Chapter Text
Heyooo! This entire fic is based on this Tumblr post :3
Chapter 1; Not As It Was
“–Let’s get a move on. We’ve got a battle to win.”
“Yes, Sir.”
They were almost there. Just the final stretch– the blow they dealt to the Separatists that very day should have been enough to finally end this entire war.
It should have been over.
They should have won.
“Blast him!”
The rock beside him got the brunt of the impact as blaster bolts were shot at him.
The beast lost its grip on the stone, then it died.
They both fell.
Wind and the heat of blaster bolts rushing past him as he fell off the side of the cliff he had been trying to climb.
Darkness washed over him. The Force– the Light started to dim.
Then he plunged into the cold water below.
It happened quickly– as if a switch was flicked in an instance. One moment, General Obi-Wan Kenobi was having a mid-battle conversation with his trusted Commander, the next that same Commander ordered his death.
And his Commander was not the only one to do so either.
Jedi died at the hands of the men they had trusted for years. Their betrayal came out of nowhere– Anakin’s betrayal…
Obi-Wan questioned it over and over.
His failure– his inability to see just how far Anakin had fallen and the Darkness that had surrounded the Chancellor– had a large part in the Fall of the Republic and the Massacre of the Jedi Order.
“This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. ”
Darkness seeped out of the Temple. Lifeless bodies lined the Halls, signs of battle scorched the Temple.
“I regret to report that both the Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place.”
Death surrounded them.
“This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi.”
Because a lot of them died. Obi-Wan could feel it in the Force.
“Trust in the Force.”
Even if it felt impossible right now.
“Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed.”
You will be slaughtered if you try.
“And our future is uncertain.”
If there was even a future to speak about.
As scattered and broken as the Order was right now… There was little left to be salvaged or recovered.
“We will each be challenged.”
Force, Obi-Wan hated that he phrased it so politically– challenged was an understatement.
“Our trust…”
Trust no one.
There is no one left to truly be trusted.
“Our faith…”
The Force unabandoned them– the Light unable to provide aid as it was swallowed by Darkness.
“Our friendships…”
Anakin. Traitor. He attacked the Temple.
The Clones. Traitors. They were killing the Jedi.
Cody...
Traitor.
“But we must persevere.”
It felt hypocritical considering how much Obi-Wan wished to throw in the towel.
“And in time, a new hope will emerge.”
Though when that new hope will be there…
They would most likely be gone.
“May the Force be with you…” The familiar sentence felt like ash in Obi-Wan’s mouth. “Always.”
Obi-Wan laughed to himself bitterly as he remembered what he had said years ago.
5 years have passed.
5 long years on Tatooine, in exile.
The last place anyone would look for him.
At first, Sidious had put out a bounty– at least, that is the word on the market place in Mos Eisley. It was hard to get up to date information about the Galaxy as far removed as they were.
Eventually, word of General Kenobi’s death reached them.
It was news to Obi-Wan, since he was still alive and kicking, but he saw the merritt in the scheme to claim his head. Diminish what hope was out there. Erase one of the symbols of the ‘perfect Jedi’ from history all together.
Probably for the best since whatever manhunt they must have pulled didn’t work seeing as Obi-Wan had rarely seemed a trooper on Tatooine.
The last time Obi-Wan saw one, they had changed the armour they wore. No sign of the colours that once marked which battalion the trooper belonged to, and they were not just cloned below those emotionless buckets anymore– it seemed that they had started recruiting others too.
Obi-Wan had avoided them like the plague and quickly made his way back into the Jundland Wastes.
They didn’t dare go into the desert– not with the dangers the sandy dunes held.
“Uncle Ben?”
That little Light.
Obi-Wan turned to the 5-year old as he all but collapsed against him. “What is it, dear?”
“You feel sour again.” The boy pouted.
Things hadn’t gone to plan when Obi-Wan showed up to Owen’s doorstep.
