ascension and aid in the coming Dark Times. Both Masters had agreed that the Jedi had become blind. Obi-Wan knew that the logical reasons behind this, but the one thing he could not look past was his own blindness with regards to his former Apprentice.

Qui-Gon Jinn had always told him to be mindful of the present, and all the while he had been looking at the uncertain future instead: looking at what Anakin could or should have been, at their role in resolving conflict, at stopping the Clone Wars ... He had been so busy looking at the larger picture, at being a diplomat and balancing himself between being a General and Jedi, at attempting to get Anakin to follow his example that he had overlooked at the details: the fine lines that had become painful cracks and eventually terminal fractures in the Bond that they had once shared.

There were the times Anakin had spent with Padme. Obi-Wan had to stop thinking about the Senator's--his friend's--last few moments and release those feelings of grief into the Force before continuing with his train of thought. The signs that the two had been more than friends had been there and Obi-Wan had chosen to ignore them. Obi-Wan had had his own relationships and he'd hoped that, like him, Anakin would eventually set his priorities to the Force and the Jedi Order over any psychological attachments he would make.

But as Obi-Wan came to the ship that he had taken from his now late foe General Grievous, he knew it had been self-blindness. He remembered that Anakin had more loyalty to people than abstract principles or causes, that he had been passionate, and caring, and loving ... many emotions that had to be watched over carefully when one was a practitioner of the Force. And in retrospect, Obi-Wan had only made a superficial effort at best with regards to Anakin Skywalker. All the training and discipline in the galaxy did not automatically grant one understanding or empathy. It did not make one invulnerable or enlightened. It didn't remove one from life.

In their brief discussion, Obi-Wan told Yoda that it was crucial that they review--that he reviewed--what led to Anakin's fall. If either of them were to train his children--both of them of equal potential to their father--it would be important. But more than that, Obi-Wan and Yoda both agreed that it was even more that by doing so, they could determine just how the Sith had been able to undermine and defeat both the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order.

The more Obi-Wan though

 

Sad )-: but thought you captured obi-wan at this moment so well.

 

Toni- Thank you Toni. I really tried to illustrate Obi-Wan's thinking process here. This is sad, but now we will see if the combination of rationality and empathy will give him what he needs to accomplish his new mission.

 

Yoda

Jedi Master Yoda felt all of his eight centuries of existence as he rode in his pod from Polis Massa towards the Dagobah System. He knew it would take some time before his one-way trip to the planet where he knew--in his heart--that he would live out the remainder of his very long life.

This long trip was only the beginning of a very long opportunity for thought. The ancient Master tried not to remember the bodies of the Younglings that littered the floor of the Jedi Temple. He had outlived many generations of his students in his time and in that sense had long-since accepted the natural ebb and flow of the Force. Yoda had felt and suffered and learned for over eight hundred years but even now he didn't consider it a curse, but rather the way of the Force teaching him.

But it was one thing for one's students and peers to become One naturally with the Force, or even to die in battle to save the lives of others. It was a whole other thing when their lives were cut unnaturally and brutally short, when one had to see children ruthlessly cut down because of one thousand years of unreasoning and senseless hatred. A lesser Jedi--or another being--would have decried a Galaxy or a Force that allowed the deaths of so many children: would have wanted revenge against an enemy that killed the defenseless old, and the infirm, and children would had done nothing to them but be raised to be what they were.

Then one had to also consider how one would feel having supposed to have protected these children, and the entire Order they were a part of: of being responsible for those who should have protected the Galaxy and all of its children ... and failing.

These emotions or thoughts would have crushed anyone else: especially someone who even failed after centuries of training to destroy the architect of all this madness and death, who failed to see that person and his Order slowly creating rents and tears in the Force one served to ripping it open into a great abyss into the Dark Side, allowing it to swallow everything ...

Yoda knew the guardians had failed and as the foremost of these guardians--as their leader and advisor--he had failed all the more. But this didn't fill him with rage or despair. Just sadness. Just intense sorrow. It was a sorrow that ran deep into the very centre of him and the Force itself.

It made him think of his mistakes. Yoda had never sought power. He had simply wanted to serve the Force that day, after he and his long-gone friend found an Order that had only been reformed two hundred years after Ruusan. Yoda had followed the teachings of the Jedi with humility and insight, being elected and deferred to as time went on, even when the Dark Side began to block all of the Jedi Council's farseeing abilities, even when he began to outlive all of his brothers and sisters and gain the detachment he needed, knowing they would always be with him--One in the Force--as he guided the next generation over and again ... until now.

