Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

The pyre flickered white, red and orange, sending sparks into the night sky of the rebel base.

Finn stood vigil, tears running freely down his face, shimmering in the firelight.

Poe didn’t know how to comfort him except to stand beside him in silence.  His relationship with Rey had been different, difficult.  He had been grateful, impressed at her skills, but never bowled over by her light because he’d been too conscious how easy it would be to melt into her shadow, and he had too much ego for that.

Her death was an unwelcome shock.

She’d returned from her trip to Tatooine with a fever that wouldn’t heal, already delirious.  The medics had tried everything, but nothing had worked and a scant three standard days later, she was gone.  Her eyes opening one last time, a name on her lips which had hurt Finn as surely as a blaster hit to the heart.

Sometimes the will of the Force was thoroughly cruel, Poe thought.

Of course, Poe was saddened at her death, grieving at the loss of someone who had in the end turned into a good friend, an ally and comrade.  But he was more concerned what her death meant for Finn. 

It was morning when Finn finally turned away from the pyre.  Light was breaking over the treeline in a thin strip, chasing after the twilight and the stars that hung above it.

Poe followed him back to the Falcon, BB8 at his heels.  Chewie was already aboard, puttering in the cockpit.  Finn made his way to Rey’s bunk, dug into the drawers beside it and pulled out large old books which made Poe shiver.

Finn sat heavily on the bunk, the books on his knees, his hand resting lightly on the top of the uppermost.

Poe sat beside him, BB8 silent at his feet.

“They’re not for me,” Finn said eventually.  “She was the last.”

Poe placed his hand on Finn’s shoulder.  “If that’s what you want.”  He knew Finn had never confessed to Rey about his sensitivity to the Force before her death. 

Finn stroked a hand across the cover of the book.  “The Sith and the Jedi are gone.  There is only the Force and the Force is with me.”

“Us,” Poe corrected as he squeezed Finn’s shoulder gently.  “The Force is with us.”

Finn turned to look at him, eyes still damp with grief, but resolution solidifying in their dark depths.  “Us.”

They lingered a moment longer, a beat of a heart, a breath between them.

“Come on,” Poe said gruffly, “the galaxy won’t fix itself.”  They were still rebuilding and Rey’s death, the death of the last Jedi, had shaken their efforts.

Finn offered a rueful grimace but nodded.  The books went back into the drawer.  Perhaps they would be found by someone else strong in the Force, perhaps they would never be found.

o-O-o

“This cannot be the end,” Master Qui-Gon stated as though it was fact rather than simply his opinion.

Obi-Wan almost rolled his eyes at his old Master because of course Qui-Gon would rail against the outcome since it wasn’t the one he wanted.  He pushed his hands into the folds of his sleeves to affect a semblance of calm. 

A number of Force ghosts were gathered around the smouldering pyre of ash.  On the other side, Obi-Wan watched as Ben gathered Rey into his arms and kissed her much to the delight of the hovering Skywalker twins.  It amused Obi-Wan that most of the Force Ghosts appeared as their younger selves whereas he was always as he was when Vader had struck him down.

“Gone the Sith and Jedi are,” Yoda intoned on the other side of Qui-Gon.  “Balance, there is.”

“That cannot be what was meant by balance!” Qui-Gon said furiously. 

Yoda hummed.  “Resentment you feel,” he said with a hint of a mischievous glimmer in his eyes, “Favoured Anakin Skywalker, you did, but Chosen One he is not; sand fly, Chosen one is.”

Anakin spluttered out a soft laugh beside Obi-Wan.  His eyes met Obi-Wan’s alight with shared amusement at Yoda’s teasing of Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon gave Yoda a disgusted look.  “A sand fly does not have midichlorians!”

Yoda lifted an ear.  “Know this for fact, do you?” He turned away from Qui-Gon.  “Matters not.  Midichlorians part of the prophecy, are not.”  

“Besides,” Anakin said softly, “you know how I got mine and prophecy had nothing to do with it.”

Qui-Gon shot Anakin a betrayed look and faded from view, disappearing back into the Force to wander.  There was a lingering sense of frustration in his wake that had Obi-Wan frowning.

“Disappointed, he is,” Yoda commented quietly.

“Angry more like,” Anakin corrected dryly. “Personally, I’m very happy not to be the Chosen One.” He tucked a lock of curly hair back behind his ear.

Yoda nodded, offering Anakin an apologetic ear twitch.  “Heavy burden to carry, it is.”

Obi-Wan didn’t offer his own apology.  He and Anakin had long ago sat and had everything out between them; the mistakes and missteps they’d both made which had eased a way for Palpatine to manipulate and seduce Anakin to the Sith.

“A burden I’m more than glad to give over to the honoured sand fly, Master Yoda,” Anakin quipped with a waggle of his eyebrows, “even if Qui-Gon will always believe that his interpretation of the prophecy is the right one.”

“Vague, prophecies are,” Yoda said, “dangerous, interpretation of prophecy is.”

“Especially if someone believes their interpretation is the only one which is right,” Anakin noted, the dark weight of his life in every word.

“Well, Master Qui-Gon has always been stubborn when he thinks he’s right,” Obi-Wan rolled his shoulders a touch, trying to loosen an unexpected tension which had set in despite his lack of an actual physical body.

“Let go of this prophecy, he must,” Yoda stated firmly.  “Balanced the Force is.”  He bowed his head and faded away.

Anakin shook his head.  “Do you think this is what the prophecy meant, Obi-Wan?”

“I think it matters not what the prophecy meant when it was spoken,” Obi-Wan said.  “Prophecy is a possible future and the future…”

“Is always in motion,” completed Anakin.

“It only matters that this is what has happened,” Obi-Wan said.  “A sand fly caused the last Jedi to have a fatal infection leaving only the Force.  Does that mean the sand fly is the Chosen One?  That no Jedi and no Sith was the way by which to balance the Force?”

He shrugged and Anakin nodded at him, contemplation written all over his young face.

“It’s equally possible that you were the Chosen One,” Obi-Wan continued, surprising Anakin into wide-eyes.  “The prophecy may have ended when you chose Luke and not Palpatine, allowing the Light and Dark both to be reduced in their ability to gain a foothold for a time.”

Anakin sighed heavily.  “I’m sure Qui-Gon would not like that interpretation.”

