"Crossroads of the Force" [PG-13] - Chapter Nineteen
"CROSSROADS OF THE FORCE"
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LARS MOISTURE FARM, TATOOINE
One aspect of his visits to Uncle Owen’s farm that Luke has never liked was doing chores. Quite frankly, he disliked waking up in the early hours of the morning to work on the farm. Chores that included picking mushrooms from the water vaporator’s base. Which he and Leia found themselves doing on this early morning.
Words unsuited for eleven year-olds quietly streamed from Luke’s mouth before he could stop himself. Leia gasped. “What did you just say?” she demanded.
“Nothing,” Luke mumbled. “I didn’t say anything.” He knew that his twin sister disliked these chores as much as he did. But Leia had developed the fine art of hiding her dislike behind an air of self-righteous duty. Luke found her charade annoying. Secretly, he longed to master a similar façade.
A hooded figure loomed in Luke’s vision, as he briefly glanced up. A stranger. An alarm clock went off inside his mind. Both Mother and Aunt Beru had repeatedly told both Luke and Leia about their grandmother’s fate. Years ago, Shmi Skywalker had been picking mushrooms near one of the vaporators when the Sand People kidnapped her. By the time her son, Anakin, had found her, Grandmother had died.
“Leia!” Luke barked in a sharp voice. “We’ve got company!”
The eleven year-old girl peered at the stranger walking toward them. “He looks familiar.”
But Luke barely heard his sister. He grabbed her arm and tried to drag her toward the adobe-shaped homestead. “Uncle Owen!” he cried. “Someone’s coming!”
The grizzled moisture farmer emerged from the garage, carrying a blaster rifle. “Did you see who’s coming?” he asked.
“I didn’t recognize him.”
Leia added, “Well, he looks familiar to me.” Uncle Owen glanced sharply at her. He brushed past the twins to approach the stranger. Luke and Leia followed.
The stranger finally approached the trio and threw back his hood. Luke immediately recognized Uncle Owen’s neighbor, Ben Kenobi. Much to his embarrassment, Leia gave him a triumphant smirk.
Surprisingly, Uncle Owen did not seem happy to see his neighbor. “What are you doing here?” he growled.
Master Kenobi shot a brief smile at both Luke and Leia. “I do not mean to intrude, but I require your help. I . . .” He shot another glance at the twins. “Do you mind if we speak alone?”
“Why?” Uncle Owen demanded. Then he frowned at Luke and Leia. “Have you received bad news about . . .?”
Master Kenobi shook his head. “No. This has something to do with a friend. My friend . . . who had left here with Senator Organa and the children’s mother.”
“What happened to your friend?” Leia asked.
A long pause followed. Uncle Owen indicated that he and Master Kenobi step aside for a more private discussion - much to Luke’s dismay. Several minutes passed before the moisture farmer returned to the twins. “Leia, Luke . . . Master Kenobi requires a lift to Mos Eisley. Tell your aunt that I should return in time for supper.”
Mos Eisley! Luke’s mind lept at the chance for a trip to Tatooine’s bustling capital. “May I come, Uncle Owen?” he asked.
The moisture farmer sternly replied, “No! You and Leia are to stay here with your aunt and Madga. Help them do the chores around the farm.”
“But Uncle Owen!” Luke protested.
“You heard me, Luke. The answer is no. Mos Eisley is not a safe place for a young man, such as yourself. It isn’t Anchorhead.” Uncle Owen said to his neighbor, “We best leave now. I want to get back at least before dusk.” As he and Master Kenobi started to head for the garage, the farmer added, “By the way, you two, make sure that you tell your aunt where I’ve gone. I don’t want her to be unnecessarily worried.”
“Yes, Uncle Owen,” the young pair declared at the same time.
Minutes later, the two men raced away from the homestead in Uncle Owen’s landspeeder. Luke’s eyes followed them with envy. Aunt Beru, Madga and C3-P0 joined the two siblings outside. “What’s going on?” Aunt Beru asked.
Threepio answered, “It looks as if Master Owen has left, Mistress.”
Annoyance crept into Aunt Beru’s eyes, while an amused smile nearly tugged at Madga’s lips. “I’m aware of that, Threepio,” the farmer’s wife retorted. “But for where?”
