It does, indeed. Particularly if we're all going home together.
[ Obi-Wan doesn't imagine it's necessary to go together — they all came her separately, after all — but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel responsible for those from the same universe as his own.
He folds his hands on the tabletop and frowns slightly. Blue eyes focused, Kenobi glances across the table, his expression as sincere as ever. ]
While returning home is on the forefront of my mind, that isn't why I asked you here.
[ Would Han be able to guess? Knowing now what he knows, are Kenobi's immediate interests obvious to Solo? Obi-Wan waits to see. ]
[Knowing what he knows, Han can think of any number of reasons Obi-Wan might want to talk to him. It's a strange position to be in. Fleetingly he wonders how he'd feel if their positions were reversed, if he was sitting across from someone some twenty years in his own future. Would he want to know?
It feels like a card game, the long, measuring moment before someone makes a decision to start laying out their hand before the values shift.]
What's on your mind?
[He relaxes noticeably. Forcibly, though it's a practiced enough move that it seems reasonably natural. Honestly, he hasn't got a clue what the Jedi wants, except maybe that it'lol be answers he's not eager to give.]
[ Obi-Wan's drink arrives promptly and he smiles in thanks before returning his attention to Han. He's so gravely serious, he does little more than turn the cup around on the table just so he has a reason to keep his hands busy. ]
You mentioned an empire. You weren't the only one. Has it—?
[ The Jedi Master hesitates. He's been warring with himself as to whether he should take in any knowledge of the future — of his potential future — but he's come to realize it's only fear holding him back: fear of bad news, fear of his own fate, particularly a fear for Anakin's fate. But he's currently powerless with or without the knowledge, and in light of more recent events, Kenobi feels he might prefer to see what's coming. ]
Has it been long since this empire was established?
[So it's answers after all. This one's an easy enough one to give, it's just history. Somehow he thinks it must feel more personal for Obi-Wan-- he'd fought in the Clone Wars, hadn't he?-- than it does to him. The last days of the Republic are barely a memory for Han. He knows enough about how things work to know the official story is about as trustworthy as any drunk's boast. Every government, big or little, runs its own propaganda. But of all the questions he could ask, it's an easy one.
Maybe Obi-Wan doesn't guess Han was there when he died. He sure as hell hopes not.]
About twenty years.
[He sips his drink, gaze fixed on the other man's. Though he's halfway tempted to ask Obi-Wan if he really wants to know about it, that itself seems like too clear an announcement that things went-- or rather, are about to go-- really damn badly.]
[ It hasn't been any kind of leap to guess that things don't go according to plan. Obi-Wan had sensed as much in Leia's hesitation, in her wording. The exact details have eluded Kenobi to this point, but the crux of the difficulty driving everyone's careful word choices has been obvious to him from the start. ]
I'm not entirely certain I could hear it from her. You strike me as the pragmatic type. I'm looking for pragmatic answers.
[ It's sobering on a level he knows alcohol can't touch. It doesn't stop him from trying to dull the realization. ]
[That's a pretty reasonable way to put it. Leia's history is probably better than his (and more biased in the Old Republic's direction, he'd bet, if she's been in line to aid the Rebellion for her whole life) but she'd be less than eager to share it. Han isn't entirely sure where he stands on all this Force business-- it's getting harder to be a skeptic-- but he doesn't think of the Jedi with the same mystical respect.]
Their grip isn't as tight as they'd like further out, [he hedges with a shrug.] But the closer you get to the Core worlds, the harder it is to slip by. They don't exactly have a lot of competition.
[ Reading between the lines becomes incredibly difficult when he has so many questions. What happened to the Republic forces? Where are the thousands upon thousands of Jedi sworn to protect that Republic? And who would have enough power and influence to topple such large and celebrated institutions?
Obi-Wan rubs at his beard as he contemplates what's left of his drink. There probably isn't enough alcohol in this bar for all the questions he has, so Kenobi must choose wisely. ]
Twenty years later, is there an end in sight? For you and your friends?
[The history of the future suggests Obi-Wan won't be pleased to learn that the Jedi are a myth in many people's minds. The rest of it is harder to explain; it all hinges on the fact that the Empire grew out of the Republic, a deep abscess that grew until it swallowed everything else, inhabiting the bones of what came before.
The question isn't one he's expecting, and he shifts in his seat, uncertain. Easier talking about the past than about his own future.]
I hope so.
[After everything it's getting hard to keep up any pretense of being a reluctant Rebel, it's become too personal. Speaking to Ben Kenobi about it with any sense of authority, though, that feels somehow wrong. He never intended to fall in with this crowd, and in a sense it's the Jedi's fault he did.]
Anything I could tell you about the war effort's half a year out of date, at least. [Which might mean nothing when he's having a conversation with a man who's been dead for years.]
[By now he's heard enough that he should know the news is all bad news. Or mostly bad news. Bad enough for him, at any rate. Han's just relieved that he isn't asking about what happened with Vader.
The next question makes him crack a grin. Old man, you have no idea how thin that ice is.]
Whatever people are paying for.
