The old man knew this moment would come but not which form it would take. To come so far, endure so much, seemed a small price to pay to bring hope back to a galaxy teetering on the brink of the darkest tyranny. The Force permeated all things with humans caught within its' multidimensional matrix trading between the darkness and the light for possession of their immortal souls. Most people lived their lives unaware, but those who were touched by the Force, felt it move them and enrich them, and would never be the same again. He allowed a small frosty smile of humour to dust his lips as he recalled Han Solo's disbelief at his solution. He might be a crazy old man but he was a Jedi Master and what he must now do owed nothing to the vain altar of youth, nothing to the strength of muscles hardened by training and combat, and everything to the cunning of a lifetime wed to the Force. It had guided him all his life and it would guide him now. One last thing remained for him to do. This was his love letter to the past and his hope for the future. The sum of all he was and would ever be. That future lay now in other hands. All he had to do was ensure that those hands were given the chance to make the dream of freedom a reality.
Ben Kenobi flattened himself against the steel wall of the curved corridor as he sensed the approaching stormtroopers. The huge death star was the most incredible, awesome and frightening weapon the galaxy had ever known but it was still just a single starship. Enormous, admittedly. Powerful, without a doubt. The technology embraced to create this behemoth was truly staggering but it was as nothing compared to the Force. He paused. He could see the power trench ahead of him, the walkway around the central column beckoning him. He did not move. Too often he had acted on impulse in the past. Once that impulsiveness had caused him to turn aside from his Jedi training and he had almost lost everything. Not only had he let himself down, he had also hurt his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and that had been a mistake that took years to heal. The stormtroopers were almost in sight of him. He threw off a muffled sound down the corridor leading away from the walkway and saw the stormtroopers stop. One turned his head at the sound and they changed direction, walking away from his position to investigate. He waited only long enough for them turn away and quietly stepped on to the walkway and edged his way around the circumference of the platform until he was facing the control panel. Now the central column was between himself and the stormtroopers offering him perfect cover. Even though he was alone he could sense the others frantically working their way back to the landing bay and the Millennium Falcon. He could feel their thoughts bent on escape and knew everything now hinged upon his ability to power down the column so that they could get to the ship and take off.
He looked down at the panel and slowly turned the wheel then made several key adjustments. The lights indicating the power level dropped and he noted with satisfaction that the Millenniium Falcon would be able to take off now. He thought of Luke, his padawan in all but name and remembered his own day's as a Jedi apprentice. It seemed a lifetime ago yet the memories were so clear. His friends at the academy, the other students all trying so hard to impress Qui-Gon Jinn into taking them as his new padawan. His own fear that his thirteenth birthday would come and go with no Master offering his hand to guide him. How that fear and desire had almost ruined his chances. Reckless he had been, impatient and intolerant. It made him smile to think back on those days now yet time had given him a perspective that had laid many of his own ghosts to rest. Every ghost but one. Even now the memory hurt him. Anakin Skywalker. His pupil and his friend. He had not wanted to take the young boy on as his padawan, had not understood Qui-Gon Jinn's obssession with the boy. But when Qui-Gon had died in his arms the promise he had extracted from Obi Wan to train the boy had changed his life forever. He could not prevent his friend from being seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. He had failed. That was why he had gone into seclusion in the desert for so many years. Living quietly where he would be able to keep a passing eye on his friend's son. He had told himself the reason was to become one with the Force, to meditate, learn and grow wise but it was not the truth. His seclusion was a self imposed penance, a weight he would carry in his heart for the rest of his life. Luke had changed that. He was needed again and this time he was determined not to fail. He could not save the father but perhaps he could save his son.
Ben eased round the walkway and started to make his way to the landing bay to join the others. They were all converging now. He could feel their streams of consciousness moving through the Force but as he neared the landing bay another presence impinged on his and struck him clear through to the heart. He stopped, his face going a little pale with recognition. Emotions flooded through him too quickly to stem. Vader. Dark Lord of the Sith. He was here. His heart missed a beat but it was not fear. He had taken on Anakin the boy as a reluctant duty believing that by doing so he was honouring the memory of Qui-Gon Jinn. Yet gradually the boy wore down his resistance and wormed his way into the young Kenobi's heart. They had become friends and for a time he had forgotten his own feelings of uneasiness around the boy. His sense that something dark stirred within that affable and gifted child. Like a coiled snake it lay sleeping until gradually the Dark Side of the Force woke in his friend a desire for power that Ben could not match. Watching his slow but inexorable corruption had been the most painful thing he had ever had to endure. The feelings of loss and failure defied all attempts by Yoda and the Jedi Council to absolve him of blame. It was his fault. He had failed. He would not fail now.