“He took Master Kenobi to Mos Eisley,” Leia replied. “I think that Master Kenobi has gone to meet that friend who was with Mother and Uncle Bail.”
Concern replaced the mildly amused expression on Madga’s face. “Has this something to do with your mother?”
“I don’t think so,” Aunt Beru replied. “Leia had mentioned something about Master Kenobi’s friend.
The protocol droid commented, “Did you say . . . Master Kenobi, Mistress? That name sounds . . .”
“Threepio!” Aunt Beru barked. “I need you to communicate with the moisture vaporators in the west field.”
Threepio’s head tilted in a manner that expressed his confusion. “But Miss Beru! I thought you had wanted me to . . .”
“Later. With Owen gone, we need to see to the west fields, first,” Beru firmly insisted.
The protocol droid sighed heavily and started toward the west fields. “I will never understand humans,” he lammented loud enough for the others to hear. “So contradictory.” Luke wondered what Threepio was about to say about Master Kenobi.”
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THANI, TELOS IV
The Javian Hawk finally broke out of hyperspace just 20 parsecs from the Telos IV System. Another hour passed before Anakin guided the starship through the planet’s atmosphere and toward the capital city of Thani. Once the Hawk rolled into one of the spaceport’s hangars, Anakin turned to his co-pilot. “You might as well collect our fee from the good senator. Something tells me that she has no desire to speak to me.”
Han hesitated. Then he nodded weakly. “Yeah. Sure.”
Anakin checked the Hawk’s system carefully, in an attempt to delay leaving the cockpit. When he realized that he had nothing else to do, he slowly . . . and very reluctantly eased out of his seat and left the cockpit. To his dismay, he discovered that the two Maldarian women had not left.
“I want to convey my gratitude before leaving,” Senator Dahlma said in her most regal manner. “If it had not been for you, Captain Solo and Master Chewbacca, Igraine and I would be dead. Or in Imperial hands.”
A tight smile briefly appeared on Anakin’s lips. “It was our pleasure, Senator.”
“I doubt it,” the senator curtly replied. “I’m afraid that I can be a bit difficult. As for your fee . . . I have already compensated Captain Solo and Master Chewbacca.” She held out her hand. “Your credit chip, please.” Anakin handed over the object. After the senator deposited his fee, she returned it. “Good day, Captain . . .” She paused. “Is it still Captain Horus?”
“Yes, Milady.”
A mixture of a grimace and a smile twisted the senator’s lips. “Of course. Captain Horus. Well . . . good-bye.” She started down the Hawk’s boarding ramp. Both Han and Chewbacca followed closely, carrying her baggage.
Anakin turned to Igraine, whose eyes seemed unwilling to meet his. “Will you and Senator Dahlma be fine, here on Telos IV?”
The young woman nodded. “Yes. Senator Dahlma had made arrangement to meet a colleague from the Alliance, in case the Empire learned of her whereabouts.”
More silence fell between the two. Anakin realized that he could no longer remain silent. “Look Igraine . . . is there any chance . . .? I mean, is it possible if we could continue to remain in contact with one another?”
Green eyes lifted to meet Anakin’s. Wariness and a touch of hope filled them. “There had been stories that children had been killed during the attack on the Jedi Temple. I believe they were called younglings. Is this true?”
Anakin inhaled deeply. “Yes.”
“Oh.” Igraine briefly glanced away. Then her gaze returned to his face. “Did you . . . did you kill . . . any of them?”
Igraine’s questions brought back dark memories for Anakin. Memories of the last time he and Padme had laid eyes upon one another. And that meeting had ended with his attempt to strangle his wife. A sigh of defeat left Anakin’s mouth. “Yes,” he finally answered.
Green eyes widened in shock. Despair soon settled within them before she glanced away once more. “I see.” In a cool voice, she added, “Well . . . good-bye, Set . . . or whatever your name is.” She tried to smile and eventually gave up the attempt. Then she squared her shoulders. “Good-bye.” The Maldarian woman marched down the boarding ramp and out of Anakin’s life.
The former Jedi ruefully watched her retreating figure. “Good-bye, Milady,” he quietly murmured.
Once Igraine and Senator Dahlma had departed the hangar in a taxi transport, Anakin joined his companions at the bottom of the ramp. “The Hawk has enough anti-matter pods for one light speed jump. I figure that we can make Corellia in one day.”
