Star Wars : Chapter 17 : The Final Time II

The audience were taken back at Vader's assault, on how he fought like a Barbarian filled with rage towards the Jedi Master. And from the looks of it, Vader had the upper hand from most part, to the frustration and admission to everyone present.

Master Yoda and Windu watched in grim faces as the Master of Soresu was was sent over the edge by the man who wiped out the Order single-handedly. The masters likewise shared the same feeling.

Anakin watched in both worry and his fear increasing at the sight, praying that Kenobi won't be another one of Vader's victims, as he already taken him away from Luke. He felt his fist tightened at seeing the Dark Lord overpowering his master, almost wanting to get there and help him.

Vader then threw his saber towards the master, missing a few meters away from his head. Walking towards him, Vader tightened his fist.

"DUCK!", Ahsoka and Anakin shouted at the same time.

The Jedi Master knew what Vader tried to do and ducked, missing his head as the red blade went back to Vader's hand, destroying a door panel to prevent him from escaping.

Picking up and re-activating his lightsaber, Obi-Wan blocked Vader's slash over his head, their blades humming.

Elsewhere, Han and Chewie had made it back to the hangar."Thought we just left this party." Han grumbled, seeing all the soldiers still in the hangar. He turned at a noise behind him to see Luke and Leia running up.

"What kept ya?"

"We, uh, ran into some old friends." Leia said, a little out of breath.

"The ship alright?" Luke asked, winded as well.

"Looks good from here." Han said, "Just need to figure out how to get to it, preferably without dying. And assuming the Old Man got the tractor beam down."

Ben and Vader's fight grew so loud, it drew the attention of the troops in the hangar, who ran over to watch. Seeing this, Han's eyes widened at his supposed change of luck.

"Now's our chance, go!" Han ordered, and the four quietly hurried into the hangar proper.

"Not without, Obi-Wan!", Anakin yelled, desperately hoping his master would still make it.

"Come on, Artoo. We're going.", Threepio told the astromech droid. Threepio and Artoo met them half-way to the ship, but then Luke saw the fight.

"Ben?"

"No! Get out of there!", Anakin cried out for his son, fearing that Vader will try and get to him.

Obi-Wan widened his eyes as he realized out what his future was planning all aoong, and he silently accepted the fate that awaited him.

Breaking the lock once more, Vader attacked Obi-Wan, who was already tired, with a series of powerful strikes that the Master managed to block but he was forced on to the ground by the Dark Lord, poised for the finishing strike.

Obi-Wan replied with an outstretched hand that forced Vader back from him. The Dark Lord merely looked at him, breathing out of his resparator while holding his red blade as Obi-Wan struggled to get up. As he did, Obi-Wan felt sudden memories coming back to him.

And muffled voices coming back them, though no one could understand.

That got the audience's attention, what were those voices. They all heard it but couldn't understand, but to what they could garner, one filled with regret, one filled with hate.

Master Yoda, Mace, Plo, Kit, Saesee, Depa, Shaak, Luminara and Mundi closed their eyes, both in mourning and of grief, knowing what is to come. Obi-Wan, likewise feeling the same of what is to come, accepted this, for the good of the galaxy and of the legacy of his brother.

Anakin, Ahsoka, Padmé, Rex, and Caleb all looked with frightened eyes for the master, with the young Jedi Knight trying to hold back his tears at his master's impending sacrifice. 

"No, just no...", he pleaded in denial, he had already seen enough of this dark future, and he couldn't bare to see Obi-Wan being taken away as well.

Ben looked over and saw Luke standing there, Han and Chewie leading Leia and the droids onto the ship. He looked back at Vader and a smile began to grace his lips, knowing he had finally done his part.

"Obi-Wan, don't do this to me...", Anakin said, feeling helpless at the sight. The same feeling when he had lost his mother coming back to him.

Memories then came back to Obi-Wan, in his arms holding the dying Duchess Satine Kryze, just as his future is now at death's doorstep. Her words flashing before him.

Remember, Obi.I love you and I always will.

He sighed, but perhaps it was for the best. And he had already done his part for Luke.

"Now, you will die!", Vader declared. Obi-Wan stepped back, dropping his defenses in some form of prayer. Vader took the chance and sliced through him at the chest, but his body disappeared, leaving a sliced robe and a lightsaber.

"NO!",Anakin and Luke shouted at the same time.

...

The troopers watching the fight turned to see Luke angrily opening fire at them. They returned fire, but missed wildly. Vader investigated the remains of Obi-Wan. He seemed to have disappeared entirely, leaving only his clothes and lightsaber and he put his foot onto Ben's robes, as a means to spit on his memory.

Anakin clenched his fist while holding back his tears. It may not be the Jedi way, but once he found this Vader before Obi-Wan does, he'll end it there once and for all. The rest also felt a pang of anger at seeing the Dark Lord eliminate one of the last remaining Jedi in existence.

