Fic: White Rabbits (Star Wars, 38/?)
Dec. 11th, 2005 12:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
butterflyTitle: White Rabbits
Part: 38/?
Author: Diana Michelle (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
butterfly)
Warnings: Spoilers for Revenge of the Sith. Movie-canon only.
Pairings: Anakin/Obi-Wan; Leia/Han.
Rating: R/NC-17
Summary: A bargain is struck.
Disclaimer: Not Lucas, don't own a thing, not making any money.
Chapter Index
Luke spotted Artoo up ahead, fiddling with a computer connection close to a door on the right. Luke could sense Anakin’s shield surrounding the room there, but he had no idea how Artoo had known where to go.
Then again, Artoo always did seem to find his way around places.
“Not opening?” Luke asked sympathetically. Artoo twittered emphatically, and the tool-tipped arm plugged into the wall sparked slightly. Artoo retracted it with an annoyed little sound. “I’m not sure what he did, but it feels pretty effective.”
Then, silently, the door slid open, revealing Anakin. He was dressed, so he’d either already been awake or he’d slept in his clothes. Luke had done his fair share of the latter in the past few years, though, and Anakin looked too alert for that. He also wasn’t wearing the glove that he’d had on last night and his arm glimmered darkly, black and gold.
At first, Anakin had a neutral look on his face, his emotions hidden, but he softened when he looked down and saw Artoo.
“Hey, remember me?” Anakin asked, sounding hopeful as he dropped down to one knee. Artoo chirped once, and twisted around quickly, extending an arm out and then zapping Anakin’s leg with an open connection. Anakin let out a soft sound of pain, his hand going to the slightly blackened place on his pant leg, but to Luke, the look of complete confusion on his face was worse. “Artoo, what’s wrong?”
Artoo pulled the arm away and made a long, fast series of tweets and bleeps, interspersed with light humming. Luke couldn’t make any of it out at all, but Anakin had a look of intense concentration on his face. Occasionally, Anakin held a hand up to Artoo, who would obligingly repeat the latest series of chirps.
Finally, Artoo wound down to a close with one final, loud protest.
“Traitor is a strong word,” Anakin said. Artoo twirped quietly, and Anakin pressed his lips together tightly and nodded thoughtfully. “I’m not sure what you want me to do.”
Artoo beeped decisively.
“How is talking to Obi-Wan going to help?” Anakin asked. “You know that he doesn’t understand most of what you say. And he’s not your biggest fan.”
Artoo made a soft noise that Luke managed to roughly interpret as ‘things change.’
“Not just yet, Artoo,” Anakin said. He glanced back up at Luke, his eyes darkened with something Luke couldn’t read, and then he casually stood up and walked back into the room. “You might as well come in to wait. Obi-Wan’s in the ‘fresher. He may be some time.”
When Luke entered the room, the world closed in around him. Anakin’s shield was still firmly in place, and everything outside of the room itself was muted and dim, while Anakin suddenly blazed brilliant with a swirling mix of emotions. The anger that Anakin had directed at Luke last night was still there, but now there was an undercurrent of satisfaction. And while Luke couldn’t see Obi-Wan, the sense of him was as strong as if he were standing right next to Anakin.
“He remembered me,” Anakin said. “I’d been afraid that he, too, had had his memory taken.”
“But couldn’t you-“
“Yes, of course,” Anakin said, and impatience bloomed in him, though he hid it quickly. “That’s not the point. Even though I could bring his memory back, it’s still wrong to take it away in the first place.”
“Most people don’t think that doing anything to droids can be considered wrong,” Luke said, his gaze sliding around the room. His eyes narrowed slightly when he spotted the two beds pressed up against the wall – one of them was clearly unused, the covers still smooth and no Force-trace of either Anakin or Obi-Wan lingering on it. The other bed had a Jedi cloak resting on the rumpled blanket. Artoo had settled in between the two beds, apparently content to wait for Obi-Wan. “Mind-wipes are standard procedure.”
“Do you feel that way?” Anakin asked, the challenge in his voice clear. He tilted his head slightly, and Luke felt him shutting the door and reworking the Force-created lock he’d used on it before. “Could you destroy what Artoo is that easily?”
“Most droids don’t act the way that Artoo does,” Luke said. Artoo and Threepio were still the only droids he’d ever met that actually seemed to be genuinely loyal, not just programmed to obey.