“Corellia?” Han looked startled. “Why?”
“For a new ship,” Anakin replied. He noticed the uneasy expression on Han’s face. “What are you worried about? Garris Shrike has been dead for the past two years.” Anakin referred to Han’s former employer, a ruthless mercenary from whom the Corellian had ran away ten years ago.
Han sighed. “I know. But why do we need a new ship?”
“To replace the Hawk.” Han opened his mouth to protest, but Anakin continued. “We have no choice, Han. Especially with Rom . . . Rasche still alive.” He turned to Chewbacca. “By the way, you’re free of any life debt to me. In fact, you’ve been free ever since we first met.”
The Wookie regarded Anakin with an enigmatic expression. Then he growled several times. Anakin turned to Han for a translation. The Corellian said, “As you know, Chewie is well aware that you’re a former Jedi Knight. But he wants to know if you were also a Sith Lord.”
Anakin stared directly at the Wookie. “Yes, I was.”
Again, Chewbacca growled. Han translated., “He wants to know why you became one.”
After a brief hesitation, Anakin calmly answered, “Because I had thought becoming a Sith would give me the power to save someone that I loved. I was wrong. I lost her, a good friend of mine and everything else I had cared for.”
Chewbacca growled once more. “If you’re that evil,” Han translated, “why did you save me from the Imperials?”
A sigh left Anakin’s lips. “Why not? You looked like you needed help. And I used to be a slave, myself. When I was a kid on Tatooine.”
Han added, “Anakin had told me about himself when we first met. But he also he also took me in at a time when I really needed his help. So . . . I’ve been with him ever since.”
A long pause followed before Chewbacca responded with a growl. “He’s staying,” Han said. “No matter what.”
Warm relief spread within Anakin’s chest. He felt an urge to hug the Wookie out of gratitude. Instead, he placed a hand on Chewbacca’s forearm and warmly replied, “I’m glad. Welcome to the crew.” With a sigh, he added, “Now about the Hawk . . .”
“Why bother trading the Hawk for another ship?” Han scornfully retorted. “If we ever run into Rasche again, just take care of him like you did the last time.”
Anakin shot back, “May I remind you that I had a hell of a time taking care of Rasche in the first place. And I would also have to deal with his master, who happens to be a lot more powerful.”
Han grumbled, “All right. I get the picture. But can’t we at least get a room to stay the night on this piece of rock. I’m pretty tired and I haven’t had a wink of sleep since yesterday.”
Anakin hesitated. The idea of being in the same vicinity as the dark-haired, green-eyed Igraine popped into his head. “We still got time to make for the nearest system before the end of the day. But . . . I see no reason to get a bite to eat before stacking up on supplies. Do you?”
Han and Chewbacca agreed to the suggestion. Before long, the two humans and the Wookie left the hangar and merged into the streets of Thani.
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ALDERA, ALDERAAN
Upon his arrival on Alderaan, Obi-Wan disembarked from the freighter transport and was surprised to find a familiar figure waiting for him near one of the landing platforms at Aldera’s spaceport. “Captain Antilles,” the former Jedi Master greeted. “It is good to see you again after so many years.”
The royal liaison smiled warmly. “Master Kenobi, welcome to Alderaan. I only wish that your visit had to do more pleasant circumstances.”
The two men headed for a nearby shuttle. “How is he?” Obi-Wan continued. “How is Master Olin?”
Antilles gave his head a rueful shake. “Barely hanging on, I’m afraid. It is curious. With such a wound, Master Olin should have been dead by now. Perhaps he is getting better.”
That remained to be seen. However, Obi-Wan kept his dark thoughts to himself. The shuttle conveyed the two men toward Alderaan’s seat of power - Aldera Palace. To Obi-Wan’s surprise, the shuttle did not land near the palace. Instead, it settled down upon an expansive green lawn that stretched between a wide lagoon and a two-story villa. “Where are we?” Obi-Wan demanded.
“The family’s private villa,” Antilles replied. “Guests of the Royal Family sometimes stay here. Or Her Majesty and His Highness sometimes use it for privacy. Senator Amidala and her children had lived here for nearly a year.”