Yoda had never sought to be "the face of the Jedi Order," as he knew some of the younger Knights began to think of him. He had even all but stopped taking direct Padawans and let the Master of the Order, and the Council take direct approaches. He only assisted when he knew he was needed. But then there was the Clone War and he had to take a direct role. It went against everything he had spent his whole existence supporting: to be the highest general in a war.

Time and again, he told others that wars do not make one great. They only lead to hate and suffering. And he had been right: though the knowledge of this did not comfort him at all alone in his escape pod.

But he also knew that the Jedi had come to over-rely on him: both the Council and the whole Order. And for all of his skill, even Yoda knew that he was just one sentient being, and that he could make mistakes like anyone else. As he and Obi-Wan talked not long after his revelation about Qui-Gon--one of the few thoughts that lit up his heart with hope--he already some of what had to be done now.

The proble

 

I'll have to read Ch 2 later, but -

Qui-Gon Jinn had always told him to be mindful of the present, and all the while he had been looking at the uncertain future instead: looking at what Anakin could or should have been, at their role in resolving conflict, at stopping the Clone Wars ... He had been so busy looking at the larger picture, at being a diplomat and balancing himself between being a General and Jedi, at attempting to get Anakin to follow his example that he had looked at the details: the fine lines that had become painful cracks and eventually terminal fractures in the Bond that they had once shared.

A heart-breaking, honest look within...ouch. Very well done, like all of your stories.

 

Valairy_Scot - Thank you. I think that after everything he has gone through, Obi-Wan would probably come to some very poignant realizations: especially with regards to his own relationship with Anakin. Thank you for your compliment, Valairy_Scot, it's been a long time since I have written a fanfic as opposed to commenting on them. It's good to be remembered.

 

Obi-Wan

As Obi-Wan handed Luke to Beru and Owen Lars, it felt as though he were giving the most vital part of himself away. Now, the only thing he had left of Anakin was the lightsaber he had taken after their last duel ...

Once, Obi-Wan would have admonished himself: would have warned himself against keeping attachments to anyone or anything. But a lightsaber was an extension of a Jedi's very being: a product of years of tradition, training, effort, experience, and oneness. No other lightsaber was like another's in the Galaxy. That was why Obi-Wan had to take Anakin's fallen weapon. He was just as responsible as its creator for what happened to it, for its very creation. Anakin hadn't been worthy of it anymore, but he couldn't leave it there. So he took it in a grotesque one-sided parody of a Concord of Fealty. And as for the son of his only apprentice ...

Obi-Wan thought about his last words to Anakin on Mustafar. He thought about the rage he felt when the Sith Darth Maul stabbed Qui-Gon through the stomach on Naboo and how he had needed that moment of calmness hanging off the edge of the pit to turn back from the brink ... Then there was his friendship and association with Padme. And Satine.

As the Jedi Master wandered away towards the Jundland Wastes of Tatooine--a planet he never thought he would ever see again after thirteen years--he thought about what needed to be done. The fact of the matter was that this planet was a crucible. It had forged the Chosen One, and even though he had fallen, it had made him strong and vital in his time. There was some lesson that Obi-Wan needed to learn here and he knew it would take time.

Before even attempting to deal with Luke, or his sister, Obi-Wan needed to change. He knew that he could be nothing other than a Jedi and that he now had a long-term duty and obligation to protect those who had the best chance of saving this Galaxy from the Sith. But he knew that Qui-Gon's spirit had much to teach him in the hermitage that he would now establish.

The Sith had spent millennia in hiding: honing themselves with a legacy of resentment, and fire, and hate. Now as the last of the Jedi, Obi-Wan and Yoda would need to hone themselves no less: with wisdom, understanding, light, and compassion for all things. Obi-Wan knew the icy polite facade of him would be melted in this desert heat, that the sharp angles of his wit would be smoothed over with intuition and gentleness, that his senses would be made even more alert by predators and the fire of the suns. He needed to be tempered.

As did Luke.

But Luke needed something else as well: something even more important. There was no way that he or Yoda could raise the children themselves without being discovered by the Empire. The twins were just too powerful to be trained without a trained Force-sensitive taking notice of them. They could not risk that and Obi-Wan would not risk that.

