Archive: MA, SWAL, my website
Archive Date: March 15, 2003
Author's Webpage: http://www.redrosepress.co.uk/clarence
Category: action/adventure, drama, angst
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
Feedback: yes please, any comments very welcome.
Notes: A huge thanks Mave for the Beta, and an extra large thank you to Gloriana who has been a wonderful beta and has done great things for this story - as well as being very patient with the time it's taken me to write it. However all mistakes are quite definitely mine.
Pairing: pre-TPM OW/post-RoTJ Luke
Rating: R
Series: Part of my 'Good Intentions on the road to Hell' series but it does stand on its own - however reading 'A Change of Heart' first would be a good idea.
Chronological order:
Attempting the Impossible
Attempting the Impossible - Epilogue
Re-affirming the Bond
Anniversaries and Beginnings
Not so Unobtainable After All
Paving Stones
Building a Brave New World (coming eventually)
A Change of Heart
A Present from the Past
Spoilers: RoTJ
Summary: Just as rebuilding the Jedi alone becomes too much for Luke, The Force steps in to help. Or does it?

If I'd ever realised how long this rebellion business was going to take I'd have told the old man and the boy exactly where they could put their money. But I didn't and now, two years after I risked my neck and ship to blow up the Empire's latest toy and send the Emperor to Hell, it's still going on! Only instead of fighting, I'm now supposed to fly around the galaxy and suck up to each and every politician living between Coruscant and the outer Rim. They keep on saying that it's all 'for the good of the New Republic'. Personally I preferred the gunfights.

I tell you, if it wasn't for the power, the money and the fringe benefits I'd have left this gig long ago and taken Chewie and my ship back into the smuggling business.

Well, that was what I was saying to myself as I flew the Falcon to another of these diplomatic trips, when the main fringe benefit walked onto the bridge. She wasn't looking happy and I take that as a personal challenge.

"Bad news?" I asked over my shoulder.

"Not really," Leia replied distantly. "I've just been speaking to Admiral Ackbar. He's unhappy that you, Luke and I are travelling together. He says that we make too good a target."

"Hey," I said. "I take that as an insult. There's nothing this ship can't handle. Target! Pirates or Ex-Imperial troops, bring them on. This is the safest place in the New Republic."

Leia couldn't stop herself from smiling down on me. But, hey I'm good and she never had a chance. "And that's exactly what I told him," she said.

I nodded, happy to see my ship being shown the proper respect, but Leia's smiled faded as she sat down behind me. I looked at Chewie, he looked back. This was going to be tougher than I thought.

"So what's the problem?" I asked.

Leia continued to look into space. There's only one thing that makes her ignore me.

"So it's Luke."

Chewie growled in agreement.

Leia gave in. "It's just something that the Admiral said and I've noticed it as well." I turned in my seat to take her hand and she reluctantly continued. "Luke is under strain. I think he still needs to prove that he won't turn to the Dark Side as our father did. That's why this Jedi Academy he's setting up is so important to him." Leia sighed and held my hand tighter. "Luke is getting such opposition. People, and I'm including a lot of good people, blame the Jedi and Force Users for the Empire. They aren't happy to have them back. I've heard the term witchcraft used more than once."

"I've tried setting him up on a few dates," I said helpfully. "Just to get his mind off the problems, but I can't seem to find someone who interests him."

"Han," Leia said sharply, dropping my hand. "Luke's problems are not about to be solved by a pretty face."

"Maybe not, but I've found a night with a beautiful woman always cheers me up." I leaned over the back of my seat and leered. "So what are you doing tonight?"

"Han Solo, you are the most impossible man I know. I can never have a serious conversation with you." Leia gave Chewie and me one of her 'Haughty Princess' looks and stormed off the bridge. I sat staring after her; we've been together long enough that I know when not to follow.

"Yeoowww," said Chewie.

"I agree, that is one screwy family," I said as I turned back to the controls.

"Eyoww."

"Yeah, I wouldn't change the two of them either."

She came back to the bridge a few hours later when I was calling into planetary control. Luke was already there, watching over my shoulder. I decided just to get on with my job.

"This is the Millennium Falcon requesting permission to enter the Dantooine system."

"Millennium Falcon, this is Dantooine control," the com announced. "We have a situation. The transport 'Destiny' has just sent out a distress call. They are under attack from pirates, their reactor is down and they're adrift in space. Our fleet is tied up escorting the diplomats for the conference. Lando Calrissian is on his way but he's a long way out and they need help now."

Looks like the Falcon to the rescue once again. I don't know how this New Republic of theirs would manage without me.

"Give us the position," I said, "and we're on our way."

They sent the co-ordinates to the navi-comp and the Falcon jumped.

"We'll be manning the guns," Luke said as he and Leia headed aft. Boy, those pirates were in for a nasty surprise.

The Destiny was actually very easy to find, just turn left at the five pirate ships. I wouldn't have missed her anyway. She was big, easily big enough to hold the Falcon, all the pirates and any friends we cared to invite along. But she hadn't had a chance - those pirates had known how to take out her reactor quickly and leave her adrift. Just what I needed: bad guys who actually knew what they were doing. At least she'd put up a fight. These large transports are often heavily armed and I could see some blaster damage on the attacking ships. Time for me to hope she'd hit something important and finish off the job. But I had to get a move on; the largest pirate ship had already docked. It could already be too late.

At least there was some good news. Wedge was waiting for us in an X-wing. Good, someone who knew to hit the bad guy and miss me.

"Nice to see you," Wedge said over the com. "Ready to teach these pirates the error of their ways?"

He's so full of it.

"Right behind you," I said.

Wedge turned his X-wing and dove towards a pirate ship which had strayed from the others. I decided not to mess about and headed straight for the main group of three fighters circling around the Destiny.

The Falcon flew like a dream. I dived spinning towards the pirates. Blaster fire exploded close, but not close enough. One of the pirates dropped down behind me and fired. He missed. I swooped under the stricken transport on a collision course with another one of the bad guys. Time to play chicken and I bet my nerve was stronger than his.

I was right.

He panicked, swerved the wrong way and crashed into the boarding ship. I powered my engines and sailed through a cloud of debris. The second pirate followed me through but he'd just made a bad mistake; he was now in my sweet wife's sights. She fired and hit his port engine. The ship twisted uncontrollably in space until Luke fired. He blew it up just before it impacted on the 'Destiny'.

"Got it," yelled Luke.

"No contest," called Leia.

"Hold the congratulations - it's not over yet. There's still one out there," I warned. They've got to learn to be less cocky.

"Where?"

"It's ..." I said but the com interrupted me.

"Millennium Falcon, this is Lando. I'm close - I should be with you in ten minutes."

"That's great, Lando. Perhaps we can chat about it later when we're not fighting for our lives," I said and cut the channel. These days I can't even get in a dogfight without someone hassling me.

Suddenly a blast shook the Falcon and several red lights started to flash on the control panel. At first I couldn't see where in hell it had come from. Then a new pirate ship, closely followed by Wedge's X-wing, flashed by.

"Hey Wedge," I called out over the com. "I thought that one was your little problem. If I have to come over there and sort him out you're gonna regret it."

"Sorry, Han. He's just playing a little hard to get."

"Well just try and be a bit more persuasive."

But the damage was done. Chewie growled at me, pressed a few buttons but couldn't get rid of the red lights. This was serious. Chewie unbuckled himself and headed aft to fix the damage. I was going to have to get us through this alone. Worse, I'd lost track of the last fighter.

I looked at the sensor but it was no help. There was too much debris.

"Right, guys," I called to Luke and Leia. "We need to nail that ship and fast."

"I can't see it," Leia said. "Luke, can you see it?"

"No, it must be..."

A blast shook the Falcon. It looked like our missing pirate had found us.

"We're hit," I said. "Get that ship before it fries something important." This was bad. I'd only just got the Falcon back from an overhaul - these pirates were messing up my expensive new paint job.

"I still can't see it," Luke said. "It dropped back behind the Destiny. It's using it for cover."

Well, two can play at that game. I flew straight towards the Destiny and kept right on going. The transport filled my view screen and then some. But hey, I knew what I was doing. I waited until Leia screamed; then pulled up to skate along just above the Destiny's surface.

"Hey, take it easy flyboy," Leia called out. "Try and remember which side you're on."

I ignored her. She might be a princess and a leader of the New Republic but she hasn't a clue in a space battle.

The Falcon sped round the Destiny inches above the transport's decking. Suddenly there was a turret dead ahead of me. I twisted and turned to avoid it and just skimmed past. At last I got where I wanted to be. If I was right, and I usually am, that pirate was just ahead behind the next turret. I put my engines hard into reverse and went in slow. Then I cut the power and coasted up the side of the transport.

"Okay guys, get ready," I warned and gunned the engines and dodged round the side of the turret ahead. Once again the Solo instincts were right on the money - the pirate was dead ahead and facing the wrong way. Luke and Leia fired but he dodged just in time. Damn, they couldn't have done much damage. I sped in but he didn't hang around and headed straight for an array of antennas. He dived through a gap that the Falcon was too big to fit through and we had to go the long way round. I tried to catch him up, but he was fast and I lost him. Now I had to guess which way he'd gone. I went left.

I was wrong. It happens.

Suddenly the fighter rose up behind us and headed in, guns blazing. I pulled the Falcon up to avoid the incoming fire. Damn, but he was good and we were in trouble. I ducked, I dived but I was still in the maze of antennae and couldn't get away. We took another hit and sparks exploded in my face. I spun the Falcon. Luke had to get a bead on the attacking ship or it was all over.

Then, suddenly, the pirate ship blew up behind us.

"That's an apology for earlier," called Wedge over the com. "Now if you could give me a hand with the one on my tail."

"Wedge, I take back everything I was thinking about you," I said and looped towards his attacker.

The last pirate didn't have a chance against both of us. We got him just in time for Lando to arrive and avoid getting his fancy new ship all dirty.

"Heard you headed off to a party without me," Lando said over the com. "I hope it isn't all over yet."

"Don't worry, Lando," said Leia. "We're just heading in for the main event. If Han ever works out how to turn this bucket around."

Why does everyone always pick on my ship? Deep down they're just jealous. I don't normally put up with that kind of language, but there was a little matter of the Destiny still to sort out, so I brought the Falcon round in a perfect turn and led the others back to the action. Now for the hard part. Pirates on board a ship would kill prisoners if their escape was cut off. This could easily turn into a blood bath.

The last pirate ship was still docked with the Destiny. It must have been damaged when that other pirate crashed into it. Things were starting to look up. The Destiny even answered when I called in asking to dock. They weren't having a great time, but at least they'd managed to contain the boarding parties on the cargo decks. I told them to expect us and headed in.

Lando and I docked with the Destiny but Wedge stayed spaceborne to guard our backs. I knew I should have got some heavier blasters on that last refit. Right now I only had my side blaster - well, it would just have to be enough.

"Right," I told everyone as we stood at the Falcon's docking port. "This could get messy. Let's not have any heroics."

Luke sighed noisily, Chewie growled but Leia just rolled her eyes at me.

"Cut the speech and open the airlock, Han," she said.

Despite feeling really unappreciated I opened the airlock and ran through, Chewie right behind me. I ducked for cover in the opposite alcove. Lando was already there but the corridor was deathly quiet.

"So where's this party you promised me?" he asked as Luke and Leia joined us.

"Don't worry Lando, you'll get to play the hero - we just have to find the cargo decks."

"Then follow me. I actually bothered to look up the layout for this ship," Luke interrupted and ran off without waiting for the rest of us to follow. Sometimes he's just so impulsive.

"Yeah, maybe you did," I said as I trailed Luke down the corridor. "But you get lost inside the Falcon. We could end up in a waste compactor, again."

But Luke knew where he was going after all. I heard the blaster fire long before we found a hatchway to the cargo decks that was still working. I opened it and looked inside and nearly got my head blown off by a stray blaster bolt.

Startled, I dropped to the floor and found a safer place to check it out. This had to be the main cargo bay; the Falcon could've parked inside with room to spare. But we weren't seeing it at its best. Cargo containers were everywhere. Most had been toppled, destroyed or piled up to form barricades, and blaster fire was ricocheting round the walls. This little disagreement had already done terrible things to the decor: at least four different groups were trading fire with each other. Leia, who doesn't know when to keep her head down, looked over my shoulder.