The two men disembarked from the shuttle. Captain Antilles led the former Jedi inside the spacious villa. There they found three very anxious people inside a waiting room - Senator Organa, Padme and a tall, thin-faced woman in a modest dress. The senator turned away from the others to greet his new guest. “Master Kenobi, it is good to see you.” He shook the other man’s hand. Obi-Wan could see the anxiety gleaming in his dark eyes. “I am sorry to summon you like this, but Master Olin had requested your presence.”
“Captain Antilles has informed me that Ferus is . . . barely hanging on?” Obi-Wan asked.
Bail sighed. “It is a miracle that he is still alive.” Obi-Wan’s eyes fell upon a slightly opened door. As he started toward it, the Alderaanian prince stopped him. “I had come here to deliver news for Padme, you might as well know. I had just received word from one of my colleagues in the Alliance - Garm Iblis. All of those who had been at Ord Mantell for the conference had escaped.”
“Thank goodness,” Padme declared with a sigh. “Including Zoebeida?”
Obi-Wan frowned. “Whom?”
“Senator Zoebeida of Maldare. She was amongst those present at the conference,” Padme explained.
“What does this have to do with Ferus?”
Both Bail and Padme revealed the incident leading toward their departure from Ord Mantell. Obi-Wan was shocked to learn that not only was Darth Rasche present on the planet, but his former apprentice, as well. “Anakin? Anakin was there?”
Padme sighed. “As Senator Dahlma’s pilot. Rasche must have caught up with Zoebeida before he and Anakin fought. Master Olin tried to join in the fight - help Anakin, I mean - but he was shot by the Imperials.” She turned to Senator Organa. “You said that Zoebeida had managed to escape. Did Anakin, as well? Or . . . did someone else helped her escape?”
Senator Organa shook his head. “I’m sorry, Milady. I have no idea. But . . .” Obi-Wan held his breath. “. . . according to Garm, Lord Rasche had returned to Coruscant. Alive.”
“Oh no!”
“It’s not as bad as you might think,” the prince continued. “Garm also informed me that one of his spies had spotted Lord Rasche being carried into the Imperial Surgical Reconstruction Center with two missing hands.”
Padme whispered, “Anakin.”
Obi-Wan found himself conflicted by several emotions that include shock that Anakin had fought Lord Rasche, disappointment that his former apprentice had failed to kill the Sith Lord and relief that he might still be alive. Then Obi-Wan remembered . . . Ferus. “Pardon me, Your Highness, but about Ferus . . .”
The woman, who stood near Organa and Padme spoke up. “He is in the other room.” She nodded toward the opened door. “I only hope that he is still alive.”
The gloomy comments irked Obi-Wan, as he and Padme made their way into the other room. They found a badly wounded Ferus, stretched out on a wide bed, inside a large bedroom. The younger man’s face resembled pale parchment paper, leading Obi-Wan to surmise that Ferus was at death’s door.
“Good heavens!” The former Jedi Master rushed to his colleague’s bedside. “Ferus!” He sat next to the younger man and leaned forward to brush aside a few strands of hair from Ferus’ damp forehead. “How do you feel, Ferus?” Then he shook his head in self-admonishment. “What am I saying? You must feel horrible right now. But you will get better. You’ve managed to last this long.”
A sad smile touched Ferus’ dry lips. “I believe we both . . . know the truth, Obi-Wan,” the other man said between heavy breaths. Wide-eyed, Obi-Wan stared at him. “I won’t . . . won’t last very . . . long. I . . . used the Force to sta . . . stay alive . . . this long. Because I . . . wanted to see . . . you.”
“Don’t say that, Ferus. There is still a chance that . . .”
Ferus interrupted. “I saw . . . Anakin. On . . . well . . . I saw him.”
Obi-Wan nodded. “Yes, Senator Amidala had informed me. It’s possible that he may have seriously wounded Lord Rasche.”
“I know . . . know about . . . him. That . . . he was Va . . . Vader. We had a . . .”
“Please Ferus,” Obi-Wan pleaded. “Not now. Now is not the time to brood over unpleasantness.”
A slight, despairing laugh escaped from Ferus’ mouth. “Oh Obi-Wan. It’s too late . . . for me. Anakin . . . and Ro . . . Romu . . . lus . . . they were not . . . the only ones who-who-who . . . made . . .”
Made what? Obi-Wan regarded Ferus with wary eyes. “I don’t understand. What are you trying to say, Ferus?”
