As It Was ▸ Obi-Wan Kenobi

13. Hope

The ship docks and Leia runs down the gangplank first, a man and two droids following. I let out a sob at the sight of them, the familiar tottling of the gold plated one, the sassy chatter of the second following closely behind.

And someone else. Someone who feels immediately like Anakin but with the softness of Padmé. But not Leia, it's not just Leia I'm feeling.

It's Luke.

Leia's twin strides down after her, his gait confident as his mother's, chin held high enough that I can see his father's arrogance. The twins, together at last and they don't even know it.

A smile breaks across my face through the tears and I laugh because the next era of Skywalkers changing the course of history has just stepped foot in the base of Rebel operations.

The droids reach me before the scruffy looking pilot and Leia do.

"Artoo!" I exclaim, kneeling down in front of him, where have you been?"

He beeps affectionately in response, but adds a snarky comment that makes me feel more loved than his initial welcoming greeting.

"Oh, do you know R2?" C-3PO asks, coming to stand beside us.

"3PO of course I do!"

I seem to stun the droid into silence for half a second by the fact I knew his name and called him by a shortened version of it, "And next you'll be telling me I know you too I suppose?"

"In another life, yes," I smiled, "we all knew each other very well."

"Stupid mindwipes," he mutters, seeming to shake his head before tottling off.

I hug Leia briefly before she turns to business with General Dodonna. My heart contracts at the thought of how many times Padme had done the same.

I nod to Luke in greeting, extending my hand, "I'm Cece," I say, the name sounding foreign in my mouth even after so many years of going by the nickname. And it hurts to not introduce myself to Anakin's son as myself.

"Nice to meet you General," Luke nods respectfully.

I frown, "How did you-"

"You have the aura of someone in charge," he grins.

I smile, unsure of what else to say. But I can't say nothing because I want to know, to be sure, "he was with you wasn't he?"

"Who?" Luke asks, his eyebrows knitting in a way that was so deeply reminiscent of Anakin I almost start to cry again.

"Obi-Wan- Or Ben. He probably asked you to call him that."

Luke's face lights up and falls at the same time, "You knew him?"

"Of course I knew him," I said smiling.

"He's, ah, he's gone you know-" he said, his voice quieting.

"I know."

"On that battle station, Darth Vader killed him."

It shocks me, even though I already knew it to be true, that the remnant of Anakin would strike him down. I see the sadness in Luke's eyes and know I can't let him see mine because it will give too much away. Too much that he shouldn't know yet.

But he sees it anyway, or rather, I think he feels it. I feel his Force signature shift in a way that shakes me because it is so full of feeling, of passion, just as Anakin was. And even if he doesn't know what it means yet, he feels me feel it. He feels the slight shift in my presence and the deep sadness that I cannot hold in. At the same moment, I feel Leia's eyes on me too and have to keep myself from sobbing because the Skywalkers can't help but have a powerful presence in the Force. It is who they are.

This all happens in a flash that no one else seems to notice. Luke nods like he understands something new and Leia averts her eyes like she knows I don't want to share my grief yet.

"Ben mentioned you. Cecil, right?" Luke asks, a fresh respect and near awe in his eyes, "General Palmarin. Master Palmarin."

I smile, unable to hide it this time, "And what cautionary tales did he tell of me?"

Luke smiles in return and responds in a tone older than his years "Only that he missed you. And that you were," he corrected himself, "that you are the best Jedi of the age."

I grin, the compliment warming me just as much as if Obi-Wan was here to say it. My heart swells as I watch Luke go, wishing with all my heart that I could stay, that I could train him.

But that is not my job. My job is done. The rebellion has wings. It has hope. This is the beginning of the end.