"So, which ones are the pirates?" she said.

I looked around. Someone's aim was good: a guy in the nearest group took a hit. He screamed as he sprawled forwards across some crates.

"Well, we had better decide soon or there's going to be no one left to save."

Lando leaned in to get a better view. It was all getting very cosy. Meanwhile in the cargo bay the fight raged on and a group just across the bay lost one of their members as he was blown backwards into a wall.

"I recognise those men, they're ours," Lando said pointing.

Of course they were. Our guys are always in the weaker position, or taking heavier losses, or, as in this case, both - especially when I'm supposed to be rescuing them. Why couldn't a mercy mission just be easy for once?

But we were here now and there was no point in hanging around, so I started crawling round the edge of the cargo bay using the crates as cover.

"Han Solo, where on Alderaan do you think you are going?" I heard Leia say in a desperate whisper behind me. Where did she think I was headed? I'd have thought it was obvious I was trying to get behind the pirates! As I set off I saw that Luke and Chewie had the same idea but were trying a different route.

I don't know about them but I was doing great until I came across a boot. I'd just gone around a barrel and there it was, right in my path. Looking slowly up, I saw it came complete with a leg, body and even a whole guy standing over me.

"Hi," I said as I smiled and waved. He didn't wave back. Instead, he pointed his blaster at me in a very unfriendly way. It was definitely time to be elsewhere.

"Bye," I said and dived back the way I had come, and crashed into Leia and Lando coming the other way. We sprawled and landed behind another pile of crates.

"I thought you said they were our guys?" I shouted at Lando over the scream of new blaster fire hitting the crates.

"I didn't say them," Lando said pointing at our attackers as a bit of container exploded above his head. "I said them," and he pointed further down the bay.

"Oh, sorry."

"Well this was a wonderful plan," Leia said as she lay flat on the floor and shrapnel fell around her.

"I don't remember suggesting you come along," I said. The blaster fire headed towards us was so intense that I couldn't even attempt to return fire.

"Don't worry, I seem to have a problem with letting you die alone," she shouted over the noise of the battle.

Suddenly a strangely familiar buzzing sound started up on the other side of the crates and the incoming blaster fire started ricocheting around the bay in new and interesting directions. "What's happening?" Leia asked

So now I'm psychic? "I don't know. Why don't I look? After all, I'd only risk getting my head blown off."

I didn't wait for Leia's reply but looked around the side of what was left of one of the crates anyway. There was this young guy standing in the middle of the bay. He had to be very brave or very stupid for he avoided all cover and wasn't using a blaster, but a... It was a lightsabre! Was this guy some kind of Jedi wannabe? Whatever, it certainly looked as though he was taking this whole thing personally.

Now, as everyone knows, I'm not out to die a hero but once someone has tangled with me I'm not about to hang around in the shadows and miss all the action. So, tired of just watching, I made a break across the cargo bay towards some crates behind the pirates.

"You idiot!" Leia shouted at me. Yeah, well she's the one who fell for a smuggler.

It took some pretty fancy footwork to get there alive but I'm known for my fast shuffle out of trouble. I ducked behind the crates and aimed at the nearest group of bad guys. Then Chewie started firing from the other side of the bay and Luke jumped out and joined the other guy in waving his lightsabre about. What is it with these lightsabre people? Whoever teaches them to use those things sure doesn't include the use of cover in battle situations.

Suddenly more blaster fire erupted and started hitting them from a new direction. I looked over. It was Leia and Lando. Was that woman mad? She could've got killed! Why couldn't she have stayed where she was safe? The stupid things she'll do to impress me. At least the pirates were now surrounded. I hoped that they'd be smart and surrender soon. If they were dumb, and they probably were, we'd have to kill them all.

I looked over to the new guy with the lightsabre. Whoever he was he'd rattled the pirates. He might be mad to get into a fight with that ceremonial weapon but he was also fast and deadly. Yeah, he and Luke were sure putting on quite a show out there. The boarding party were in deep trouble and they had to know it.

Suddenly, just as I was thinking this was going to end very messily, there was shouting and the enemy blaster fire stopped. Slowly, one by one, the pirates stood and dropped their weapons. I guessed that their leader had been killed and his deputy, less stupid, had had enough. I'd have done the same in his place. After all the New Republic doesn't even execute pirates anymore. Cautiously, I walked towards them, blaster at the ready just in case. I hadn't survived this long by being the trusting sort. If they wanted more trouble I had plenty left to give them.

Fortunately, they gave up their weapons like good little boys and the Destiny crew had little trouble rounding them up. But I stood around and looked threatening anyway - it's one of the many things I'm great at.

"Glad you could make it," said a guy with captain bars on his shoulders. He had some nasty burns on his arm and was trying to pass it off lightly.

"Anytime," I replied, smiling. I could do casual with the best. Now that it had gone quiet I had time to look around for the lightsabre guy. Without him this could have been a great deal less pretty. He wasn't hard to find: he hadn't moved and wasn't looking any happier. Time to say 'Hi,' I thought, but Luke beat me to it. I should have known the kid would get there first.

As I got closer our mystery rescuer began to seem vaguely familiar. I heard Luke asking him his name but I didn't catch the reply. Then the guy collapsed. Luke was close and caught him before he hit the floor.

I ran to join them. "Medic, over here," I shouted, and signalled to the Destiny's medical teams who were just turning up. Luke was gently lowering the guy to the decking with the strangest look on his face. It was some kind of cross between disbelief, wonder and hunger, I guess. I didn't get long to watch him before the med teams turned up and pushed us both away. Then Leia arrived and looked angrily at me - I could tell I was in trouble for my little break across the cargo bay.

"Take him to the Millennium Falcon med bay," Luke said to the medics, thereby distracting Leia.

"Hey, take him where?" I said. He may have helped us out but that doesn't mean he gets to ride on my ship.

"He's Ben."

Okay the kid has finally flipped. Yeah, the guy was familiar. But even supposing that that crazy old hermit had got a major reverse-ageing job done on himself, he's still been dead for five years. Luke might not think that was a problem but I've always found that death tends to be pretty terminal.

"Luke, Ben's dead," Leia said softly. That's my girl, ever the diplomat.

"I know that, but all the same it is him. He could help me, he knew what they used to do."

"Luke..."

I haven't lived this long without being able to spot a storm brewing. I'll live with the guy on my ship if I can just stop a family row in the middle of the Destiny's cargo bay. The medics had ignored us anyway. They'd put this 'Ben' on a gurney and were floating him away. I assumed they were taking him to the Falcon. This fight would keep.

"Look, let's just clear this mess up and sort that out later," I said.

The twins turned to me and nodded. Sometimes it's great to work with people with an overdeveloped sense of duty.

And that was how Han Solo perceived what history considers to be The Beginning. Luke Skywalker, however, saw it quite differently. To him it was little less than his salvation. Before this incident he was but one young man carrying the hopes and future of the Jedi alone. The strain of so many expectations and fears had already started to exhaust him, so who could blame him for wanting a companion to help shoulder the burden? And that was his weakness. Princess Leia was able to consider the possibility that this man was an impostor but Luke was not. Her warnings were effectively ignored - but this is understandable. He might be a Jedi, but even they are affected when their deepest, most unrealistic fantasy suddenly becomes flesh.

But the situation was more complicated than that. Luke also felt a little guilty; that somehow he was being unfaithful to his old mentor to want this new version so much. After all, Obi-Wan Kenobi had never really left him. In fact he had often appeared in the ethereal form he now inhabited. But, although in the beginning he had been a regular presence, these comforting visits had become infrequent and now only when a crisis loomed. Luke knew Obi-Wan could not hold his identity in the Force forever, and his greatest fear was of the day when Obi-Wan could come no more. And on that day the last Jedi would be truly alone, desperately trying to survive with only Obi-Wan's and Yoda's expectations to keep him company.

But then Luke had seen the young man across the cargo bay. He hadn't realised who it was at first - even though the attraction had been instant. Anyone wielding a lightsabre would have got his attention, true, but the feeling had been so much more than that.

So, as soon as the battle was over, Luke had raced over to speak to him. The stranger was very familiar in an indefinable way and Luke struggled place what he was recognising. The dark robe over a light tunic? The poised stance of an athlete who was prepared for anything? The obvious self confidence? Perhaps if the stranger had not been so young or if his hair were different? Luke found himself wondering what the boy would look like when older or worn by tragedy and sadness. Then the stranger spoke and Luke was keenly reminded of a precious night where a kind old man had accepted the nervous request of a frightened young boy, and had firmly chased away all the demons surrounding him. It had been a glorious night that Luke would have given anything to repeat. He just had time to wonder if these much younger hands were equally as skilled before the man collapsed.

Luke was a Jedi, but he was under a great deal of stress and had all the desires and needs any man has. The feeling he got holding this young man in his arms must help to explain why he was so sure his mentor had come back to him. Certainly it make Luke determined to prevent this man from suffering as Old Ben had. After all, this time he would be there to protect him.

Sorting out the Destiny turned out to be easy; if only everything else had been as well. While Lando and Wedge took turns on sentry duty in space, we patched up Destiny's reactor. It took a while and wasn't pretty but it would get her to Dantooine easily enough. I sent Wedge and Lando into hyperspace first so they would be around if Destiny had problems after the jump. Naturally I insisted the Falcon go last; it's the only ship that could handle more pirates turning up. Trust me, I was looking forward to teaching a few more a lesson they wouldn't forget. I'd certainly have preferred pirates to all the trouble I got from Luke and Leia disagreeing about who this new guy was.

Luke had barely waited until the jump before he headed down to the med bay. Leia didn't hang around either. I decided a cooler head was going to be needed around those two, so I left the flying to Chewie and headed off after them. I got there to find that my med-droid, MD-56, was having a tough time too. It was trying to find out what why this 'Ben' guy was still unconscious, but Luke kept getting in the way. Surprisingly Leia wasn't there - but she wasn't missing for long. She arrived holding an Old Republic style holo of the guy from the Destiny.

Luke looked amazed by it.

"How did you get this?" he said taking it from her. "I thought most of the Jedi records were destroyed in the Emperor's purges?"

"All right," Leia said, ignoring Luke's question; I always enjoy seeing her do that to someone else. "I'll admit he does look like General Kenobi as a young man, but that doesn't mean it is him. You have enemies, Luke. People left over from the Empire, even people in the New Republic who don't like the idea of the Jedi being re-formed. It's easy to alter someone's appearance. This could be an attempt to stop you setting up your Jedi Academy."

"Leia, it's not that he looks like him. He feels like him too. He feels just the same here and here," Luke said, pointing to his head and heart. "I feel him in the Force. You could too."

I was worried by that. I'm not crazy about the idea of Leia suddenly getting this Jedi religion, but she's never seemed really interested in trying it so I watched her with interest. It's hard for me to know but I don't think she tried this time either. Luke certainly looked unhappy with her efforts, but he wasn't about to give up now.

"And there's this," he said and showed her a lightsabre. He ignited it and the blue blade extended, crackling, far too close to the med bay's ceiling panels.

"Hey, watch that thing," I said. Luke looked over to me and lowered the end a little.

"It's different from the one he had when I knew him, but it feels the same," Luke continued.

"Luke, I'm not going to pretend that I'm convinced," Leia replied. "It's just too convenient. You're starting to rebuild the Jedi and just when you need help the most he suddenly appears? Just how did he get here, anyway?"

Just at that moment of peace and harmony between brother and sister, Ben chose to wake up. At least the guy's got a sense of timing. Luke quickly turned off the lightsabre and got in MD-56's way again, but by now the droid had had enough and pushed him out of the way.

"Master," Ben said groggily.

He woke slowly, looking dazed and confused, then he saw us and tried to sit up quickly. That turned out to be a mistake and he almost blacked out again, but MD-56 caught him and helped him sit up. He looked as sick as a dog and you could see him trying to pull himself together.

"I... I'm Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said with authority, then ruined the effect when he paused to catch his breath. "I am grateful for the care you appear to have given me but I request that you tell me who you are and where my Master is. I respectfully ask what have you done with Qui-Gon Jinn?"

Leia took charge. Luke was off somewhere in la-la land.

"We've haven't done anything with anyone. You appeared here, alone and have been unconscious for hours."

Ben looked at her strangely, then at the rest of us, pausing when he saw Luke. Luke tried to go to him but I just happened to be in his path.