He remembered the first time he met Anakin and when he and Qui-Gon took Anakin to the Council. Though Obi-Wan was just finishing his own Apprenticeship, even he could sense Anakin's sense of loss far away from his mother. Obi-Wan had never met Shmi Skywalker, but he could only imagine what kind of woman raised her son as a slave and arranged it so that of the two of them he would be free in the Galaxy. A pang of regret hit Obi-Wan as he realized he never really took the effort to get to know that woman more from his Apprentice. He knew at the time it was necessary for Anakin to let go of his attachments. But Anakin never really did and in retrospect, realizing what the loss of his mother--who had always been in his life up until that point--had done to Anakin, Obi-Wan and Yoda made their decision accordingly.

Anakin had never had true stability in his life. Even with his mother's love, he had been a slave. Obi-Wan wished he had addressed that more when they were together. It was very easy to say, even now after everything, that the Order should never have taken Anakin in, but Obi-Wan knew that they had never had that luxury of choice. If

 

As the Jedi Master wandered away towards the Jundland Wastes of Tatooine--a planet he never thought he would ever see again after thirteen years--he thought about what needed to be done. The fact of the matter was that this planet was a crucible. It had forged the Chosen One, and even though he had fallen, it had made him strong and vital in his time. There was some lesson that Obi-Wan needed to learn here and he knew it would take time.

Before even attempting to deal with Luke, or his sister, Obi-Wan needed to change. He knew that he could be nothing other than a Jedi and that he now had a long-term duty and obligation to protect those who had the best chance of saving this Galaxy from the Sith. But he knew that Qui-Gon's spirit had much to teach him in the hermitage that he would now establish.

The Sith had spent millennia in hiding: honing themselves with a legacy of resentment, and fire, and hate. Now as one of the last Jedi, Obi-Wan and Yoda would need to hone themselves no less: with wisdom, understanding, light, and compassion for all things. Obi-Wan knew the icy polite facade of him would be melted in this desert heat, that the sharp angles of his wit would be smoothed over with intuition and gentleness, that his senses would be made even more alert by predators and the fire of the suns. He needed to be tempered.

That was so beautiful, though I would add loss, grief and the maturity that comes with living life all contributed to this "softening." It's true, Obi-Wan never CHANGES, just softens and so seems changed, but the essentials were unaltered - nobility, gentleness, humor, humility.

That's why he's my fav Jedi.

 

Valairy_Scot- You know, it is true when you think about it. Obi-Wan was a young man when we are first introduced to him in the Prequel Trilogy. As he grows into Anakin's Master, we do see the wit and humility and the very rational and intelligent side of him. We also see the very loyal and dogmatic parts of him as well as the Jedi Order still exists. But you can also follow his change as he gains more wisdom and experience. The core of him is still the same, but as he changes he gains the intuitive and gentle sides that only life experience can bring.

I think he has also learned a lot about what the Sith and the Force actually are and that makes a lot of difference. In exile, he only gets to hone the patient, empathic, and intelligent sides of him further: with more insights than he had before. But you're right, Valairy_Scot, he never really does change: he is just more himself by the OT. Thank you for reading.

 

It's always a joy and my pleasure to read a great story.

I think exile - the total opposite of the chaos that was the wars - would give Obi-Wan (or anyone, perhaps) time to reflect and grow if such a person was willing to take that quiet time and seek to grow, rather than merely exist or exist in the past.

I can see some great thoughts developing in this story - an intelligent story for a reader to delve into and learn something about life's lessons oneself. The best kind.

 

Obi-Wan

Obi-Wan had stayed in his hermitage for a month after he found out about the Battle of Kashyyyk. About Vader. The Jedi Master had left his former Apprentice's fate to the will of the Force, and the Force had decided to let him live: if his new existence could properly be described as life.

It was no use. Obi-Wan could not meditate in his hut: not while the remnants of his fallen Apprentice walked throughout the Galaxy killing, torturing, and enslaving billions. Not while his old lightsaber sat within the chest just a few metres away.

Not while Leia Organa was out of Obi-Wan's physical reach, and Luke remained here on the planet of Anakin's birth.

