She wasn"t the only one. General Grievous-another of Dooku"s disciples in lightsaber combat-was in command of the Confederacy"s droid armies. Grievous was a cyborg who had killed a number of Jedi and taken their lightsabers as trophies. He was capable of wielding four lightsabers simultaneously. All in all, a most unpleasant fellow. I defeated him on Utapau.
And then the Purge began. I would soon learn that I was among the few Jedi to survive, and that Palpatine had taken a new apprentice: my former student, Darth Vader. And because of Darth Vader, Anakin was gone as well.
Eventually, I learned some details of Ventress"s history. She was born on Rattaka, an Outer Rim world, so remote that it was unknown to the Republic. She was still a child when her parents were killed by one of the many local warlords. After a Jedi named Ky Narec became stranded on Rattaka, he found the orphaned Ventress and realized she was Force-sensitive. Narec trained Ventress as his apprentice, and apparently trained her relatively well, for together they defeated many criminals. Tragically, a group of warlords killed Narec, and rather than honoring the ways of the Jedi, Ventress sought vengeance. And once again, she was alone. Is it any wonder that she developed such a supreme hatred for the Jedi Order that "abandoned" her Master?
In hindsight, Vader and Ventress had some similar characteristics. Both knew of the loss of loved ones, and had reason to distrust the Republic and the Jedi Order. But when I finally caught up with Vader, I sensed nothing but pure evil about him. For unlike Ventress, Vader was not a victim of unfortunate circ.u.mstances. Yes, he had his struggles and his shortcomings, but he was not a weak being who feared abandonment. He was a powerful man who had been given opportunities to better himself, yet he only craved more power, and chose his own path to betray the Jedi and become a Sith. He was my greatest failure.
My duel with Vader was awful in its savagery. In the end, he was more determined to kill me than defend himself, and was blind with fury when I felled him. I left him maimed and burning on the sh.o.r.es of a lava river. To have dealt him a killing blow might have been the merciful thing to do, but I had no mercy for Vader.
Because I am a Jedi, not a coldblooded murderer, all I could do was leave Vader to his fate. Had I killed then and there, I believe I would have taken a step onto the same dark path that he had found so impossible to resist. But by leaving him for dead, I fear I failed yet again, for I soon learned that Vader had survived, in a fashion. Like the late General Grievous, he is mostly machine now, a malevolent construct of pistons and gears, plastoid and wires, his mortal remains fueled by the dark side. The galaxy will never know peace until Darth Vader and the Emperor breathe their last.
It is hard for me to see what the future holds. Fortunately, I have my mission and my ongoing studies of the Force to help me be mindful of the present, as well as the daily rigors of survival on Tatooine. Whatever tomorrow may bring, I must be ready for it.
By the time Luke reached the end of the entry, he realized he"d been holding his breath for over a minute. Exhaling slowly, he returned to the beginning, scanning the text to see if he had missed something. He had never heard of Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku, an Iridonian Zabrak, or any of the battles that Ben had mentioned. But these revelations barely even registered - Luke was frustrated that Ben hadn"t written more about Anakin and Vader.
He reread aloud the two lines that had especially commanded his attention: ""... Palpatine had taken a new apprentice: my former student, Darth Vader. And because of Darth Vader, Anakin was gone as well.""
The words sounded hollow in his mouth. Although Ben had not written in so many words that Darth Vader had killed Anakin, that was what Ben had told him had happened. He wondered just how carefully Ben had chosen his words when he had written that Anakin was gone.
And then he read again about how Ben - or rather Obi-Wan - had left Vader to die.
Luke had no illusions that Darth Vader was a killer. Vader had also tortured both Princess Leia and Han Solo on different occasions. On Cloud City, Vader had maimed Luke before inviting him to join the dark side and help him overthrow the Emperor. But despite all the horrible things Vader had done, and despite the fact that Ben had no mercy for Vader, Luke was surprised that he felt something other than horror or anger at the thought of the armored Dark Lord of the Sith.
I feel sorry for him.
As the phantom pain chewed at his right wrist, Luke wondered what exactly had happened all those years ago on an unidentified world, along the sh.o.r.es of a lava river.
CHAPTER SIX.
"It"s over, Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted from the upper slope of the lava river"s sh.o.r.e on the volcanic planet Mustafar. "I have the high ground!"
Anakin was indeed below Obi-Wan"s position, standing atop what was left of a floating mining platform that glided over the lava. Glaring at Obi-Wan, Anakin growled, "You underestimate my power."