In fact, they had gone so poorly that Obi-Wan was left alone in the middle of a desert, carrying a baby and lacking any supplies or shelter to keep the boy safe.
Owen had refused Obi-Wan when he asked the man to take Luke into his care, cursing Obi-Wan out as he explained that Anakin couldn’t take care of the boy. It was a miracle the man hadn’t punched him– Owen’s anger had been suffocating. Not even his wife could calm him down so Obi-Wan was quick to take his leave and vanish into the cold and dark desert.
It took a lot of hard work– to care for a baby in the harsh conditions of Tatooine but Obi-Wan had managed.
“Sorry.” Obi-Wan muttered, allowing the boy to climb into his lap and bury himself into his arms. “Just feeling a little nostalgic today.”
Luke’s birthday held a lot of weight after all.
Obi-Wan had given him some small gifts– they couldn’t afford much but what credits Obi-Wan could spare were invested into toys and educational items for the boy.
“About papa and mama?”
Smart boy, “Amongst others, yes.” Obi-Wan agreed. He hadn’t lied to the boy– he kept some things to himself to spare the boy from trying to understand the complicated situation but he never lied.
The boy knew about his parents, Obi-Wan told him stories about them. About his parents, and his sister who he couldn’t be with for the time being. About his Padawan years and some of the fonder memories Obi-Wan held. He knew his parents were dead and he knew that hurt Obi-Wan.
“They would have been proud of you,” Obi-Wan muttered, pressing a soft kiss on top of the boy’s blond hair.
“Story?”
Obi-Wan smiled, despite his grief and heartache. “What would you like to hear?”
—------
They rarely stepped foot into Mos Espa.
Obi-Wan was afraid the locals would see the resemblance Luke had with his late father and connect the dots so they mostly kept to smaller settlements.
However, from time to time, Obi-Wan was in need to scrap parts to fix some of their belongings and they were forced to make the long trip. Either that, or he went to sell scrap that he had found in the Wastes. No one went out that far so the desert was filled with scrap that could be sold for a decent price.
Today was one of those days.
They got to town in the early hours of the morning, Obi-Wan preferred travelling when it was dark. It was dangerous but Obi-Wan was used to dangerous situations and honestly preferred a fight over having to deal with curious locals.
He knew they called him Crazy Ben, and he knew the rumours about the child he kept by his side. If he could ignore them, he would continue to do so.
When Obi-Wan first got to Tatooine he had asked his Master why he picked Mos Espa out of all the other ports on the planet. Mos Eisley was bigger and easier to hide amongst the crowd– a strategy Obi-Wan himself was fond of– but his Master replied that Mos Espa mostly consisted of moisture farms, a few indigenous tribes and scavengers.
He had called it a haven for those who wish not to be found.
And it was true. He hardly had any trouble with the locals and if he did he could easily resolve it. News hardly reached the outpost and vice versa.
Luke seemed excited for their trip. It had been a long time since they had been– well over a year– so the boy could hardly wait to see the town again.
He slept during the way there– as Obi-Wan encouraged since it was a long trip and he would hate to have the boy not sleep for two nights in a row– and woke just before they reached the outpost.
“Can I play with the others?”
Luke had made some friends during their last stay in town– they were only there for a day but Luke was very sociable despite their isolation and easily made new friends.
Obi-Wan hesitated, “We will see…” He replied.
On the one hand, playing with his peers would be good for the boy, on the other hand, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but feel protective over the boy and hesitated to let him run around the outpost by himself while he did their errand run.
It was a small outpost and it would be easy if they remained in the market, where Obi-Wan could still keep an eye on the boy but if they ran off or Obi-Wan needed to head elsewhere then it could get complicated.
They arrived in the early hours but the outpost was already up and about. Tatooine’s suns ensured that the afternoon was usually spent somewhere indoors and market stalls usually paused business until the suns had past their highest point so they started early and usually left late.
Luke’s hand was in Obi-Wan’s as they moved over the market together.