"What can you remember?" Leia asked.

Ben looked at her suspiciously but he answered.

"If this is an attempt to get restricted information, then I must warn you that you are wasting your time." His voice was steady now. "However, as our mission was heavily publicised I can tell you that my Master and I were part of a Republic investigative team, looking into reports of illegal time travel experiments on Theliope."

"Time travel! But no one has ever built a time machine," I said, but no one was listening to me.

"As was reported, we had persuaded the government to give us access to a particular lab," Ben continued looking vaguely over Luke's shoulder. He was having a hard time staying awake. "The chief scientists themselves were taking us on a tour of the installation when there was an explosion in the building. We ran to investigate, I was separated from my Master and then..." he paused and looked confused. "Everything was different. After that I vaguely remember a ship and fighting. Then, I don't know."

Exhausted, Ben lay back down on the bed. I didn't know who he was but he wasn't faking this bit.

"What date was it?" Leia asked quickly.

"On Theliope?" Ben answered vaguely. "They had such a strange dating system. I believe it was the 35th cycle of the Laughter of the Animals."

And that was that. Leia tried to question him further but he was already asleep and even she can't get answers out of the unconscious. Naturally she wasn't pleased and it's at times like this that I envy Luke - he's just got her as a sister.

"So who is Qui-Gon Jinn and when was the Laughter of the Animals?" she asked angrily. I shrugged.

"We'll have to wait until we reach Dantooine. I don't keep that kind of information on the Falcon's computer."

Leia looked ready to explode so I gave her one of my best grins.

"Sorry," I said lightly.

"Then we'll just have to wait," she said. "Until we know more, I'm putting a guard on him when we reach Dantooine. And we'd better keep this quiet. The last thing we need is false hopes and rumours." She looked sharply at us; I nodded, so did Luke. Then she stormed out of the med bay and it all went very quiet.

"Captain Solo," MD-56 said. "I need to conduct some more tests to evaluate the patient's condition. My previous tests have given abnormal results."

"Sure, whatever. Knock yourself out." MD-56 nodded and set to work.

Luke, meanwhile, had taken advantage of the distraction to sit by Ben's bedside and take hold of his hand.

"It is him, Han," Luke said. "No one could fake this connection between us - not the way it sings out to me. And that voice! It has to be the most beautiful in the New Republic."

"Sure, kid," I said, but Luke was off daydreaming again and wasn't listening. Then I looked at the two of them again. I didn't like the way that Luke was holding the guy's hand. And that comment sure didn't sound like the kind of thing a student normally says about his old teacher.

"Ahmm," I said subtly. No response.

"Look, " I said and stood across the bed from him. "Don't take offence, but from the expression on your face I don't think that you're remembering a crazy old man who found you in the desert."

Luke briefly looked up at me. Then he leant his elbows on the bed and took Ben's hand in both of his. I was getting a bad feeling about this when, with Ben's hand pressed to his cheek and his eyes closed, Luke deigned to speak to me.

"That night on the Falcon, just before we reached Alderaan. I asked Ben to spend the night with me. He did. Had he lived I was hoping that, well, that it would have been more than just one night."

Okay, that was worse than I was expecting. I decided that shouting at him wasn't going to do the trick. If Leia can't pull that one off then it's not going to happen. So I went for the gentle approach. I pulled a chair over next to Luke's, sat down, grabbed his shoulder and turned him round to face me. He didn't let go of Ben's hand so he ended up looking at me over it.

"Okay," I said after a moment in my calmest voice. "Let's just assume that I don't think that he took advantage of the situation and that this is him conveniently spirited here by hokey mysticism. Whatever, this man is not the man you knew. He is over thirty years younger, younger than you now, and he won't know who you are. He certainly won't remember a 'precious' night on the Falcon."

Luke turned to look down at the man on the bed. He didn't look worried.

"I understand that," Luke said. "But he'll feel the connection between us though, Han. He'll feel something."

If the games of childhood could tell tales, then Princess Leia's would be most eloquent. One in particular is worthy of note because, although she had many playmates, she would only play it alone and when the spirit moved her just so. Because, in this game, she would sneak off to a secret place somewhere and pretend she had a brother upon whom she would lavish love and affection.

So, it is rather sad that when she acquired a real brother she spent so much of her time planning his demise. But no one else was much surprised. After all, Princess Leia was a strong-willed woman and the brother she cared so much for had an unpleasant tendency to rush off unaccompanied into danger. Indeed, many were irked by that particular habit of his.

But for Leia this situation was worse than usual. This time she couldn't make Luke admit that the danger even existed or that the future of the Academy, and thus thousands of years of history, tradition and everything he had spent the last few years trying to build, was in peril. And all of this because of a spiky-haired boy who had appeared from nowhere. She was sure it was a trap and that Luke had been, all too willingly, ensnared by it.

And to make it worse, Luke seemed to think that he was the only one who had cared for Obi-Wan Kenobi. It was as if the tales she'd heard as a child of General Kenobi, from the man she had loved as her father, didn't really count. But Bail Organa had loved to tell stories of Obi-Wan Kenobi and how they had fought together in the Clone Wars. She knew how close they had been and how they had never let anything prevent them from carrying out their duty, regardless of the cost. Leia felt that those stories had shaped her and made her the woman she was: a woman with ideals and determination. The holo she had shown Luke was her only surviving picture of the two of them together. It was doubly precious to her, since very little else had survived the destruction of Alderaan.

So, regardless of what Luke might think, she did care. If the boy was genuine then no harm would come from a little caution but, whatever else happened, she wouldn't allow General Kenobi's name to be blackened by a heartless attempt to sabotage the Academy.

Can anyone tell me why someone as talented and handsome as me always gets dumped with the worst jobs? I mean, who else would agree to stay in this basement and check out our 'Ben's' story when there's sunlight and food upstairs? Why the basement? Because, of course, that's where they put Dantooine's main information archives. I could have said no. I should have said no, but Leia just looked at me - in that 'you're my only hope' kind of way - and I am such a sucker for that look. I just didn't realise I'd be abandoned to the job, and that everyone else would suddenly become too important to miss the conference as well.

I suppose I should be grateful Dantooine has pre-Empire records. I don't know what Leia would have had me doing if they hadn't. But is it too much to ask for surface level access? No, that would make my life far too easy. Sure, I'm taking this personally, but there can't be any other reason for the restriction - it's not as if they're in danger anymore. Okay, okay so I was getting paranoid but they haven't even put in decent lighting and I was going stir crazy and in need of a little help.

Somewhere upstairs there was a conference going on. Someone had to want a break from it. I'd asked Chewie to find Lando or Wedge. I was sure he'd gently persuade those two to give me a hand. Yeah right, as if I'd send a wookie to do a job like that! I was looking forward to see Chewie turn up with one under each arm. But until he did I had work to do. It took me a while, but I was finally getting somewhere when Lando appeared and leaned over the top of my datascreen.

"Hey Han," he said. "Don't tell me you finally decided to try and get yourself an education. This is what comes of associating with your betters. Well, you be careful: studying at your age could be dangerous after a lifetime of neglect."

I just looked at him with the contempt he deserved.

"Hey, didn't know you couldn't take a joke," he said grinning and holding his hands up in surrender. "If that's how you welcome visitors, then it's no wonder that you're all alone down here."

"Do you want something, Lando, or are you just out to lose a few teeth?"

"It's good to see that the lovely Princess Leia hasn't tried to change you since your marriage. Your manners are just as charming as ever. Here am I," he said gesturing in a flowery way at himself. "An old friend, just coming to say goodbye, and all I get is threats."

"Goodbye? Where are you going?" That's bad. If he's off that's one less person to share this job with.

"To Yavin. I should have left a couple of days ago. I was only here to set up the conference, not take part in it. If it wasn't for the Destiny's run-in with those pirates I'd be back already getting the next diplomatic triumph organised."

He grinned again but suddenly I wasn't feeling up to taking the bait. I was stuck down here and the cobwebs, the dinginess and the rows of empty desks had got to me. Lando's grin faded. Baiting me was a hobby of his, but it was no fun if I wasn't playing.

"What are you doing down here anyway?" he asked suddenly concerned. "Don't tell me you've finally really upset some bigwig and they've banished you down to the bowels of the planet."

I decided to let him know. He wasn't going to help if he didn't.

"I'm trying to check out the story from the lightsabre guy we picked up on the Destiny. He says he's Obi-Wan Kenobi transported from the past or something. He told us a couple of things when he woke up and I'm checking them out."

"Why?"

"Leia thinks he's a look-a-like impostor sent to sabotage the Jedi Academy."

Lando looked stunned but he recovered quickly to laugh a little. "Believe me, Han," he said sincerely, "I keep my ear to the ground. If someone had set up something that elaborate to stop the Academy then I think I'd have heard about it."

I called up another record that had looked promising and started skimming through. "Luke's sure he's Old Man Kenobi sent through time to help him," I said. "He says he knows because of something to do with the Force. It didn't make much sense to me."

Lando starting rubbing dust off the top of my datascreen. "Luke has a lot of crazy ideas."

I looked up. "What are you saying here?"

Lando didn't move. "Hey, don't get so defensive. I'm just saying that maybe this Jedi Academy isn't the best thing to do at the moment. The New Republic is just that, new, and people are saying that Luke's getting ready to train up a new Emperor when we've barely got rid of the old one."

I leaned back in my chair and looked straight at him. "The Emperor wasn't a Jedi."

"But Darth Vader was. It's not as if most people even understood the difference between the Sith and the Jedi anyway. It's all the same to them. Spooky powers and an attitude."

I sighed and slumped forward. Why was I defending the Jedi Academy? Lando had a point and it's not as if I cared much about it. Luke's easily capable of defending it himself. Still, Luke is my brother-in-law and he did save my life, but then again so did Lando. "How do you hear these things?" I asked.

Lando gave up leaning on my screen, pulled over another chair out of the gloom, gave it a quick dusting then sat down. "Like I said, I keep my ear to the ground. Although bad feeling about the Academy doesn't take a lot of hunting out."

"Some people think it's going to help the New Republic."

"Some do," he admitted then continued. "Look, I'm not dissing the kid, and I know Luke did more than most to get rid of the Empire, but he can't see things the way a lot of people out there do. He's too close. To him Darth Vader, his father, redeemed himself at the end but I don't know many people who would agree."

I nodded. Luke was a more forgiving guy than most but Lando had just talked himself into trouble. He may be right but not even Lando can give Luke a hard time to me and expect to get away with it. Not that it had anything to do with me needing help with this research. Of course not.

"If you're right, then this Kenobi guy's story needs to be checked out immediately."

"What?" Lando looked surprised at the change of topic.

"If either Luke or Leia are on the right track, then it could change everything. It sounds as though the situation is bad and we need to know, either way, right now. The records are in a mess but don't worry, it'll only take a day or so with both of us working on it."

Lando stood. He looked more shaken up than I thought he would by the prospect of a couple of days down here, but then he always was a dandy. He was probably scared that his clothes would get dirty.

"But I have to get back to Yavin," he said. "It's very important."

I stood and grabbed his arm. He wasn't getting away that easily.

"But you said that all you're doing is setting up the next conference. They've probably already started without you. I'm sure they'll let you know if there are any problems, which you can sort out from here. Unless, that is, you have to go back for another reason?" I said conspiratorially, and leaned forward to get a better view of Lando's trapped look.

"No, no, there's no other reason," he said quickly.

Yeah right, I believed that. If I knew Lando, then it was a woman he didn't want me to know about. Now I think of it, he's often on the com to a 'Salin'. Must be serious if he didn't want me to blow it for him. I must find out more about her when we get back to Yavin.

"Then you'll be able to help me after all," I said. Sometimes Lando is so easy.

"This is the last time I'm coming to say goodbye to you," he said as he sat down at another station and powered up the datascreen in front of him. I grinned. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

The Dantooine Conference - such a bright idea. It was to be one of the final stages in cementing the New Republic together. Most hoped that it would be little more than a ceremonial affair where all the details would be agreed with ease. After all, virtually everyone wanted the same thing: stability, protection from leftover Forces of the Empire or other aggressors and, most importantly, a chance to rebuild what the Empire had destroyed.