However, Obi-Wan began to breathe. He had been doing some research of his own since he got to the homeworld of his former Padawan. There had been rumours that, when Shmi Skywalker was carried off by Tusken Raiders that her son had gone after her ... and carried her lifeless body back to her husband and son. Owen Lars had not been very forthcoming with regards any information about Shmi or Anakin. In fact, he seemed to despise Obi-Wan's very existence. It was his wife Beru that confirmed what happened: that Padme and Anakin had visited them and Anakin had come back with the corpse of his mother.

Obi-Wan had been on Tatooine long enough to know what the Sand People did to their captives. He remembered Master Yoda telling him that on that day, when he was captive on Geonosis, that he had sensed Anakin in "horrible pain."

It was just one more thing Obi-Wan blamed himself over. He had filled enough of the gaps--with his own knowledge of what Anakin did at the Temple and to the Separatist Council--to have some idea of what happened here. His visit to the remnants of the Tusken Camp--its ruins only three years old--confirmed his worst fears.

It was there in that makeshift Graveyard, surrounded by the taint of the Dark Side, that it first happened: that Anakin had begun his descent down the dark path. And Obi-Wan had never known. To this day, Obi-Wan would have liked to have said he wouldn't have known how to deal with it if Anakin had told him, but he knew: he knew he would have done his real duty. He would have protected Anakin: if only from himself.

This insight--along with the knowledge that Padme must have known as well, that Palpatine somehow known what happened--only fueled Obi-Wan's understanding. Before he had left Bail Organa's Sundered Heart, Yoda had told him that before Order 66, Anakin himself had asked for his counsel with regards to visions of losing someone close to him. Although Anakin hadn't gone into immense detail, Obi-Wan had also consulted Artoo and found out the rest: about Anakin's marriage to Padme, a little more detail about his dreams, and his fears of her dying at childbirth.

Then there was Anakin's own long visitations with the former Chancellor to the consider. Very slowly, Obi-Wan was realizing what had driven Anakin to the Dark Side. Palpatine had played on Anakin's old wounds and new fears. Obi-Wan knew it. He knew it now: albeit too late. What had the Sith promised Anakin that made him change so drastically ... into the thing he was now? Had he promised to save his wife and children? Did he play on the fact that the Order would not have sanctioned them?

It would be something that Obi-Wan would have to meditate on for a while. In the meantime, he considered the situation. He had sent enough information to Bail Organa to teach Leia how to meditate: to reduce her sense to the Force. It would be easy considering that she had no concept of what the Force even was, and that the techniques Obi-Wan had linked Bail to were of a very neutral kind that even non-Force-sensitives utilized: techniques that calmed and relaxed its practitioners in potentially stressful situations.

And as for Luke, even though his aunt and uncle had kept his last name it was a name that was so ubiquitous in the Galaxy that few would notice it. In addition, Obi-Wan knew that even before his fall Anakin had been greatly reluctant to come anywhere ne

 

Good job at capturing obi-wan's guilt and helplessness over his padawan turning to the Dark Side )-:

 

Toni- Those are definitely some of the emotions that Obi-Wan is feeling right now, but I could also definitely envision him getting some insight and eventual acceptance of what he now has to do for the future: for his Apprentice's children. Obi-Wan and Yoda have plans. I think that's what I am trying to really focus on here. Their emotions obviously figure into their portrayal, but as you will hopefully keep reading, there will be reasons they are facing all of this.

 

Yoda

Yoda hobbled towards the Dark Side Cave: moving past its roots and snakes, its reptiles and decay ... and its evil. He had already known about the Cave's existence long before even coming to Dagobah: aware that a Jedi Knight of his own species had eliminated a powerful Dark Side practitioner hundreds of years ago. The Dark Jedi's death had suffused this spot: killing the great tree and rotting it from the inside out with the resonance of his hate.

It was one of the reasons Yoda had chosen this planet for his exile: that its own Force-signature would block anyone else from reading his own carefully hidden Light aura.

However, there was another reason why he had ultimately sought this Cave out.

The ancient Master had been learning from the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn. It was a strange phenomenon. The deceased Jedi Master sometimes spoke with words. After a time, he had even managed to manifest as something of his physical here--on this world filled with potent life-energies--surrounded by a shimmering blue aura. Yet other times he communicated to Yoda through visions and dreams. More often than not, Qui-Gon's wisdom was conveyed through images or cryptic sentences.

