The Past Returns
Chapter One
-A Shocking Discovery -
Journal Entry 1: "My name is Ben Kenobi and my best friend Damon Lars and I are totally into this series of movies called Starwars. I'm seven and Damon is ten and we've been best friends and fans forever. If you were to go into my room, you'd be in shock. Not an inch of wall or ceiling can be seen since they're covered in posters. My curtains and carpet have Starwars figures on them and the back and front of my door is covered in posters so you can't see that either. When you close my door, it blends in with the rest of my room. My shelves have nothing except Starwars figurines on them, old and new. My bed never has anything but Starwars sheets and pillowcases. My Starwars quilt always stays on and during the summer, it's hung over my closet door. Damon has just about as much as me. When I first saw Starwars Episode IV 'A New Hope', I was shocked and excited that one of the characters had my name. From then on, Damon called be Obi-Wan, which I of course, had no problem with. I had always dreamed of being a Jedi and even though I thought Darth Maul, in Episode I, was awesome, I really, truly looked up to Qui-Gon Jinn."
Ben Kenobi was just your average kid. He had his own hobbies and interests and they just happened to be Star Wars. He had wished upon a dozen stars to become a Jedi Knight. No one knows their future and Ben figured he'd just grow up as your average, nobody kid. Little did he know, a strange event was about to take place and he was going to end up caught between the light and the dark side of his dreamed of life.
* * *
"Obi-Wan! Hey! Wait up!" Ben heard a voice call out behind him. He slowed his pace a little so Damon could catch up. "Hey, why are you in such a hurry?"
He looked at Damon as they walked towards the woods where they would separate. "I've got to help my Aunt Bet," Ben said. His Uncle Mike had a mean temper and if everything was not done by the time he was home, which was an hour after Ben got out of school, he would punish Ben and yell at Ben's aunt. Ben helped her as much as he could since she'd always been there for him and helped him whenever he needed it. They had taken care of him since his parents died when he was very young. And he was a half an hour late.
"Why is it always her first?"
"You know why Damon."
"Ben -"
"I've got to go. Bye." Ben jogged into the woods, his fake lightsaber hitting his thigh as he ran. He always carried it on his utility belt. The belt was hidden for the most part by his T-shirt. The covering was black with silver bands around it. It was a plastic green one where you pushed the red button to one side, holding it down as you flung out the plastic blade. He grabbed the lightsaber, not flinging it out, but holding it, pretending it was real, imagining he was on a mission as a Jedi Knight.
A moment before it happened, he glimpsed someone running at him. He tried to dodge her but instead he slammed full force into her. His lightsaber flew out of his hand. He got up and helped her to her feet. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," he said. The woman looked at him. She had short black hair, like Ben, but black eyes when his were ice-green. She wore burnoose clothing and dark brown leather boots. A utility belt was strapped around her waist. Ben bent down to pick up his lightsaber and he noticed that the woman was picking up hers. Cool, she has one too, he thought. "Do you need help?"
"I'll be fine." she said, standing, clipping the lightsaber to her belt. She looked at him curiously but didn't say anything else.
"Okay. Goodbye." She continued walking and Ben hurried home, returning his lightsaber to his belt. * * *
That evening, he lay on his bed, holding his lightsaber in his hands. He turned it over, and for some reason he couldn't see the plastic inside the tube. He looked for the red switch but it wasn't there! There was a small black on instead. The outer casing was still the same though. He tried to activate it but it didn't work. So he pressed the button and a blue blade sprung out. Ben nearly dropped it as he leaped out of his bed, but grabbed it at the last second. He deactivated it quickly, dropping it onto the floor. Then, making sure his door was closed he hesitantly picked it up and activated it again. Ben swung it experimentally. It made a satisfying hum as it moved through the air. He switched it off and stood there, staring at it. It was real. A real lightsaber. Then that woman must have been . . . a Jedi! He ran to the phone in the hall and quickly called Damon. "Meet me at our secret place," he said hurriedly when Damon answered the phone.
"Okay," Damon said hesitantly. Ben hung up, and after a quick bye to his aunt, thank god his uncle was sleeping, he grabbed the lightsaber, strapped it to his own utility belt and grabbed his coat, running out the door. The light was dimming so he knew he had to hurry. He didn't know how to find his way home in the dark.