“He didn’t,” Obi-Wan said, remembering his old Master’s dismissal of the theory when Yoda had posed it to him after Anakin had joined them in the Force.

Anakin frowned.  He suddenly shifted, turning to face Obi-Wan fully.  “May I show you something?”

Obi-Wan raised his thin eyebrows.  “Shouldn’t you be part of that?” He gestured over to where Luke, Leia, Ben and Rey were huddled on the other side of the pyre.

“Ben will get me later,” Anakin said.

Anakin’s expression reminded Obi-Wan of every time his excitable padawan had wanted to show Obi-Wan something important in the past.  He nodded sharply.

“Lead the way,” Obi-Wan said.

Anakin reached out a hand and Obi-Wan grasped it firmly.

Moving through space as a Force Ghost was easy; they faded away from the base and within the blink of an eye, Anakin was pulling them into ghostly form on another planet. 

Obi-Wan looked around with interest at the sight of the dilapidated ruins of a temple.  It would have been a beautiful place once, he mused, taking in the grey carved stones overrun with green vines around him.  The temple had been set into a mountainside and there was a distinct chill in the air, fog rising around them from the mossy stone beneath their glowy feet.  Anakin had brought them into a courtyard with a reflection pool in the centre.  It was iced over; a mirror that gleamed silver in the early morning light of the single sun.

“Where are we?” Obi-Wan asked curious.

“Ashki,” Anakin informed him.  “It’s considered Mid Rim, but only just.  It’s right on the edge of the Outer Rim.”  He waved a hand around them.  “Unpopulated now.  Sidious had Vader kill the Jedai sect which lived here, except for the Mother of the Temple and her Daughter.  All the populace were relocated to a mining planet in the Core.”

Obi-Wan felt Anakin’s grief and guilt.  He never had the words to comfort Anakin in these moments, he thought with chagrin; not like Qui-Gon or Luke.  He sighed.  “Sidious considered all Force users not under his control a threat.”

“He was a sadistic monster,” Anakin stated brusquely.  “This was the planet of my mother’s birth.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened.

Anakin held out his hand again and Obi-Wan took it gently.  The shift through time was unexpected; colours melded around him in the Force as Anakin shifted them. 

They ended up in a woodland clearing, the evergreen trees rising far into the sky around them, snow on the ground.

A young man and woman played at a snowball fight in the centre of the clearing, their laughter ringing out in the bright daylight. 

“That’s my mother,” Anakin said quietly, almost reverently.  “Shmi, Sister of the Clan of the Barrow Wood Walk.”

Obi-Wan took in the brunette with the happy smile, the shining brown eyes.  She sang in the Force.  He shook his head.  It was one of his biggest regrets that he’d never returned to free Anakin’s mother from slavery; that he’d encouraged Anakin to ignore his dreams and visions as Qui-Gon had advised Obi-Wan to ignore his.

“She’s beautiful, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, touched that Anakin was sharing the moment with him.

“She is,” Anakin agreed.  He nodded at the man with her.  “He’s my father.”

Obi-Wan’s mouth fell open.  He snapped it shut. “What?  I mean…”

“Erek Snokesan,” Anakin grimaced.  “He would be the prime template for the Snoke creations in time, but right now…he’s an aide to Darth Plagueis.  A potential rival for Sidious as apprentice.”

“So, his interest in your mother…”

“The Sisters of Ashki were known to be strong in the Force,” Anakin recounted, “Plagueis sent Erek to create a strong Force sensitive child whose body one day Plagueis would hijack to cheat death.  He seduced her; pretended to be an injured traveller.”

Obi-Wan frowned.

“Then he fell in love with her,” Anakin grinned.  “I mean, she’s wonderful so why wouldn’t he?”

Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin’s joy in that.

“He confessed to her and they left Ashki, running to the Outer Rim, creating a new clan, the Clan of the Sky Walk,” Anakin continued, sobering.  “Plagueis had slavers attack their ship.  My father was given over to Sidious for his cloning experiments.  My mother’s mind was wiped and she was sold into slavery, but with a tracker.  The plan was to retrieve me for Plagueis eventually and as a child born into slavery, who would care about my fate?”

“That is truly awful, Anakin,” Obi-Wan offered, feeling that his words were entirely inadequate.

“I showed this same moment to Qui-Gon soon after he taught me how to shift through time,” Anakin said. 

Obi-Wan stifled the pang of hurt that Qui-Gon had been the one who had taught Anakin time-shifting; at the news that Anakin had shared the truth about his parents with Qui-Gon first. 

Force, Obi-Wan thought tiredly, he’d had enough time to get over the jealousy of how Anakin had immediately fallen in with Qui-Gon after becoming a Force Ghost.  It was only natural Anakin had wanted to spend time with the man who had freed him from slavery, to learn from the Master he should have had (something Anakin had screamed at him more than once during arguments in his turbulent teen years). 

Not only that, Obi-Wan reminded himself briskly, but also it had been incredibly awkward between Anakin and himself at that point – the events between them had been too raw; Anakin had killed him, Obi-Wan had mutilated and abandoned Anakin in a river of lava, they had fought each other, hurt each other, in between.  It had taken time and many conversations for them to reconcile as brothers.

“I wanted him to understand that I’m not the Chosen One; I had a father, Ashki has one sun.” He gave a humourless laugh.  “I was created for the Sith, yet you’ve seen how successful I was at convincing Qui-Gon earlier; he still wants to believe his interpretation of the prophecy despite all the evidence.”

Obi-Wan sighed heavily.  “When Master Qui-Gon decides something there’s not very much that can change his mind.”

“I worry about him,” Anakin admitted.  “When Rey became ill, all he could talk about was finding some way to change time so I could fulfil my real destiny as the Chosen One.”

A shiver went through Obi-Wan.  It wasn’t as though he hadn’t thought about all the what ifs of his life; of the ability to step through the Force into a different time as a flesh and blood man once more.  But it wasn’t possible…or at least he didn’t think so.  But Qui-Gon had been a Force Ghost longer than they…

“He can’t actually change time, can he?” asked Obi-Wan, worry leaking through to his words despite his best efforts.

Anakin shook his head.  “I’m certain if he could, he’d already have shown me how.”

Another twinge of jealousy flickered through Obi-Wan.  He acknowledged it and let it go.  Qui-Gon would always prefer Anakin, his Chosen One, over Obi-Wan.  It was what it was.