Obi-Wan had escaped Utapau when his own clone troops - obeying Palpatine"s secret Order 66 - had opened fire on him. Leaving Utapau in General Grievous" starfighter, he had followed a coded signal to find temporary refuge on the Tantive IV, the consular starship owned by Bail Organa, a Senator from Alderaan, who was an ally to the Jedi. The Tantive I V had also harbored Yoda, who had escaped a similar a.s.sa.s.sination by clones on the Wookiee homeworld, Kashyyk. Organa delivered Obi-Wan and Yoda back to Coruscant, where they found the Jedi Temple in ruins, and all the resident Jedi - even the youngest initiates - lying dead.
And then they had viewed a recording that revealed Anakin was responsible for the slaughter. They also discovered Senator Palpatine was a Sith Lord, and that he had enlisted Anakin to the dark side, and dubbed his new apprentice as "Darth Vader."
Obi-Wan had gone to Padme to warn her about Anakin, and then stowed away in her starship when she went in search of Anakin. They had landed on Mustafar, where Anakin had just butchered the leaders of the Confederacy. When Anakin saw Obi-Wan, he had become enraged with Padme and accused them both of conspiring to kill him. He had tried to strangle Padme, and then his fight with Obi-Wan had begun.
The long, grueling duel had carried them far from the landing pad where Padme"s ship had landed. Now, the battle had neared its end.
Obi-Wan realized what Anakin was about to do, and despite all that had recently transpired, he pleaded, "Don"t try it."
Gripping his lightsaber, Anakin leaped high into the air over Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan"s lightsaber swept out at his attacker, swiftly severing Anakin"s left arm above the elbow and both legs at the knees.
Anakin shouted and lost his grip on his lightsaber as his maimed body crashed upon black, smoldering sand and tumbled down the slope. Obi-Wan watched in horror as Anakin came to a rest near the edge of the lava river, and lifted his head to face his former friend and Master. Anakin"s eyes were filled with inhuman rage.
"You were the Chosen One!" Obi-Wan shouted.
Anakin retained his prosthetic right arm, and as he struggled to pull himself away from the lava, his eyes continued to blaze with fury at Obi-Wan.
"It was said you would destroy the Sith, not join them!" Obi-Wan continued. "Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!" Unable to look at his former apprentice, he turned away. He spied Anakin"s fallen lightsaber, and bent down to pick it up before he turned to look at Anakin again.
"I hate you!" Anakin roared.
Obi-Wan stood in silence, stunned as he faced the seething, ruined remains of Anakin. "You were my brother, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, "I loved you."
Anakin"s clothes caught fire, and he screamed as he was suddenly engulfed in flames.
For a moment, Obi-Wan hesitated. He"s gone, Obi-Wan thought. Anakin is gone.
Obi-Wan finally turned away.
Anakin kept screaming.
As Obi-Wan staggered back to Padme"s starship, he was greeted by two droids: R2-D2, who had arrived on Mustafar with Anakin, and Anakin"s gleaming, gold-plated protocol droid C-3PO, who had accompanied Padme from Coruscant.
"Oh, Master Ken.o.bi," C-3PO said as he came down the ship"s landing ramp. "Urn, we have Miss Padme on board."
As Obi-Wan quickened his step, C-3PO continued, "Yes. Please, please hurry. We should leave this dreadful place."
Obi-Wan was very concerned about Padme because he knew she was pregnant. He also knew that Anakin was the father.
Leaving Mustafar, Obi-Wan and the droids brought Padme to a research base in the Polis Ma.s.sa asteroid system, where Obi-Wan and Bail Organa were waiting for them. Padme was unconscious, and Obi-Wan car-ried her directly to the base"s medical center.
A medical droid delivered the terrible news in a flat voice. Padme was dying. She had lost the will to live. The droid added that they would have to operate quickly to save Padme"s babies - Padme was carrying twins.
Obi-Wan was in the operating room for the delivery of Padme"s babies. She named her son Luke and her daughter Leia.
As Obi-Wan held Luke in his arms, Padme beck-oned, "Obi-Wan?" He met her gaze, and she said, "There"s good in him." She gasped, then continued, "I know. I know there"s . . . still -"
And then Padme Amidala died.
Obi-Wan just stood there for a moment, holding the baby boy in stunned silence. He had felt so utterly pow-erless as Padme breathed her last, and not just because he couldn"t stop her from dying. Even though he believed that there wasn"t a trace of goodness left in Anakin, he also knew that it would have been a kindness on his part if he had somehow a.s.sured the dying woman that he shared her conviction. All it would have taken on his part was a smile or a slight nod, and she might have died in peace. But in the end, he had been powerless to even manage that.
Leaving Polis Ma.s.sa on Bail Organa"s consular star-ship, Tantive IV, the group transported Padme"s body back to Naboo. While Organa"s aides attended to Padme"s newborn babies, Obi-Wan met with Yoda and Bail in the Tantive I V conference room to discuss the fates of Luke and Leia.
Yoda sat at the head of a long table, with Obi-Wan seated to his left and Bail to his right. Yoda said, "Hidden, safe, the children must be kept."