Damon stared at the phone and then hung it up. Sometimes Ben was so strange. But overall, the kid was the nicest person Damon had ever met. He thought about all the times that Ben had helped his neighbors without thought of reward or anything. He just did it. He was so thoughtful and caring. On the other hand, Damon knew that Ben had a fiery temper and a streak of stubbornness in him. Many times before Damon would try to reason with Ben but Ben just wouldn't have it. He thought he was right and no one was going to convince him otherwise. Damon smiled. But overall, Ben was a great person. If only the world had more people like Ben, maybe it would be a better place.
Damon grabbed his coat out of his room, strapping his lightsaber to his side. He ran down the stairs. "I've got to see Ben real quick Mom. I'll be back soon," Damon called into the kitchen where his mother was fixing dinner.
"Okay, but make sure you're back in time for dinner."
"Okay, mom." Damon ran out the door and to their secret spot. A gnarled old tree stood off to one side by a large creek and a rotting stump sat in the middle of the small secluded spot. He sat down on the stump. This had better be quick, Damon thought. If he missed dinner on the account of another one of Ben's wild stories then he'd get in trouble and then he'd be very mad. He heard a rustling in the bushes and Ben ran into the clearing, his lightsaber strapped to his utility belt. "What did you want?" Damon asked.
"Draw your lightsaber," Ben said.
He looked at Ben, eyebrows raised. "You called me out here just to fight? I was in the middle of a huge paper and I'm going to be late for dinner. I thought it was urgent. If this is another one of your wild stories -"
"It's not. You'll see. Now draw it." Damon did, reluctantly, flinging out the plastic green blade. Ben took the lightsaber off his belt. Damon looked at it. "Stand back." Damon stepped back until he was about a foot in front of the stump. Ben held out the lightsaber and pressed the button. The blue blade sprung out, humming.
Damon jumped back, nearly tripping over the tree stump. "Oh my God," Damon whispered, steadying himself. Ben had been serious. Where had he gotten that? It was a real lightsaber. "Where did you get that?" Ben deactivated the lightsaber, returning it to his belt. Ben explained what had happened in the woods that afternoon. "So you think this person is a Jedi. Come on, get real. Jedi are in stories. They don't exist."
"Then how do you explain this?" Ben asked, motioning to the lightsaber. Damon shook his head and began walking away. Maybe it was real but maybe it was some kind of trick. Whatever it was, he knew he had to get home, and fast. "Where are you going?"
"Home!" Damon said, without glancing back.
"Damon!" Ben cried, but Damon kept walking. He was late for dinner and had no time for an explanation.
Ben slammed his fist against the tree. He knew it was real, why couldn't Damon see the truth? He slid down to the moss covered ground and leaned back. He fingered the necklace that he wore around his neck. It was a small emerald stone on a black chain. Damon had given Ben it when they had first met and he had one exactly like it. They never took them off, for it was a sign of their friendship. Even when they were mad at each other they wouldn't take them off. They were really close and Ben knew Damon would do just about anything for him, but sometimes Damon was just so stubborn. Ben closed his eyes.
* * *
Tahiri sat by the campfire she had made, leaning against a tree. She was going to be there for a long time. Her hyperdrive was blown out and she was going to have to find a replacement somehow. She looked around. This planet must have been separated from the rest of the planets for thousands of years. This didn't even seem like the same galaxy, but that would have been impossible except for the fact that this planet was such a backward planet. And from what she had observed, they didn't come close to what there was on the other planets she had been to. Also, it didn't look like they even had space flight. There wasn't any space craft that she could see except for a very small station. She doubted the planet would have any spare parts like a hyperdrive lying around. She thought she knew all the planets, but maybe not.