But why, if it were such a joyful event, did Luke find it one of the more difficult experiences of his life? He should have found it uplifting as generally he was very well received. Most of the delegates congratulated him on his new student, who had been vital in saving the Destiny, and many wanted to know when the Academy would be producing enough Jedi to make the space lanes safe again. That a significant group avoided him or accused him of breeding a new generation of Sith, however, was only to be expected; and that group was smaller than he had feared.

But every moment Luke was at the conference he wanted to be at Obi-Wan's bedside, and every moment he was in med-bay he couldn't understand what he was doing wrong. Luke had thought that it was going to be so easy. Obi-Wan would wake up, recognise Luke and they would have an immediate meeting of minds. Then Obi-Wan would tell Luke what to do to overcome the Academy's current problems. And, as soon as Obi-Wan was well enough, Luke would take him somewhere very private to re-enact that particular night in the Falcon.

So, imagine Luke's confusion when, instead of advice and caresses, all he got was disbelief and avoidance. It just didn't make sense. Suddenly, Luke realised the problem. This time he was the older, more experienced man who knew what to do next and it was Obi-Wan who had been flung unexpectedly into a strange and confusing world. Now, rather than being the follower, Luke had to be the driving force. It wasn't a situation that Luke had even considered, but he was determined to overcome it.

However, despite such confidence, it was no easy task. At first Obi-Wan wouldn't even believe 'when' he was and, somehow aware that he was under guard, apparently thought himself a prisoner of captors who were trying to get privileged information about the Jedi. Determined, Luke told him of the terrible fall of the Jedi and rise of the Empire, but all to no avail. Soon Obi-Wan, although still weak, was up and, under close supervision, exercising in one of the base's gyms. But, despite his best efforts, Luke could still not convince him. Additionally, Luke became concerned that Obi-Wan, after being kept isolated and having few people even speak to him, was becoming increasingly withdrawn. So Luke persuaded Wedge to represent him at the conference, thus enabling him to spend more time in the med bay, but then he felt guilty for not doing his duty whenever he saw Leia. Frustration was mounting on every side and a confrontation was imminent

But the Force intervened in the shape of Old Obi-Wan's lightsabre. Luke had found it on his father's body and realised that Anakin must have always carried it with him. It made the lightsabre doubly precious and one of his prized possessions. Desperate, Luke had gone to Obi-Wan's room in the med bay and had handed it to this young Obi-Wan in the hopes that he would recognise it as his but know that he had never made it.

Obi-Wan looked intently down at the Lightsabre that Luke had placed into his hands. Luke felt his hopes raise.

"Where did you get this?" Obi-Wan said in wonder.

"From the man who survived all that the Empire could do to him to teach me about the Force and what it means to be a Jedi."

"But this Lightsabre - it's mine."

"It would have been."

Obi-Wan looked up and Luke knew his old mentor finally believed the truth.

And it so it had worked. But Luke had seen how lost Obi-Wan had been and he'd wanted to tell him that it was better like this, that this was the only way they could be together. But even Luke, lost in his dreams for the future, realised it was too soon. He'd finally decided that even Obi-Wan Kenobi was bound to feel shaken by being suddenly flung into a completely new world. But Luke was not worried - he could wait. Obi-Wan would recover and then together they would rebuild the Jedi.

Great. First I was stuck in a basement, now I've got Luke and Leia crying on my shoulders. I wish those two would sort out their differences and talk to each other.

What's worse is that some joker's finally gone and sabotaged the buildings for Luke's Academy. Luke's luck held though, and the bad guys botched the job. But they had the right idea. Use Lanchneck; it's one hell of a chemical weapon. It's easy to slip though security checks - I've never come across a reliable way to detect it - and a small amount can contaminate a building for centuries. Only they didn't use it right and the Academy's only due to be out of bounds for a few days.

So now we're bound for Yavin IV to check out what happened. We're going back a bit early, so Leia's on one side worrying if it's all an attempt to disrupt the Dantooine conference and the saboteurs are actually out to damage the New Republic and not just the Academy. Luke, on the other shoulder, is worrying if R2-D2 and C-3PO are okay. We've had a message that they're fine and nobody else was nearby when the explosion happened, but you can't tell him that. But what makes my life worse is that they're both on my ship and barely speaking to each other, just because Leia didn't want Ben along and Luke wouldn't leave without him. All in all I'm beginning to miss the basement.

At least Ben has had the good sense to stay low the whole trip and I've barely seen him. Lando's coming back with us as well but he's using his own ship - lucky him. At least Lando and I came up with some results after hunting through those forty-year-old records.

"Some records did escape the Jedi purges," I told Luke and Leia in the Falcon's lounge. Ben was asleep in his cabin. I'd checked and Chewie would warn me if he woke. "He does look like Obi-Wan Kenobi. The date also checks out okay. Certainly there was a major accident on Theliope about then, but I can't find anything about time travel experiments or any mention of Qui-Gon Jinn."

"That doesn't mean anything," Luke protested. "The Empire routinely destroyed records, especially those that dealt with the Jedi."

"But didn't General Kenobi tell you he was taught by Yoda?" Leia asked.

Luke looked towards her, doing his best calm Jedi impression. He's good but I can tell he's upset.

"There is more than one past, just as there is more than one future. He couldn't have come from our past, so why can't there be differences in where he's from?"

"Luke, you're not thinking logically here," Leia said, kneading her forehead. "Even supposing for a moment that you're right and where he's come from is very different from our past, that only makes him more dangerous. In his Universe he could have been trained as a Sith and not a Jedi - have you even considered that?"

"Yeah, and why should he turn up here and now?" I said. I've been trying to keep out of this but sometimes I just can't keep my big mouth shut. "I suppose you believe that the Force summoned him or something."

"That's exactly what I believe," Luke replied. "I..."

"Shall I tell you what I believe?" Leia interrupted. "I believe you lost something you wanted and now you see a chance to have it. It doesn't matter what evidence we supply, you are going to go straight ahead and involve him in the Academy anyway."

"Leia, please," Luke pleaded. He was trying a new way to get round my wife. "I'm so alone here. I'm rebuilding the Jedi but I have no one to help me. I don't think I can do it alone. I... I need him."

"Luke, this isn't even just about the Academy," Leia retorted. "You want more from him than just his experience in Jedi training."

Luke looked quickly toward me. I had had to tell Leia. There was no way I was keeping Luke's confession to myself. I just wish I didn't feel like such a heel about it.

However, Luke hadn't finished, but he had given up on the softly, softly approach. "Leia, you can think what you like but I believe he deserves the benefit of the doubt. So until you come up with some actual evidence against him, I'm assuming it is Ben and act accordingly."

With that he stood and left.

"Well, that went well," I said turning to Leia but she just shook her head sadly. I slid over and put my arm around her and she leant into me. I prefer it when the bad guys shoot at you. Then you really know who they are.

We landed soon after that. Luke didn't say much, he just headed off with Ben. I gave them a few hours to settle in and then went to see Luke. I knew exactly where to find him. The word was out that Ben had booked some time in the athletics area and everybody was expecting a performance. Apparently he calls it exercising - I call it showing off. He started doing it on Dantooine and his reputation got back here before we did. Now everybody's off to the viewing galleries to watch the show. They lead a quiet life on Yavin IV.

I found Luke among the crowd. He'd chosen a spot higher up in the galleries - it gave a good view and was fairly empty. Investigating the explosion by our unknown friends and finding new recruits to the Academy should have been keeping him busy, but I knew he'd be here. Okay, that at least I can understand. Down on the floor Ben was showing everyone what a Jedi can do. You couldn't buy better advertising for Luke's Academy. It didn't hurt that he was a young, good-looking kid too.

As I walked over to Luke I checked out the spectators and it didn't look good. The reaction was mixed: some looked impressed, others looked on with lust or disgust. I shouldn't have been surprised. Just talking about the Jedi can get you into one hell of an argument these days, so having such an exhibition of Jedi abilities, or at least pretend ones, is bound to cause bad feeling. I reached Luke, but he barely seemed to notice me. He was completely absorbed in watching Ben twist and turn supernaturally on the floor below.

"These moves are apparently standard training exercises for the Jedi," Luke said eventually without looking away from the floor below. "How could he have learned them in our time?"

I kept quiet. I could still believe it was a set-up. I've seen and been involved in more complicated ones. It's easy to alter someone's appearance and we'd never know if he was performing old Jedi training exercises or not.

"Luke," I said. "I know this girl who's been dying to meet you for weeks. Why don't you take her to the lake and, you know, have some fun. Take some time off."

"Han," Luke said and looked at me for the first time. "You sound as though you're trying to save me from something."

At least he was smiling.

"Maybe I am," I said. "Maybe I don't want to see you do something stupid. Like chase a dream with a man who could have been sent here to destroy you."

"Or maybe chase a dream and find happiness, as you have?"

Hell, I've never been any good at advising caution. Catching Leia had been no easy ride. "Just be careful, that's all I'm saying."

Luke looked at me again. "I will," he said, then looked back down to the floor.

I stayed there until Ben finished and watched Luke head down to meet him. I knew what that look in Luke's eyes meant. If that guy is here to wreck the Academy then it's in big trouble.

Dreams are cruel masters. Remaining out of reach, they beckon with promises of wonders beyond the wit of man. Their humble supplicants strain and strive, risking all to obtain the promised bounty, many to dying unfulfilled and broken - but worse is in store for those who actually succeed. That dream, so golden from a distance, can often turn out to be disappointing upon closer acquaintance.

But this was not yet Luke's problem. His fantasy, although now living, breathing and walking round Yavin IV still remained stubbornly elusive. And Luke was mystified. He was so sure that the Force had sent Obi-Wan and couldn't understand why he was so distant. Eventually Luke wondered if he was expecting something that wasn't on offer. Perhaps, despite his deep wish for more, he was only being given assistance with the Academy; perhaps he'd only been sent a helper and not a lover. What if the Force wasn't a matchmaker after all?

But, Luke agonised, if that was true why was the connection between the two of them directly connected to his libido? He was finding that this continual and intimate awareness of where the younger man was, or sometimes even what he was doing, was provoking an almost continual need for deep and calming meditation.

And so it went on. Luke would drop hints to Obi-Wan about working on the Academy and Obi-Wan would side-step them with skill and ease that left Luke astounded. But Luke would not give up. He fought to make his motives pure, determined to accept the limits of what he had been given, and eventually his persistence paid off.

It happened soon after their arrival on Yavin. Luke, as ever, had watched Obi-Wan exercise and felt joy and hope for the future of the Academy, if he could only get Obi-Wan to help. Afterwards, as ever, Luke went down to the changing rooms. Although potential students had gathered round him to ask for news of the Academy he had found Obi-Wan alone and once more dressed in the garments that he had arrived in. Despite the fact that he was a regular topic of conversation, the other inhabitants of Yavin rarely engaged him directly themselves - much preferring to listen to gossip or overhear the little he said to others.

And, as Luke was coming to expect, the conversation quickly turned away from the Academy.

"I owe you a great debt," Obi-Wan said as he stood ramrod straight in the changing room gazing steadily at Luke. Luke thought such discipline only made the other man looked even younger than the twenty odd years he actually was.

"A debt I have no way of repaying," Obi-Wan continued. "You took me in after the battle with the pirates without knowing anything about me. I am very grateful, but I can not rely on your charity forever. I shall have to learn to support myself until I can find a way back to my own time."

Luke was astounded and had to use all his skill to keep the shock from his face.

"There isn't a way back," Luke said as calmly as he could. "Time travel is still illegal and even the Emperor didn't work on it. And even if there was, you'd never return to the time strand you came from."

"But I have no place here," the younger man replied and started pacing. "In your time the Jedi are gone."

"But I am a Jedi and I am still here. I refuse to be the last. You could be the bridge between the old and the new. You could stay and help me rebuild the Jedi here and now "

"Rebuild the Jedi?"

Hope flared within Luke as Obi-Wan stopped pacing and looked at him. Maybe his words had finally sunk in and he wouldn't have to go on alone, neither in his heart nor in his work.

"Yes. In your time one Jedi more or less won't make much difference. Here it would mean everything. I need your help. I can't do it alone." Don't leave me, Luke wanted to add.

Obi-Wan turned away from Luke and handled the thin braid hanging behind his ear. Luke fervently wished he knew what it symbolised. But he didn't - it was just one more thing he didn't understand about this maddeningly desirable man. Then Luke felt a change in the connection between them, but Obi-Wan didn't speak and Luke didn't rush him, so the silence stretched on between them.

