I joined Leia and Dodonna in the War room. Threepio followed 
me in and went to stand beside Leia at the table-like tactical display. 
Nobody seemed to notice, apparently he was an accepted part of the equipment. 

    Dodonna was explaining the plan of attack to Leia. "Gold Flight 
will make the first attack runs while Red Flight flies high cover 
and tries to draw enemy fire." 

    "And General Skywalker?" I asked.

    "Will do as he damn well pleases, as usual." the General grimaced.

    I hid a smile of my own. Some things never change.

    "Standby alert. Death Star approaching. Estimated time to firing 
range, fifteen minutes." I have never understood the military's 
fascination with countdowns - they only increase tension and anxiety.

    I closed my eyes and stretched out with my feelings. Located 
Anakin and his two wingmen at once by their strength in the Force, 
a dazzlingly bright trio almost eclipsing the dimmer presences of 
the other pilots. I sifted through them in search of my student. 
There he was, almost as bright as his father but flickering, uncertain, 
untrained. A combination of fear and excitement clogging the smooth flow of the Force. 

   Silencing my own anxieties I projected calm into his Force presence 
and felt him respond, steadying.

   Red Leader's voice came over the comlink, in war room and Luke's 
cockpit, "Accelerate to attack speed. This is it, boys."

   "Red Leader, this is Gold Leader."

   "I copy, Gold Leader."

   "We're starting for the target shaft now."

   "We're in position. I'm going to cut across the axis and try and draw their fire."

   Red Three, the boy who'd been sitting next to Luke at the briefing, 
followed his leader in. Then it was Luke's turn. He got his target, 
and the the resultant fireball nearly got him! Reckless - just like 
his father. And, if I was honest, his Teacher.

   I kept my presence passive, at the edge of his consciousness. 
Luke didn't need any distractions. Suddenly Red Six winked out, 
Force waves rippling out from the sudden gap. I flinched, sensing 
death never gets easier. This boy was the first, he wouldn't be the last.

   Luke flinched too, sensing Red Six's end through his link with me, his focus wavered. 

   I risked minspeech. *Luke, trust your feelings."

   I had underestimated him. He started a little, then took my advice 
and steadied down refocusing his concentration on the problem at 
hand. Took out another battery of surface guns.

   "Squad leaders, we've picked up a new group of signals. Enemy 
fighters coming your way." by now I was so centered on Luke's cockpit 
I heard the warning through his ears instead of my own.
 
   Ani's voice came over the link, crisply businesslike. "This is 
Blue One, we'll intercept but a few are bound to get past us. Keep an eye peeled, Red Flight."

   Of course. He would have been expecting this move as soon as 
the Imperials realized our fighters were small enough to elude their 
guns. The three Jedi pilots should be able to keep the bulk of the 
enemy ships from getting through - but not all.

   "My scope's negative. I don't see anything." Luke said.

   "Pick up your visual scanning." Red Leader advised. Scopes can 
be jammed, eyes can't, as every experienced pilot knows. Luke and 
I peered upward through his canopy.

    "Here they come." said Ani. 

   A full squadron of TIE fighters flashed over the Death Star's 
horizon and were intercepted by a trio of blue and white V-Wings. 
Three enemy ships vanished in fireballs before they could react. 
The others scattered frantically and the Jedi fighters broke formation 
to pursue. I tried to locate my son's ship but Luke was riveted on Blue One.

   The Imperials had learned through painful experience that single 
ships stood no chance at all against Blue Flight. But no combination 
of fighters lasted long against Blue One.

   "'The best star pilot in the Galaxy.'" Luke breathed, awed, as 
he watched his father fly circles around the TIES.

    It was getting bad now. The multiple deaths sent shockwaves 
of disturbance through the Force. It took all my strength to hang 
on to Luke. I saw three TIES elude Blue Flight and flash down on Red Squadron. 