Yet Yoda caught on quickly and began to commune with the Force in a way that he had sought to for years. Much of their time together was spent with Yoda in meditation: as the ancient Master tried to purge all the negativity out of him ... honing himself as he knew Obi-Wan was doing on Tatooine in his own self-exile.

He made progress. He was at peace with the fact that he had physically removed himself from the Galaxy. Visions of the future were beginning to become clearer to Yoda now. He knew that he had made a wise decision in his exile. The ancient Master foresaw Bail Organa's creation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, but he knew that this was something that the Senator and his allies needed to do on their own for now. Even though his skills might have tipped the balance in this Alliance's favour, his very presence would eventually threaten their existence all the more and make them easier for the Sith's agents to hunt down.

Yoda also knew there would be other Jedi among these Rebels, but they would be scattered and nowhere near as easy to find all at once. He did mourn that most of these would not survive. But and Obi-Wan had a goal that they had to meet. Yoda accepted that it was far more useful for a Rebellion to be created without dependence on Jedi aid. It was just as much a social revolution as it would be a spiritual battle: something that the ordinary citizens of the Galaxy had to--and would--fight for in their own right. Yoda trusted Bail Organa and the protege that was his adopted daughter to do what was right.

But Yoda needed to do his own part.

This was why the ancient Master walked through the darkness of the Cave without the aid of the Force to support his body's natural movements. The Dark Side's energies began to grow as he moved deeper within and he could feel its shadow tendrils attempting to reach for the weaknesses his soul. Yoda knew that Obi-Wan was using the clean and scouring sand and heat of Tatooine as a crucible to transform himself: part of Anakin Skywalker's own heritage and a useful natural training ground for his own son. Yoda, however, needed another kind of crucible.

A snap-hiss echoed in the silence of the Cave followed by a column of glowing red that cut through the darkness. Yoda stood his ground. He had brought no weapons with him. The lightsaber he lost on Coruscant would be the last one he ever made. There was only him, his robes, his gimer stick, and the dark figure coming towards him. It was time for Qui-Gon Jinn's last test. It was a test of blind faith: faith in the Light and the Living Force.

The hooded figure leered over him: its yellow eyes glittering with malice and glee. Yoda found himself--unarmed--facing Darth Sidious: the new Emperor Palpatine of the Galaxy and slaughterer of the Jedi Order. Even though Yoda knew better, he could sense the pure evil emanating off of this

 

Interesting explanation of the cave - and I could see hope for the future here (-:

 

Toni - The Cave is immensely important. In the movies, it allows Luke to grow as a character: even when he fails. He does learn from this failure: with a remedial lesson from Vader himself of course. And the Cave is supposed to afford visions to those who go into it.

There is a lot of hope in Obi-Wan and Yoda's perspectives. This is what they are working towards: preserving hope and eventually setting the stage so that it can bloom again. Thank you for following this.

 

Obi-Wan

Somehow, Obi-Wan knew that the time had finally come. He had prepared much in the intervening years. Aside from going off-planet a few times to eliminate all traces of lingering evidence with regards to Luke and Leia's births on Polis Massa, Obi-Wan had done much of his work--here--on Tatooine.

For the most part, he simply observed: both the Galaxy, and Luke. A fairly long time ago, Bail Organa had informed him that a former secret apprentice of Vader's had recruited him and other politicians into creating the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Bail had told him that Palpatine had possessed the gall to believe that Vader's agent would make them into a force that he could exploit much like he did with the Separatists he created with Count Dooku during the Clone Wars.

Unfortunately for Vader and Palpatine, Vader's secret apprentice--Galen Marek--had possessed his own mind and turned on both of them: returning to the Light and allowing the Rebels to fight for themselves. By using Marek to unite the disparate factions of rebels, outlaws, and politicians into one group that they had thought to exploit and capture, the Sith by their very nature had created the beginnings of their own undoing. To Obi-Wan, it seemed like the age-old adage was true: darkness always turned upon itself. The Dark Side thwarted itself, while the Light waited ... patiently.

Obi-Wan had had time to review much of what the Sith strategy had been: from the creation of the Clone Army, the manipulation of the Separatists, all the way to the individual and group psychologies they exploited. But he knew now, more than ever, that these same skills and motivations would destroy them.