"You are right," Obi-Wan said at last, still turned away from Luke. "Please forgive me, my reluctance was for purely selfish reasons. In my own time I had certain hopes that I did not want to abandon, but I can see that the Force sent me here for a reason. It expects me to help you. What I wanted is nothing in comparison with that."

"I have spent all my life learning to be a Jedi," he continued quietly. "And now I shall never be one, not in the way I dreamed." He looked down and his shoulders slumped a little in defeat - but when he finally turned back to Luke he looked proud and defiant. "I will help you," he said firmly. "If that is what you wish. I suggest we start in the morning: the Academy grounds should be decontaminated by then."

Victory, especially after a long and hard-fought battle, often comes as a shock. So, despite building all his hopes upon it, Luke could barely believe what had happened and was suddenly completely at a loss what to do next. He stood frozen, and barely returned Obi-Wan's departing bow.

Luke had won but it wasn't enough. He still wanted it all.

Just because it wasn't easy doesn't mean that it wasn't meant to be. Maybe Obi-Wan had only been sent to help with the Academy - but that didn't prevent him from being more. After all, Luke had never considered the Force to be judgmental. Suddenly Luke decided that he had waited long enough and he felt his desire for the younger man wake and writhe inside him.

Tonight, he would do it tonight. And tomorrow would be the start of everything.

Luke managed to wait until he was sure Obi-Wan had retired. He thought about knocking but changed his mind and used an override code to open the door to Obi-Wan's quarters. And as the door opened Luke's confidence fled. This man was different in so many ways to his beloved mentor. What if he didn't return Luke's desire? He could be about to drive away the only person who could help him with the Academy! But it was too late; the door had shut behind him, leaving them together in the dark with their connection singing out in the Force.

"Don't tell me you don't know why I'm here," Luke said in the darkness, all attempts at pretence abandoned. "I know you can feel the connection between us."

Luke stepped forward towards the bed and through the Force he saw Obi-Wan sit up and clutch the sheet protectively to his naked chest. Luke sat next to him on the bed and took Obi-Wan's free hand in his. Obi-Wan didn't resist.

"I know you can feel it here," Luke said as he undid his own tunic and slid Obi-Wan's hand inside to rest over his heart. Luke relished the warm feel of the hand against his skin. Neither of them moved.

"I... I was waiting for my Master," Obi-Wan said hesitantly.

"But you can never go back to him. You are here with me now." Luke hadn't known that but it didn't matter. Nothing else mattered now.

Luke felt Obi-Wan's hand slowly start to move on his chest, gently circling his nipple. Luke gasped with pleasure and leant into the touch. The present and the past overlaid and Luke also felt other, older hands on his body. And it was good. The younger hands were a little different, softer perhaps, but very, very familiar in all the important ways.

"But this bond with you feels so strange," Obi-Wan said. "It is as if I know you, but I do not. Not really. On some level you are so familiar, as if you are a part of me; on others, I have no idea who you are."

Luke kicked his boots off, pushed the bedcovers aside and crawled up the bed, forcing Obi-Wan to lie back, his hand still at Luke's chest. Time slowed and Luke savoured the feel of the hard, young naked body beneath him. His clothes still formed a barrier between them but Luke was confident that it wouldn't be a problem for long. Finally, his heart beating fast enough to burst, Luke reached his objective and knelt on all fours above the younger man. Slowly, carefully he lowered himself, resting all his weight on his elbows placed on either side of Obi-Wan's head, until their lips were millimetres apart. Through the air between them, Luke could feel the equally fast beat of Obi-Wan's heart.

Luke looked into Obi-Wan's eyes and held his gaze.

"Let me show you everything about me," Luke breathed into Obi-Wan's mouth and closed the minuscule gap between them to achieve his dearest dream with a kiss.

He wasn't disappointed.

Leia just had to choose this morning to go to speak to Luke. Something had happened she said, well, she wasn't wrong - but did I really need to be there to find out too? We'd arrived early and she instantly became worried when he didn't answer his door, and overrode the door code. Then she found his bed unslept in!

I watched her pace for an hour, and wished she would stop. Except when she turned and looked angrily at me - then I wanted her to go back to the pacing.

"I'll kill him!" she said every now and then. "Aren't Jedi supposed to be able to control their urges? Why can't he see that I'm trying to protect him and his precious Academy? He'd just better not be where I think he is." I didn't say anything. It seemed healthier that way.

Eventually, Luke walked in. Leia barely waited until he was through the door.

"I really hope that the reason you're looking so pleased with yourself has nothing to do with him."

I looked at Luke. Oh yes, that was the look of a man who had had sex the night before. Yeah, sex and lots of it.

"Where is he?" I asked angrily. There was no point talking to Luke anymore.

"In the med-bay having his final check-up," Luke answered with a wistful expression.

"Okay, I'll see you later," I said and stalked out. Luke started to follow me but Leia grabbed him by the arm.

"Has nothing we've said had any influence on you?" she said as I left. "Won't you even try to see the danger? We care what happens to you, why won't you?"

I went straight to the med-bay and barged into the examination room. Ben had barely finished getting dressed. I grabbed him and flung him up against the wall.

"Okay, I want to get a couple of things straight," I said. "I don't pretend to know who you are and I don't much care, but I'm guaranteeing that you're walking on dangerous ground. Luke has friends, powerful friends and if you mess him around we'll be on you like a legion of stormtroopers. He's not a lonely farm boy, who's just lost his family, that you can take advantage of anymore. You got that?"

Ben looked levelly back at me.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he said in his even, cultured voice.

I have to admit that he didn't look worried, and I really know how to be scary. Either he was a good actor or I just didn't frighten him. I hoped I didn't - a guy like me shouldn't be able to cower a Jedi. At least that's what they liked you to believe.

"Don't play innocent with me," I said. "I know what you were up to last night."

Ben's calm expression didn't even waver.

"And that is your business?"

"Anything that involves Luke is my business," I said as I roughly let go of him and turned on my heel. "Never forget that," I added.

He straightened his tunics as he watched me leave, his eyes bright and unreadable. I've never wanted to be wrong so much in my whole life.

The Jedi used to say that your focus determines your reality. Certainly an outside observer would have considered this to be an appalling day in Luke's life. To wake up to a personal barrage from a close relative must count as a bad start, and an afternoon spent examining the vandalism of several years' work can hardly be an improvement. However, Luke considered it one of the happiest he ever spent.

A week earlier Luke would have been devastated, but today nothing could dent his bubble of confidence and joy. 'Let them try to stop me now,' he thought as he stood amongst the damage and contamination of the explosion. Now nothing was impossible. They could destroy Yavin IV itself and he'd still build his Academy - all because he had 'Ben'.

They'd flown over to the Academy in its jungle hideaway, Luke piloting, Obi-Wan admiring the scenery. R2-D2 and C-3PO had met them there. Luke had been delighted and relieved to see them whole and well, and had dealt with C-3PO's fretting with equanimity. It even amused Luke to see how the droid tried to break the news to him gently.

The droids had been concerned at how Luke would react and were surprised at his calmness. Initially C-3PO wondered if Luke hadn't appreciated the full extent of the destruction. But he needn't have worried. Luke understood all too well, but he was equally convinced that, now he had Obi-Wan to help him, replacing a year's work would take a few months at most.

So instead of worrying about the details, all Luke could think of was how wonderful it was to have Obi-Wan examining the damage by his side. So, when Obi-Wan bent to pick up a piece of half-dissolved metal, Luke could only marvel at the grace of the other Jedi and only just restrained himself from touching and kissing the other man in front of the droids.

Instead it was Obi-Wan's remoteness that was causing him concern. Luke even found himself wondering if Obi-Wan really returned his feelings. Surely someone so much in love should show it more? Luke shook his head, he was being foolish, after last night he shouldn't really have any doubts. No one could have faked how their Force essences had joined in their ecstasy.

"The damage generally looks superficial," Ben said and Luke's thought's were rudely returned to the present.

"Fortunately a great deal of it is, sir," C-3PO replied. "R2 thinks that the saboteurs didn't get the access they really required but still did as much damage as they could. He also believes that they acted before they were ready. We found where the Lanchneck had been stored. It would have been discovered if they had waited any longer."

"Then perhaps the people who knew how to use the Lanchneck couldn't get here in time to set it up correctly," Luke said, and C-3PO nodded.

"What effect is this going to have on the Academy?" Ben asked.

Luke looked around. "We were ready to start moving people out here and start training. Now we'll have to wait."

Ben walked to the remains of one of the windows and looked out across the clearing to the nearby trees. The sun shining down on the forest was almost as bright as Luke's mood.

"I see no reason to delay," Ben said with his back to the rest. "Move the Academy here now. The initiates can help with the repairs. There is a great deal of resistance to your Academy, Luke. If your new recruits cannot handle these conditions, then it seems unlikely that they will cope with the opposition away from your protection."

"That does seems rather harsh, sir," C-3PO said.

"The life of a Jedi is not an easy option," Ben said as he turned back. "It never has been and it never will be. Regardless of everything that has changed, I guarantee that much will remain the same."

And he was right. But Luke wasn't to find out quite how much until later.

I really shouldn't have gone. We're in the middle of moving the New Republic government to Coruscant and Leia is getting swamped by the bureaucracy. Not that she'll admit it, of course, but it's doing nothing to improve her temper. I should have stayed, but I'd been checking through transport manifests for days. I needed a break and fancied visiting Luke. Okay, okay, so I was worried about him, his Academy and 'Ben'.

At first I was amazed at how much they'd managed to get cleaned up since the explosion. Most of the place looked okay. Pretty good for so short a time, but hey, the Jedi were always supposed to be hard workers. Luke needs to learn a few things about security though; I just walked right in, no checks, no locks, nothing. And he wonders why Leia and I worry! That kid seems to think that in the end everything is just gonna turn out okay. Well, I know it isn't like that; if life can kick you in the teeth it will.

There were a few people wandering around. Some I'd seen before but most were new to me. They all knew who I was, though. It's just one of the side effects of being such a hero. I got one kid to direct me to Luke. Apparently he and Ben were putting on some kind of show in the exhibition hall. Well, that's the fancy name they gave this large room with unfinished seating. Looks like it'll eventually get an oval stage with steep seats going all the way up to the roof. I arrived just as Luke was explaining to his eager audience what he and Ben were about to do. It was supposed to be some kind of exercise in Force awareness: all I know is that they wore blindfolds.

I looked around and saw Wedge sitting near the top of one the seating rakes. I climbed up to join him. He'd found about the only spot that high which had been finished. I sat down in the row in front of him.

"Hi Wedge. Finally got away from escorting all those diplomats home safely?" I asked cheerily. I've got time for Wedge, I could have used him in my smuggling days.

"Hi, Han. Yeah, no more excitement," he replied and looked quickly at me before returning to watch the action on the floor. He looked very unhappy and I was starting to get a bad feeling.

"So, you come here often."

"Sometimes," he said then paused, opened his mouth again then closed it.

I decided to say nothing. If he wanted to talk about whatever was bothering him then he would. If not, then that was fine too. In fact it was better.

On the floor Ben, in white, and Luke, in black, danced around each other for a bit longer, then stopped and got a few kids to try whatever it was they were doing.

"Did you know that Luke..." Wedge blurted out suddenly. "That he and this guy who is supposed to be Obi-Wan Kenobi are..." Wedge stopped.

"Yeah," I said after a little. It sounds as though Ben's supposed identity wasn't so secret anymore. "Is that a problem?"

Wedge looked down at me and laughed flatly. "I'd given up hoping that he was, you know, attracted to men. And then I find out..." Wedge paused. "Do you think Kenobi is an impostor, that he's here to sabotage the Academy?" he asked me desperately.

"I don't know, Wedge. I wish I did," I said, and then I had an idea. "Try and speak to this Obi-Wan guy. See if you can find out more about him. Anything that would help us prove who he is."

"I've tried, a little, but he doesn't say much. I've told him a bit about the Empire and how people see the Jedi now, to see how he would react."

"And?"

"You see, on Dantooine, I helped Luke get away to see him," Wedge blurted out, ignoring my question. "I thought it would help Luke, you know, having someone else working on the Academy. I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn't know what Luke was thinking. I just didn't realise what he wanted. What if that guy is here to cause trouble? What will happen to Luke then?"