The couple in front of them had stopped play-fighting in the snow and were kissing quite passionately.

“I definitely don’t need to see this,” Anakin declared brightly with the slight horror of all children seeing their elders in an intimate embrace.

It was the only warning Obi-Wan got before they shifted again. 

Tatooine.

Obi-Wan identified it immediately.  They were in the small slave quarters Anakin had occupied with his mother, but around the table Anakin and his mother were joined by Qui-Gon, Jar Jar and Padmé. 

“I wanted to tell you first,” Anakin said softly, his eyes on Padmé.  “I will be returning fully to the Force soon.”

To be with his wife.

“It’s been a blessing to know my children, but they don’t need me to hang around,” Anakin murmured.  “I would have stayed longer for Ben, but he has Rey now; she’ll help him.”

Obi-Wan nodded.  He was sad at Anakin’s news, but he understood.  Anakin loved Padmé beyond all else.  He’d loved her so much he’d burned down his world and salted the ashes in his mistaken obsession to save her.  It made perfect sense he didn’t want to continue without her. 

“I can only hope I’ve earned Padmé’s forgiveness,” Anakin concluded.  

“You returned to the Light, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said.  “It took tremendous courage.”  He sighed.  “I admit I have wondered with Rey joining us and the discussion on balance, whether it’s not time we all returned fully to the Force.”

Anakin huffed.  “I don’t think we’re meant to remain as distinct as we are as ghosts forever otherwise the temple would have been overrun with past Jedi chipping in with their own opinions.”

Obi-Wan laughed at the image before he sobered and hummed thoughtfully. “Perhaps I will join you.”

Anakin looked over at him surprised, a question in his eyes. 

“The others have no need of me either,” Obi-Wan pointed out dryly.

“It would comfort me to know you stayed with them a while longer,” Anakin said a little hesitantly.

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows rose in response.

“I know I have no right to ask this of you, but if you could stay, perhaps at least until my own departure isn’t felt too keenly by Luke and Leia?” Anakin added.

Obi-Wan found himself speechless, honoured by the trust bestowed upon him with the request to care for Anakin’s children.  It settled into Obi-Wan and warmed him in a way Anakin’s verbal forgiveness and apologies never had.

“I shall stay until then,” Obi-Wan managed to reply.

Anakin nodded, satisfaction in his young face.  “I’m not scared to go, Obi-Wan,” he smiled sadly, “after all; there is no death, there is only the Force.”

Obi-Wan found himself aching with emotion.  “And for all that is true, Anakin,” he said softly, “I will still miss you.”

Anakin smiled and they faded away, back to their own time, back to the base and the cooling pyre.

o-O-o

“I’ve already made my decision,” Obi-Wan said firmly, casting a sharp look towards Yoda.  “I will see the sunrise one last time tomorrow and then I will go fully into the Force.”

He had hoped for a night of reminiscing and goodbye with Yoda but given how he’d been ambushed by Leia and Luke on his arrival, his hope had died a quick death.  He was laying the blame for the ambush firmly at the clawed feet of his tiny green Grand Master.

“We’re not saying don’t go,” Luke jumped in, “just you know, wait so Qui-Gon has somebody he knows around a while longer.”

“He has Yoda,” Obi-Wan’s gaze hadn’t shifted from the troll.  “He doesn’t need me.”

“Needs you, he does,” Yoda countered, tapping his stick on the ground.

Obi-Wan held his gaze.  “I thought we’d agreed after hashing over all the machinations you did to make me Qui-Gon’s padawan that you’d refrain from using me as an emotional bacta patch for him again?” 

Yoda’s ears drooped.

Obi-Wan pushed his hands deep into the sleeves of his tunic.  Even if they were only non-corporeal manifestations, the habitual action calmed him.  He’d come to understand after meditating for long hours in the Tatooine desert that his relationship with Qui-Gon had been unhealthy. 

As his Master, Qui-Gon had been emotionally abusive and neglectful during their worst moments – from his harsh rejection of Obi-Wan as a padawan (which had resulted in Yoda’s forementioned machinations), his behaviour in the events which had ultimately led to Obi-Wan becoming his padawan, his actual physical abandonment of Obi-Wan in a warzone and all that had followed that, his teetering on the Dark side after Tahl’s death…all the way to the moment he’d casually tossed Obi-Wan aside in order to ensure Anakin was trained.

Yet Qui-Gon had also been the man who cared for him while he was sick, protected him when they’d encountered danger, had provided him with training to prepare him for life as a Jedi Knight.  There had been mission after mission and time at the temple filled with quiet moments of laughter, joy and camaraderie between them.

It was a complicated mess of a relationship.  Obi-Wan had forgiven Qui-Gon and they had built a better friendship in the years of Obi-Wan’s isolation on Tatooine and as Force ghosts, but he was no longer a padawan desperate for approval and he was done with subjugating his own needs for his Master’s.  He returned his attention to Yoda.

Yoda pointed his stick at him as his ears rallied.  “Your pairing, will of the Force, it was.”

“If it truly was the will of the Force, why did you plot quite as much as you did to get us together?” Obi-Wan pointed out ruthlessly.

Yoda’s ears drooped again.

Luke shifted nervously, his eyes darting between his two teachers as he realised he’d stumbled into ancient and painful history.  “You have to know you’re the only one Master Qui-Gon spends any meaningful time with now that Dad’s gone.”

Obi-Wan shot him an unimpressed look.  “Perhaps others should attempt to engage with him more.”

If Luke had kept his older visage, he might have been able to hide his chagrin behind his beard, Obi-Wan mused.  As it was, Luke’s youthful boyish face showed every inch of his bashful shame at the warranted criticism.

“It’s difficult to get to know a guy when his only interest in you is your father,” Luke muttered grumpily.

Obi-Wan winced.  That was also true.

“At least Jinn respects for you for saving Anakin, Luke,” Leia remarked dryly.  “He’s never made any kind of effort with me, and he ignores Ben and Rey.”

“He resented that Dad spent time with you when you arrived,” Luke noted.

“Yes, because a father and daughter getting to actually know each other wasn’t worth Anakin’s time in Jinn’s eyes,” Leia snorted.

Obi-Wan sighed.  “I have said this before and will say this again,” he paused to make his point, “don’t you think this intervention would be better performed with Qui-Gon rather than myself?”