[Not a great answer, but doesn't it sound good? It sounds like him. Han Solo, infamous smuggler. Things used to be a lot simpler.]
[Well, it's not like he has the right attitude for the Imperial navy... Hutts pay better, too. The sarcastic comment sounds so much like something the old wizard from Tatooine would say that Han can't help his amusement, uncanny as the situation is.]
Of course she does.
[Who wouldn't? Even if from time to time he's been jealous of how close the two of them are, Luke is one of his closest friends. Luke's a good kid.]
He got me into this mess.
[Normally that's the kind of thing you'd say resentfully, but if anything Han has an odd touch of pride there.]
[ The fondness he sees in Han inspires a tired amusement. Some people certainly have a way of growing on a person. Hell, Obi-Wan doesn't even know Luke and he's already cautiously interested in learning more. ]
That sounds familiar. And how is he at getting you out of messes?
[ A cursory guess would lead Kenobi to believe Skywalker's decent at anything he puts his mind too. It's not a difficult leap even if he's uncertain how he feels about making it. ]
just fyi if he ends up saying anything you'd rather he didn't let slip let me know and i can edit
[Where's the fun in it otherwise? That's kind of the Rebel way: perpetually taking stupid risks to cover each other's backs.
No wonder he stuck around.]
If you're trying to ask about Jedi stuff I might not be the guy to tell you.
[Given that he's still largely a nonbeliever. At this point it's hard to say there's nothing going on-- he's seen enough impossibility to grudgingly admit that Luke's capable of some things he can't account for-- but the Force guiding them all?
[ Han might be largely a non-believer, but at this point in Obi-Wan's life, he would take no exception to that line of thinking. It doesn't mirror his own, but it's a valid opinion he's heard from the mouths of many others. ]
No, no... [ Kenobi shakes his head before he even has a chance to really think about it. He doesn't want to know; he's already guessed what's written between the lines and he'd rather not have any of it firmly confirmed if he can help it. It's better for his sanity that way. ]
I was merely curious about the man. The fact that he's a Jedi, while not incidental, doesn't interest me as much as his surname and home planet.
[ A pause. He knows Han is a pilot. ] Have you met Anakin Skywalker? He's from my time — a close companion of mine. I believe you currently work together.
[The fact that he's a Jedi is definitely less telling than the fact that all his Jedi training came from Obi-Wan Kenobi, but it's probably better for everyone if he doesn't mention that.]
Yeah. I mean, we haven't really talked.
[But it's more than enough to make some inferences.
He keeps finding himself thinking that it's too bad Luke isn't here to meet the (remarkably young) elder Skywalker. But wishing intergalactic kidnapping on your friends is probably not ideal.]
[ Obi-Wan contemplates his empty cup for a moment, his eyes turned downward. He feels very much adrift, as if the universe has turned him loose into a sea of familiar rubble. All he must to do the see the big picture is to collect the pieces, but the struggle from one part to the next is proving to be exhausting.
And yet somehow he still prefers this to the war he left back home. ]
You mean he hasn't challenged you to a race yet?
[ Okay, so maybe that was a little off-topic, but you can't exactly blame Kenobi for that, can you? ]
[Like son like father, eh? Anakin must be as relieved as Han is to have pulled piloting duty. It'd be miserable to be stuck fixing engines or pruning trees in the garden or something.]
Probably trying to figure out how fast he can get one of those to move.
[That's what Han would do. That's what he has been doing.]
Luke's a pilot too. Though I'm guessing my girlfriend already mentioned that.
Girlfriend? [ That gets one (1) raised eyebrow from Kenobi. He leans back in his seat and crosses his arms, suddenly the absolute definition of dead calm. ] And here I thought she was an acquaintance. Are you certain she knows?
[ Come on, man, you can't expect an almost-uncle to just let you brag about his adorable almost-niece who he clearly treasures more than anything in the universe, can you? ]
Indeed. She spoke quite fondly of you. But you don't have to tell her I said that.
[Gosh, you spend three years flirting with a girl and when you finally get somewhere you find she's suddenly inherited an enormously sassy extended family. It just figures.
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[ Obi-Wan doesn't imagine it's necessary to go together — they all came her separately, after all — but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel responsible for those from the same universe as his own.
He folds his hands on the tabletop and frowns slightly. Blue eyes focused, Kenobi glances across the table, his expression as sincere as ever. ]
While returning home is on the forefront of my mind, that isn't why I asked you here.
[ Would Han be able to guess? Knowing now what he knows, are Kenobi's immediate interests obvious to Solo? Obi-Wan waits to see. ]
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It feels like a card game, the long, measuring moment before someone makes a decision to start laying out their hand before the values shift.]
What's on your mind?
[He relaxes noticeably. Forcibly, though it's a practiced enough move that it seems reasonably natural. Honestly, he hasn't got a clue what the Jedi wants, except maybe that it'lol be answers he's not eager to give.]
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You mentioned an empire. You weren't the only one. Has it—?