He felt the vibration of Darth Vader's feet on the steel decking moments before he saw him. A thousand memories assailed him. The anticipation was cool, sharp. Expectant not fearful. He felt an unexpected calmness radiating through him via his connection with the Force. He was at peace. Finally he had come full circle. Ben looked at the figure clad in black, the filtration system hidden inside the mask that kept his erstwhile friend alive. The harsh sound of Darth Vader's breathing was the only thing that punctuated the silence between them. Vader moved with an unconscious grace then all his movements were still as he looked at his old teacher and mentor.
"I've been waiting for you, Obi Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was the learner. Now I am the Master."
Ben felt sadness touch his heart. "Only a Master of evil, Darth." Despite the dramatic costume Vader wore, when he looked at Darth Vader all he saw was Anakin. He had been a good friend and Ben still missed him.
Cautiously they circled, lightsabers igniting then rising to their deadly ballet. The power crackled, light against dark, each vying for the weakness that would spell victory. Vader struck, his movements fluid but restrained. He was watching Ben closely, confident that he could end this at a time of his choosing. It would not hurt to see how much his old Master had remembered. Ben parried each stroke of the lightsaber with his own but made no attempt to score a fatal blow himself.
"Your powers are weak, old man."
To Vader's surprise Ben smiled then his expression became grave, a strange counterpoint to the mildness of his voice when he spoke. He sounded sad. "You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down I shall become more powerful that you can possibly imagine."
The curiosity that had held Vader back now deserted him. It was time to end this. "You should not have come back!"
They were circling each other alongside one of the open bay doors. Ben could see the Millennium Falcon on the apron, a group of stormtroopers keeping guard in front of it. He needed to distract them. He could sense the others were very close now and knew he would not get such a good opportunity again. He kept circling forcing Vader to do likewise, his intention being to draw the attention of the guards. Their lightsabers clashed and the guards looked across and saw them. They started to hurry towards them. As soon as the guards were clear of the Millennium Falcon Ben smiled to himself knowing that the others were now poised to make their dash for freedom. He looked at Vader, content. Puzzled Vader paused and watched in surprise as Ben lifted his lightsaber and held it upright just inches from his body as if in some peculiar kind of salute. As Ben closed his eyes Vader's anger flared and he swept his lightsaber in an arc to slice his enemy in two. But as the edge of the saber touched Ben's cloak, it fell empty to the ground in a soft sigh of cloth. Darth Vader looked at the fallen cloak in amazement. There was no sign of Ben Kenobi. Mistrusting the mask that covered his face, Vader took a step forward and carefully trod on the cloak as if expecting to find a body somehow hidden within the folds of the cloth but the cloak was empty. Ben's words echoed in his mind: If you strike me down I shall become more powerful that you can possibly imagine. That was when the surge of anger took him, inflaming his mind and body with the absurd notion that he had been cheated.
A sound made him turn his head. He had been oblivious to the fact that while he had been locked in combat with Ben, another conflict had been taking place out in the landing bay. Now he saw the Millennium Falcon start to rise from the landing bay as his stormtroopers hastened to set up weapons fire to stop it. Despite getting off a few shots, the ship rose and sped away. Darth Vader felt a surge of irritation as he watched the ship disappear then looked down at Ben Kenobi's cloak and felt a strange unaccustomed chill. He told himself that it was just a draft and remembered something Ben had told him a long time ago. Back in the days when he had used his Jedi name. He would always be Obi Wan Kenobi to Vader. The thought caused memories to surface that he had thought vanquished. He did not know what had happened to Ben but just for a moment, one fleeting second of human clarity, he looked out with a child's eyes and mourned the loss of a friend. The circle closed. There was no going back.
********** T H E E N D **********
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