“He’s not the one planning to leave like Dad did,” Luke shot back.

“I agreed with your father that we were never meant to remain as ghosts in the Force forever,” Obi-Wan said.  “Your father asked me to remain a while longer to provide any comfort I could to you both rather than simply going with him and I honoured his request.  Time has passed and neither of you need me…” he held up his hand to prevent their interjection, “for yourselves.”

“Love Qui-Gon, you do,” Yoda said softly.  “Wish him hurt, you do not.”

“I do love him,” Obi-Wan agreed.  “But loving him doesn’t mean that I should stay here forever with him, especially when the sentiment is not returned.”

“Love you, he does,” Yoda said fiercely.

Obi-Wan knew that was true too – from a certain point of view.

Leia tilted her chin up.  “Look, Obi-Wan, this isn’t just us asking you to stick around to help Jinn, what Yoda isn’t telling you is that he thinks Jinn is going to do something stupid; that’s the only reason why we’re here.”

Obi-Wan smothered the urge to ask how that was his problem because his unwavering sense of duty was unfortunately still an innate character trait.  He pinched the brow of his nose as though warding off a headache a Force Ghost couldn’t actually get.

“Is this true?” Obi-Wan glared at Yoda.  Why hadn’t Yoda just said something?

“Came to see me, he did,” Yoda said, “fix it for Skywalker, he said he could.”

And that made Obi-Wan’s non-existent blood run cold.  “Fix it?”

“Travel in time, he plans,” Yoda said, ears flapping unhappily.  “Join him, he asked me.”

“You said no,” Obi-Wan surmised.

“Written, is the past,” Yoda decreed.  “Chosen One, Skywalker is not.”

“Do you think he actually knows how to go back?” asked Obi-Wan bluntly.

Yoda’s ears flickered unhappily revealing his uncertainty.

“Right, well,” Obi-Wan sighed, “I should leave and find Qui-Gon and…”

Something tore through the Force like a knife ripping through fabric.  The Force screamed as the edges bled.

All four of them exchanged worried looks.

Obi-Wan centred his thoughts and spirit on Qui-Gon and shifted.  He felt the others follow him.  He sensed Ben and Rey arriving, but he was too taken aback by where and when they found themselves to do anything but stare.

Sand.

The burning rays of two suns despite the early hours of the morning.

Tatooine.

The broken Nubian ship which had transported Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and the Naboo escapees to the planet was before them; a group gathering just outside of it.

Qui-Gon stood out; tall and broad, the poncho he wore gave him the illusion of even more mass.  Jar Jar ambled up to stand next him.  R2D2 glided across the sand to join them.

“Jar Jar, I’m afraid you will need to stay with the ship,” Qui-Gon said firmly.  “I know you want to explore the planet, but it’s too dangerous.”

Obi-Wan frowned.  Hadn’t Jar Jar argued against going last time?  Maybe his recollection was…his eyes widened as he saw his younger self hurrying down the ramp towards his Master.

“Master,” Padawan Kenobi sidled up in a practiced manner.  He tilted his head to the side. 

That had definitely not happened, Obi-Wan thought.

He watched as Master and padawan walked a few paces away from the droid and the Gungan. 

“Master,” Padawan Kenobi began in a lowered tone which was still very audible to the ghostly eavesdroppers.  “Are you certain you should be the one to head into the settlement?”

“I am fine, Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon stated in a tone designed to discourage argument.

Obi-Wan had never been good at listening to that tone.

“You were unconscious for over an hour following the Force disturbance we felt,” his Padawan self said.  There was worry for his Master shining in his blue eyes.  “It was fortunate that we were in transit to Tatooine and not in the middle of battle.  We still don’t know what caused it.”

“I am fine now, Padawan,” Qui-Gon reiterated sternly. 

“It may be prudent for me to accompany you and…”

“You are needed here to guard the Queen and the ship,” Qui-Gon said forcefully.  “Release your anxiety to the Force and focus on the here and now, Padawan.  I expect better from you.”

Obi-Wan winced at the lecturing tone, especially when he knew the Obi-Wan in front of them had only spoken up due to concern for his Master.  He wasn’t surprised when his younger self who he dubbed Kenobi dropped a mask of obedience across his features and bowed his head.

“As you say, Master,” Kenobi said crisply, tucking his hands into his sleeves.  “May the Force be with you.”  He turned and hurried back up the ramp before Qui-Gon could reply, passing the hurrying forms of the Captain and Padmé.

“Ouch,” said Luke, wincing in visible sympathy with the chastised Padawan.

“I’m going to guess that we’re too late to stop Qui-Gon from being stupid,” Leia commented dryly beside him.

“You guess correctly,” Obi-Wan confirmed.  “In my memory, Qui-Gon spent the journey to Tatooine in meditation and rest.  There was no disturbance in the Force which caused him to be unconscious and I never questioned his going into town in such a way.”  He gestured at the argument taking place between Qui-Gon and Padmé.  “He’s also tried to restrict the party going to himself and R2.” 

Tried and failed since Qui-Gon stormed off with R2, Jar Jar and Padmé at his heels.  Obi-Wan watched as they trudged further and further away with an ache in his heart that soon they’d find Anakin.

“Change time, he intends,” Yoda intoned.  “Let him, we cannot.”

“How did he even do this?” asked Luke.

“I think that might have been my fault,” Rey said with chagrin.  “He asked me if I’d come across any mention of Force time manipulation in my reading of the old texts.  There’s a whole section on it in one of the books I left behind.”

Ben raised their clasped hands and squeezed gently.  “You couldn’t know.”

Obi-Wan could feel Ben’s comfort and love for Rey through the Force.

“Time manipulation?” asked Luke, curiosity all over his face. 

:Jinn discovered that if he could align the harmonic resonance between his Ghost and his kyber crystal in the past, he could use the power of the kyber to tear through the Force threads of Time itself and create a window into his past:

All the ghosts spun around at the telepathic voice and froze at the glowing form of a dragon.  It sat on its haunches with its wings tucked back, iridescent green scales reflecting the sunlight, a fierce long snout led to a mouthful of sharp pointed teeth.   Its amber lizard eyes blinked at them.

:My pardon, fellow Jedai, I am Master Whills:

Obi-Wan bowed instinctively and was pleased when all of the younglings followed his example.  Yoda gave a nod.