A small tug at his arm caught Obi-Wan’s attention as he peered down from below his hood at Luke. Luke was looking off to the other end of the market were a group of kids was playing some game with throwing stones.
The question went unasked but was more than clear.
Obi-Wan kneeled next to Luke, “You can play, as long as you stay in the market and within my line of sight. Remember what that means?”
“I need to be able to see you so you can see me.” Luke recounted, excitement bubbling up in the boy, “I need to find you if something feels off and if you call me over immediately.”
“That’s right.” Obi-Wan nodded, “I will be on the market for a while. If you lose sight of me at any point you know how to let me know and where our meet-up point is– can you tell me where you need to go if you lose sight of me?”
Luke pointed at the building on the other end of the market, “The Cantina. I need to tell them my uncle will be picking me up.”
“Don’t forget to use my name, Luke.” Obi-Wan added, “Uncle Ben from the Jundland Wastes.”
He did have a bit of a reputation.
Obi-Wan was called Crazy Ben by many but there was a reason beyond his living arrangements in the Jundland Wastes. When he first got here he had made it clear that he shouldn’t be messed with. Someone had suggested Luke would raise a lot of money on the slave market, Obi-Wan had not liked the suggestion and egged the man into a fistfight– one the man didn’t walk away from without some permanent injuries.
They left them alone after that, knowing that it was not worth it and fearing what Obi-Wan would be capable of if anyone looked at Luke the wrong way.
“Okay,” Luke was clever, he was a quick learner and Obi-Wan trusted him to understand the importance of following the rules.
“Go have fun,” Obi-Wan smiled as Luke cheered and headed off to join the small group of children. He kept his eyes on them as Luke said hi and asked about their game. The other kids seemed hesitant at first but quickly warmed up to Luke. The boy had an immense amount of natural charisma.
Once Obi-Wan was sure Luke was playing with the group, he turned to start with his list of errants, making sure to glance into Luke’s direction every so often.
He could feel the boy in the Force, excited and happy to be playing a new game, and kept his senses open to danger or a change in emotion while he bargained with some of the locals to either up the price of the scrap he was selling or lower the price of supplies he was buying.
As morning passed and the afternoon came around, Obi-Wan moved to find some shade as many of the others and settled near the cantina.
In all honesty, Obi-Wan was finished with the errands he needed to do on the market but Luke was still playing and Obi-Wan didn’t want to pull him away yet. Instead he sat at one of the outside tables the cantina offered and ordered something small to drink so they wouldn’t kick him out.
While it was not the purpose of sitting down for a while, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but overhear something that peaked his interest.
“–yeah so they have new leadership, again. Word it those troopers took over but who is to say.” They sat a few seats away from Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan had his back towards them but he could hear their conversation perfectly.
“What? The ones that fought the war few years back?”
“Uhuh,” The other hummed, “And guess what– they are claiming the entire war was a hoax or sumthing, they say those monk-beings weren’t the bad guys after all. Who knows, I remember them shooting them down.”
Obi-Wan froze.
“You don’t say.”
“Truly– I have a cousin who has a friend who has a sister that works in the core– they are undoing that Empire thing, something about the Republic reforming from what I heard.”
The first thought Obi-Wan had upon hearing that was ‘trap’ but the Force seemed to disagree which honestly felt worse than the idea of it being a trap.
“Dun’t tell me they’re changing the currency again– first time was annoying enough.” The other gruffed. “That senate never made proper decisions and it took ages for sumthing to happen.”
“Ehh, who knows,” The first shrugged, “I think they weren’t bringing that system back but I got no clue about politics. All I heard is that the Emperor is gone and those troopers have been running the place for about half a year now. They work much quicker than the senate from what I heard. Got support too– like from planetary leaders and all that kriff.”
“What, like overthrowing the Empire?”
Troopers in charge.
The Clones? They said the ones that fought in the war. The Clones did.
Had they staged a coup?