“But are they incapable or just never given the chance?” Anakin asked. “Droids are treated as if they were slaves. It’s distasteful.”
“You probably have a more informed opinion on the subject than I ever could,” Luke said, cautiously.
“Do I?” Anakin asked and all at once Luke couldn’t sense anything solid from him. Anakin felt as empty and blank as a hologram, light and show and little else. “All I know is that droids respond to kindness, and to respect. That’s all that I need to know.”
Artoo let out a soft, happy beep, and a moment later, a wall panel slid open, revealing Obi-Wan.
“That blasted room is a good ten levels colder than it ought to be,” he muttered, striding out of the ‘fresher. “Morning, Luke, you’re here early, though it’s for the best. There’s been a change in plans and Anakin and I will need to leave soon. Is there any chance that you could lend us your friend’s ship?”
“Han would kill me if I even thought about it,” Luke said, trying to figure out just what was different about Obi-Wan today. “Where were you planning on going? The Minister wanted to talk to you again and I-”
“She wants to talk us out of trying to leave, which seems like pure nonsense to me,” Obi-Wan said, speaking quickly, and he still hadn’t looked at Luke. “We don’t need to speak with her. We need to go to Hargoeth, the last place we remember being. Whatever happened, had to have happened there. I wanted to be better informed, but I can already tell that I’m not going to learn anything else here.”
“Actually, there’s a lot that you could learn,” Luke said. “This is the future, your future.”
“That seems quite unlikely,” Obi-Wan said. “There’s no possible way that this future can unfold the way it has if Anakin and I manage to return to the past with our memories intact.”
“And you don’t want it to stay the same,” Luke said, remembering Anakin’s words in the
“A generation of betrayal, of loss and despair,” Obi-Wan said, and though Luke could feel the pain in Obi-Wan’s thoughts, it didn’t reach his voice. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“And even if he didn’t, I would,” Anakin said. “How could I ever make the same choices knowing the price? Let my wife die, let my fellow Jedi die, all for nothing?”
Luke flinched at Anakin’s words, coated in unhidden emotion. Padmé had become all too real to him this past night, after Threepio’s stories, and being at the
Some prices were far too high to pay.
Artoo chirruped, loudly, drawing the attention of the group.
“Well, you’re with Obi-Wan now,” Luke said. “What did you need to tell him?”
A beam of blue light shot out from Artoo’s dome, a small hologram forming on the tight cover of the untouched bed.
It was Anakin, one who almost looked like the one standing here now, but Luke could see a scar marring the side of his face, the same one that had appeared in the security holo in Mothma’s records.
“Everything has gone horribly wrong,” the hologram of Anakin said. “And it’s only going to get worse. Master, I wanted to say that I don’t believe you are against me, no matter what the Chancellor – the Emperor – has said. You aren’t against me now, that is. But you will be.”
Obi-Wan took a step towards the bed, and Luke could feel the emotion coiled in him, fear and anger wrapped up in something tender and strange.
“I’ve done… things you won’t forgive, for reasons that you can’t understand. But if… if I should die before we get the chance to speak, I still want you to know the truth.”
The Anakin in the hologram paused, his eyes closing for a moment, as if he were collecting his thoughts.
“Everything I have done has been to save… to save Padmé's life. Everything. The Jedi can’t help her and… they would not, in any case. I dream of her death every night, Master, but they are not just dreams. I love her; I will not allow her to die.”
“Oh, dear,” Obi-Wan whispered. Luke glanced over at him, and his eyes were wide with surprise. “That can’t be a coincidence.”
“To allow an innocent to die when you know a way to save her is evil. I would be evil, if I did not fight for Padmé's life with every breath in my body. I have no choice, no options.”
Anakin heaved in a long, unsteady breath, and, faintly, Luke could feel fear thrashing around in him.
“But you do. The Emperor has declared that all Jedi are to be killed, but I swear to you that if you run, they will not be able to find you. You will be as difficult to locate as a single grain of salt would be in the midst of a desert. I have made it so.”
“Had you truly grown so powerful?” Obi-Wan said, so quietly that Luke almost missed the words.
“You will always be my most beloved friend. Nothing can change that. I have to leave now, so, please, stay safe, my Master. We will meet again in the Force, I promise you.”
The hologram flickered off.