“To be a ghost, you taught to Qui-Gon,” Yoda proclaimed.

:He sought knowledge:

As though it was that simple.

:Just as he sought knowledge when he Force nudged a Sensitive in the past to open an ancient book with theoretical knowledge of temporal manipulation within so he could read it: Whills continued.

“Well, that’s just wonderful,” Obi-Wan murmured.  “Now that he has this knowledge he can simply die and return whenever he wishes.”

:He read the theory, he did not go back to listen to the Master:

“What do you mean?” asked Rey.

:Texts were not meant to be read in isolation, young one:

The frill around Whills neck rose slightly.

:You used Force healing without understanding that it was your own life you stole to heal when in practice you should have drawn from the Living Force itself.  Your Bonded followed your example:

Rey flushed a bright red, guilt heavy in her eyes as she looked toward Ben.

“You did well to do that much, Rey,” Obi-Wan offered, softening the criticism.  “The technique had fallen out of practice and you brought it back.  If you’d had a living Master, they may have been able to guide you, but none of us could be with you until you’d learned to connect with the wider Force.”

Rey gave him a nod and Ben sent him a quick look of gratitude.

“So, what has Jinn missed in diving straight to practice?” Leia questioned Whills briskly.

:Many things:

The dragon shifted, spreading its wings out to give them all shade. 

:Be with me and learn this knowledge:

The four in the Skywalker brood including Rey, all shifted in a way that Obi-Wan recognised from Anakin; it was their ‘I hate waiting and need to act’ shuffle. 

“We can’t fix what we don’t understand,” Obi-Wan said and pointedly sat down in the cross-legged learning position from his time in the crèche.

Yoda chuckled and followed him.

Leia blew out a breath, rolled her eyes and tugged Luke and her son down with her, Rey hurrying to follow them.  They ended up in a rough semi-circle in front of Whills, their backs to the ship and the desert ahead of them, sand drifting over the dunes.

Whills looked beyond them for a moment before he bowed his head slightly, raising it again to look at them with a fierce expression.

:Temporal manipulation is forbidden, the knowledge banned from teaching because the experiments discovered there was too much danger in the return, both to the individual and to the Force:

“A path to the Dark side, this is,” Yoda said.

:The first danger – the threads of Time the Force weaved have to be cut to enable a path to the past:

“You said Qui-Gon was able to rend a hole in a time because he reached out as a Ghost, found the resonance between him and his kyber crystal and used that to do it,” Obi-Wan looked at the dragon.  “It creates a wound in the Force.”

:One which cannot be healed – time and the Force become fluid, once more in motion.  Only if the traveller repeats their every action as they did before is the Force and future unharmed:

“That’s concerning for our own situation,” Leia stated bluntly.

“We’ll cease to exist,” Ben said.  “If time is unravelling from this point…if it needs to be rewritten exactly for events to follow as we know them, we know this is not what Jinn has planned.”

:You speak the truth, Knight Solo: Whills confirmed. :You remain as Force Ghosts in this moment as Jinn has not done enough yet to alter the future:

“But if something was the will of the Force in the past, surely Jinn’s interference can’t divert it that much?” Luke asked, worry creeping in and colouring his words.

:A philosophical debate as no-one has ever attempted to divert the path in such a way; the experiments were performed in isolation and lasted no more than a year:

“No wonder you said the practice was forbidden,” Obi-Wan said softly.  “To return in Time is to destroy the original will of the Force itself.”

:It was not the only reason it was banned: Whills lowered his gaze to the ground. :The second action is for the Force Ghost to take possession of their younger body:

“Please tell me that isn’t what it sounds like,” Obi-Wan said, eyes wide.

:Master Teho was settled on the planet Gython Bae at an old temple.  The community of Jedi were small – a handful dedicated to temporal theory.  Most were killed by raiders and Teho took the first step becoming a Ghost.  His desire to test his theory became fervent when a year after his death, the raiders returned and killed his former Padawan.  He found resonance, cut the Force to create his path and returned to himself a month before the first raid which had previously taken his life.  He took possession of his body, destroying the younger consciousness within:

“Jinn took over his past body, destroying his past self in the same way as Master Teho, didn’t he?” Luke shivered visibly despite the heat of the Tatooine suns.

“Violence, this is.  Dark side, this is,” Yoda’s ears flapped unhappily.

:Hence it is forbidden:

Obi-Wan closed his eyes briefly.  Had Qui-Gon Fallen?  He’d been on the edge so often…it was one of the reasons why Yoda had contrived to have him as Qui-Gon’s padawan; Yoda had believed Obi-Wan was an anchor to the Light for his Master.

Guilt fluttered through him for his earlier thoughts in the confrontation with Yoda – no.  Obi-Wan shook his head.  He was not to blame for Qui-Gon’s actions any more than he was to blame for Anakin’s choices.  It had taken years for him to stop the cycle of self-blame that he’d had since childhood. 

:The violence of removing his younger self created a mental instability within Teho.  Within days of his return, he could no longer remember clearly beyond his own death; could not remember the reason why he had returned was to prevent the death of his Padawan as much as it was to test his theory.  He died in the second raid alongside his Padawan:

“Do you believe Jinn will have the same problem?” Leia asked.

:I do: Whills’ mouth twisted into one of disgust.  :Jinn took over his own body without consent or discussion.  His past self is strong in the Force, as stubborn as he.  It was not an easy take-over.  There are wounds now in his spirit, in his mind from their fight for control:

“If he repeats Teho’s experience then he’ll forget the future beyond his own death,” Ben said thoughtfully.  “Won’t this help ensure the future will happen as before?”

“Focused on the Chosen One, Qui-Gon is,” Yoda said sadly.  “Destiny would be fixed if Qui-Gon Skywalker’s Master became he believes.  Change his own fate, he intends.”

Obi-Wan ignored the hurt that darted through him at Qui-Gon’s belief that Obi-Wan’s teaching was responsible for Anakin’s Fall.

“He can affect that much without memories beyond his death,” Obi-Wan sighed.  “All he needs to do is survive the fight with Maul somehow.  If he lives, he takes Anakin as his Padawan and the future becomes fluid, in motion.”

“Only he won’t know to guard against Dad Falling to the Dark side in the way he did before,” Luke rubbed a hand through his hair.

“More likely to happen, it is,” Yoda shook his head angrily.  “The right master for Skywalker, Qui-Gon is not.”