Obi-Wan agreed. "We must take them somewhere where the Sith will not sense their presence."
"Hmm," Yoda murmered. "Split up they should be."
"My wife and I will take the girl," Bail volunteered. "We"ve always talked of adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us. "
"And what of the boy?" Obi-Wan asked.
"To Tatooine," Yoda said. "To his family send him."
Obi-Wan considered this, then said, "I will take the child and watch over him."
Bail and Obi-Wan exchanged glances, then rose from their seats. Yoda said, "Until the time is right, dis-appear we will."
Bail exited the conference room. Obi-Wan was about to leave, too, when Yoda said, "Master Ken.o.bi, wait a moment." The elderly Jedi gestured for Obi-Wan to return to his seat, then continued, "In your solitude on Tatooine, training I have for you."
Not sure that he had heard correctly, Obi-Wan said, "Training?"
"An old friend has learned the path to immortality," Yoda said. "One who has returned from the netherworld of the Force. Your old Master."
Astonished, Obi-Wan gasped, "Qui-Gon?"
"How to commune with him, I will teach you."
R2-D2 had been to the Lars family moisture farm just prior to the Battle of Geonosis, and was able to pro-vide the farm"s coordinates to Obi-Wan. The starfighter that Obi-Wan had taken from the late General Grievous had remained in Tantive IV"s docking bay, and Obi-Wan planned to use the starfighter to take Luke to a s.p.a.ceport at Nar Shaddaa, a moon in a s.p.a.ce sector con-trolled by the Hutts. As Obi-Wan carried Luke into the starfighter"s c.o.c.kpit, R2-D2 beeped a farewell message to the Jedi. There was no point in Obi-Wan saying good-bye to C-3PO, for Bail Organa had already taken the security precaution of having the talkative protocol droid"s memory erased.
Holding Luke Skywalker"s swaddled form against his chest, Obi-Wan Ken.o.bi sat in an uncomfortable seat on a crowded, Tatooine-bound starcruiser. The Jedi Master had little experience holding babies, but he did his best to look comfortable with the child in his arms.
Bail Organa had provided a supply of untraceable credits for Obi-Wan to pay for the journey to the sand planet. To further maintain secrecy, Obi-Wan and Luke were traveling to Tatooine via an indirect route starting from Nar Shaddaa on a series of public transports. During a layover at a s.p.a.ce station, Obi-Wan witnessed a group of travelers at a HoloNet kiosk, watching a broadcast about recent events on Coruscant. Obi-Wan had cringed when he saw a hologram of Emperor Palpatine urging viewers to report anyone whom they suspected of being a Jedi or having "supernatural powers." Palpatine"s words had prompted one traveler to remark, "Thank goodness those terrible Jedi were stopped!"
Obi-Wan had remained silent and kept his head low as he carried Luke. The Tatooine-bound starcruiser had been delayed, but he did everything he could to keep the baby comfortable. Unfortunately, the final flight turned out to be a nightmare. Most of the other pa.s.sengers were either Podracers or obnoxious Podrace enthusiasts. Even more distressing, Obi-Wan was running low on the baby food supplements and sanitation material that the Polis Ma.s.sans had provided. All in all, he was begin-ning to wonder if avoiding a more direct route had been a mistake.
Luke made a burbling sound. Obi-Wan patted the baby"s back and said in a soothing tone, "Easy, young one. Easy now."
One of the Podracers, a nimble-handed Dug with goggles on his head, was exercising his arms by walk-ing back and forth across the headrests on the seats in front of Obi-Wan. Without breaking his stride, the Dug turned to someone seated up ahead of him and shouted, "Hey, b.u.mpy ! Your nose still hurtin" since the last time you punched Ben"s Mesa?!" Then the Dug broke out into a wheezing laugh.
Keeping his eyes on the Dug, Obi-Wan shifted his arm around Luke to a more protective position and thought, If that downfalls on top of us, so help me, he"ll know what a punch feels like.
Several seats ahead, a Nuknog - presumably "b.u.mpy" -jumped up and hurled an unopened bottled beverage at the Dug. The Dug saw the incoming bottle and jerked his body to the side to avoid getting hit, allowing the bottle to arc past his body and fall straight toward Luke.
Just as the Dug rapidly turned his p.r.o.nounced snout around to see where the bottle would strike, Obi-Wan"s right hand flew up and away from Luke to catch the bottle in midair. Obi-Wan held the bottle out to the Dug and said tersely, "I believe this was meant for you."
The Dug just looked at Obi-Wan for a moment, before muttering a half-hearted "Thanks." He took the bottle, opened it with his teeth, and then turned and whipped the bottlecap back at his would-be attacker. Returning his attention to Obi-Wan, he said, "You move fast for a human."
Obi-Wan felt a chill travel down his spine. Oh, no.
