Chapter Text
The ride in the older model speeder-bus Obi-Wan had to take out to Stardew Valley had showcased some of the beauty that Stewjon III had to offer. The vibrant green forests had been very impressive from orbit and they had not lost their splendor from this closer view now that he was on the surface of the moon. The living force was strong here, away from the darkness that plagued so much of the galaxy for so long.
The twins had even been peaceful for most of the ride, easily falling asleep from the rocking motion of the speeder. It was a nice reprieve for now, giving him the moment to rest that he had been unable to find since – well – before.
He glanced down at the sleeping bundles in his lap before giving them a gentle caress through the force, feeling their clumsy attempts to reach back out to him.
This far out on the edge of wild space they would be able to grow up safe, away from anyone who would try and target them for whatever contrived reason Sidious’s lackies could come up with now.
He looked up from the twins just in time to catch a sign proclaiming that Stardew Valley was only a klick away.
Sighing, he carefully maneuvered the babies into their hover pram. Luke stayed asleep the entire time, but Leia woke up and scrunched her nose at him, thankfully deciding she’d rather stick her brother’s hand in her mouth than cry as Luke snuffled closer to her.
“Stardew Valley, Pelican Town stop,” the pilot droid buzzed out as the speeder bus slowed to a stop.
Gathering his meager belongings that weren’t stowed away, Obi-Wan made his way towards the exit, the hover pram trailing behind him. They were the only ones left on the hover-bus at this point; the little town was too remote to have regular transport to and instead Obi-Wan had to specifically charter a ride.
The Stewjon system’s isolation would be enough to keep them safe from the outside galaxy, but Obi-Wan had almost wished that he could have taken his ship directly to the farm but due to the skirmishes between the Ferngill Republic and the Gotoro Empire preventing any non-sanctioned landings. Apparently claiming assets left to you in your deceased relative’s will counted as a valid reason to be traveling to Stewjon III.
Glancing out one of the windows as he passed, Obi-Wan could see that there was a woman standing outside of the hover bus, coppery hair pulled back in a practical nerf-tail. She lit up a bit when Obi-Wan stepped down off the speeder bus.
“Hello! You must be Ben. I’m Robin, the town carpen – Oh! I didn’t know you had a baby!” Robin cut off her own introduction when the hover pram made its way down from the speeder bus, surprise and a splash of worry lighting up the force around her.
Obi-Wan settled for a small smile, “I actually have two. This is my niece and nephew, Leia and Luke.”
Luke had woken up at this point, Obi-Wan noticed as the pram came even with him, and just like his sister he was enjoying the taste of his other hand while blinking up blearily at the sky.
“Two babies? Hello there, sweethearts,” Robin cooed, peering down into the hover pram and waving at the little ones, “Oh, I can remember when my own children were babies. Are their parents going to be joining you on the farm?”
Obi-Wan managed to hold in the ache that grew in his chest. “Ah, no. I’m their legal guardian now.”
Robin immediately stepped back, a chagrined expression on her face, and Obi-Wan rushed to absolve her of guilt.
“It was a decision their mother made, and I will care for them as my own.” He gently reached down into the pram and offered his finger. Luke’s own slobber covered hand reached back out and wrapped around his with a strong grip, the baby happily burbling away.
“I can see that you truly love them,” Robin said, a soft smile on her face, despite the worry still lighting up the force.
Obi-Wan turned towards where the pilot droid had been stacking his belongings – mostly a few small crates full of baby supplies like formula and diapers as well as ration bars for him.
“Don’t worry about your things, we’ll have it delivered to your new house after we give you the tour. Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to get there. He’s there right now tidying things up. It’s just over this way if you’d follow me,” Robin said, finally peeling her gaze away from the twins. Obi-Wan felt a bit of his tension drain out of him the moment her gaze was diverted.
Robin led the way down the path from the bus stop away from the town, at least according to the sign. Obi-Wan watched as the mostly well-maintained road gradually showed more signs of underuse until a wooden house came into view.
“This is Lucky Star Farm,” Robin said, turning to gesture out at the overgrown fields in front of them.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes. This land was strong in the force, and it felt peaceful, the kind of peace he hadn’t felt since before the war started, perhaps since before he had left the crèche. It radiated from every tree, every rock, every blade of grass that covered the overgrow fields. He hoped the twins could sense the peace emanating from it too, even if they would never get to experience the Room of a Thousand Fountains for themselves.