“You think it would be Xanatos all over again,” Obi-Wan realised out loud.

Yoda harrumphed.

“Xanatos?” questioned Leia, shooting Obi-Wan a demanding look to explain.

“Xanatos was Qui-Gon’s second Padawan,” Obi-Wan said.  “Like with Anakin, Qui-Gon found Xanatos on a mission.  He was strong in the Force, older than most who are brought to the temple, but not as old as your father when he was found.”  He pressed his lips together.  “Xanatos grew into a handsome and charismatic young man; powerful in his skills and abilities.  Qui-Gon was incredibly proud of him.”

“Praised his Padawan, Qui-Gon did,” Yoda added, “dealt with his Padawan’s flaws, he did not.”

“In the review that followed Xanatos’ Fall, the Council found that Qui-Gon had ignored Xanatos’ attachment to his family and his disdain for other Jedi; had ignored his sense of superiority, arrogance and cruelty,” Obi-Wan sighed.  “Xanatos left the Order after his Fall, but he played mind games and attempted to kill a number of Jedi before his own death.”

They all looked at him horrified.

“So,” Leia said, her eyes glinting with the determination of the General she was, “we have to stop Qui-Gon somehow.”

Leia was right – they had to stop Qui-Gon – but how?

Obi-Wan looked to their dragon Master.  “Is there any further knowledge you can share to aide us, Master Whills?”

:When Teho died a second time, he presumed to go back, to fix things once more.  I told him of what had happened and how his going back would not change things but simply cause an endless loop.  Teho noted he needed to return at least a second time to document the dangers of temporal manipulation even if he could not prevent the raid:

Whills paused a moment.

:Horrified by his past violence when he stepped into the past instead of simply taking his body, he talked with his younger self and asked him for permission; it was granted.  They merged rather than fought.  Teho retained his memories, but he did not change the Will of the Force only documented the experience and counselled that temporal manipulation be banned.  He died in the first raid and when his Padawan became one with the Force he welcomed him home:     

“How does that help us?” worried Rey, furrowing her brow.

“Think it through, Rey,” Luke encouraged her.

Rey cast a look towards Ben and Obi-Wan figured there was a non-verbal conversation between them they didn’t share with the group.  “If Jinn follows Master Teho’s experience, then he has enough information to avoid his death, but he will die eventually.”

“If things don’t turn out the way he believes they should – and they are unlikely to since Grandfather wasn’t the Chosen One, he could become a Force Ghost again, repeat his time travel,” Ben stated. 

Obi-Wan frowned.  “He told me he’d only ever read the theories of becoming a Ghost before he died.”  His eyes flickered to Whills. 

:He reached out in the moment of his death and asked for help; I answered.  I will not do so again:

“Well, at least we won’t end up endless looping when Jinn decides to try again,” Leia stated briskly.  “But it doesn’t resolve the damage he could do now.”

“Or the good,” Luke said thoughtfully.

They all looked at him.

“Think about it,” Luke said, “if Jinn had his memories he could stop Palpatine before the rise of the Empire.  That’s a lot of pain and suffering he could prevent.”

“Only one, he is,” Yoda noted.  “Change much, one alone cannot.”  

Leia shifted forward.  “But could they change enough?  There are probably a few threads which could help prevent the suffering of many – like stopping Palpatine from becoming Chancellor.”

“Or influencing the Jedi Council to be less blind?” Luke offered, passionately.  “Jinn could use this opportunity to save the Order from extinction.”

Obi-Wan knew that was probably his former Master’s intent.  Qui-Gon had probably planned for Anakin to reform the Jedi in Qui-Gon’s own vision, believing that would save the Jedi.  “Whatever he intends, his ability to change much after he saves himself will be limited if memories of that time will be lost or vague to him.”

“Well-intended or not, he is more likely to do more harm than good,” Ben said. His expression was filled with shame.  “His actions are Dark and only likely to get worse.” 

“Which brings us back to the problem,” Leia threw up her hands before crossing her arms tightly over her chest.  “How do we stop Qui-Gon from karking up the future?”

“To help Qui-Gon, send someone else, we must,” Yoda looked at Obi-Wan who resolutely ignored him.

Hadn’t they already had the discussion, Obi-Wan thought grumpily.  He did not exist just to help Qui-Gon.

Rey nodded.  “I’ll do it.”

“We’ll do it,” Ben jumped in, making Rey smile at him.

Luke sighed at the two of them, but it was Whills who spoke first.

:A physical body is required.  Know not what the possession of another in a different body would do:

“And whose life would you steal?” asked Luke.  He gestured at the desert in front of them.  “You both don’t exist here yet.”

“Even if you did it consensually,” Leia added, “there’s no data to understand what would happen to your memories or your connection to the Force…” her head snapped to Whills.  “Is there?”

:There is not:

The confirmation had the youngsters drooping.

“It can’t be us either,” Luke pointed to himself and Leia, “we’d have the same problem.”

“Which only leaves Master Yoda and Obi-Wan,” Leia said, arching an eyebrow at them.

“Consent to this, my past self will not,” Yoda declared solemnly, his ears twitching.  “’Always in motion, the future is,’ he will say.”

Leia smiled sharply as she pinned Obi-Wan with a pointed stare.  “Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi.  You’re our only hope.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.  “I was joking when I told Bail to use that as a code.”

“Dad got a kick out of using it,” Leia conceded, the smile sliding into a smirk that was very reminiscent of Bail Organa for all he wasn’t her biological father.

For a second, he and Leia shared a moment of remembrance…

He could save Bail, Obi-Wan realised.  He could save Alderaan.  He could save a lot of people if he stopped the Empire from rising. 

Luke was right.  The opportunity provided by Qui-Gon changing the past was one they could not ignore.

“Even if I was prepared to do this,” Obi-Wan said out loud, “there is no guarantee that my younger self would agree.”

“What if I did?”

The voice behind them had them all except Whills turning around startled for the second time that day.

Padawan Kenobi sat cross-legged behind them, close enough to listen but not enough to draw attention to himself.

Obi-Wan stared at him.  “How much did you hear?”

“All of it, I think?  You had just sat down when I came out to investigate the Force disturbance I could sense.”

“And you understood what we were talking about?” asked Leia brusquely.