The species were human though and she had already spoken to one. The boy that she had run into this afternoon, she had sensed something about him but she couldn't place her finger on it. Could a being from another galaxy, if this was a different galaxy, be attuned to the Force? As she thought about it more, she grew more certain that the young boy was indeed Force-sensitive. She closed her eyes, thinking about the boy. Somehow, he looked familiar, but she didn't know how. He had had a lightsaber and she knew only Jedi Knights carried those. If there were Jedi Knights here . . . but no, there couldn't be. The Jedi Council knew of all the Jedi that were out in the galaxy for the most part and the Jedi didn't travel past the outer rim planets. But then why did that boy have a lightsaber? It just didn't make sense.
Tahiri shook her head, trying to focus on the task at hand. She had no idea how she was going to get help. She had already tried her com-link several times but for some reason, the signal wouldn't get through. She was just too far away. She was a Jedi Knight herself, but lacked the mechanical skills. She had tried a dozen times to fix her hyperdrive but nothing was working. She'd probably have to try to weld something together with her lightsaber. Tahiri stood and took her lightsaber off of her belt and tried to switch it on. Nothing happened. She looked in the tube and saw hard green material. Using her nails, she pulled it out. It was some sort of plastic. She set the fake lightsaber down on the grass, sighing. Great, just great. Then another thought crossed her mind.
How did that kid get a fake lightsaber? How did they even know about lightsabers? More questions flooded her mind. Then she realized. The kid had a real lightsaber. Her lightsaber. Who knew what damage that kid could inflict with it! She stood and went into her ship. She rummaged around in the back and finally found what she was looking for: the survival kit. It had a couple of week's rations in it. She took it back outside and sat down by the fire she had constructed. She'd have to eat something if she was going to try to figure out this place. She knew that she probably wouldn't see that kid again and she didn't know how to begin to try to find him.
Suddenly, she sensed a presence and looked towards her ship. Someone was after her ship!
"Who are you?" she asked.
The figure spun around, his hand flying away from the ship, his eyes wide in fright. As she looked closer, she realized it was a small boy. "I-I uh . . ." he stammered.
Her face softened as she realized he was scared to death. "Come here, kid. I just made dinner. It'll be nice to have some company." He didn't move. "Come on, I won't bite." she said, smiling. The boy slowly walked over to her and sat down by her in front of the small fire. When he came into the light, she recognized him as the boy that she had run into earlier. She held out a dish with rations on it. He took it hesitantly. A plan formed in her mind. She needed to find out more about this planet and he might be able to help her in that aspect. "My name is Tahiri." "Thanks," he managed, taking a bit of the ration bar. He didn't say anything for a while. She nodded, eating her own. "So," he said, after a couple of minutes had passed, still not saying his name, "what brings you to Earth?" She looked at the boy.
"So that's the name of this planet. Earth." The boy nodded. She figured that she didn't need to lie, so she told the truth. "My ship was damaged and I needed to land to repair it. But I think I'm going to have to replace my hyperdrive. I thought I could repair it but now I'm rethinking about that one. I doubt I can fix it."
"Oh, I can fix it. Easily. Do you have a tool kit?" Her eyes widened. How could this kid fix a hyperdrive? He looked not much older than six years old. She knew that he probably was Force-sensitive but how much she couldn't really tell. He was, after all, from a different galaxy, she realized. He probably didn't even know what the Force was, realistically speaking. But if this kid knew how to fix a hyperdrive, and he had a lightsaber, even though it was fake, he just might actually be able to help her.
"How old are you?"
"Seven. Old enough to know how to fix the kind of thing I've been studying all my life."
A few minutes later, he was kneeling in the compartment next to the hyperdrive, fixing wires, putting this with that. She hoped he knew what he was doing. If he messed it up she was going to be stuck here for a very long time. "So," the boy said as he worked. She stood behind him, observing. "You're a Jedi, right?" She sucked in a short breath. How did he know she was a Jedi Knight? Could he tell with the Force? This entire situation was getting way too strange. Even if he had activated the lightsaber . . . "All Jedi's carry lightsabers," he said, as if he had read her mind. "I know you're thinking how can I know that since this planet doesn't even have space travel worth mentioning, but I saw the movies that are called Star Wars, and that's where I learned about the Jedi, lightsabers, Palpatine, the whole lot." He explained these movies of his, telling of an Empire, the Sith and an evil Emperor. The Sith have been extinct for thousands of years. How could he know of them? He reached back, grabbed a fuser and went to work, fusing the wires together. "Do you know of a Luke Skywalker?"