“Don’t be too dismayed,” Robin said, misinterpreting whatever expression she saw on his face, “Sure, it may be a bit overgrown, but there’s still some good soil underneath all that mess! I’m sure you’ll be able to get it cleaned up in no time, although it might be a little difficult with the little ones. Maybe some of the townsfolk would be willing to babysit some days? Penny is really good with kids ...” She trailed off
Obi-Wan felt his heart clench and crossed his arms, trying to hide the way his hands shook at the thought of the twins being out of his sight. It was so much harder without his robe, but the iconic outfit would be too recognizable, even all the way out here. His newer brown jacket would have to do for now.
“- ah, I doubt that will be necessary. I can handle them on my own for now,” he said, wrapping the babies in a warm pulse of the force, shielding them from his own panicked thoughts.
The door to the small farmhouse swung open suddenly, an older man in a slightly faded green shirt with a greying moustache exited the building while brushing his hands off, his face lighting up when he saw Robin and Obi-Wan standing there.
“Ah, the new farmer! Ben, right? Welcome! I’m Lewis, Mayor of Pelican Town.”
Lewis stepped down off the farmhouse’s porch and shook Obi-Wan’s hand rather enthusiastically.
“You know, everyone has been asking about you, It’s not every day that someone new moves in. It’s quite the big deal! It’s – Oh!” Lewis cut himself off with the same outburst of emotions Robin had when he noticed the hover pram drifting to a stop just behind them. “You have a child?”
Obi-Wan felt was starting to feel his exhaustion creeping up on him. “I have twins. Luke and Leia.”
“Twins! My goodness!” Lewis said, sharing a glance with Robin. “That might be quite the handful out here; your grandfather’s cottage is a little rustic.”
“That’s one way to put it,” Robin said under her breath. Obi-Wan didn’t think he was meant to hear it.
“I am more than prepared, but I thank you for your concern. The children and I will be alright.” He smiled, trying to pour as much sincerity into as he could. It seemed to work, at least for Mayor Lewis, as the man nodded to him.
“You must be tired from the trip here, and itching to get settled in. Perhaps tomorrow you can come into town proper and introduce yourself to the rest of the townsfolk, I’m sure they’d love to meet you. I’ll leave you to settle in for now,” Lewis said, and after briefly explaining how to ship any items the farm produced, the mayor left.
Obi-Wan turned back to see Robin biting her lip, expression quickly clearing up when she noticed him looking at her. “I’ll make sure the rest of your belongings make it here shortly, go ahead and check out your new home.”
Robin took off after Lewis and Obi-Wan was left alone.
A cry came up from behind him, followed closely by a second.
Almost alone.
Obi-Wan scooped up Leia first, carefully settling her in his arms and shifting around enough to have space to hold Luke too, employing a completely necessary use of the force to ensure both babies were stable and wrapped in comforting emotions as he rocked them.
“Ready to see our new house, little ones?” he asked as Luke settled down, staring out at their surroundings. Leia was still a little upset, but her cries had settled down into pouting and waving a cranky hand about.
Obi-Wan brushed his thumb against her cheek before moving onto the porch of the old cottage. His cottage now. It was a strange though; he was a landowner now. He vaguely wondered how taxes worked, and if he might have to pay them.
Unwilling to put the babies down, Obi-Wan resorted to using the force to ease the front door open, letting it swing in to reveal the interior of the cottage. Lewis had been right, it was a rather rustic, one bed, one table, and one chair, and one extremely old looking holo display, the type with a physical screen. In the other corner there was a fireplace, empty at the moment, but it was warm enough in the valley for it to be a non-issue, at least right now.
There had been a fully stocked woodpile outside the cottage too if the nights were cold here.
There was also an assortment of what looked like farming tools next to a neatly wrapped box by the door. Obi-Wan stared at them, a discomforting emotion slowly rising up the longer he stared. He was only distracted when the babies started fussing again.
By the time he got them fed and changed and settled down back in the hover pram Obi-Wan decided to check to see if the rest of his belongings had been delivered to the farm.
When he opened the front door again, he saw the larger bag and supply crates he had left at the speeder bus stop placed neatly off to the side on his porch. And next to that was a pair of wooden bassinets, one painted a cheerful yellow and the other a light seafoam green with a piece of paper resting in the closest one.
Eyes feeling unnaturally dry, Obi-Wan lifted the paper to read the note.
Ben
I kept a hold of these for the next time someone in Pelican Town had a baby. Please consider it a housewarming gift from my family to yours!
- Robin
Obi-Wan stared at the note, eyes unfocused. It was only when a drop of water hit the paper that he realized he was crying, and once he started, he found it was hard to stop, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs until there was nothing left to give.
Mopping up his face as best as he could, Obi-Wan released as much of his distorted feelings as he could into the force. The twins needed him, and he needed to get their supplies into the cottage; after all Luke and Leia would likely prefer to sleep in the bassinets then in their cramped hover pram.
With that thought, it was easy to get moving again, to get settled in for their first night in Stardew Valley.