Obi-Wan felt his heart race as his thoughts went wild.
“Exactly like that.” The first hummed, “That Monk religion thing, they made it legal again.”
Being a Jedi was no longer illegal.
This had to be a trap.
Force, Obi-Wan needed to put a stop to this before survivors– if there were any– headed back to the core to see the situation themselves.
Obi-Wan had to warn them and–
A tug at his sleeve broke him away from his panic. “Uncle Ben?” Luke’s innocent eyes peered up at Obi-Wan, “Danger?”
He must have scared the boy in his panic. “We are going on a trip.” Obi-Wan blurted out before even thinking twice. This could be the most impulsive thing Obi-Wan had done since keeping Luke in his care rather than handing him off to Owen.
“Where?” Luke tilted his head but Obi-Wan had already taken his hand and gently guided him to the other side of Mos Espa where a space port with ships was located.
—--------
Hours later, Luke was staring out of the window of the small starfighter Obi-Wan had bought. The only one that didn’t need fixing before they could leave. It was a crappy piece of scrap and Obi-Wan prayed to the Force it would survive the journey all the way to Coruscant.
Luke had been confused when Obi-Wan gently explained that they needed to make sure others like them wouldn’t get hurt by walking into a trap and didn’t really understand why they needed to pack up their belongings and leave Tatooine.
He didn’t complain because his dream of going into space like Uncle Ben’s stories was finally coming true. Obi-Wan watched the wonder in the boy’s eyes as they broke through the atmosphere and hovered in space for a moment while Obi-Wan remembered the coordinates to Coruscant.
The boy shivered, making Obi-Wan wrap his arms and the ends of his outer robes around the boy to keep him a little warmer.
Anxiety settled in.
Had he acted too fast?
After hearing the rumours in the cantina, Obi-Wan had decided to get a faster vehicle and travel to Mos Eisley for more information.
It brought more questions than it answered.
Yes, the Emperor was gone according to the rumours, but the Republic wasn’t back. There were troopers involved and apparently being a Jedi was no longer outlawed nor where they hunted but there was no Jedi there to confirm if this was actually the case.
The rumours were not facts– Obi-Wan couldn’t believe any of this– but the fact that there were rumours meant that something did happen to cause the rumours sprouting in the first place.
So, against his better judgement, Obi-Wan and Luke were currently enroute to Coruscant.
For the first time since– that day…
The trip took a few days, meaning they took plenty of stops in random small space ports along the way.
The closer they got to the core, the more nervous and on edge Obi-Wan became. Especially considering that Obi-Wan had spotten Stormtroopers– except they weren’t the white armoured kind– they wore Clone Trooper colours.
Obi-Wan didn’t know if that was worse or better compared to the alternative.
Rumours became different as well– whether it was positive or not was up for debate. Obi-Wan just kept the five-year-old in his care close and made sure he knew to stay away from them.
For better or worse, answers would be on Coruscant and there were still allies on the planet that could provide insight on the matter.
Somewhere in the midcore, their starfighter gave up on them but Obi-Wan felt pressure to be on his way quickly– meaning he abandoned the ship in favour of public transport for the last leg of the journey.
Luke was delighted– especially because of the attention he got onboard the vessel. Others adored the boy, cooing at him and playing games with him to pass the time while his ‘grumpy uncle’– as some of the other passengers had dubbed him– kept his features hidden in the shadow of the hood of his robes.
At least Luke was having fun. Between the attention and star gazing, he was more than happy to sleep on top of Obi-Wan and hide against him to keep the bright overhead lights out of his eyes.
When the long trip was over, Obi-Wan had to wait for Luke to say bye to all of his new friends before he could even attempt to coax the boy further into the space port.
He was familiar with this one in particular, he had been there many times in his Padawan days. Qui-Gon Jinn– Force rest his soul– had a tendency to leave him behind whenever he was occupied with ‘following the Force’ rather than taking care of his Padawan. It meant that on many occasions, Obi-Wan was forced to take public interplanetary transport back to Coruscant.