   Then - "General Kenobi?" a voice and a light touch shattered 
my concentration snapping me back to the war room. Leia was looking 
anxiously up at me,  small hand on my arm.  "Are you all right, General?"

   I managed a tight nod, my voice wouldn't function immediately. 
She didn't believe me. Looked around and spotted a chair.

   "Why don't you sit down, General."

   You know you're old when beautiful young women want to nursemaid 
you. I let myself be led to the seat. Tried to give her  a reassuring 
smile before closing my eyes again to regather my concentration.

   I sensed her hovering over me, then a burst of com-chatter pulled 
her away, back to the battle. It was not going well. Gold Flight's 
final run had failed thanks to a trio of enemy ships that'd gotten 
past Ani. Blue Flight itself was now in desperate straits, six to 
one are steep odds even for Jedi. I heard Anakin refuse Red Leader's 
offer of assistance and order him to resume torpedo attacks on the target.

    Again I reached out. Getting back to Luke was like trying to 
fight my way through a Tatooine sandstorm. I was buffet by the multiple 
disturbances roiling the Force. Then one of the bright Jedi presences blinked out.

   Forgetting Luke I reached, almost in panic for my son. *Ken-Jin!*
  
   *Father?* 

   Not my son or Ani, the other boy Jazpar. My first relief was 
succeeded by a wave of sadness, partly mine partly Ken-Jin's, quickly 
shunted away so it wouldn't distract him.

   I stayed with my son for a few moments. He and Anakin were fighting 
in tandem now, guarding each others backs. I was pleased to see 
Ken-Jin could keep pace with his Master. He really was a better 
pilot than his father. Reassured I remembered my duty and let go of my son to search for Luke.

   I linked with him just in time to witness the end of Red Leader 
through his eyes. Luke's sense was grim, resolute, and perfectly 
calm. I was proud of him. Instinctively he took command, as his father would have.

   "Bigg's, Wedge, let's close it up. We're going in full throttle. 
That ought to keep those fighters off our back."

   "Right with you, boss." promptly from Wedge.

   Biggs sounded worried. "Luke, at that speed will you be able to pull up in time?"

   "It'll be just like Beggars Canyon back home." came the confident reply.

   A barrage of fire exploded around them as they began their run. 
"We'll stay far back enough to cover you." Biggs told Luke.

   But now it was Red Three's turn to worry. "My scope shows the 
tower, but I can't see the exhaust port! Are you sure the computer can hit it?"

   "Watch yourself!" Luke snapped back as blaster fire buffeted 
the three X-Wings. "Increase speed full throttle!" Speed was their best chance.

    Wedge was insistant. "What about that tower?"

    "You worry about those fighters! I'll worry about the tower!" Luke ordered.

    Red Three's concern was not unfounded, I couldn't see the exhaust 
port either and I knew exactly where to look from the plans. A chilling 
possibility struck me: Could some Imperial Engineer have spotted 
the weakness and corrected it during construction? 

   I let go of Luke and projected myself to the tower, feeling my 
way down it. The port was there, exactly where it was supposed to 
be. It was just too small for the scopes. Wedge was right, no computer 
would be able to make this shot.

    An explosion down the trench sent me back to Luke. Red Three 
had just taken a hit from the lead ship of a trio of pursuing TIES.

   "Get clear, Wedge." Luke ordered. "You can't do any more good back there."

   "Sorry!" Red Three lifted out of the trench on an escape vector. 
The TIEs let him go, realizing Luke and Biggs were the real threat.

    I could feel the Darkness eminating from the lead ship and knew 
Seig was piloting it with all the skill one would expect of Anakin's 
former apprentice. And closing fast. Biggs couldn't hold him. His 
X-Wing vanished in a shower of flaming debris.

   Grappled onto Luke's mind I shared his shock and grief and flash 
of anger as his friend died. He engaged his targeting computer, 
if he depended on it he would miss, as Red Leader had done.

   *Use the Force, Luke* I told him.