What then? Good question, Wedge. Good question.

On Yavin they have a saying that love makes fools of us all. If that is true then Luke Skywalker was certainly no exception. For in his ardour he never even noticed the trouble which was brewing, and in not noticing so nearly lost that which was dearest to him.

It started so simply. The lovers were abed, naked but not entwined, Luke lost in the contemplation of Obi-Wan's face. He was trying to reconstruct the ageing process between the two faces he loved so much. Line by line he was gently tracing the contours on the young face with his fingertips and mentally comparing it to the older.

Obi-Wan, on the other hand, was flat on his back staring fixedly up at the ceiling. The intensity of his gaze really should have alerted Luke. But, since he was aware of the differences between this young Ben and his old mentor, Luke considered such intensity to be normal. It showed that despite his best efforts Luke did not know this Obi-Wan as well as he thought.

And so the tension rose but Luke remained oblivious and was unconcerned when Obi-Wan got out of bed. Luke lay back and dreamily waited for his lover's return only to slowly become aware of how long Obi-Wan had been absent. Finally concerned, Luke turned up the lights to discover Obi-Wan standing with his forehead pressed against a far wall. Luke was mystified and anxious so he quickly followed.

"Ben?" Luke said as he hovered nervously by his lover.

"Luke... I think it would be best if I left Yavin. My presence here is only causing problems," Obi-Wan replied.

"You would leave me alone?" Luke was stunned. His fall from grace into torment had taken the merest of moments. Suddenly the world was a sharper, crueller place; the floor cold beneath his bare feet, the dim light excruciatingly bright and time painfully slow.

"You wouldn't be alone for long. I have it on good authority that there are many who would take my place."

"No one could replace you," Luke said, placing his hands gently on Obi-Wan's shoulders. "How can you think that I'll ever want anyone else if I can't have you?" Luke's words were meant to comfort and assure but they appeared to do neither.

"It's Leia and Han, isn't it?" Luke continued. "They've told you to leave. I won't let them chase you away. Leave it to me..."

"No, it is not them," Obi-Wan said, his voice muffled by the wall. "Although they are another reason. I am causing problems between you and your family."

"It's not a problem. I'll tell them to back off, make them understand..." Luke started into a stream of reassurances. Right then he would have promised anything to persuade Obi-Wan to stay at his side. But Obi-Wan turned from the wall, grabbed Luke by the shoulders and shook him into startled silence.

"Luke, stop. Please try to understand. Last month, training to become a Jedi was the sole purpose of my life. I considered it to be the noblest ambition possible in the Republic. Then suddenly I find myself here fifty years later, where the Jedi are an object of such scorn. So many people hold the Jedi responsible for the Empire. I see it even in the eyes of your new recruits and sometimes hear it in their untrained thoughts. They believe we did something terribly wrong and are determined not to make the same mistakes."

"But that's just not true!"

"You do not know that," Obi-Wan cried miserably, tears starting to fall down his face. "There is so little left from those days that you just do not know that. Strangers tell me of terrible things that Darth Vader or the Emperor did, and I do not even know who they are talking about. They say that the Jedi helped them. Some say it was the flaws of the Council which caused the rise of the Empire, others say that the Jedi were too weak to do what was necessary to resist it."

Luke clutched at the distraught man before him. His fingers dug deeply into Obi-Wan's strong shoulders.

"But you did. You survived everything that the Empire was, you never gave in and you found and taught me. You gave me the strength to defeat them."

Luke had meant to reassure Obi-Wan, to tell him just how much he was needed and how much he had achieved. But Obi-Wan staggered back as if he had been struck.

"Ben?" Luke said and reached out, completely mystified by Obi-Wan's reaction. But Obi-Wan just backed away, grabbed his robe, put it on and made for the door. He got as far as opening it only to slowly close it again after a moment. Then he stumbled back to sit dejectedly on the edge the bed with his head in his hands.

"Luke," he said sadly. "I am not the man who taught you. Whatever happened to him, did not happen to me. I used to follow the Code in everything. If it came to a choice between my heart and what the Code dictated, I would do what was expected of me, even to the extent of denying my Master." He looked up, meeting Luke's eyes, and continued with extreme earnestness. "I loved my Master but it completely embarrassed me whenever he argued with the Council. Every mistake they made I would have agreed with. If I stay and teach your students, I will only pass on the errors of the past. Now, in your time, the teaching needs to be much better than anything that I could provide."

Luke was shocked into silence. Suddenly he felt conscious of his nakedness in a situation where the intimacy of nudity was inappropriate. He quickly grabbed a tunic, pulled it over his head and sat beside Obi-Wan on the bed. He took extreme care not to touch the younger man and looked straight ahead, away from the object of his concern.

"Ben..."

"Do not call me that!" Obi-Wan said and dropped his head back into his hands. "It is not even my name. My name is Obi-Wan and it stands for everything that was wrong with the Jedi. I cannot help you avoid past mistakes because I do not even know what they were. I have no idea where, how or why we went wrong. I merely know that we did."

Luke paused. Everything depended on what he said next.

"Obi-Wan, let me tell you what I think. I think that the Force sent you to me when I needed help most. It is true that many people blame the Jedi and would be glad if the Order died out, but I think they are wrong. Without the Jedi the New Republic is in for a dark time. They need us to rebuild what the Emperor destroyed. I know we can do it together, but I'm not so sure I can manage alone."

Finally Luke turned to look at his companion. "I can't force you to stay by my side if you don't want to be there. You don't have to teach, but stay with me. Stay, if you care for me at all."

Luke willed his lover to respond to his words. He watched with trepidation as Obi-Wan lifted his head from his hands, stood and wrapped his robe about himself. Terrified that he hadn't said enough, Luke held his breath and racked his brain for a more persuasive argument but, instead of leaving, Obi-Wan turned, reverently knelt before Luke and gazed up into the older man's blue eyes.

"How could I not care for you? You are so strong in the Force that it shines in you like a star. Whenever I touch you I feel it singing to me. I do not want to leave but I must. I am jeopardising everything you are working to build."

"Stay."

Obi-Wan sighed deeply and looked to the floor. "I will not teach."

"Teach them only how to feel the Force and move with it."

Victory almost in his grasp, Luke traced a finger down Obi-Wan's neck to his shoulders, then pushed the robe off his body. Obi-Wan blushed as it dropped to the floor and pooled around him, as if it was the first time his nakedness had been thus revealed. But, Luke felt that this time was different; at last his elusive mentor was finally and completely his. After this Obi-Wan could never try to leave him again.

"Undress me," Luke said and Obi-Wan's blush deepened, but he dutifully did as he was commanded, as shyly as a sheltered virgin slave. Nude, Luke raised Obi-Wan to his feet and led him to their bed. Luke would be magnanimous in victory later - but right now with the spoils of conquest spread before him he needed to re-familiarise himself with every plane and curve of the body and soul that had nearly been taken from him.

They curled around each other and flesh lay against flesh. Essence joined to essence as the Force flowed freely between then. To Luke it was joy beyond belief.

But such joy was not to be the final word. Princess Leia soon found out about Obi-Wan's change in duties and confronted Luke. She told him that perhaps Obi-Wan's reluctance to teach was because he didn't actually know what the Jedi used to do as he had never learnt from them. That maybe he was hiding his ignorance with vague stories about future disaster. Needless to say Luke disagreed, and a further rift was opened between brother and sister.

They say a good smuggler never grows too old to smell a rat. Well, something certainly stinks around here. I've always kept an eye on what comes and goes in this place. Another thing that the New Republic should be grateful for, because I've just found that someone is bringing high explosives and overpowered firearms onto Yavin IV. And why should they bother? I mean, not many people get this kind of stuff just to show off to their friends. Normally they've got some serious redecoration in mind. So what little piece of real estate could they be thinking of? Frankly there isn't much here. The place is mainly jungle, the government's moving to Coruscant and there's precious little else - apart from Luke's Academy that is. They've failed once - why do they think they'll succeed this time? Perhaps they have inside contacts they didn't have before?

Several shipments had landed before I could trace who'd brought the stuff in, but Chewie managed to track where it was being stockpiled. So all I had to do was hang around a warehouse and see who came to collect it. I was going to contact Leia and Luke, and get a few guards over as soon as I was sure. But whoever's behind this was good. This stuff has passed from contact to contact and most of the handlers didn't have a clue what it was, let alone who wanted it. I didn't want to think how Luke would react if it turned out to be Ben, but that's not my problem.

I was getting worried about Chewie, though. He'd called me to say he'd found the stuff and I should meet him in a particular warehouse. I got there and settled down to watch the crates we'd identified, but he was missing. Just as I was about to get all riled up, and about to threaten big trouble to anyone who'd harmed Chewie, my com chimed.

"Yewod, groeoww caffcck."

"What! Where?"

"Hroww roffe."

"Okay, I'm on my way," I said, cut the channel and was out of that warehouse in seconds. I'd fallen for the oldest trick in the book - swapping crates. I'd been watching a load of machine parts! Chewie'd seen the swap but couldn't contact me. They were all headed for the Luke's Academy! Now so was I.

Quite how everybody gathered there together is hard to analyse but very easy to understand.

All the students at the Academy had been set a supervised exercise to find their way through the jungle, and thus, as some noticed, left the Academy conveniently empty.

Princess Leia had sharp eyes and kept them on this Obi-Wan. She knew exactly where he was supposed to be and was painfully aware that he had strayed. As for Luke, his thoughts were rarely from his lover and fellow Jedi. He'd probably felt that something was amiss and came to investigate. Wedge, who was helping with the Academy exercise, returned with him. Han Solo and Chewbacca were chasing dubious shipments. And Lando? Well, as he said, he keeps an ear to the ground.

Coincidence? I don't believe in it. All it means is that Luke and Leia also noticed something screwy going on. Well, it made my life easier, that's for sure. I was just trying to figure out how to raise them on the com without alerting anyone when I run into them sneaking around the Academy. There wasn't time to chat so I just told them that the shipment had been taken inside. Leia instantly called for reinforcements on her 'special' secure line. It's really hard to trace or intercept and the New Republic won't give me one.

The bad news was that help was half an hour away but the worse news was that we couldn't wait that long. I could easily set up the explosives and get out in that time and I bet our friends inside could too. Luke didn't want to wait and, for once, I agreed. After all, I was sure that Luke, Leia, Wedge, Chewie and I could handle anything that a gang of desperate, gun wielding fanatics wanted to deal out. Yeah, I wasn't worried. How the hell did I get involved with this revolution again?

"Okay, if we're going in - let's at least find another way. They're likely to be watching the front door," I said.

Luke nodded and took us round the back. At least he'd thought to add a few secret entrances to his Academy. The wind was picking up - could be that there was a storm on the way - which was good as it would help to cover any noise we made. Luke crept in first but I was right behind him and once inside we made our way to the main entrance. Good choice as that's where all the fun was going on.

Ben was standing, ignited lightsabre in hand, surrounded by crates of half unpacked explosives. Lando and a group of men and women stood between him and the door.

"Just put the weapon down and move away from the crates and no one is going to get hurt," Lando was saying as we crept in.

Okay, it looked bad but making assumptions can get you killed and neither Luke nor Leia were going to be thinking clearly here. So I grabbed Luke, pulled him back and dragged Leia with me too.

"Look, let's play this cool," I said into their ears. "Surround them while they're distracted, get everyone to drop their weapons. Then we'll find out who's what."

They weren't happy with the idea. Luke looked white and Leia wanted flesh but they knew I was right. I let Luke go and he headed off, Wedge at his heels, but I grabbed Leia again.

"Let me do the talking."

She looked furious but nodded. She was just too close. I was going to find it tough to keep my cool, but she was just one step away from an explosion and that was the last thing we needed.

Out by the entrance Ben hadn't moved. Lando and his friends were looking more unfriendly by the minute. They certainly didn't notice us get into position.

"Okay everyone," I said as I stood up. Sometimes I am just so stupid. But the others were worse and nobody thought that it would be a bright idea to stay hidden in reserve. "Let's just keep calm. Everybody drop your weapons and we'll have a little chat about what the hell's going on here."

Lando looked over. He'd been completely surprised. His backup swung round and suddenly I had six blasters pointing at me. Most recognised who I was and pointed their blasters back at Ben but one woman looked a little nervy and didn't back down. Ben was playing it easy; he merely glanced casually over his shoulder at us.