The Rebellion had taken on a life of its own, and Bail Organa--with the aid of Senators like Mon Mothma and others--were more than holding their own without much in the way of Jedi aid. This would have to change, though. Obi-Wan was not a fool. Vader and Palpatine and their own Force-sensitive agents would eventually overpower the non-Force-sensitives ranks of the Rebellion if they were allowed to continue unopposed.

During the past couple of years, Obi-Wan had run into Luke only occasionally. For the most part, he kept to the shadows. But sometimes the boy would always somehow manage to find him anyway. Despite even his own reservations, he had attempted to interact with Luke--even give him his father's lightsaber--but Owen Lars would have none of it. He considered Obi-Wan or "Old Ben" as the residents in the area began to call him to be a madman that had been responsible for Anakin "shirking" his duties to his own mother and getting him killed during the Wars. Sometimes, Obi-Wan even agreed with him: though even now he even acknowledged that there was only so much responsibility that he could have for Anakin's own sense of recklessness.

It was just as well that Obi-Wan had not been able to give Luke Anakin's lightsaber back then, or tell him more about his father. Obi-Wan had been thinking--for years--about what he should tell Luke. It had to be honest, but necessity dictated that some detail be left out until ... until Luke was ready.

So he watched Luke grow into an adventurous, gregarious young man. He had his father's blue eyes and blond hair. He was shorter than his father had been, but there was a lean yet solid strength and grace to his body. Obi-Wan was trying to figure out the best way to approach Luke now that he was eighteen and almost ready to leave the moisture farm of his adopted family when he sensed the boy actually coming to him.

If Darkness turned against itself, then Light attracted Light. Somehow, deep down, Obi-Wan had always known that Luke would seek him out when the time came. But he also sensed something spike in the Force. It only took him a few moments to realize that Luke was in danger. However, he was close by. So it was that Obi-Wan put up his hood and came towards the bright, endangered presence within the Jundland Wastes.

 

Oh, we're at the beginning of ANH. Like how sure Obi-Wan is that the Sith will eventually lose, even though taking down the Empire seems so far away at this point. And even hinted at the Owen (don't let Luke get involved, it's too dangerous)/ Obi-Wan (Luke is so important to bringing down the Empire and bringing the Jedi back) conflict (-:

 

Oh, oh - we're getting closer to Obi-Wan's death...I'm going to get the carton of tissues ready.

 

Obi-Wan

Luke hadn't been too damaged by his altercation with the Tusken Raiders. Obi-Wan had spent a minimal amount of effort calling on the Force to mimic the cries of a Krayt dragon. Of all the non-violent techniques he had devised to drive the Sand People away, this was the easiest and most effective of the lot. The hermit that was called--and called himself--Old Ben had learned a lot about the ecosystems and co-existences of life on Tatooine for over a decade.

Obi-Wan had only to touch Luke and release a small tendril of healing energy into him in order to bring him back to his feet. Luke recognized him, calling him Ben. It was one thing for Obi-Wan to observe Luke from a distance, but to see him up close again--so much like his father--it made a lump form in his throat just thinking about it.

But when Luke pointed at the astromech that he had introduced himself to earlier and claimed that it had been looking for its original owner--an Obi-Wan Kenobi--he realized that this was no chance meeting. It stunned him for a few moments to hear his name--his real name--spoken aloud again after so long. As he spoke his own lost name again, and again, something faded and distant in him began to resolve itself. The Force was plainly speaking to him through action: if not words.

Then Obi-Wan guided Luke--and his droids ... his ... familiar droids--back to his hut. The Jedi Master knew--now--that the hardest part of his task was about to unfold.

As the four settled in and Luke began to repair his protocol droid's arm, Obi-Wan brought up the issue of Luke's father. It was interesting. The Larses had not actually raised Luke to think of them as his parents, but rather as their nephew. Therefore, Luke knew he had a father. Now Obi-Wan knew that he had chosen wisely to let Shmi Skywalker's adopted family take care of the boy, that he had been even more wise to inform them long ago that Luke had a twin sister and gave them enough information for Luke to find her should anything have happened to him or Yoda in the meantime.

But Luke's information was, predictably, a lot different than Obi-Wan's own.

"Oh, my father didn't fight in the Wars. He was a navigator on a spice freighter."

Obi-Wan spoke carefully, "That's what your uncle told you," he proceeded to tell Luke the truth: that Owen Lars hadn't agreed with his father's ideals and should never have gotten involved with the Galaxy. He sensed that Luke knew enough now about Owen from his own experiences to realize that this was more or less the truth.