   He started at the non-sound of my mindvoice. Looked around almost 
as if expecting to see me then uncertainly back at the eye screen of his targeting computer.

   *Let go, Luke!*

   Still he hesitated.

   *Luke, trust me!*

   That did it. Mind made up he switched off his computer. To the consternation of Base Control.

   "Luke, you switched off your targeting computer. What's wrong?"

   "Nothing." he answered. "I'm all right."   

   I felt him focus, struggling to remember what I had taught him. 
Then an incoming blaster bolt took Artoo full on the dome. The little 
droid's electronic death scream snapped Luke's concentration.

   "I've lost Artoo!"

   The droid hadn't been atomized. He was still there, a burnt and 
blackened shell. Perhaps Ani could repair him, if we survived.

    I was afraid we wouldn't. Sieg had to get us with his next shot. 
I tried to think of something, anything, I could do to stop him 
- and one of his wingmen exploded in a burst of luminous gasses.

   A familiar voice filled the cockpit, "Yahoo!" and the Millenium 
Falcon came out of the sun diving down on the two remaining TIEs.

   The surviving wingman panicked, dodged into his leader sending 
Seig's ship spinning into space then ricocheting into the trench wall and immolating himself.

    "You're all clear, kid. Now let's blow this thing and go home."

   Luke smiled up at the Falcon then focused a final time on the 
exhaust port and pressed the firing button.

   The torpedoes went right in heading for the main reactor.

   We pulled away at best speed, were joined by the Falcon, Wedge, 
a Lone Y-Wing, only survivor of Gold Flight, and the two Jedi V-Wings. 
Then the Death Star blew up behind us in a dazzling display of expanding energies. 

   The shockwave of those tens of thousands of deaths would have 
knocked me loose had Luke not held me fast.

   "Great shot, kid. That was one in a million!" Han crowed over the comlink.

   "Thanks Ben." Luke said silently, only to me.

   "Remeber the Force will be with you," I promised, "always."

   I heard Ani's "well done, son." - and then I was back in the 
happy pandemonium of the celebrating war room.

   Leia kissed Dodonna, then Willard, returned Threepio's hug, then 
turned to me and the joy went out of her face like a snuffed lamp. 
"General Kenobi! Are you all right?"

   I felt terrible and doubtless looked worse. The effort of reaching 
Luke and staying with him had drained me. Leia and Dodonna both 
hurried over, faces clearly reflecting their alarm.

   "It's nothing." I tried to assure them in a thread of a voice. 
"I just need to rest a moment." since for all they knew I'd just 
been sitting there all this time that made very little sense to 
them. I saw the confused look they exchanged before I closed my eyes again.

   By the time the few surviving ships returned I'd recovered enough 
to walk to the hanger, Leia hovering anxiously at my elbow. But 
the instant she saw Luke climbing out of his ship she forgot me 
and arrowed straight through the gathering crowd of excited, cheering 
ground crew to throw herself into her brother's arms.

   I decided not to risk the scrimmage on the hanger floor. Waited 
patiently in the entry arch until my trio of young friends detached 
themselves from the crowd and headed towards me, ams interlaced with Leia in the middle.
  
    Han and Luke pulled up sharply, in visible dismay, at their 
first sight of me. Luke let go of his sister and put his arms around 
me, half in embrace half  in support. "Ben! are you all right?"

   I was getting almost as tired of that question as I was of 'I thought you were dead.'
"It's been a very long day." I told him. And I'm definitely not as young as I was.

   "I felt you out there with me." he continued.

   I made innocent eyes at him. "How could that be, Luke? I was 
in the war room the whole time. Ask Princess Leia."

   He looked confused.

   His sister, more knowledgable in Jedi ways, stared at me in sudden comprehension.

   I transfered my attention to Han. "Thank you for your most timely intervention, Captain Solo."

   He gave me a lopsided smile in return. "You're welcome. You knew I'd come back - didn't you?"

   I smiled at him. "Knowing the man you are I expected nothing less."