“Why are you showing this to me?” Obi-Wan asked, his uncertainty hardening to coldness. “Shouldn’t you have shown it to the other Obi-Wan, long ago, the one who belonged in this time?”
Artoo made a soft, light chirp.
“He did,” Anakin translated. “You and only you.”
Obi-Wan sighed, softened. He stepped away from Artoo, towards the closed window of the room.
Artoo beeped, and it sounded… disappointed.
“Seeing it didn’t make you very happy,” Anakin said. “But Artoo wasn’t surprised about that. I must have done something truly unforgivable.”
“Not you, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, staring off into a corner of the room. “Never you. You know what the real choices are now, and you would never make whatever mistakes he made.”
“Which doesn’t rule out the option of making entirely new ones,” Anakin said, wryly.
“Sadly, nothing rules that out,” Obi-Wan said, glancing back at Anakin, and then at Luke. “Still, doing nothing simply means that nothing gets done. We do need to get to Hargoeth, as soon as we possibly can.”
“Then I should probably-“ Anakin snapped his fingers, and the door shot open, far faster than it was programmed to do. Han immediately stumbled inside, as if he’d been leaning up against or even banging on the door, though Luke hadn’t felt his presence at all. “-let the pilot inside.”
“Hey, Han,” Luke said, wondering just how long Han had been waiting. “Sorry about running off like that.”
“Oh, you’ll pay for it,” Han promised darkly, though he was glaring mostly at Obi-Wan. “Now, will someone please explain to me what’s going on this time?”
“It isn’t relevant,” Obi-Wan said, and Luke could see Han bristle under Obi-Wan’s careless tone. “All that matters is that Anakin and I need to leave, as soon as possible.”
“And what does that have to do with me?” Han asked.
“Do you really want us to stay?” Obi-Wan asked. “If you help us leave, we’ll be gone, and you won’t have to worry about us anymore.”
“No, we won’t be worried about anything.” It was Leia’s voice, and when Luke turned, he saw her standing in the doorway, Chewbacca looming behind her. Though she looked pale, her will felt like iron. Her gaze was fixed on Obi-Wan. “You can’t worry if you don’t exist. That is the plan, isn’t it? You want to change your future and you’re willing to erase all of us in the process.”
Obi-Wan met her stare head-on, and Luke could feel his resolve, too, unyielding and steadfast. Luke wondered if telling Leia that he’d known about Obi-Wan’s plans would dim her anger or just redirect it.
“Yes,” Obi-Wan said, his voice holding not the slightest hint of doubt. “I am.”
“You can’t go back,” Leia said, as she took a step towards Obi-Wan. “I won’t let you.”
“Are you so eager to hold onto this future?” Obi-Wan asked. “It could be better.”
“Or you could make it worse,” Leia said. “Make it so we never recover from whatever fall occurs. Anything could happen. I can’t let you take that chance.”
“Are you saying that you plan on stopping us?” Obi-Wan asked.
“If I need to,” Leia said. “I’m hoping that it won’t be necessary. I’m hoping that you’ll change your minds, be willing to leave the past intact.”
“Do you really think that you could stop us?” Anakin asked, and though his voice was perfectly calm, even casual, it still sent shivers through Luke. Leia immediately turned towards Anakin, her fury sparkling just below the surface.
“Luke alone is almost as strong as you are,” she said. “Yes, we can stop you, if we have to.”
Anakin took a step towards Leia, and Luke could feel her heartbeat quicken slightly. Han’s hand was on his gun, and Luke felt the urge to place his own hand on the hilt of his lightsaber.
“Well, then, child,” Obi-Wan said, softly, and Anakin immediately relaxed. “Perhaps you could tell us just what you would like us to do.”
“I want you to learn about this future and see why it needs to stay as it is,” Leia said, without hesitation. Obi-Wan and Anakin shared a glance, and an odd, almost bitter feeling of amusement spiked in the both of them, for no reason that Luke could see.
“I will give you a week,” Obi-Wan said, as if it were of no consequence at all, as if he hadn’t just been arguing for as much haste as possible. “One week to prove that this place is better than a universe where the Republic never fell.”
Leia paused for a moment and Luke wondered if she, too, felt as if the galaxy were standing on the edge of a cliff, half a step from falling off.
“Agreed,” Leia said, and at that moment, Luke felt an odd sensation, as if something deep inside him were clicking into place.
As if all of this was supposed to happen.
It wasn’t a feeling he particularly liked.