May the Fourth Be With The All Skate

[jedi_interrupted]

The bar shifts, or it changed when no one was looking, and now resembles a certain cantina popular with the villainy and scum, as well as more upstanding folks. The air is dryer than usual, and a taste of grit and sand just hangs in the air. It just makes you want some blue milk doesn't it?

Has your character changed? Perhaps...who can tell? The Landlord I suppose but they aren't talking.

[ooc: HI and Welcome to a Star Wars themed All Skate, the best way to celebrate May the Fourth! Party style post. You do not have to interact with any of my characters to play.
The Rules are simple:
- This post, and any post with the subject heading ALL SKATE are open to everyone.
That means old characters, new characters, retired characters, doubles of characters, original characters, non-canon compliant characters.
- We will all play nice and adhere to Wheaton's Law: Don't be a dick.
- Gratuitous behavior, either of a violent or sexual nature, will not be tolerated in the Comm. Take that to an OOM, and then Content Warning the hell out of it before you link it.
- Communication is paramount. Everyone's keyed up, let's just have some fun.]

Comments

[innermuses]

[Pretend icon is Alec Guiness. I haven't seen Rebels yet so don't actually know if they interact between III and IV...]

The old man sitting in an out of the way booth, but with his back very deliberately towards the door, puts his tea down on the table in front of him.

Other than than, he makes not even the smallest movement.

[forceimbalance]

Vader freezes the moment he walks in.

I know that--

His lightsaber is in his hand and ignited before he can even think once about it, let alone the two or three times it might have taken him to remember he's really not allowed, by his own sense of self-preservation, to actually try to kill anyone inside Milliways. He doesn't even manage to register that rather strange feeling of "dead-in-world alive-in-Milliways" that is always a particular turn of how the Force feels is not there. That Kenobi is alive and not a singularly irritating Bar patron for being so rude as to not stay dead.

Several tables get vaulted over and he slams down into the ground, already slashing towards Kenobi.

"You dared," Vader snarls, and the vocoder gives the rage an echoing twist.

Yeah, yeah, the facemask and life-support-torture-tomb-suit are new, but it's not like Vader is unrecognizable. Not to his adoptive father former adoptive older brother Master. (And there's a whole other set of rage and twists in that thinking that word.)

[acertainpov]

The instant Vader's lighsaber is in his hand, Obi-Wan has his own in his. At the very moment that he is airborne, Obi-Wan has moved just enough in the booth that his saber-hand is free and is can extend without damaging anything.

The slashing is cut short when the red blade meets blue exactly half way down its arc.

He hasn't looked up.

"Remember the rules, young Padawan."

He doesn't expect he will, but you do have to try.

[forceimbalance]

Vader bears down with more strength on the blade. Kenobi is old, he is frail, he died and Vader will kill him as many times as he has to.

"Your Padawan is dead, Kenobi. He was too weak to survive. Or do you not remember who killed him?"

Vader leaps backwards enough to lunge back in for another slash. Rules, what are rules. He is above rules, except those which his Master declares on his whim. No mere cantina's fragile, naive pleas for peace will stop him from taking the revenge that is rightfully his for--

Ah yes, that was their discussion today, not the fool who was Kenobi's student.

"You dared keep him from me!" He follows up the slash with a high block.

[acertainpov]

Obi-Wan doesn't have the strength he used to, and he definitely doesn't have Vader's strength. But he hasn't been idle all this years. He hasn't been sitting guard after Luke with nothing to protect him with.

He calmly pushes back, blade screaming against blade, relying as much on his mastery of the Force than mere muscle, and much more than he ever did as a younger Jedi.

It's not going to hold long against Vader, but it's enough to give him room to stand when Vader leaps backwards. It's enough to rally and swing, as slow as Vader and not as strong, but enough. Enough to meet what remains of his former student, and hopefully enough to keep this from harming anyone else.

It's not hard to deduce what he's angry about.

"I dared protect him, Vader."

He places his feet so he can swing away from the booth, and so his heels are angled towards the back door.

[forceimbalance]

And that, Vader thinks, is Kenobi's weakness. He knows his old Master's style too well, and his priorities. To bother to care who might be collateral damage instead of focusing on his target. Weak.

Of course he would never be an adequate teacher for Anakin Skywalker--much less Vader's son, if that had been his plan. It's what Vader would do--and probably Palpatine, too: shape the son into a weapon to kill the father. He doesn't imagine for a second Kenobi would intend anything different.

It is truly and deeply irritating to find he does not have an edge of speed against the old man. On the other hand, if it takes longer to kill him... there's a satisfaction in that too.

"Did you really think," Vader hisses at him, "that you could keep him from me?"

He feints overhand before snapping back down for a low slash, and his free hand shoots out to the side. He's not thinking clearly enough to realize yanking a table in their direction is... well, maybe not more obvious than flashing lightsabers. But more environmental damage is at least very loud.