Call it old habits but in his haze– a haze created from nervousness, concern and sleepless nights due to space travel– Obi-Wan got onto the transport line that went from the space port directly to the Senate district where the Temple was located.
He only realised his immense blunder when he spotted white armour decorated with dark blues and found himself holding his breath.
His grip on Luke, who was peering out of the window in awe as the big city planet flashed by, tightened as he pulled a notice-me-not around the two of them. The Clone troopers seemed to be occupied with speaking to one another and hardly noted anyone on the train– it was filled to the brim with all sorts of beings so it was hard to see everyone– but it set Obi-Wan on edge regardless.
He was more than glad to mingle with the crowd as they got off the train and headed to the Temple.
This felt reckless but the Force hadn’t tugged on Obi-Wan as much in years so his better judgement crumbled once again.
He rounded the corner towards the square right in front of the Temple– it was different than before because there had never been a square in front of the Temple.
Obi-Wan froze in place the moment he looked up.
A rectangle square had been constructed in front of the Temple, leading up the tall steps. It looked close to a part, patches of grass, bushes and flowers decorating the place as well as twelve statues near the Temple steps situated in the shape of a circle.
Luke snapped him out of it once more as he demanded to walk himself and grabbed onto Obi-Wan’s hand. Obi-Wan let the boy and the Force pull him along, Obi-Wan crossed the large square, keeping away from other beings and walking up to the statues.
His eyes observed the large statues one by one.
Plo Koon, Mace Windu, Kit Fisto– they were all Councillors during the War.
Obi-Wan stood in front of the statues as tears welled up in his eyes.
He hadn’t seen them in a long time and these statues looked exactly like them. From facial features and expression down to the way they were seated– as if they were in a regular Council meeting.
“Uncle Ben!” Luke gasped as he tore his hand away from Obi-Wan and ran from his side.
Panicking, Obi-Wan turned to call after Luke but his scolding never left his tongue as his jaw dropped.
Luke had run to the other side of the circle of statues and was standing in front of one in particular.
“Look Uncle Ben! It’s–” Obi-Wan leaped to the boy and covered his mouth before he could say anything else.
“Yes, I see, it’s General Kenobi.” He hoped the beings whose attention was drawn towards them would move on quickly. “But try not to shout, Luke, alright?”
The boy frowned, “But no, that’s–”
“I know.” Obi-Wan gently cut him off. “I can see that.”
His eyes left the boy to observe the statue of himself.
It looked terrible.
His features were as precisely sculpted as that of the other late Councillors. Except where they all looked serious, there was a tiny grin on the statue’s face. His eyes were sharp in the way they had been whenever he won an argument or pulled off a seemingly impossible task.
He looked happy.
Surely Obi-Wan didn’t look like that.
And the way he was sitting– ridiculous.
The other statues were sitting upright in the almost unnatural way Jedi Master sat but Obi-Wan’s version had one of his legs resting on top of his knee while one of his hands brushed past his beard.
Not exactly a flattering image at all.
Luke, who had once again escaped Obi-Wan’s gentle hold, hopped to the foot of the statue and peered at the plaque. “ ‘Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Co– coun– .” The boy read, stuttering a little as he tried to pronounce ‘Councillor’.
Obi-Wan stood beside him to read the rest of the thing. He helped the boy read,
“‘ Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi
Councillor of the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars
The Negotiator
Jedi High General of the 212th Attack Battalion - Commanding Officer of the 7th Sky Corps - Leader of the Ghost Company ’”
Swallowing thickly, Obi-Wan moved to look at the text below which spoke about his life at the Temple and Padawan career but mostly about his achievements in battle.
“Story?” Luke all but demanded, clearly noticing that Obi-Wan had not read the other text.
“Another time.” Obi-Wan replied, coaxing Luke away from the statue.
“What does Ne–negotitor mean?” Luke asked as he looked back to the statues they were leaving behind.
“Negotiator.” Obi-Wan corrected. “It means to speak with others in order to agree on something. Like when you want to stay up longer and try to convince me of the merits of doing so in order for me to agree with you.”
The boy giggled at the accusation, “So I am Negotitor too?”
“You might be in due time.” Obi-Wan couldn’t help but smile despite the confusion and appalment he felt at the idea of having a statue of him in front of what used to be the Temple.
That was certainly not Sidious’ doing.
He would rather burn the galaxy down than put Obi-Wan on a pedestal for all to see. There was no way in kriffing hell that the man had made a statue of any of the Councillors, even if that would serve whatever trap this was.
Not to mention Yoda’s statue– there was simply no way.
What is going on?
Obi-Wan found himself heading for the Temple before stopping and changing their direction.
He didn’t want to go there. He couldn’t spring the trap now. Not with Luke at his side. He needed someone to take care of Luke and extract him to Alderaan if all else failed.
Luckily for them, Obi-Wan just knew the man for the job.
They walked from the Senate and Temple district towards the lower levels.
The last Obi-Wan heard was the fact that Dex Jettster had gone underground. He had been a vital piece in the escape of a lot of Temple Younglings, helping Jedi to flee Coruscant during the Purge.
Obi-Wan had gone to see the man himself but only found the rubbles of where his Diner had once stood.
One of Dex’s allies had spotted Obi-Wan and pressed him to leave the Planet– something he would be doing regardless of the warning– and told him that Dex was alive but that he had fled when the 501st attacked his Diner because of his loyalty to the Jedi.
It would be a reach to think that Obi-Wan could easily find him but Obi-Wan did know a little about Dex’s less-than-legal operations and he did know where some of those locations were. If he could find Dex, he could ensure Luke’s passage to Alderaan– to Bail and Breha and Luke’s sister, Leia.
As they walked, Obi-Wan became acutely aware of a group of Troopers that were walking on the same street they were walking– heading in the opposite direction. They would cross paths soon.
Obi-Wan lowered his head, his hood providing a shadow. Luke, blissfully unaware of the potential threat heading their way, skipped while holding Obi-Wan’s hand, brabbling about how fun this excursion was.
For a moment, Obi-Wan could swear that he recognised the Force Signature of some of the Clones, but that was impossible because those Signatures were gone the moment they had started shooting at him.
Still, it felt too real to have been a ghost-sense in the Force and Obi-Wan liked to believe his abilities had not slipped that much. He had tried to keep his connection with the Force strong but it was hard with the Darkness looming and the Light being hunted down.
He could feel eyes on him and Luke as they passed the troopers.
It took everything in him not to run, attack or otherwise give himself away. Obi-Wan had to trust that the notice-me-not around them was ample protection and until the opposite was proven would not be the one to make the first move.
Despite the gazes that brushed past them, the trooper made no move to approach or call out to them so Obi-Wan kept his gaze stubbornly forwards as they passed the group.
They seemed in a jovial mood, like they were partying.
Concerns for later.
For now, he needed to find his old friend.
—-------
Obi-Wan: *Hears rumours about the Empire being overtaken by Clones* ( º - º )
Obi-Wan: That had to be a trap.
Obi-Wan: I must stop them from luring Jedi back. ( •̀ - •́ )
Luke & Obi-Wan: *Scoping out the Temple square that had not existed 5 years ago*
Luke: *Wide eyed* Look! It’s– (OヮO)
Obi-Wan: *Also wide eyes* –This war General I have definitely told you about! hehe (* ° - ° *)
Others overhearing: ಠಿ_ಠ
Obi-Wan: *While looking at the statue* That looks nothing like me! (｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡)
Statue: *Is an exact replica of Obi-Wan* (¬‿´¬) *✰
Obi-Wan: Not even a bit of resemblance to be found! (¬ –´¬)
Everyone: (╹ -╹)?