"You fought in the Clone Wars?" Luke asked him incredulously.

"Yes," Obi-Wan couldn't help but inwardly smile at Luke's eagerness, "I was once a Jedi Knight the same as your father."

That much information--that many string of words--somehow, took more out of Obi-Wan than any command he'd ever given back in the Wars that Luke brought up. He felt himself lean back, to brace himself and prepare for the inevitable conversation.

Luke looked down at the ground as he spoke next, "I wish I'd known him."

Obi-Wan wished that too and he felt compelled to say something. As he began to talk, the memories--the early memories of his and his former Padawan's relationship--came back to him, "He was the best star pilot in the Galaxy. And a cunning warrior."

The Jedi Master brought his attention back to Luke, telling him that he had heard he had become quite a good pilot himself. He was about to change the subject, to broach what he needed to, but something made him pause and instead he added, quietly, "And he was a good friend."

Somehow, that was the most important thing that Obi-Wan could tell the son of Anakin right now.

 

Obi-Wan

It was after his words to Luke about his father that he decided it was time. Obi-Wan told Luke that he had something for him. He walked over to the chest across the room as he spoke, "Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough," he said, knowing that the Anakin he had known--the Anakin he had trained and fought alongside--would have wanted Luke to have the lightsaber he was taking out right now.

He recalled--aloud--that Owen hadn't wanted Luke to have it because he had been afraid of Luke following him on some "Damn fool idealistic crusade" like his father did. Obi-Wan cradled the lightsaber cylinder gently in his hands as though it were a masterpiece of craftsmanship--which it was--or even someone's lost child. Obi-Wan had never blamed the weapon for the deeds of its wielder. It had no taint of darkness and, if he had to be honest with himself, it had done far more good than it had evil. It belonged to Anakin's child now.

When Luke asked what the cylinder was as he handed it to him, Obi-Wan knew that--unofficially or not--Luke's tutelage had just begun. He told Luke that it was a lightsaber, "The weapon of a Jedi Knight."

He watched as Luke, somehow instinctively, found the activation switch and an azure blade that matched his own snap-hissed back to life after almost two decades of sleep in his ornate chest. Luke moved it around naturally: as though a Temple Youngling playing with a training saber. Although he moved it with a sense of childlike wonderment and some awkwardness over its light-weight, Obi-Wan knew that Luke would get used to its use very quickly. He felt himself just as naturally fall into his own role as a teacher again as he told Luke that the lightsaber wasn't as clumsy or random as a blaster: somehow instinctively knowing that Luke would not accidentally hurt himself with it.

Obi-Wan nodded to himself with brief satisfaction as he sat down and continued to talk, "It was an elegant weapon for a more civilized age," he felt his voice trail off before speaking again, knowing that Luke needed to have more background, "For over a thousand generations," Obi-Wan decided to simplify the complex history of the Jedi and the Galaxy for his soon-to-be-pupil, "the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the Dark Times ..." Obi-Wan felt his voice begin to grow far away again, "Before the Empire ..."

Luke deactivated his new weapon and sat down next to Obi-Wan. Luke's powerful mind was not shielded. Obi-Wan hoped that he would the opportunity to teach Luke this and so much more, but as such he could anticipate the question that was to come: the question he had spent almost two decades attempting to find an answer.

"How did my father die?"

Even though he knew what Luke would ask, it still hit him. Hard. Despite his years of exile and honing, of atonement and communion with Qui-Gon and the Force, it still hurt. Obi-Wan felt his head draw back back until he forced it to move forward. This was it. This was the time. Obi-Wan thought about everything he had learned during his exile about Anakin, about himself, about the Jedi and the Sith. Now was not the time for complexities. Luke was too young--too honest and open and undisciplined--to know the full truth. Even someone twice Luke's age and experience would not have been able to fully handle this. But Obi-Wan didn't have the heart--after talking about Anakin--to take away Luke's hero vision of him. Luke had lost so much already.

At the same time, he also deserved to hear something of the truth: something that could be amended later with time and distance and a great deal more life experience.