A long pause followed before Ferus answered. Obi-Wan listened in horror, as the other man haltingly revealed some very disturbing facts about his past. Apparently, Ferus had lied about the fate of his friend, Roan Lands. The latter had been killed at the hands of Darth Rasche. And Ferus ended up making a deal with Emperor Palpatine to get his revenge.
The news shook Obi-Wan to his core. “Why . . . why would you make such a deal, Ferus?”
The other man groaned in pain before he continued, “I . . . I wanted Rasche to pay for Roan . . . Roan’s death. I . . .” Shame crept into his golden brown eyes. “I never told . . . told Anakin this, but the Emperor . . . he . . .”
Dreading Ferus’ next words, Obi-Wan demanded harshly, “What about him?”
According to Ferus, Emperor Palpatine had offered to continue the younger man’s training with the Force. “To learn the . . . the ways of the Dark . . . Side.” He gasped. “To make me . . . make me strong enough . . . to face . . . face Rasche.”
“Oh no! No, Ferus!” The words came out of Obi-Wan’s mouth before he could stop himself. Ferus’ story appalled him on a level that he had not experienced since Anakin’s betrayal of the Jedi. To think that a stalwart and dependable man like Ferus would ever sell himself to the Sith in order to see revenge saddened him. And horrified him at the same time.
Ferus grabbed Obi-Wan’s robe. “But I didn’t . . . did not . . . remain . . . with the Emperor. I acted as a double agent . . . against him . . . at the same time.” Before long, Ferus realized that his desire for revenge was putting him in a dangerous position. He disappeared from sight and made his way to Alderaan for sanctuary. “I thought I had let go . . . you see. Let go of . . . of my desire for . . . revenge.” He sighed. “But when I saw Rasche again . . . I was . . .” A low, harsh laugh escaped from his mouth. “I certainly paid . . . paid the price . . . price this time.” He gasped slightly, before emitting a long, dry sigh.
Obi-Wan frowned. “Ferus? Are you . . .?” He stared at the younger man. Golden brown eyes devoid of any life stared back.
“I was about to get a glass of water for him,” Padme’s voice softly commented. “I guess he will no longer require it.” Obi-Wan glanced up at the former senator from Naboo, who stood on the other side of the bed. “I’m afraid he is no longer with us, Obi-Wan.”
The former Jedi Master sighed. “Yes. Yes, you are . . .” He broke off, fearful of the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him.
Concern flickered in Padme’s eyes. “Are you all right?”
Slowly, Obi-Wan took a deep breath. He allowed himself one last glance at the young man who had once been Siri Tachi’s ideal apprentice. His Siri. Only Ferus had become someone entirely different. Someone more complex. And now, both Ferus . . . and Siri were gone. Obi-Wan sighed and slowly stood up. “I am quite . . .”
Where had we gone wrong? The question spun within Obi-Wan’s mind, over and over again. He had viewed Ferus Olin as one of the Jedi’s last chances to revive the Order - to ensure that it had not died a devastating death in the aftermath of the Purge. Instead, Ferus compromised the Jedi ideals to form a questionable alliance with the Emperor . . . in order to avenge a friend’s death. Siri’s former apprentice managed to finally break away from that dark alliance. But the desire for revenge had remained. And it finally led to a slow and painful death for the younger man.
And how did Palpatine managed to do it? In the course of twenty years or so, the Sith Lord ended up corrupting a Jed Master, a former padawan and two Jedi Knights - Count Dooku, Ferus Olin, Romulus Wort and of course, Anakin. What did that tell him about the Jedi Order and its teachings from the past millennium?
Padme’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Obi-Wan?”
“I’m fine. Really,” Obi-Wan managed to say. “I need . . . I need some air.” He made his way toward the bedroom’s balcony. It overlooked a magnificent view of the royal grounds. In the far distance, loomed snow-peaked mountains. Unfortunately, the view failed to eliminate his dark thoughts. Perhaps he simply needed to be alone. For a while.
As the former Jedi opened his mouth to speak, Padme said, “If you would excuse me, Obi-Wan, I need to speak to Captain Sen. About our trip back to Tatooine.” She quietly left the room, leaving Obi-Wan alone with his thoughts and memories.
END OF CHAPTER NINETEEN