[acertainpov]

It's to Vader's disadvantage that his mind is so clouded. And that's tragic in it's own way - Anakin was impulsive, reckless, but he was never so unaware of the situation, so locked down on one target.

Obi-Wan doesn't need to be a young man to see the hand shooting out, to where he knows there's a table, to know the angle it would come flying at, to be able to step back -

(Just in time, that's very close.)

- and let the table cut just a hair's width past him as he staggers one step closer to the door.

"I had to try," he says, calmly despite it all.

He knew he could never protect him forever. But he will protect him until his own death, and he won't let that be today.

[forceimbalance]

The unfortunate part of Vader being locked on target is that while he's not considering the threat of Security the least bit important, he is taking his usual swift, analytic notice of Kenobi's movements.

"Coward."

Kenobi wants to try to escape? Fine. Vader just yankw an entire booth out of the wall from behind Kenobi. It's almost strange to him: when last they fought, Kenobi was disturbingly unafraid of him. He's at least marginally afraid now. He was historically rarely afraid for himself; for others, always. So. Possibly Skywalker's son.

He is mine.

But if he's afraid, and going for his escape route, he has something to go back to on the other side of the door. Finally Vader realizes what he's been feeling through the Force: Kenobi is alive.

"I should have taken more time killing you the first time."

[acertainpov]

The booth blocks Kenobi's path, and forces him to push forward again, towards Vader, in order to avoid being squished by it. That, and a little nudge of his own to make sure that it doesn't quite hit him.

"I don't remember that working out so well for you that time either," he says, switching to the offensive only because he has to - he doesn't have the knees anymore to jump on to it with his former agility.

But that's not it, is it? That's not where that realisation comes from. Vader's already killed him.

He's got a bad feeling about that.

But he's not worried about it, because if Vader's this angry, it means Luke is safe. For now.

"But you never were one for taking your time to do things right, were you, Anakin?"

[forceimbalance]

There is a part of him that almost screams "And whose fault is that?!" at Obi-wan. It wants to lash out with betrayal and desperation and decades of pain.

But Vader is not desperate. Betrayal can only come with trust and love. He is long past feeling any of those things, except, sometimes, when he is certain--or, more gallingly, uncertain--that Palpatine tried to turn on him.

Even after all these years, his Master betraying him cuts deep.

And pain gives him power. "It made me stronger, Kenobi," he retorts. "As strong as the Jedi always feared. As you feared."

Kenobi had always feared him.

"And you have always waited too long to do anything, old man. Your hesitation cost you your precious Order, their future. Their children." Remember the younglings, Kenobi? Remember who killed them? "Your apprentice."

Since throwing things at Kenobi's head doesn't work, Vader settles for attempting to just push the old man himself against a wall. Surely the years have weakened him enough that it will work. "You life. And now it will cost you Skywalker's son. He will be mine. The Force will bring him to me."

He is mine.

[acertainpov]

A lifetime of training, of self control, of hiding everything as far as it will go, and Anakin still knows how to cut him deeper than anything else. Of all the failures, all the atrocities his Padawan committed that Obi-Wan knows is at his door, the younglings weigh the heaviest.

But he won't add Luke to that burden.

Anakin was always the strongest in the force, but Obi-Wan can still stand, can plant his heels into the floor and make him work for every inch. And all of this, with all the effort, he cannot let himself lose it. Cannot make the mistakes he made on Mustafar.

He refuses to meet the anger. Makes himself keep that calm.

"You'll never have him, Vader. He will never belong to you."

[forceimbalance]

Vader really, really hates having to grudgingly acknowledge someone is not completely incompetent. He minded less with Skywalker's apprentice; he'd always had higher expectations for her. Now, though, it grates far more that it's his former Master who won't just give up and deteriorate.

Except he does--maybe not deteriorate (unfortunately)--but give up. Now Vader wonders what changed in the years between this man and the one who--

Strike me down and I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.

No.

"Your arrogance has always been one of your greatest weaknesses, thinking that you could protect or teach gifted children."

Vader may work for every inch, but now he throws more of his power behind it, fueled by his own rage and jealousy and hate and abandonment and betrayal.

"Did you think you could do for one Skywalker what you failed to for the other? Already the Force draws him to me."

[acertainpov]

Obi-Wan picks that exact moment to let it happen, to lift his feet, let Vader throw him back, and to use that Force energy to give himself the lift he needs, turning it ino a leap and landing under his own control again, now with greater distance, and his lightsaber up, inviting another physical attack.

"Don't be too sure of that, Vader. You're in no position to talk of arrogance."

[forceimbalance]

Vader knows that kind of opening is an invitation, but it isn't one he minds taking. He remembers Kenobi's favored styles enough that he thinks he can anticipate whatever his old Master will follow up with.

"It isn't arrogance if you win."

The lightsaber hurtles forward, spinning through the air; Vader is already lunging forward, hand out, recalling it on instinct to slash upwards.

