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Forget Me Not	By : Ladykohl Category: Star Wars (All) > General Views: 22071 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Wars movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Prologue
- 2-Part 1
- 3-Part 2
- 4-Part 3
- 5-Part 4
- 6-Part 5
- 7-Part 6
- 8-Part 7
- 6
- 7
- 8
Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I've had this part written for a very long time, over a year... I've been waiting for my beta to get back to me with her revisions, but I have not heard from her. So it is with a bit of sadness and reluctance that I finally post this. I appreciate everything my beta has done for this story and I hope to hear from her one day again.
I do not expect all the people who were once fans of this story to find their way back to it, but I am going to finish it anyway. I don't want it to sit here abandoned and desolate. I hope that it is found again and that I do not let anyone down. So, without further ado - I give you the next installment of Forget Me Not.
*****
part 6
�Boldly they rode and well, into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell.�

- Lord Tennyson
She had not given up on him... after all this time Padm� still harbored hope that Vader might one day become again the man he once was. I could not deny the fact that I had long since abandoned any similar hope. She believed that the old life could some how be salvaged and for the time, there was no use in trying to convince her otherwise. Vader�s presence in the galaxy was getting stronger with every moment that passed and the twins were not safe. It seemed that I had failed everyone that I had held dear to me... and now Luke and Leia were all that remained. They were my sole concern now, and I would not fail them.

****
TATOOINE

Lars� Homestead

Padm� and I walked together - hooded and cloaked - toward the home where the child she had not seen in over two years awaited. Reuniting with her son should have been one of the happiest moments of her life, but there was a certain gravity to the situation that did not allow much room for joy. Padm� had not said much since we had left her secret home for Tatooine, but I knew she understood exactly why she had to accompany me back to this place. Owen would not relinquish Luke back in to my custody but he could not refuse the child�s mother. We had to get Luke off this planet and to a much more secured location. He was not safe here. If I could not make Owen understand that, perhaps Padm� could. She knew that it would be impossible for Luke to stay with her - that we would, in fact, have to separate the two of them as soon as possible. The reunion would be short lived, and I could not imagine the pain Padm� was preparing herself for as she walked silently beside me.
And then she spoke.
�Obi-Wan...� She had started so softly as we made our way through the heat and sand. I looked over at her with a furrow in my brow as she stopped walking.
�Milady?� I asked, stopping as well. �What is it?�
She did not look at me, but I could see her pale profile from underneath her hood. Her eyebrows were knit together in an almost worried expression as she continued to stare straight toward the Lars home. I assumed her reservations were due to the fact that she had not been here for a very long time - the last and only time having been with Anakin. The memories and emotions must have been quite overwhelming for her.
�Padm�...� I started with a sympathetic sigh. �I can not begin to imagine what this must be like for you, but you must be--�
She shook her head and held out her hand gently squeezing my arm.
�... Do you feel that?� She nearly whispered. I stared at her for a moment longer before it suddenly occurred to me exactly what she was speaking of. I had only half an instant to wonder why I hadn�t noticed it before.
�Vader.� I said. She turned to me suddenly with a look of urgency spreading over her face.
A look of terrible fear.
�Obi-Wan, he�s been here. Luke--�
With that, I broke off in to a run toward the Lars� home, not waiting for Padm� to follow. Moments later I was jumping - light saber ready - in to the courtyard at the bottom of the deep crater carved in to the dirt. Swallowing, I looked around slowly, my saber humming in my hand. It was obvious to me that what I was sensing was only residual. Vader had been here, though he did not appear to be here anymore. Still, I kept my weapon out. It had taken me far too long to sense that anything was wrong to begin with, and I feared my abilities were failing me.
�Obi-Wan!� A female voice shouted, sounding very startled, from behind me. I spun around immediately. Seeing the startled and frightened expression on Beru�s face and the way her hand was placed rigidly over her heart, I retracted my saber�s blade.
�Beru,� I started, approaching her. �Are you all right? Where�s Luke?�
And at this, Beru looked more than a little confused.
�Why wouldn�t I be all right?� The woman asked. �Obi-Wan, what is the meaning of this? What are you doing he--�
I waved my hand impatiently, there was no time for unnecessary questioning.
�Where�s Luke?� I repeated my question, a bit more urgently this time. Beru shook her head a little and then gestured behind her.
�He... he�s inside playing with Owen.� The confusion only seemed to grow on her face... and I was sure it must have mirrored my own. I didn�t understand. It didn�t make any sense. I had felt Vader�s presence. I was sure of it. He had been here. *Right* here. It was impossible that he could be so close to his child and not know?
�Obi-Wan...� Beru started - interrupting me from my thoughts. �Tell me what�s going on. Are we... is Luke in danger?�
I looked down trying desperately to gather my thoughts; to plot some course of action. To make sense of it all.
�Obi--�
�Yes.� I said firmly as I looked up. �You are in danger. All of us are.� I hurried past her in to the homestead, following my feelings as to where Luke was. Beru follwed me.
�Obi-Wan!�
�You and Owen must leave this place.� I said as I entered the room where Luke and Owen sat over a pile of wires and tools. The content smile that was on Owen�s face as he taught Luke the mechanics of building a droid disappeared the moment he looked up and saw me.
�And go where? What is happening?� Beru asked from behind me.
�There is no time for explanations.� I said as I wasted no time in pulling the small boy up and in to my arms. He screamed and resisted - I was nothing more than a stranger to him. Owen stood immediately. �Barter passage off the planet and get as far away from here as you can.� And with that, I left the room and ran out of the homestead heading quickly toward the stairs that led up to the surface. Owen and Beru followed me - angry exclamations being heaved at me with full force.
I waved the door at the top of the stairs open - and there stood Padm�. Silent. Still. Her eyes reasting on the struggling form in my arms. The screaming and yelling from the outraged couple beind me ceased almost immediately. I had almost forgotten that save for a select handful of people, the whole of the galaxy believed Padme to be dead.
�Gods in the heavens.� Owen whispered. Padm� took her eyes away from Luke and stepped forward. Moving past me, she raised her chin and I turned to see her look at Owen.
�Vader has been here.� She started - her very queenly demeanor and accent coming back to her as though she had just come from a senate meeting in Naboo. I watched in awe as the transformation took place. She did not crumble at the sight of her son. She did not colapse in to tears. She knew what needed to be done; why she was here. She was composed and brilliant. Owen and Beru stared at her - struck silent and pale.
�A great deal has been risked to come here,� she continued. �And a great deal more shall be risked to ensure that my son and daughter are safe. We are all in very grave danger - a danger which increases in magnitude every moment we stand here together. I thank you for your kindness, but Luke must come with us now.�
Beru�s eyes filled with tears as she covered her mouth - perhaps to keep from sobbing, but Owen�s eyes remained clear. After a moment of silence, he nodded. Nothing more was said between them. Padm� turned to me and took the boy from my arms. I met Owen�s eyes as he put his arm around Beru who cried in to his chest.
�We only wanted what was best for him.� He said.
�We have that in common.� I responded. �Please, leave this place before it is too late.�
I turned, and followed Padm� out through the door. She stood quietly - her eyes closed as she embraced her son for the first time since he was born.
�We are going to the city.� I said to her. �Quickly, Milady.�
*****
The rented room in Mos Eisly was small and dingy - carved right in to the dusty landscape. There was nothing inviting or comfortable about it... a small bed, an uncushioned chair, and a refresher. That was all. I supposed that the sort of meetings that occured in here did not much call for anything more than that. Padm� and I sat in silence - she on the chair and I on the edge of the bed, Luke asleep behind me. It was a deep and penetrative silence that rang loudly in my ears as the two of us considered all that lay before us. Vader had been here; had been on the Lars� doorstep...
Yet they remained unharmed. Luke remained unmoved.
�I was right.� Padm� spoke in a near whisper, careful not to shatter the silence that enveloped her and I so completely. For the first time, I wondered if maybe she was. I ran my hand across my beard as I continued to try and peice things together in my mind.
�We should consider this very thoughtfully and avoid jumping to any conclusions.� I started. �After all, we do not know what Vader�s motives for leaving Luke with Owen and Beru were.�
�Does it matter?� She said, no longer whispering. �Obi-Wan... don�t you see? This is proof. He could have taken his son away. He could have killed Beru and Owen. He left them all safe. He didn�t touch them.�
I sighed.
�I do not know what to make of this.� And it was the truth. I had no words of wisdom for her. Nothing to either confirm or disprove her desperate hope that Anakin was not lost to us forever. Nothing.
�This means something, Obi-Wan.�
�It does.� I said gently. �If only we could be sure of what.�
And then there was more silence. Silence that seemed like it would never end, until...
�He�s so beautiful.� She whispered. It took only a moment to realize she was talking about the infant who slept peacefully even after what had just transpired. It was almost as though he knew instictively he was safe with Padm�. She looked at me. �I can not believe that Anakin would hurt him or me.� A pause. �After his mother died... Anakin killed her captors.� I met her eyes with a short nod to tell her to go on. �Every one of them. The women and children as well as the men.� A dull stab of disappointment ran through me at those words though I was not quite sure how that was even possible anymore. �He�d lost himself to anger and grief. I saw him. He...� She shook her head. �He wasn�t himself. He spoke of power - he wanted more of it. He said he knew he was better. Better than you; than any Jedi.� I crossed my arms over my chest and ran my finger over my mustache as I wondered where she might be going with this. �I�ve only ever seen him that way twice. The other, it was on Mustafar.�
�Padm�, what are--�
�At his mother�s grave, he was himself again. He was Anakin. He spoke to her... and there was only love and regret. None of the anger.�
Suddenly I was very weary of where this was leading.
�What are you suggesting?� I asked gravely.
�We must go to him.� She said suddenly, and stood up from the dingy uncomfortable looking chair in which she was seated. �It�s time to put an end to all this deceit. He is ready. I know he is.�
�It�s madness.� I said as I shook my head. �We are in a fragile situation. One false step could mean disaster!�
�The people Anakin loves mean everything to him, Obi-Wan. We can�t keep his children away from him forever. I wont stay away from him forever. He needs us. We can reach him. We can save him.�
I stood up suddenly before she could say anything more. Shaking my head and rubbing my beard, I began to pace. Could she not hear herself speak? Did she not realize how absurd it all sounded? Perhaps, to her, it made some sort of sense - but to me it was nothing more than the ramblings of a desperate woman clinging to any shred of hope that still remained. We weren�t trying to save Vader, didn�t she see? We were trying to keep his children safe from him. That was all.
�Being reunited with you is not going to be enough to remind him of who he once was, Padm�.� I argued, trying to force her to see reason - trying to force her to see that Vader was beyond salvation. �Think about what you are saying.�
�Do not speak to me as though I am a child, Obi-Wan.� She responded heatedly. �I was Queen of Naboo before you�d even lost your padawan braid. I am not stupid and I can assure you I do understand the situation at hand.�
I felt reprimaded... for she was right. I had taken to thinking of her as fragile; something that needed my protection. I had nearly forgotten that she had fought just as bravely and valiantly as I in more than just one battle. I had nearly forgotten that she had reigned over a whole planet competantly and justly for many years. She was a very intelligent woman to whom I owed more credit. I pinched the bridge of my nose and the nodded.
�You are right.� I said. �My apologies, Milady. I trust, however, that you understand my reservations.�
�I do believe I understand a great deal more than you are giving me credit for.� She responded heavily. �However, I refuse to see the situation as you do. I refuse to ignore the possibility of hope. Are you so resigned to a bitter fate for us all that you can not see that things can be better? Anakin changed once, Obi-Wan. Is it so hard to imagine that he can change again?�
�A man can change once - that is easy... but becoming again what a man once was is nearly impossible. Vader has to have the desire within himself to change.�
�He has that in him. I know he does.�
�How can you be so sure of this?�
�Because I can not believe that he truly is a monster.�
I looked at her for a long moment - knowing that the two of us would never agree. I could not force her to put her misguided optimism aside, nor could she force me to see any glimmer of hope. I needed something more substantial than her words to convince me.
�Then I am afraid,� I started with a slow shake of my head. �You do not fully understand what exactly the dark side is.�
Padme said nothing. After a moment, I crossed to the door.
�You must be hungry... I shall go see if I can�t find something edable in this dust bowl. �
*****
I walked cautiously through the crowds of the busy city, making every effort to make myself invisible. This was generally not a difficult task due to the fact that any being that found itself in Mos Eisly was not usually there to concern itself with others. There seemed to be an unusual tension in the air, however, that put me on edge and caused me to take extra care. It was not that anything was much different than I had remembered it being. I had been nearly knocked off balance more than once by someone speeding by me, yelling unintelligable words at some unseen aquaintance, but that was hardly unusal. It almost seemed to me that the city was on the brink of rioting whenever I stepped foot here... but I could feel that something was amiss. Padme and I could not stay here long. I would have to arrange our passage off the planet before I returned to the room.
I walked in to the first cafe I saw and straight to the counter. The quicker I got in and out of this place, the better.
�Been a while since I�ve seen a Jedi walking about these parts.� A deep, low class accented voice said from my right. I tilted my head a bit, surprised. The blue and wrinkled man, or what I at least assumed was a man - as the particular species of the owner of the voice had very few obvious ways of differentiating one gender from the other, was not looking at me. He sat appearing to be comfortable on an uncomfortable looking stool at the same counter I leaned over next to a human man. I looked forward, but continued to listen. �We could sure use them around.�
�The Jedi are all dead, Hardy.� The other man said. �You know that.�
The blue man - Hardy - sighed.
�Or will be soon if they aren�t now.� He said with a light, almost sad, chuckle. The human was silent. �Oh, haven�t heard?�
�Heard what?�
�Don�t you ever bother reading the HoloNet news? I tell you, that�s the problem with this Empire. No one cares to stay informed. We�ll always be treated like chattle if we continue to be so ig--�
�Yes, I know, Hardy... but the news! What is it?�
Hardy sighed deeply.
�Emperor�s been killed.� He said. �Lord Vader is said to be his successor.�
�What�ll it be?� A man asked me suddenly from behind the counter. Food was now the farthest thing from my mind as I looked at him with one question on my tongue.
�Where�s the nearest HoloNet terminal?�
*****
I hurried in to the room where Padm� sat with her son awaiting my return.
�The emperor�s dead. We must get Luke away from here.� I said. Padm� stood - the revelation setting her features on edge. No doubt she knew the implications of my statement. If the emperor was dead, Vader would be nothing short of all powerful.
�Where will we go?� She asked as she scooped Luke up in to her arms.
�I have arranged for your transport back to Taruscani. I will travel some where far from here with Luke.�
�Will you tell me where?�
�It would be too dangerous for you to know his location.�
Padm� closed her eyes and burried her head in to Luke�s shoulder just for a moment. I could sense her pain as she whispered something to her son, and then she looked at me and nodded. I admired her very much at that moment - after all she had been through and even though she disgreed with me about Vader she was still able to think clearly enough to put Luke�s safety before all else. She was still capable of being so strong.
�What about Leia? How do we know that Anankin hasn�t found her?� She asked, following me out the door. I inhaled deeply as I led her through the crowds - she hiding her face behind her child lest someone recognize her. We didn�t need any more trouble than we already had.
�I believe it was I who led Vader to Tatooine.� I shook my head. �He must have found out I had been in hiding here. It wouldn�t have been hard to put two and two together from that point. He would have known that we would want Luke to be with family. If I was on Tatooine, Luke must have been with Owen and Beru. There�s nothing to lead him to Leia.�
�How can you be sure, Obi-Wan?� She asked - her breath quick as we were practically running. I said nothing for a long moment.
�There�s no way I can be.� I answered honestly. �But my instincts are telling me that she is safe for now... and for now, we have to trust that. Going to her would pose too great of a risk--�
�Obi-Wan, she is my daughter! I cannot just--�

I stopped suddenly and turned to her - taking her by the shoulders.
�I promise you that I will see to her safety once you and Luke are out of danger.� I said firmly. �I promise you.�
Padme stared in to my eyes for only a brief moment before she nodded.
�I will trust you.� She responded.
�Good.� I said, then began walking again. �We must hurry. Your transport will not wait for you if we are late.�
�How did you arrange this?�
�Honestly?� I laughed just a little. �Luck. I found a cargo ship that is delivering medical supplies to a planet just beyond Taruscani.�
�How did you convince them to allow me to go with them?�
�I was a Jedi in my previous life.�
Padme said nothing until we reached the space port. Looking at the ship that would take her back to her life of solitude, she sighed.
�When will I see my children again, Obi-Wan?� She asked quietly as she held Luke tighter to her. He looked around as though he was trying to understand everything that was happening around him.
�When Vader is no longer a threat.� Were the words that I spoke... but what I meant was, when Vader was dead. Whether or not she understood my full meaning, I was unsure.
�She coming?� A man called from the ship.
�I just need a moment.� She responded. The man nodded and disappeared inside. Padme embraced her son tightly and smiled for him.
�Remember me, Luke.� She started. �Remember my face and my voice. Remember that I�m your mother and that I love you very much.� The boy said nothing. Padme put him down and looked to me - her eyes bright with pain.
�Take care of him.� She said. I nodded. �Goodbye.� I put a hand on her shoulder.
�Goodbye.� I said... and with that, she turned and approached the ship and entered it without turning back. The door whirred closed behind her. I took Luke�s hand as we both watched the ship take his mother away from him once again.
*****
I sat quietly amongst medical cargo while the two men steering me away from Luke spoke idly about nothing in particular. I went over the last 2 hours spent with my son over and over in my head. There was so much more I wanted to do with him. So much more I wanted to say... but I had kept my distance. I was so frightened that the pain of giving him up again would kill me, that I had not allowed myself to get too close. An embrace. A few words of farewell. That was all.
It had not helped.
�So what�s your story?� One of the men asked suddenly a bit louder than he had been speaking before. As he had not turned to look in my direction, it took me a moment or two to register the question had been directed toward me.
�I have no story.� I responded cautiously. He turned to me then. Large brown eyes sparkling with amusement.
�You know... it�s been my experience that the ones who say they have no story usually end up being the ones with the most interesting stories.� He paused. �Especially the ones who are trying get out of a shady city in a hurry.�
�I�m just trying to get home.� Was all I said.
�Leave her alone, Gabe.� The other man said. �We have a long trip ahead of us... a lot of planets to visit. No point starting it off by annoying her.�
�I�m not annoying her.� Gabe said, then to me: �Am I annoying you?�
�She�s not going to tell you that you are.� The other man said. I gave them a small, half hearted smile.
�If I appear distant, it is only because I have traveled a long way these past few days and I am tired.� I said... and then, something occured to me. �You say will be visiting many planets?�
�Yes. Eight.� Gabe answered.
�Coruscant?�
�As a matter of fact--�
My mind was racing now.
�Would it be possible for me to get off there?�
�Well, you can get off where ever you want to, Miss... but I don�t see why you would want to get off at Coruscant. With news that the Emperor�s been killed, it�s likely to be in an uproar.�
�Especially since it�s almost certain Vader�s going to succeed him.� The other man chimed in.
�I have family there.� I said.
�Good enough reason for me.� Gabe said.
I sat back sad my heart thudded madly in my chest. I had made the decision so quickly my head nearly spun from it. I felt intoxicated with fear and nervousness. What I was doing was not wise...
But I was doing it - and, for once, there was no one around to stop me.
*****
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Forget Me Not