The Dug"s mouth twisted back into a vicious leer, "In fact," the Dug continued, "the only kind of humans I"ve ever heard of that can move that fast are -"
"Aren"t you tired?" Obi-Wan interrupted, his gaze riveted to the Dug"s eyes.
The Dug blinked, and his eyelids became suddenly heavy. He looked at his bottle, and then back to Obi-Wan. "Now that you mention it," the Dug said with a wide yawn, "I am tired."
"Forget you ever saw me, and take a long nap."
"I didn"t see anybody," the Dug muttered as his eyes closed. And then he fell backward, spilling the remain-ing contents of his bottle as his slumbering form tumbled onto the pa.s.sengers seated in front of Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan silently cursed himself. He couldn"t have let the thrown bottle hit Luke, but his Jedi reflexes had nearly given him away. Just one wrong move, he thought. All it takes is one wrong move.
Luke wiggled against his chest.
I must be more careful.
Obi-Wan pulled his cloak down lower over his face. Except for a few soothing words to Luke, he spoke with no one else for the remainder of the flight.
The data provided by R2-D2 allowed Obi-Wan to find the Lars Homestead without difficulty. Obi-Wan was glad and relieved that Beru and Owen agreed to raise Luke, but his mission did not end there, as it was also his duty to watch over the boy. He had thought that his ongoing presence would be some comfort to Owen and Beru.
He soon learned that he was mistaken.
CHAPTER SEVEN.
Not long after delivering Luke to Owen and Beru, Obi-Wan was riding his eopie east across the desert. He had acquired the eopie just after his arrival to Tatooine, when he needed a method of transport to deliver Luke to the Lars homestead, and the beast had continued to prove itself useful. It was while riding the eopie that he had found shelter for himself, a small hovel - at least it had a secure door - that had been carved out of a nearby canyon wall before it was abandoned by some unknown transient. The eopie also allowed him to check on the Lars homestead twice daily, at sunrise and sun-set, which had become his routine.
Whenever he rode, he was always mindful of his surroundings and on the lookout for danger. He had already seen various signs of Tusken Raiders, and was fairly certain that at least one Tusken tribe had become aware of his presence.
Recently, while exploring the vast area around the Lars homestead, he had come upon what appeared to be the ruins of a camp in a canyon in the Jundland Wastes. He had traveled close enough to the ruins to see a cl.u.s.ter of bantha-rib arches sticking in the sand, all that remained of several small huts, the kind used by the nomadic Tuskens. Seeing the ruins, Obi-Wan had been suddenly overcome by a feeling of loneliness and despair, which ended a moment later, when a distant, blood-chilling howl echoed down from a nearby clifftop. Suspecting that he may have strayed into an area that was somehow sacred to Tuskens, he had proceeded past the ruins quickly.
Sometimes while riding, his thoughts would stray to Padme on her deathbed. Speaking of Anakin, her last words had been, "There"s still good in him."
And then he would think of how he had left Anakin to die on Mustafar.
He tried to suppress such thoughts. The problem was Obi-Wan remembered so many good years with Anakin, and really had loved him like a brother. It was still so hard for him to believe that Anakin had turned to evil. And even after all the unforgivable things he had done under the name of Darth Vader, Obi-Wan still found himself missing his friend Anakin Skywalker.
He also thought of Qui-Gon Jinn. Yoda had explained to Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon"s consciousness had survived as a spiritual ent.i.ty, and described his own exchanges with Qui-Gon"s disembodied voice. Yoda had also instructed Obi-Wan how to communicate with Qui-Gon, but so far, Obi-Wan had yet to hear from his Master"s spirit.
The suns had almost set as he approached the perim-eter of the Lars homestead. As usual, the security lights were already switched on and a few KPR servant droids were patrolling the area around the underground com-pound. On previous evenings, Owen had emerged from the entrance dome to check the droids before returning below ground for the night. Obi-Wan had come to inter-pret Owen" s action as a signal that all was well, and that it was time for him to make his way back to his hovel. But on this night, Obi-Wan found Owen standing sev-eral meters away from the entry dome, carrying a blaster rifle, and waiting for him.
Owen held the blaster rifle so it was aimed at the ground. Obi-Wan wasn"t surprised to see the weapon, as Owen always carried it when he stepped outside at nightfall. But even without Jedi powers, Obi-Wan could see the man looked jittery.
"h.e.l.lo, Owen," Obi-Wan said as he brought the eopie to a halt. "Is something wrong?"
Owen nodded once. Obi-Wan began to dismount, but Owen held up one hand and said, "Don"t bother. What I have to say won"t take long."
Obi-Wan kept his eyes on Owen as he shifted his weight back onto the eopie.
"I"m not sure how to put this," Owen continued, "so I"m just going to say it. The way you come around my place . . . it bothers me. "