Kenobi tilted his head.  “My Master has come back in time to save himself and teach a Chosen One, but the Chosen One isn’t the Chosen One.  Because of his actions, the future is in motion and many lives could be saved which were lost in the future you lived.”  He shook his head.  “There’s an Empire?  I didn’t really understand that.”  Fear glinted in his eyes.  “I did understand that the Jedi Order was extinct; that we have to stop that.”

“Dangerous for you this path will be,” Yoda said before Obi-Wan could respond.

“There is no death, there is only the Force and…I’ll merge with my older self,” the Padawan said bravely.  He looked over to Obi-Wan.  “That is…if you consent to do this too?”

Yoda hummed approvingly.

Obi-Wan glanced around the group.  They all looked back at him hopefully.  He stroked his chin thoughtfully, fingers missing the sense touch of his beard.  Could he do this?  Could he bear to live through events once more if he failed to change anything?  Could he actually mitigate anything Qui-Gon was going to do?

He turned back to Kenobi.  “You realise this will be difficult?  We may have to work against our Master at times.  We both know how he is when he gets an idea in his head that he won’t shift on.”  He hesitated before ploughing on.  “He’s in danger of Falling.”

Kenobi shrugged.  “Then how can we not help him?”

Which was true.  And that simple for the Padawan who had blindly forgiven Qui-Gon every transgression without understanding the soul scars in Obi-Wan’s spirit Qui-Gon had left in his wake.

Anchoring Qui-Gon in the Light wasn’t Obi-Wan’s responsibility no matter what Yoda believed of the Force’s intent, but helping another sentient was simply kindness and compassion.  Moreover, helping the galaxy and wider universe avoid even some of the pain and suffering that the Sith had created…that was his sworn duty as a Jedi.

He nodded slowly.  “Then, we are agreed.  We will merge and become one.”

Kenobi’s quick intake of breath was audible.  “When and where shall we do this?”

:You must complete the merger before Jinn changes Time irrevocably:

Obi-Wan pressed his lips together.  “In that case, the sooner the better, I think.”  He motioned at himself.  “We stay here until late tomorrow after the pod race.  It will give us some time to acclimate without having to deal with Qui-Gon.”

“Pod race?” the Padawan’s eyebrows rose upwards in mute query.

“Our father once won the Boonta Eve pod-race to get money to fix the ship,” Luke explained, rising to his feet and bowing at the young Obi-Wan.  “Well met, Padawan Kenobi.”

Kenobi scrambled to his feet and gave a short bow.  “Well met, Master…?”

“Luke,” Luke smiled at him broadly as everyone rose and bowed.

“Our thanks you have, Padawan,” Yoda said.

It was very disconcerting to watch his own younger self, Obi-Wan realised with chagrin; had he ever looked so obviously flustered – he hoped not. 

“Perhaps you should return to the ship while I say my farewells?  The Queen and her party may become suspicious if you continue to lurk outside.”

“Oh, I made the excuse I intended to meditate to allay any queries about being outside, but nevertheless your suggestion is a good one,” Kenobi said.  “I will return and explain I am going to sleep for a while in the small bunkroom we were assigned.  Meet me there?”

Obi-Wan agreed.

The Padawan gave another short bow to the accumulated Ghosts and departed, hurrying away over the small expanse of sand towards the ship.

“Tell Qui-Gon the truth of who you are, you will not?” asked Yoda.

Obi-Wan shook his head.  “Not unless it gives us an advantage.” 

“Do you think you’ll have that much time before Jinn gets back?” asked Leia.

“I lived this once,” Obi-Wan reminded her.

Luke frowned. “But surely Master Jinn won’t risk the mission relying on the Boonta Eve again?”

“He waited until we were on our way to Tatooine to take over himself,” Obi-Wan said.  “He couldn’t risk changing events before that which means…”

“He has no money of value on Tatooine,” Luke concluded.  He strode across the sand and wrapped Obi-Wan in a hug. 

For a long moment, Obi-Wan hugged Luke back.  When Luke let go, Leia was there to take his place, and after her, Ben and Rey gave him a short hug in concert before they stepped back.

“Always brave you are, Obi-Wan,” Yoda murmured as he bowed to him.

Obi-Wan bowed back.  He turned to Whills and bowed again.  “Thank you for the knowledge you shared, Master Whills.”

:It was my honour.  I will remain close if you have need of me:

“Thank you,” Obi-Wan said.  His gaze ran over the small group.  He smiled, a little crookedly but it was a smile.  “I am certain this will not be the last time I see you.  May the Force be with you.”

Luke cleared his throat noisily.  “Remember we are one with Force and we are with you.”

The Ghosts turned and stepped away, fading into the light that shone brightly across the dunes.  In the distance, Obi-Wan could see the sweep of the sandstorm that would reach them in a few hours. 

He shifted and within a blink of an eye was in the small single bunkroom that he and his Master had been allocated in the ship.  When Qui-Gon had been aboard, Obi-Wan had left it to him, preferring to bed down with the rescued pilots in the cargo bay.

Kenobi spun to face him.  Nerves cascaded across his young face before he drew a calming breath and settled.

“I thought I might have had some kind of heat hallucination,” the Padawan said grimly, “but…it was real; we are doing this.”

Obi-Wan sat down on the bed and encouraged his younger self to do the same.  “Only if you wish to go forward.”  He assured him.  “Ask your questions, Obi-Wan.  It is only you and I here now, and your fears are not unfounded.”

“Is this the will of the Force?”

The blunt question stole Obi-Wan’s breath away because that was a good question and one which the gaggle of Force Ghosts hadn’t considered.  He reached out into the Force and found his answer swirling there; acceptance, want to be healed, love.

“What does the Force tell you, Padawan?” prompted Obi-Wan gently.

Kenobi took a deep breath, closed his eyes and sighed.  “It’s necessary.”  He pushed a hand through his hair and tangled his fingers briefly in his braid.  “What’s our actual objective?  There was a lot of discussion and…how can we help our Master?”

Obi-Wan tucked his hands into his sleeves.  “Qui-Gon likely had two main events he wanted to change.  First, to save himself from being killed,” he said.  “Although this is the action which will unravel the future I have already lived, I would never just stand back and let him die.”

A sharp nod confirmed his younger self had understood.

“In my time, Qui-Gon died in battle on our return to Naboo against a Sith, Darth Maul.  We’ll encounter him for the first time tomorrow; he attacks when Qui-Gon returns to the ship. Last time, Qui-Gon was able to escape him after a difficult fight.  We can make sure of it this time.”