"Han," Lando said. "Am I glad to see you."

"I don't know, Lando, are you?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I am. You're just in time to help stop this madman blowing up Luke's Academy."

I looked at Ben. He just shook his head.

"Naturally, I wish to deny this accusation and say that I am the one preventing sabotage but I am aware there is little I can say to make you believe me."

"Try us," I said.

Ben shrugged. "In my own time I was a Jedi and trained to investigate sabotage. Fifty years doesn't change the galaxy so very much. It was obvious that whoever planted the first bomb was not about to give up. So I used what skills I have to investigate and found out about this shipment and arranged to be here to prevent further trouble."

It was then that Luke stepped forward. Why does nobody ever follow the plan?

"Well if nobody brought these crates then I suggest everybody puts down their weapons and we can discuss this calmly."

"I'm sorry, Luke," said Lando, "but that guy is dangerous. I'm not letting go of my blaster until he's safely locked up somewhere."

"Obi-Wan," Luke said, extending his hand. "Give me your lightsabre."

Ben visibly hesitated. I heard somebody arm a blaster.

"I believe you," Luke continued. "I've always believed you but you have to give me your lightsabre. Then we can sort this out."

Ben sighed heavily and deactivated his weapon and held it out towards Luke. I paused. There was no way I was going to get close enough to Ben to take that thing. He was fast enough to turn it back on and kill me before I could stop him, no hassle.

Just as I was deciding what to do Luke gestured and Ben's lightsabre flew through the air to land in his hand. At that everybody relaxed a little and stopped pointing blasters about in quite such an unfriendly way. I was pleased too. Maybe Luke didn't have a complete blind spot about Ben after all. It must have surprised Ben too, as he gave a sigh of defeat and stood with his head bent down toward the ground. He was good. I might even have felt sorry for him - if I hadn't known how he'd used Luke. But I did and, believe me, if Ben felt bad now it was nothing to how he would feel when I was through with him. But I was saving that for later - when people weren't standing around pointing blasters at each other.

However Leia, always jumping in when she shouldn't, decided not to wait and walked up to Ben and slapped him hard.

"You bastard. I knew from the minute I saw you, you were some kind of unfeeling scum. Believe me, you're going to pay for everything, and I mean everything, that you've done."

"Leia," said Luke, but it was no good. She was off and there was no stopping her. I certainly wasn't going to try. That is until Chewie leant down and whispered in my ear. I froze. Of course, suddenly it all made sense.

"Hey Lando," I said in a gap in Leia's tirade. "How come you stopped him? You don't agree with the Academy. You think it's a bad idea. Why didn't you just let him do it?"

"Han..."

"And," I continued not giving him a chance to speak, "how come two of the people Chewie saw unloading the explosives are among your guys?"

Well, I misjudged that one. For some reason I'd hoped that Lando would give up rather than fight us. But we weren't going to be that lucky. Lando pulled up his blaster and pointed it at me and all his guys and gals followed. Leia responded a little slowly but Chewie, Wedge and I had our blasters pointed quicker than they did. Not that that really helped. We were outnumbered and the reinforcements were taking their time. We had the better position but I didn't want to bet my life on it. Time for a little persuasion.

"Lando," I said. "You're really going to try to kill us? You betrayed us in Cloud City and we gave you another chance. Now you're trying again?"

"I trusted you," Leia said.

"I haven't betrayed you!" Lando said indignantly. He really wanted to convince us and either he'd brushed up on his acting skills or he wasn't kidding around on this one. "It's because of Cloud City that I'm doing this. I owe you for that and now I'm the only thing keeping you from disaster. This Academy spells the end for the New Republic. You're all too close to understand. You think the Jedi helped prop up the Old Republic and that they fought the rise of the Empire. But most people, people you want to work with, are convinced that it was the Jedi's hunger for power that destabilised the Republic. Some even think that the only good thing the Emperor did was to save us from the Jedi."

"Not everyone believed the Emperor's lies," Leia said. "He spent thirty years destroying the Jedi's name. Yet people still managed to ignore the propaganda to see the truth."

"Perhaps, but most thought that the Jedi had grown corrupt and schemed with the Emperor and he betrayed them when he didn't need them anymore. However you look at it, most people see them as a danger. You can't wipe away thirty years of history just like that."

Lando paused and looked round at us. He lowered his blaster a little. "I've tried to tell you all this many times but you wouldn't listen. You've all got your head in the clouds. I know what the real people in the New Republic are like and what they fear. Do you know how many planets won't join us if the Academy exists? Don't you realise that they might band together against us because of it? It has to be stopped and I'm trying to do it without hurting anyone."

"Lando," Leia said in her most persuasive voice. "There will be problems because of the Academy, it's true. But it's for the best in the long run. We can't let the Emperor's poison live on after his death. The Rebellion was built to oppose the evils of the Empire in whatever form they took."

"You just don't see, it's too soon. You can't suddenly make people stop fearing the Jedi." Lando looked round at us. He wasn't happy with what he saw. "Don't make me do this," he said as he raised his blaster again. "I don't want to do this but I will if I have to."

This was bad, this was very bad. I prepared to duck for cover. I made eye contact with Leia; she was ready and I could feel Chewie tense up beside me.

"No," said Luke firmly. The utter idiot was just standing there. He hadn't moved since Lando pulled the blaster. "No," he repeated. "This isn't going to happen."

Then he moved to stand right in front of Lando. Lando's blaster was pointing straight at him.

"Luke," Lando said. "I have to stop the Academy. It will destroy the New Republic. How can you be sure you're not about to create another Darth Vader? He was a Jedi, how many more will there be?"

"Lando," Luke replied serenely, "I believe that the New Republic needs the Jedi, and as long as I live I promise that it will never develop another Emperor, or even someone like my father. Come and watch us. We have nothing to hide and everything to give. Perhaps the Jedi did make mistakes, perhaps they could have done more to stop the rise of the Empire, but even so they were the one thing that the Emperor feared; why else did he destroy them so completely?"

Luke's words had become passionate and it was a good speech. It wasn't enough to make Lando and his guys lower their blasters, but they hadn't started shooting. Things could have been worse, but not much. "We have learned from their mistakes," Luke continued. "We have been taught a hard lesson in complacency. We might be the only thing that holds the New Republic together and prevent a second Empire."

Luke took a step closer to Lando.

"Besides, the Jedi Academy is more than just buildings. It is an ideal, a dream, and as long as I live it will survive and grow. But I won't let it cause division. I know I'm right and I'll die to prove it. Will you kill me for what you believe? It's the only way you're going to stop it."

Luke raised his arms towards Lando. "You have to decide now because it finishes here. Kill me or let me work. From here the New Republic goes on, with or without the Academy."

And there was silence, apart from the howling wind outside. Lando had a death grip on his blaster and if he shot now there was nothing I could do to stop the blaster fire from tearing Luke apart. Any sudden move could scare Lando into action. If he fired then he wouldn't live another minute, but that wouldn't bring Luke back. I cursed the kid for putting himself in that position.

"Lando," I said calmly. "I don't know if the Academy is a good or a bad thing, but killing Luke isn't the way to go."

"You're going to tear the New Republic apart," Leia added beside me. "It's barely had a chance to start and already we're killing each other! Think, nothing good ever came out of a blood bath."

Nothing, no response. We didn't seem to be getting through.

"No," whispered Wedge in the silence. "Lando, remember, we all fought together to destroy the Emperor. Luke lost more than most in the rebellion. This isn't the way."

Then Ben decided to join in the fun and walked to stand between Luke and the blaster. Lando, looking nervous at the way things had gone, backed up a step but Ben seemed to want to keep the tension high and walked forward until the muzzle of Lando's blaster brushed his chest.

"Do not forget me," Ben said speaking in his most disdainful voice and raising his arms to show he was unarmed. "I have promised to devote the rest of my life, however long or short, to this Academy. As long as I live I will work to ensure that it succeeds. To destroy it you will have to kill me too and you will have to kill me first."

Luke put his hand on Ben's shoulder and the two of the looked straight into Lando's eyes. They looked good standing proud and tall together in front of that blaster. It almost made me forget how stupid they were being.

I looked hard at Lando and I could see the sweat break out on his forehead. I bet he had planned on a quick in and out job, just plant the explosives and run. He hadn't counted on getting messed up with my crazy family. It must have seemed so simple when he'd thought of it.

We waited. Nobody moved. Lando's blaster caressed Ben's chest and everybody else just looked on. I swear even the wind outside had dropped as the room had gone completely silent. No one even appeared to be breathing. If this went on for much longer I was going to get cramp. I quietly wiped the palm of one hand on my trousers. The tension was getting to me and if Lando fired, I wasn't going to mess up my answering shot with a bit of nervous sweat.

Suddenly Lando threw his blaster to the floor and jumped on it. I was so surprised I nearly shot him.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Lando said as he stamped on the blaster. "No one was going to get hurt. I came here to help the New Republic not to tear it apart." He kicked the blaster into a wall and looked to Luke. "You've got to promise me, promise me with your life that I won't regret this."

Luke stepped forward and grasped Lando's hands in his. "I promise," Luke said as he looked Lando in the eyes. "You'll never regret this."

Lando then grabbed Luke in a bear hug and I put my blaster back in its holster. Then I pulled my wife into a deep kiss and I could hear sighs of relief from all over the room. I guess Lando's guys and gals hadn't really wanted to kill Luke. After all he was a hero of the rebellion. It must have been hot in there because my eyes were wet, it wasn't that I was getting soft or anything. Then Chewie grabbed me and Leia and gave both of us a wookie style hug. I looked round the room through red fur and I've rarely seen so many happy people.

Wedge had walked over to Luke and Lando and was pounding them both on the back. I hoped he was telling them both how stupid they'd been. Ben hadn't joined in the celebration, though. He was just watching Luke and the others - he was the only one who didn't look happy. Well, just him and...

"So that's it? He makes a useless promise and you think that's enough?"

...the woman who hadn't put her blaster down.

Everyone went very still. Then Lando stepped away from Luke and turned towards her. "Salin," he said. "It's over. The New Republic has to survive. We might have been about to do more damage to the Rebellion than the Emperor ever did. Luke knows that we'll be watching him very closely."

"And you think that is going to make a difference? He's used some mind trick on you and made you think it's okay to let this evil continue."

Luke stepped to stand beside Lando. I never realised he had this big thing for standing in front of guns.

"The Jedi Academy isn't evil and I don't need any tricks to prove that," Luke said. "Stay with us and I'll show you."

"No!" Salin screamed. "The Jedi are evil and none of your lies are going to change that."

Salin raised her blaster to point at Luke. Lando walked towards her. I started to move round the edge of the room to come up behind her.

"They weren't lies," Lando said. He'd nearly reached her but Luke was still in her sights. "And we must be able to trust in each other if the New Republic is to have a chance."

"No, they've got to you," she shouted and fired.

I'm still not sure what exactly happened but I know that I jumped for her, even though I was too far away. But Lando grabbed her blaster and knocked her out with it just as I arrived and pinned her to the floor. I looked round. Luke was getting up and I immediately thought that she'd missed, but then I noticed Ben on the ground.

"No," Luke said as he pulled Ben into his lap. "I couldn't get out of the way in time and he... Obi-Wan, can you hear me?"

Amazingly Ben's eyes opened to look up at Luke. It was amazing because his side was a complete mess. Leia ran up and tore away what was left of his tunic. He wasn't bleeding heavily. Not externally anyway, because the blaster had cauterised most of the wound.

"You idiot," Luke said. "You could have Force Pushed me out the way. You shouldn't have been hurt."

"You... the... one standing in front... gun. You should... learn... move faster." Obi-Wan managed to say but he was grinning. It was strange, as if this was what he'd wanted all along. No wonder he'd looked so upset when he'd lost his chance earlier.

"We have to get him to the Academy's med bay," Leia said.

"There's no point. It hasn't been repaired yet," Luke said without looking away from Ben.

"Keep him still," Leia said. "I'll look. There must be something there." And she ran out but Luke didn't seem to notice.

And there was silence. I crouched next to Luke but couldn't think of a thing to do. We'd kill Ben even trying to move him to the transport I'd come in. After a while Luke glanced quickly over to me.

"I've been trying to put him in a healing trance but it won't work."