Carefully, but truly and looking directly into Luke's face Obi-Wan spoke, "A young Jedi named Darth Vader--who was a pupil of mine before he turned to evil--helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights," Obi-Wan thought back to the Jedi Temple, and then Mustafar and what he saw and experienced there, "He betrayed and murdered your father. Now the Jedi are all but extinct."

He w

 

Toni - Well, Obi-Wan is simply observing and being made aware of some Sith machinations. While the Empire's defeat is a long time off, he can already see the seeds of its defeat through the atavistic qualities of the Sith that made it. And I really did want to mention the relationship between Owen and Obi-Wan too and how their actions were integral to protecting the hero we all know so well, and therefore shaping the SW Galaxy.

Valairy_Scot - Yes, the time is almost at hand, but Obi-Wan still has some work to do. Then, he will meet his destiny: eyes open.

 

Like this take on a familiar scene - and how you explain why Obi-Wan said what he did. Can't wait for more!

 

Obi-Wan

"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."

Obi-Wan sat back in his seat: deeply troubled. This was not good. Even though Bail, through Leia, had given him this information, they hadn't succeeded in getting him to Alderaan. What was worse, however, was that Leia herself didn't make it to Tatooine.

He looked at her through the tiny hologram projection: her brown hair rolled up into the style of Alderaanian royalty, clothed in pure white robes, her brown eyes passionate, intent, and compassionate. She was her mother and father both. Somehow, Obi-Wan knew that she was still alive but she was far away ... most likely a captive of the Empire. The Jedi Master closed his eyes. He had heard--distantly--of Leia's growth as a skilled and outspoken Senator: trained by Bail Organa and Mon Mothma both. She had grown to be exactly what he had envisioned her and had exceeded those expectations.

The Jedi Master also knew how to read between the lines: that she had done much of her father's work in the Rebellion since she had taken his place as Senator. But now, she was found out. Leia's valuable place in the deteriorating political arena was now gone and now her very life was danger while Obi-Wan remained here: far away from her. He didn't even have to imagine Bail Organa's anguish in knowing his daughter was taken by the Empire. This would escalate matters in the Galaxy exponentially. But a part of Obi-Wan hurt as he couldn't help but blame himself for failing Anakin's legacy again: in letting his daughter be taken.

Finally, he made a decision. This process that he had begun with Luke--as Master and pupil--had to be accelerated. He remembered Qui-Gon's abjurations from long ago to live in the ever-present. The Jedi would have to adapt to the ever-shifting, ever-changing times accordingly. Improvisation was the key word of the new Jedi day.

Obi-Wan turned to Luke, meeting his own gaze, "You must learn the ways of the Force, if you are to come with me to Alderaan."

The Jedi Master had to get this information to Bail Organa. Perhaps there they could use their combined resources--Bail's extensive connections and network of allies--to locate Leia as well. The Empire would not summarily execute one of their own Senators, or at the very least a suspected leader of the Rebellion. Obi-Wan didn't think about what they would do to the girl he had sworn to help protect, but focused on the fact that she would survive long enough to find her. But the information in the R2 droid--and by this point Obi-Wan was sure it was the same droid that Anakin used to own--was of the utmost importance. As was Luke.

Very predictably, Luke balked at this. Although Obi-Wan could see and sense great hesitation in turning this opportunity down, he also saw the grudging loyalty to his adopted family and the fear that he wasn't good enough: that he was just a young moisture farmer that had no idea about how the Galaxy truly worked.

As Luke began to pace around, Obi-Wan knew he had to make his case, "I need your help, Luke," he remembered Anakin, how there was a large part of him that had been more than eager to aid those in need and he appealed to that instinct that he knew was somehow in his own son, "She needs your help," in a weary, resigned aside he also added, "I am getting too old for this sort of thing."

And he was right. Obi-Wan hadn't been off of Tatooine in years: had barely exercised his physical powers in the Force for fear of detection, had let his lightsaber skills become rusty ... He also knew that he had aged a lot since he had given Luke to his family. The weariness that began in the latter part of the Clone Wars had accelerated through his duel with Anakin and had come to a resigned stop in the Jundland Wastes. Obi-Wan's life had become an existence of sparse words and spiritual contemplation. It wouldn't stop him from acting when he needed to, obviously, but he really needed Luke's help. He was young and strong. He had almost limitless potential. If only Obi-Wan had time to make him see that. If only ...

Luke h

 

Yes, I'm sure there's a lot he would like to do over with Anakin )-: