The Unseen

Chapter 12 - Alderaan

Obi-Wan lets Vader remain in the healing trance until they exit from hyperspace above Alderaan. Seeing the severe condition his body is in, the longer he's under, the better it will be. He awakens his brother by gently touching his mind, silently urging it to come out of the trance. The only sign that he's awake is the brightening of his Force presence, but he doesn't move. "We'll be landing shortly," Obi-Wan tells him. "How do you feel?"

For a moment, only the rasping of the respirator answers him. "Better," Vader replies curtly, pushing himself to a sitting position and standing up. "Thank you," he adds after one respirator cycle has passed.

Under other circumstances, he probably would have made a joke about the obvious reluctance in Anakin's voice, but he knows how much saying the words would have cost him. Instead, he settles on nodding, conveying as much understanding as he can into the simple gesture. Vader stalks out of the cabin, entering the main hold. Obi-Wan follows, glancing at Vader as he moves to a viewport and stands looking out, hands clasped behind his back.

His emotions are completely shielded, and Obi-Wan never realized how much he relied on seeing Anakin's face to gauge his emotional state until now. The silence is almost unbearable, and he's reminded again how much everything has changed. Ahsoka had commented on it also when she mentioned that Vader is very indisposed towards speaking. He prefers being a silent lurking presence, though that can probably be attributed to his emotional state.

What will it take to bring him out of his shell? Obi-Wan has asked himself that question repeatedly over the past several hours, but he hasn't found a satisfying answer yet. He moves to stand next to Vader, not quite touching him, staring out the viewport as Alderaan draws closer. Bail will be waiting and so will Leia. Force, he hopes she's been told the truth. Hopefully, she'll take it with her mother's grace and not show her father any negative feelings.

There's also the question of Luke. He's still on Tatooine, and someone needs to bring him here. Obi-Wan ought to go, but he's reluctant to leave Anakin's side. Maybe he can send Ahsoka or wait until Anakin is in surgery. One of them should stay here on Alderaan to be with him, but he's not sure who. Asking might be the best option.

"Only Leia is here." Obi-Wan keeps his voice quiet, but he knows that Vader can hear him. "Luke is on Tatooine with your step-brother."

"Tatooine?" Vader echoes, his distaste somehow being conveyed through his vocoder.

"Yes," Obi-Wan confirms. "I was in no position to raise a child, and the Lars were the best option. Besides, I knew that neither you nor the Emperor would go there, so he would be safe."

"And this same concern did not extend to Leia?" Vader questions, turning his head to look directly at Obi-Wan. He forces himself to look into the mask which conceals his brother's face.

"She did not resemble you as closely," Obi-Wan explains, "And our options were limited. Placing her on Naboo would not have been safe for Sidious would surely have found her there. It wouldn't have been as likely for him to realize that the Organa's adopted daughter is yours, because she has been in plain sight all these years."

Vader doesn't reply, and Obi-Wan again wishes he had a way to know what the other man is thinking. His shielding is so strong that Obi-Wan can't even catch the faintest emotion without actively probing, something he doubts would be well received. After a few seconds, Vader turns away, crossing his arms as he resumes looking out the viewport as Ahsoka lands the shuttle. On the platform ahead, Obi-Wan can sense Bail and Leia waiting. Best to get this over with.

"Come," he says quietly, resting a hand on Vader's right arm as he turns towards the ramp. Ahsoka joins them, and together, they walk down the ramp onto the surface of Alderaan.