Star Wars: Balance of the Force (Anakin Skywalker Redemption)

1 - Dreams

Obi-Wan was going to be late. He swore under his breath, readjusting his finest robes as he raced down the halls of the Jedi temple.

They were mostly empty, the Jedi who lived there already out in the courtyard and surrounding hallways, celebrating the new year. Obi-Wan finally turned a corner and saw a set of Jedi Knights and Padawan's standing around sipping ale and brandy under the starlight.

Obi-Wan nodded and smiled to them as he passed by, accepting a drink from Master Velaya, who told him to save a dance for her later. Her own former Master, Plo Koon sat with her Padawan Ezac Telt, while Mace Windu, another former Padawan of hers stood talking to Depa and Caleb.

Of course, as nice as it was to see them all together, Obi-Wan couldn't help feeling a spark of joy and pride as he saw his own former Master and Padawan by the tree.

Qui-Gon, always fascinated by the large tree, sat beneath it sipping brandy as he spoke to Yoda. Anakin and Dooku were arguing over lightsaber technique that Ahsoka was demonstrating, but behind their exasperated gestures was a lightheartedness.

'Good evening all,' Obi-Wan smiled as he arrived.

'Finally,' Anakin threw up his hands. 'Obi-Wan, please tell Dooku that Jar'Kai would be utterly useless for Form Two.'

'Why the interest in Jar'Kai?' Obi-Wan frowned.

'Anakin got me a second lightsaber,' Ahsoka said proudly, holding up the shoto-blade for Obi-Wan to look at.

'Her skill is advancing quickly,' Qui-Gon hummed. 'But I must agree with our Chosen One, the Jar'Kai form is best used in more agile ways.'

'Perhaps for less skilled duellists,' Dooku huffed and Ahsoka laughed.

'Well, I look forward to your lessons then Dooku,' she said, giving him a cheeky nudge. 'Since you're so sure it can be done.'

'Child, these amateurs will not know what hit them,' Dooku agreed solemnly, then smiled at something behind Obi-Wan. 'Ah, now here come my talented young protégés.'

Yoda snorted, 'Yours, they are not, Dooku.'

Obi-Wan didn't need to see the two youngling's headed towards them. Their Force signatures alone would always give them away. Even so, he spun around, dropping to a squat as Luke and Leia rushed towards him, dressed in Naboo-style all-white finery.

'Why, hello there,' Obi-Wan grinned as they hugged him. Leia's little dress was completed with silver bangles and a thin circlet atop her dark hair, which had been pulled into two little buns.

Luke's fluffy blond hair fell around his grinning face, his own white pants and shirt fixed with a silver belt and collar-like necklace as well.

Obi-Wan couldn't help staring at them, their perfect little faces, their tiny hands. So bright in the Force, so full of light and joy. They looked so much like their parents and acted like them too. Obi-Wan tickled behind Leia's ear and she giggled, the same way Anakin had when he was a young boy. Luke had Padmé's steady gaze and stern face, that so quickly broke into a smile when he was with his parents and their friends.

In all his years, Obi-Wan had never thought he would love anyone more than Anakin, but these two...

Padmé walked a step behind them, her pale pink dress drawing the eye amongst the sea of neutral robes.

'Hello everyone,' she smiled, and Anakin rushed forward, spinning her around before they kissed quickly, nothing more than a peck. Though their relationship was no longer a secret to the Jedi, outward displays of affection were still frowned upon.

Dooku was the children's next victim, the two of them rushing to hug him and ask about Serreno and when they could visit next. Obi-Wan had always marvelled at how such a grumpy-seeming old man like Dooku had become one of the twins' favourite Jedi.

They then greeted Ahsoka, whom they saw much more frequently, before Qui-Gon, and Yoda.

'A present, for you, I have,' Yoda chuckled, before handing them a little cloth-wrapped box.

Dooku shook his head at a smug looking Yoda, 'I should have known.' He turned to a bewildered Obi-Wan and Anakin, 'I specifically asked if I should get them something for the New Year and he said that no one else would be...'

Yoda chuckled again, 'Tricked, you were.'

Leia took the gift from the Jedi Master, allowing Luke to unwrap it revealing...

'What is it?' he frowned, pulling the disc-shaped item out of the box.

Anakin came to kneel beside his son, 'That, is an imagecaster.' He took the little disc from him and held it the right way up. 'See here is the 'on' button. Leia, you press it and see what comes up.'

Leia pressed the button and a little image of her and Luke as tiny babies appeared. Anakin taught them how to rotate to the next image, and they flicked through the images of Padmé watching their first steps, Ahsoka showing them her lightsabers, Obi-Wan holding them, and Anakin hovering them in the air.

Then there was their first lesson with Yoda, the two little younglings only three years old and sitting before the wizened old Master.

There was an adventure they'd had with Qui-Gon and Padmé to meet the Gungan's on Naboo, and finally there was their journey to Ilum with Dooku to claim their own kyber crystals. It would be years before they could actually use them, but it gave Anakin and Dooku plenty of time to form the perfect blades for the children to use. 

The twins watched the faint images with wide eyes, enamoured by the memories that had been collected for them by their various Master's.

'What do you say?' Padmé prodded and the twins looked around.

'Thank you,' they chorused, before flicking through the images again.

The night went on and the twins forgot about their gift for a time, instead playing hide and seek with their father, Ahsoka and Yoda. Obi-Wan spent the night mingling with dozens of Jedi, some friends from his own years as a Padawan, others older, others younger. All of them seemed eager to speak with the legendary Sith-Killer, though he had almost forgotten about his duel with Maul all those years ago. 

It was nice, Obi-Wan thought, as he watched Anakin sitting with an easy arm around Padmé, Dooku and Plo Koon laughing together, Velaya and Mace Windu taunting Qui-Gon, and Yoda playing with the Skywalker twins and the other younglings.

The war was over and everything was right in the galaxy.

Wait...war? What war?

Obi-Wan's heart sank as the wonderful vision around him beginning to fade, instead becoming a dimly lit ship. 

War? No, while the Clone War had ended, the real war was not over. In fact, the war against the Empire had barely begun...

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