Chapter Text
The old man found them trouble – and he wasn’t even with them.
Han could see the Falcon, but between them and his Lady was Darth Vader.
The troopers looked conflicted even as they took up a tighter circle around Leia, and Luke was chewing on his lip, as even he in backwater Tatooine had heard the stories of the Emperor’s Enforcer.
Vader exhaled roughly as he took a step towards them, “Senator-“
Chewie, ever loyal Chewie, raised his appropriated blaster with him and they were about to shoot when a familiar voice called out, “A welcoming party of the infamous Lord Vader, just for little old me?”
Vader sharply turned to the side, away from them and towards the old fossil.
Han watched as the old man, sans cloak now, stepped out from a different hallway with his hands on his hips.
He was smiling that devil’s smile, “I’ve heard so much about you even on Tatooine, Lord Vader. Whatever have I done to earn the privilege of a personal meeting?”
Leia choked on air, eyes wide, “Vader himself told me General Kenobi was his Master.”
All three of the 501st troopers got a similar look on their faces, one that came across as some demented mix of constipated and disbelieving, “He’s going to try and pull that on our old General?”
From behind them was the quiet shuffle of noise and as Han raised his blaster and shot at the ten or so ‘troopers he saw out of the corner of his eye when white armor processed before the familiar face, one of the 501st troopers knocked his hand aside and made his shot go wide, “They’re vode. General Kenobi must have found them.”
Snake Eyes, with the mole under each eye, looked at the showdown happening in front of them, not even looking concerned that Han had almost shot at him out of reflex, and winced, “He is. I don’t think even his paklalat can pull that off against him.”
Tricks, stepping forward to his brother’s shoulder, pinched his nose, “Do you see him? Literally the most wanted man in the entire Empire, and he’s doing his signature walk like this is just another battlefield. And where’s his cloak? How many are we at now? I lost count after three hundred lost just during the Wars. Does he at least have a weapon? Please tell me he has a weapon.”
Han realized the rumors he’d heard so long ago had been true.
The clone troopers had been excellent soldiers, testament to their Mandalorian blood, but they had been even better at worrying over their Jedi. Because this felt like old and tried habit, the way the 212 worried over the old man.
The three from the 501 next to Leia honestly didn’t look much better, their faces doing this remarkable thing that fully communicated the urge to face-palm and look away from the wreck happening in front of them if not for their training.
Vader stepped closer to the old man, and away from them, hardly seeming to remember they were there with his focus on the old Jedi. While Obi-Wan, who had appeared deceptively calm and relaxed facing the infamous boogeyman of the Empire, now straightened and looked prepared for a drag-out fight.
The way raspy mechanical breath filled the silence, also filled the room with tension.
All of them expecting Vader to reach for the lightsaber at his side – or just to raise his hand and choke the old man with the Force.
The raspy, droning breath stuttered, whined, then reached a pitch of shriek that Han didn’t think he could reach himself even if Chewie kicked him in the crotch.
“You lOVEd thE DUCHess?!!”
Obi-Wan blanched.
The calm smile on his face wavered, and there was a clear moment as he searched for words to charm his way out of trouble.
“I was very fond of her. I adored her, and admired her ideals. If she had asked, I would have married her and left the only family I had ever known without hesitation. But she didn’t, just as I didn’t, because we were first and foremost dedicated to our duties that we knew could and did leave us on opposite sides on occasion. There were many moments that could have ended far worse if we hadn’t compromised far more than we would have otherwise, that we did so for each other.”
Han didn’t need to know anything about the Force to feel the visceral surprise hanging around Vader.
That was when the clones moved, racing out from cover in formation, blasters sweeping side to side and eyes moving restlessly, leading them straight to and into the Falcon, taking full advantage of this moment to get them to safety.