"What happened to his body?", Caleb questioned curiously.

"It has something to do with becoming one with the Force. But I'm not sure how he does it.", Ki-Adi said, also curious.

Meanwhile on the Senate building, a certain Chancellor felt sudden joy while drinking his tea. "I wonder what instilled sudden joy all of a sudden?", he gleefully said out loud as he looked at the ceiling. "I might be anticipating my impending victory too much."

"Luke, come on!" Leia yelled, taking cover from the firefight.

"Blast the door, kid!" Han yelled, seeing Vader turning their way.

Luke did as requested and blasted the doors' control panel, closing and locking it in Vader's face. He took down a few more troopers before he heard a voice in his head. It was Ben.

"Run, Luke, run!" he said. He complied, boarding the Falcon as it started taking off and the ramp was raised up.

"Did he just-?", Luminara began, she was sure she had heard his voice. As did the rest of the audience.

"One with the force, Master Kenobi has.", Yoda confirmed.

"I hope the Old Man got that tractor beam out of commission," Han said as he entered the cockpit, Blake already working the controls, "Otherwise, this is gonna be one helluva short trip. Hit it!" The Falcon backed out of the hangar and flew into the void.

Chewie growled, as they put as much distance between them and the Death Star as possible.

"So far, but we're coming up on their sentry ships." Han frowned. The Falcon was a tough old bird, but he wasn't overly much of a fighter. Unfortunately, there was nothing for it. "Angle the deflector shields while I charge up the guns."

In the lounge, Luke was sitting at the game table, tears falling from his eyes. Leia walked up and put a blanket over her shoulders.

"Can't believe he's gone." he uttered.

"Me too, kid. Me too.", Anakin wholeheartedly agreed with him, wiping the last of his tears.

"But without Master Kenobi, who will train Luke now?", Ahsoka asked in worry.

The others agreed at her question. "Unless there are any Jedi left he would be lucky to ran into, I am not so sure...", Mace said.

Han came out into the lounge. "No time to cry, kid." he said. "We aren't out of the woods yet." He started to climb up a ladder. Luke followed, climbing down into a gun emplacement, while Leia ran to assist Chewie in the cockpit.

The gun was a simple four-barrel blaster turret controlled by the gunner with a headset so the gunners could coordinate.

"They have weapons installed at the ship?", Caleb wondered.

"Every smuggler ship have at least a weapon installed in case if any competitor or government starship would give chase to them.",Rex answered for him.

"All right, kid, stay sharp." Han said.

"Here they come." Leia told them as a quartet of TIE fighters flew past them.

The battle was hectic to say the least. One freighter versus four small ships designed for nothing but combat? It was hardly a contest. The first salvo came from the rear, but the freighter held up to the assault. Luke and Han fired at the smaller ships in the hopes of taking one of the bastards down, but the aiming systems on the guns were so confusing and the fighters were so fast that hitting them was mostly a crap-shoot.

"Four starfighters against a Freighter, unless if they could have an accurate shot, dealing with them is no easy task.", Plo Koon mused.

"The Force is with them, Master Plo. I hold confidence that they would be able to make it through.", Saesee Tiin assurred him.

"We lost lateral controls." Leia said after another hard hit.

"Don't worry, she'll hold together." Han assured her. Some circuits behind her overloaded. "Hear me, baby? Hold together."

Han was the first to make a kill, cheering as he watched the explosion.

"Good shot.", Rex complimented the smuggler.

"I got him! I got him!" Luke yelled up when he scored a kill a few seconds later.

"Of course you did, Luke. I'm your father!", Anakin praised the young man in front of him. The audience however, felt a sudden chill, but they couldn't tell where it come from.

"Great, kid!" Han yelled down, "Don't get cocky!"

"Down to two!" Leia reminded them.

Luke scored the third kill about a minute later. The last fighter came straight at Han. He fired non-stop until, finally, the lasers found the mark and destroyed the fighter in a multi-color explosion. Sliding back in his seat, Han left out a long sigh.

"Yeah!" Luke cheered on their success.

"They did it!" Ahsoka cheered.

On the Death Star, Tarkin stood on the bridge, watching the Falcon escape. Vader came up behind him.

"Are they away?" Tarkin asked, hearing Vader's approach.

"They've just made the jump into hyperspace." he reported.

"And you're sure the homing beacon is secure aboard their ship? This is an awfully big risk to take, Vader. It had better work, for both our sakes."

"It means that they'd have a back-up plan." Kit Fisto grumbled.

"For his many faults, Tarkin was not unintelligent." Obi-Wan said, "All his plans had contingencies, and I fear he has something hidden in his sleeve."

Han and Leia sat in the cockpit of the Falcon as it flew through hyperspace.

"Not a bad bit of rescuing, huh?" Han said with a cocky smirk, "You know, sometimes, I amaze even myself."

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