"Never good... with healing trances. Master... disappointed. Sorry. Don't... worry. I am fine. And you... Wedge will look... after you... for me."

I suppose he was trying to help but Luke didn't look reassured and just clutched Ben to him. Ben looked even paler against the black of Luke's tunic. I wanted to tell Luke that Ben ought to be lying down flat but stopped myself as I looked at the hole in Ben's side, the white-knuckled grip of their clasped hands and their desperate eye contact. There was no way that Ben was going to live until help arrived and if their last moments together wasn't in a medically approved position, then I wasn't going to tell on them.

I looked over to Wedge - he was whiter than Ben. This sure wasn't what he'd been hoping for either.

Leia ran back in, pushed her way past me and sprayed something on the mess that was Ben's side.

"It's all there is," she said. I supposed it was either anaesthetic or something to prevent infection but if the hitch in Ben's already deliberately controlled breathing was anything to go by it hadn't helped any.

"They've sent a ship with emergency medical facilities. It will be here soon. You're going to be fine," she added not quite looking at Ben. Not that he noticed as he hadn't glanced away from Luke. I wasn't surprised. She hadn't convinced me either - and I married her.

"You have to believe that it wasn't meant to happen this way. No one was supposed to be hurt," Lando said.

I restrained Leia from replying. I could guess how she felt. Nobody had given Ben a harder time, except for perhaps me. We'd been proved wrong in the worst possible way.

"You're going to be fine," Luke said, ignoring us, his voice firm and sure. "I'm not losing you again."

Ben smiled again and tried to reply but could only manage a bloody gurgle. Then he went back to concentrating on breathing but - although he fought all the way - his eyes slowly closed.

"No, stay with me here. Please stay, Obi-Wan," Luke begged.

"Luke, his time has come. There was only so long he could stay out of his time and reality."

I whirled and nearly fainted. Old Man Kenobi was standing there, faint, glowing blue and slightly transparent but definitely him.

"Ben! I thought you'd gone. I mean...," Luke said. He was blushing as if he'd been caught screwing around, but then he held Ben tighter. "There must be something we could do? We have the Force to help us. Ben...?"

I looked around. Leia was as stunned as I was but Lando and the others were just looking confused. The ghost, or whatever it was, was now kneeling by Luke and the younger version of himself.

"His life force is fading and he has stopped fighting. He knows this is neither his place nor his time. There is little that can be done."

"Ben, please," Luke said desperately. His hope was obviously fading with young Ben's every breath. "If I thought this was the Will of the Force then I'd accept it - but it doesn't seem right. You say he doesn't belong here but even you can't stay with me for much longer. How many times do I have to lose you? Why should we always have so little time together?"

"I'm sorry," Old Blue Ghost Kenobi or whatever said. "The Force can seem cruel. But eventually you will find that it was for the best." Then he just sat there and, with the rest of us, watched Luke's heart break. There was nothing to do until help arrived. Luke was looking desperately between the old and young Ben. He was devastated. Believe me, it was enough to melt even the hardest heart.

"However, there is one thing that might work and perhaps it is meant to be," the Old Blue Ghost said suddenly and Luke's head shot up and he glowed with hope. "But, if it doesn't work you must go on. This must not stop your Academy. Whatever happens, Luke, I will miss you."

Luke didn't get a chance to ask what the hell the Old Guy was talking about, as he instantly started to lose his shape and flowed into the dying body of young Ben. And his side! It just sort of glowed blue and started to reform. Bone, muscle and flesh replacing that gaping hole! Then slowly his eyes opened.

"Obi-Wan!" Luke said delightedly.

But Obi-Wan didn't seem to hear and got to his feet, ignoring Luke's attempts to help him, and stared in amazement at his hands. Then he walked to the window to stare to the jungle beyond. Next he slowly turned and gave us all the once over. It was a more assessing look than I'm comfortable with.

"The Kessel Run in nine parsecs! Were you really trying to justify your price with that nonsense?" he said, smiling at me in a way I'd only seen the old version of him do.

At first I didn't have a clue about what the hell he was talking about. Then I remembered the first time I met Luke and the old man. I'd fed them a line to see if they knew anything about spaceships. Had the old man possessed the boy?

"Ben?" Luke said. He sounded as unsure as I felt.

"In some ways perhaps, but not really," Ben, or whoever, replied. "I now feel that I belong here and I can remember everything he did - but it's not as if I have lived it. He experienced terrible things and suffered great anguish. I can remember it all and easier than he ever could. Everything makes so much more sense now."

Then Ben looked round and saw Leia. He smiled broadly and walked towards her. I didn't like it. I wasn't used to this sunny guy who was showering my wife with charm and infectious smiles. Worse, when he took one her hands Leia, my wife remember, starts blushing. "One of the regrets of his life, Princess Leia," he said, "was that he never got to meet the woman the beautiful baby turned into. And now he can, in a way." And he looked her in the eyes, smiled again and shook her hand. "We are both very pleased to meet you."

I was just getting a little bit possessive when the reinforcements arrived and saved me making an ass out of myself. It took a little while to convince them we were okay and then to let them know about the explosives. Eventually they got it straight and we set about clearing up the mess. In the confusion I suddenly found Ben's hand on my shoulder. I turned towards him as people ran around us.

"You have my word that Luke will never come to harm or hurt because of me," he said looking deadly serious.

"That's great," I said, still smarting from the way he'd charmed Leia. He wasn't going to find me so easy. "Why tell me about it?"

"Because anything that involves Luke is your business and he is not some lonely farm boy who's just lost his family, but a man with powerful friends who will be on me like a 'legion of stormtroopers' if I mess him around."

Yeah, well the guy's got a good memory, whatever bit of him is doing the remembering.

"Well, just keep it in mind." I wanted to keep the smile off my face but it was impossible to stay mad at him. That guy is going to be trouble. There are times that you don't have to be a Jedi to see the future.

Then I got back to the business of putting the New Republic back together. But later I saw him talking to Wedge. That was one person he wasn't going to charm round with a little chat that was for sure. Which makes me think I'd better have a 'chat' with my wife about what she found so charming about that Jedi - and then use a few smuggler tricks to show her just how much of a catch she's got already.

In history it is often from such incidents that progress occurs. Without doubt it relieved many people who felt that their concerns had been ignored. Certainly afterwards, Luke endeavoured to satisfy his detractors by encouraging them to visit the Academy whenever they pleased. Once there they were permitted to check for any seditious activity or power-mongering. Usually most left satisfied, but Luke sometimes found that Obi-Wan's newly acquired charm was needed to placate the few remaining hard-line campaigners.

As far as Luke was concerned, Ben was the Academy's secret weapon.

"They were so different, Han. Barely the same person at all and now I get to have them both."

"Yeah, kid, yeah." I don't really need to say anything. Luke is happy to carry on both sides of the conversation. I'm just proving I'm still awake. But it's all my fault. I just wanted to check that everything was okay before we finally moved to Coruscant. Luke was due to come into town the day before the big leaving party, so I suggested he give me a hand checking out a few systems on the Falcon. He's going to miss her and I wanted to be sure - you know, that Ben was keeping his word and keeping Luke happy. Right now I'm thinking of calling Ben and asking him to tone it down. So far we've checked about three systems and I know much more about Luke's private life than I ever really wanted to.

"Obi-Wan was suspicious and withdrawn and Ben was so full of peace and wisdom but both were wonderful. I just can't describe it." Luke grins very broadly at me and I nod back. Just as long as he doesn't start on again about the wonders of a partner who manages to combine youthful vigour with age and experience. There's only so many times you can hear those sort of details.

"He was telling me about my father - what he was like growing up. He remembers everything, Han, nothing has been lost. He's got loads of great stories. He even told me a little about why Anakin turned to the Dark Side but it upset him terribly. What must it have been like Han? What must it have been like if second-hand memories can make a Jedi cry?"

"I don't know, kid."

"He looks around, though, and says that it was worth it - that civilisations have to die and be reborn if they are to continue and grow. He says that the Republic was old, complacent and needed change. But he still cried when he talked about the fall." Luke looked down at the panel in front of him and I looked around the Falcon's cockpit. I'm doing a power test so it's dark with just a few indicators lit, and I think about what must have happened. I didn't have an easy ride but others sure had it worse.

"Well, they got change all right and now with your sister in charge everybody better be happy or she'll want to know the reason why," I said and Luke looked round at me and smiled again.

"She certainly will," he said, and actually got on with checking out the system he was supposed to be working on.

We were going to be fine.

And that was apparently that. But such is never the case. Events rarely have neat endings or even beginnings, and eventually all this became just one more step in the New Republic's rise to power. Luke, however, never diminished its importance. He felt it had changed his life completely: his dearest wish had been granted, his ambition to rebuild the Jedi was becoming reality and he was happier than he'd ever thought possible. But it doesn't take a Jedi to foresee that there would be difficulties ahead. However, with Obi-Wan at his side, Luke no longer feared the future. He braced himself to meet the trials that still awaited him and the people he cared about - whatever they turned out to be.

Epilogue

Leia wasn't sure when the noises first woke her. Initially she'd thought the voices part of her dream but awareness slowly dawned that no way had that conversation come from her subconscious. Cautiously she opened one eye and quickly shut it again, only to open it very slightly to confirm that this was no hallucination. Then, slowly, so as not to startle him, she gently elbowed Han lying at her side.

"He won't wake up, I'm afraid," said the blue apparition sitting semi-reclined on the end of the bed.

"However, he wouldn't be able to see us even if he did," added the other blue ghost as he turned towards her apparently bored with looming over his insubstantial companion.

Leia, realising that the time for subtlety was passed, sat up and demanded in her best authoritarian voice.

"What have you done to my husband?"

"Nothing, only suggest that he sleep, that's all. Luke kicked us out and we weren't in the mood for a 'who are you talking to' routine."

Leia, suddenly dumped with an array of incomplete information that she hadn't asked for, decided to start from the top.

"Who am I talking to?"

The ghosts smiled at each other and the standing one folded his arms and bowed politely.

"I'm Qui-Gon Jinn and this is..."

"Bruck Chun," interrupted his white haired companion with a wicked grin.

"Han saw General Kenobi - why wouldn't he be able to see you?"

"He knew Obi-Wan before and is strong enough in the Force for that to suffice."

"You, however, are much stronger - you know, you really ought to do something about harnessing that skill - and are capable of seeing any Force Ghost."

"So what are you doing here? Aren't Jedi supposed to end up one with the Force or something?"

Leia watched as her two blue companions exchanged a pained look.

"Well we were, with Obi-Wan, but now Obi-Wan has combined his life Force with the younger version of himself and..." Qui-Gon trailed off and looked down at his feet.

"We missed him," Bruck finished.

"You're one with the Force and you miss him! Aren't you supposed to be at one in understanding with the whole of life in the universe?"

"Less of the superior tone, if you please," Bruck said, sounding slightly offended. "Yes and no. You can delay certain aspects and be able to interact with the corporeal world. But, frankly, I'm getting fed up. We've already waited thirty years for Obi-Wan and then he wouldn't go until he was sure Luke was okay. And now it's going to be at least another thirty years before we're together again. I could have gone off to being one with the Force with several other people you know. I don't have to stay."

"No one's preventing you."

Bruck gave Qui-Gon a sour look and continued.

"And now when he eventually does turn up again we're going to have to share him with Luke as well!"

"Pah, Luke that boy! He doesn't even know what he's doing. How many times did I tell him that Obi-Wan was much more sensitive on his earlobes. Did he listen?"

"As if you'd know. You never even did it with him while he was alive. You wouldn't know his sensitive areas if he labelled them in red."

"I'll have you know I'm intimately acquainted with his Force essence and there are many things a man of my experience can extrapolate from that."

"Well, I have intimate experience of his everything and I can tell you..."

"If you're so knowledgeable, how come Luke was taking up any of your suggestions either?"

"Some kind of misguided pride, No one likes to find out that someone else has made their lover meow."

"I didn't believe that either."

Leia, realising that she'd been forgotten and knowing far more about Force Ghosts than she'd ever wanted, lay back down on the bed. She curled around the insensate Han and decided that Luke had an unbelievable sex life ahead of him. And he was very, very welcome to it.

"What I don't understand is why Obi-Wan didn't speak up for us when Luke asked us to leave."

"The least he could have done was to stop laughing so much."

Leia heard just before sleep claimed her again.

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