Alarmed was not a good look on him, Obi-Wan noted.

“Qui-Gon’s second planned change is the more worrisome one,” Obi-Wan continued, letting his frustration show.  “Our Master is currently meeting Anakin Skywalker, a nine-year-old slave boy who is incredibly strong in the Force.  He is convinced that Anakin is the Chosen One and nothing has been able to sway him from that belief, including factual and logical evidence to the contrary.”

Kenobi snorted.  “When have facts and logic ever stopped our Master when he wants to do something?”

“Exactly,” Obi-Wan agreed.  “If we assume Qui-Gon survives then his next action will be to take Anakin as his Padawan.”

The implication did not sail over the Padawan’s head.  “He does realise he still has me, us?”

“He recommended us for the Trials once he was reminded that we existed,” Obi-Wan noted dryly.

His younger self looked devastated for a moment before he visibly pulled his composure together.

“He does love us,” Obi-Wan said soothingly.

“But,” Padawan Obi-Wan interrupted sharply, “for all the good he does and the compassion he shows to others, he is sometimes not a good Master.”

“No,” Obi-Wan agreed, “which is why we have to prevent him from becoming Anakin’s.” He sighed.  “I was Anakin’s Master last time and as much as I love him, perhaps another Master would be better for him.  It would certainly give us more freedom to achieve wider objectives than just stopping Qui-Gon from sending Anakin to the Dark sooner because Qui-Gon wants him to be the Chosen One.”

“Anakin Fell?”

“Yes, and that is something we should change because Anakin was manipulated by the Sith into Falling,” Obi-Wan said fiercely.  “He doesn’t deserve such a fate.”

“What is our wider objective?  I’m assuming we won’t be able to stop everything that happened.”  Kenobi tugged on his braid again.

Obi-Wan nodded.  “Saving the Jedi is our priority.  To do that, in the short term we’ll need to disturb some of the Sith plans which will help save a number of planets and people.  I fear though that if we disturb too many of their plans…”

“We’ll have pulled too much thread to see the bigger tapestry,” Kenobi correctly concluded.

“Ultimately saving the Jedi will mean defeating the Sith in the long term, but there is also timing to consider,” Obi-Wan said.  “I know a holocron with the coordinates to the Sith’s final hiding place, Exegol, will be found on a planet at a certain point, but I don’t know when it was buried there.  Similarly, another holocron with the coordinates ends up in a base which the Sith builds, but that also contains a deadly planet killer weapon which I don’t think we want to be built at all so…”

“Right,” the Padawan nodded his understanding.  He ran his hand through his hair again.  “Save our Master, save Anakin, save the Jedi and defeat the Sith.  That’s…”

“Ambitious,” Obi-Wan agreed dryly.  “But we will try our best and that is all we can do.”

“I thought Master Yoda always says ‘do or do not,’” teased his younger self with a quirk of a smile.

“Master Yoda isn’t always right,” Obi-Wan replied, amused.

The Padawan looked momentarily shocked before his expression turned contemplative.  “How do we do this?”  

Obi-Wan checked the chronometer.  Qui-Gon hadn’t called for Obi-Wan to check the supplies yet and perhaps he wouldn’t, after all, he already knew that there was nothing of value to trade. “I think a joint meditation might be the way forward?”

They shifted to sit cross-legged on the bed. 

Obi-Wan held out his hands and felt the touch of his own flesh for the first time since his death on the Death Star.  His younger self shivered.

“Trust the Force, Obi-Wan,” Obi-Wan instructed gently.  “We are one with the Force and the Force is with us.”

“We are one with the Force and the Force is with us,” Kenobi repeated calmly.

“We are one with the Force and the Force is with us,” they repeated in unison.

He felt the Force flow through him and out towards…

“Hello there.”

The familiar feel of his own mind, his own thoughts…

“We are one with the Force and the Force is with us.”

Still two forms, two minds, two voices…

Mental hands reached out…he let himself go and he was held.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. 

Memories swept over him of the hours he had not lived between Qui-Gon’s return to his body and Obi-Wan’s consent to their merging on the sands outside. 

He felt his younger self’s panic as the Force cried out in pain…the bond with Qui-Gon was suddenly rife with rage and just as suddenly silent…his Master was unconscious and the medical droid unable to help…and once Qui-Gon had woken, he saw his Master’s unrelenting stubbornness that he was fine.

In return, Obi-Wan let his own memories cascade through them of a future already unravelling…

Qui-Gon’s death.  Anakin’s training.  The clones.  Geonosis.  War.  Order 66 and the Jedi falling silent in the Force.  Anakin’s Fall and Vader’s Rise.  Padmé’s death.  Luke and Leia.  Tatooine.  Fighting Anakin again…

‘You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker: I did.’

‘Then my friend is truly dead.’

R2D2 and C3PO.  Han, Chewie and the Millennium Falcon.  The Death Star.  Vader and dying.  Watching Luke save his father.  Anakin’s return to the Light. 

Leia and Han with Ben.  Luke training a new generation of Jedi.  Ben’s Fall and Kylo Ren’s Rise. Rey.  And Finn.  And Poe.  Snoke’s death.  Palpatine at the end of it all.  Rey saving Ben.  Ben saving Rey.  The sand fly.  His want to return to the Force but then Qui-Gon…

A life and a death lived; a life and death shared. 

“We are one with the Force…”

He remembered the moment before his death; the feel of his body; the constraint of flesh, blood and bone…

“We are one with the Force and the Force is with us.”

He remembered taking a breath, scenting the sterility of the ship they were on; he remembered the feel of clothes against his skin, the rub and caress of fabric; he remembered blinking open his eyes and squinting against the sun, crying in the rain; he remembered hearing with his ears the clamour of voices, the stillness of silence; he remembered the taste of tea, of stewed grains and fruit, sharp and sweet and sticky. 

“We are one with the Force and the Force is with us.”

The taste of the water he’d sipped after sitting in the suns.  The faint scent of the soap he’d used in washing his face that morning.  The sound of the ship’s systems humming in the background.  The feel of his tunic under his hands. 

He was a Padawan.  He was the Ghost of a Jedi Master. 

He was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

One voice, one mind, one body.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes.  “I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.”

And the future was in motion.

fin.