[acertainpov]

Kenobi, of course, isn't interested in his usual goal of winning, although his desire to get this over with as quickly as possible is as old as the stars. But he brings his lightsaber down to meet the slash, stepping quickly to the side as he does. Keep moving, keep safe. Eventually even Anakin's going to run out of steam.

[forceimbalance]

Anakin might; Vader is certain he does not have Skywalker's pathetic physical limitations.

Feint outside, parry high; he remember the rhythms of their fights.

Fight.

still burning

He keeps his momentum up. He's stronger, literally, physically, than Kenobi. If he can just bear down hard enough... "And all your failures will be complete," because Kenobi has to be reminded that his destiny is to fail over and over and over again, "when the Force brings my son to me."

He lets his saber slide off Obi-wan's to circle back up lightning-fast and bring it down in a powerful overhead slash.

[acertainpov]

Any watcher may not be able to fathom how a man pushing 60 like Obi-Wan, and looking older, would be able to move fast enough. Especially as he doesn't move lightning-fast, it's just that the saber is in the way again.

He hasn't fought for a long long time. He hasn't done anything mcuh other than commune with the Force, and that changes a man.

"He is not your son, Darth."

He says it simply, surely. The most true thing he can say.

"His father - Anakin Skywalker - is dead. Or do you not remember?"

He has to put all his strength into his push to get the red saber away from him.

[forceimbalance]

Something wonderful has happened.

Nope.

Every glass in a thirty-foot radius shatters. Most of the furniture gets flung away from its looming black epicenter, too. Some of the less durable chairs snap under it.

Ani, I'm pregnant.

Vader snarls wordlessly. He uses the momentum of Obi-wan resisting that slash to slash backhand, which should leave him wide open, except that it's a feint. His left arm snaps forward to hurl Kenobi against a wall, his hand open.

"You do not have the right." His hand begins closing. No, no, it isn't satisfying enough. He stalks forward, intent on getting his hand literally, physically on the old man's neck. His lightsaber drops behind him, ready for whenever he has decided precisely how he'll kill Kenobi this time.

He will not lose the boy, not like--

The Force tightens as he gets closer.

padme

"The boy is mine."

[acertainpov]

Obi-Wan Kenobi says nothing.

He couldn't say anything if he had anything to say, because he's flown backwards against the wall of the bar, hard enough to break ribs he's been too old to break safely since before his last fight with Anakin. The air is forced out of his lungs and then there's the pressure closing around his throat to stop any of it getting back in.

His lightsaber drops to the ground, closing as it does.

Obi-Wan goes limp, waiting the glove to close around its target, and he closes his eyes, ready.

(He knows he's not going to have to wait long.)

[cute_bruiser]

"Gentlemen."

Oh, Molly is not impressed.

There is a woman between themn protecting Kenobi. A woman with a silver badge on her shirt and a shield on her arm; badge and shield and woman all afire with pink light.

"Enough."

Vader wants anger? He can have it.

[forceimbalance]

Vader is just angry enough not to care.

With Kenobi is in no state to be a threat (good, he can take his time this time), Vader cares far more about ridding himself of anything standing between him and Kenobi. So he drops his grip, not caring how hard or not the old man hits the floor, and takes a swing at her shield with his lightsaber before shoving at her with the Force with the power no longer focused on Kenobi.

"No."

[acertainpov]

Obi-Wan Kenobi slides gratefully to the floor, the air rushing into his lungs as his body slumps, broken on the floor.

He then uses the first flush of oxygen to say “not a moment too soon” as he lets Molly handle it.

[cute_bruiser]

Yes, well, sometimes it takes longer than a girl could like to get her work gear on, and she has a feelibg that this time she's going to need it.

Molly is braced solidly against the floor, when the shove comes; she flicks her wrist, retracting the shield into her gauntlet again just as the saber comes slashing towards it...

...And takes advantage of Vader's change of balance to grab barehanded for the lightsaber's plasma, yanking it forwards and bringing her free fist up and across in a punch.

[forceimbalance]

Kenobi never knows when to just stop talking.

Not Vader's problem right now; he'll attend to that later.

His problem right now is that almost no one ever punches him, no one punches him with that kind of strength, and no one grabs the blade of a lightsaber. (Well. He does, rarely. Skywalker may have taught his apprentice how to, if dire straits called for it.)

The respirator stumbles as Vader flies back. Taking his lightsaber from him is not okay. With his focus freed up further, more of the furniture (booths included) rips itself free to hurl themselves in quick and continuous succession at Molly.

Quietly, in the middle, the lightsaber clicks off. Under the distraction of the barrage, it starts flying back towards the hand that made it.

(Maybe a couple chairs and a table throw themselves at Kenobi's head. Vader really wants him to shut up.)

[acertainpov]

He stops talking.

Obi-Wan slowly breathes in, filling his lungs with the air he’s just lost, and closes his eyes again slowly as he breathes out.

Some of the objects flying at Molly just stop, lose their momentum and drop to the floor. Others slow down considerably in their trajectory.

Obi-Wan himself grimaces in pain and rolls to the side as a chair smashes where his head was seconds ago.