[ The Jedi Master hesitates. He's been warring with himself as to whether he should take in any knowledge of the future — of his potential future — but he's come to realize it's only fear holding him back: fear of bad news, fear of his own fate, particularly a fear for Anakin's fate. But he's currently powerless with or without the knowledge, and in light of more recent events, Kenobi feels he might prefer to see what's coming. ]
Has it been long since this empire was established?
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Maybe Obi-Wan doesn't guess Han was there when he died. He sure as hell hopes not.]
About twenty years.
[He sips his drink, gaze fixed on the other man's. Though he's halfway tempted to ask Obi-Wan if he really wants to know about it, that itself seems like too clear an announcement that things went-- or rather, are about to go-- really damn badly.]
You could've asked Leia that.
[So why him instead?]
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I'm not entirely certain I could hear it from her. You strike me as the pragmatic type. I'm looking for pragmatic answers.
[ It's sobering on a level he knows alcohol can't touch. It doesn't stop him from trying to dull the realization. ]
How widespread is this empire?
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Their grip isn't as tight as they'd like further out, [he hedges with a shrug.] But the closer you get to the Core worlds, the harder it is to slip by. They don't exactly have a lot of competition.
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Obi-Wan rubs at his beard as he contemplates what's left of his drink. There probably isn't enough alcohol in this bar for all the questions he has, so Kenobi must choose wisely. ]
Twenty years later, is there an end in sight? For you and your friends?
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The question isn't one he's expecting, and he shifts in his seat, uncertain. Easier talking about the past than about his own future.]
I hope so.
[After everything it's getting hard to keep up any pretense of being a reluctant Rebel, it's become too personal. Speaking to Ben Kenobi about it with any sense of authority, though, that feels somehow wrong. He never intended to fall in with this crowd, and in a sense it's the Jedi's fault he did.]
Anything I could tell you about the war effort's half a year out of date, at least. [Which might mean nothing when he's having a conversation with a man who's been dead for years.]
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[ Anything more specific than that and Obi-Wan is certain he'll regret asking (more than he already does).
Kenobi changes tacks, his hands folding together under his chin and over his cup. ]
What is it that you smuggle?
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The next question makes him crack a grin. Old man, you have no idea how thin that ice is.]
Whatever people are paying for.
[Not a great answer, but doesn't it sound good? It sounds like him. Han Solo, infamous smuggler. Things used to be a lot simpler.]
I was running spice for Jabba, for a while.
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[ His disdain is not quite obvious, but Obi-Wan imagines Solo will pick up on it anyway. There had to have been better paying jobs, man, come on. ]
It's good to see some things don't change.
[ He doesn't mean that. Particularly in this case. ]
Do you know Luke as well? Leia speaks highly of him.
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Of course she does.
[Who wouldn't? Even if from time to time he's been jealous of how close the two of them are, Luke is one of his closest friends. Luke's a good kid.]
He got me into this mess.
[Normally that's the kind of thing you'd say resentfully, but if anything Han has an odd touch of pride there.]
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That sounds familiar. And how is he at getting you out of messes?
[ A cursory guess would lead Kenobi to believe Skywalker's decent at anything he puts his mind too. It's not a difficult leap even if he's uncertain how he feels about making it. ]
just fyi if he ends up saying anything you'd rather he didn't let slip let me know and i can edit
[Where's the fun in it otherwise? That's kind of the Rebel way: perpetually taking stupid risks to cover each other's backs.
No wonder he stuck around.]
If you're trying to ask about Jedi stuff I might not be the guy to tell you.
[Given that he's still largely a nonbeliever. At this point it's hard to say there's nothing going on-- he's seen enough impossibility to grudgingly admit that Luke's capable of some things he can't account for-- but the Force guiding them all?
No, thanks.]
You got it~ <333
No, no... [ Kenobi shakes his head before he even has a chance to really think about it. He doesn't want to know; he's already guessed what's written between the lines and he'd rather not have any of it firmly confirmed if he can help it. It's better for his sanity that way. ]
I was merely curious about the man. The fact that he's a Jedi, while not incidental, doesn't interest me as much as his surname and home planet.
[ A pause. He knows Han is a pilot. ] Have you met Anakin Skywalker? He's from my time — a close companion of mine. I believe you currently work together.
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Yeah. I mean, we haven't really talked.
[But it's more than enough to make some inferences.
He keeps finding himself thinking that it's too bad Luke isn't here to meet the (remarkably young) elder Skywalker. But wishing intergalactic kidnapping on your friends is probably not ideal.]
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And yet somehow he still prefers this to the war he left back home. ]
You mean he hasn't challenged you to a race yet?
[ Okay, so maybe that was a little off-topic, but you can't exactly blame Kenobi for that, can you? ]
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Probably trying to figure out how fast he can get one of those to move.
[That's what Han would do. That's what he has been doing.]
Luke's a pilot too. Though I'm guessing my girlfriend already mentioned that.
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I'm pretty sure she's noticed.
[Or else he's been severely misinformed about Alderaanian customs, and should have spent more time there when he could...]
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Indeed. She spoke quite fondly of you. But you don't have to tell her I said that.
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He huffs a laugh.]
Secret's safe with me.
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