"Who?"
"Obviously not. Okay, well, who are Jedi Knights, or apprentices that you know of?"
"Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Master Yoda, Master Mace Windu, Master Ki-Adi- Mundi . . ." Tahiri rattled off all the names of the Jedi Council and then a few of the Padawan learners that she knew of.
"Is Palpatine still a Senator?" How could a movie teach this kid all this? And how did he know that Palpatine was a Senator on Naboo? She understood that Ben knew a lot more than she had first realized, but he knew things that she couldn't even dream of.
"Yes, why would he be anything else?"
"Palpatine is not who you think he is."
"He's a respectable Senator from Naboo."
"On the outside, but on the inside, he's evil."
"How did you learn to fix ships when you haven't even learned how to travel through space?" she asked, deliberately changing the subject. She didn't like where he was taking the conversation.
He backed out of the compartment and stood, looking at her. His clothes were covered in grime. "Always knew. Came naturally I guess after I saw the movies and read the books."
"You know many things, don't you?"
"Well, if what you tell me is true, I know a lot about your future that you can't even guess at yet." He walked outside the ship and over to the tree by the dying fire. It was still dark. He sat down and leaned against the tree, closing his eyes. Tahiri walked over to him and sat down next to him, resting her chin on her up-raised knees. She stared into the fire, thinking.
* * *
When Ben awoke, he saw Tahiri sitting next to him, her chin resting on her up-raised knees. Her eyes were closed. When he shifted his position, she opened her eyes and looked at him. "You know my name, but what's yours?" she asked, looking at him.
"Ben."
"Do you have a last name?"
"Yes, Kenobi."
"That's just like the Jedi you told me about in your movies."
"That's why my best friend, Damon, calls me Obi-Wan."
"What do you want me to call you?"
"Ben's fine."
She didn't say anything for a few minutes, looking down at the grass. Then she looked at him. "Ben."
"Yes?"
"I've been thinking. You could help the Galactic Senate a lot with your knowledge. And maybe, if you were a Jedi, they'd listen to you. I mean, you're only seven after all. You might not be too old to begin training. You said yourself that they took a nine year old boy in for training in the future. Why don't you come back with me to Coruscant and go before the Jedi Council. I've noticed that you have Force potential and I think you have a chance to become a Jedi. By the way, the way you fixed that hyperdrive; that was amazing."
"Come with you?" His voice rose a notch and his mouth dropped open in shock. "You mean, actually meet the Jedi Council?"
"Yes," Tahiri said, perfectly calm.
"I'd love to but -" He looked down.
"But what?"
He looked back at her. "Could I take Damon?"
"I don't know. He's your best friend?"
"Yes. Please. We don't go anywhere without each other. I couldn't let him miss out on a chance like this, a once in a lifetime opportunity."
She thought about it for awhile, looking at the grass, moving her hand across it. Then she looked at Ben, smiling. "Bring him here tonight. We'll depart then."
"Thanks!" He jumped up and after a quick, "See ya later!" He ran towards home. It was light and it was sort of funny that if he had just gone a little while longer to the North, he'd have reached his house. He ran to Damon's and after a few lies and persuading, Damon agreed to meet Ben at their secret place after dinner.
* * *
Tahiri sat back against the tree, sighing. What have I gotten myself into?
* * *
Journal Entry 2: "It was so weird, seeing a real live Jedi Knight. I never thought I'd actually meet one. And here I was, about to go to Coruscant and become a Jedi, what I had always dreamed of. When I got home, my uncle had lectured me, saying that I should call if I was going to spend the night at someone's house. Like I carry a cell phone with me. Right. I understand where he was coming from but he's always yelling at me for this or that, even the tiny, itsy bitsy mistakes. In a way, I'm glad I'm leaving. I'll have a chance to do what I've always dreamed, without my uncle shadowing me. Tahiri was really nice and she helped me out a lot. Its people like that I wish we had more of on this planet. I don't think my uncle will miss me but my aunt will. I'd better leave a letter to my aunt, explaining somewhat where I was going. I couldn't tell her exactly because she wouldn't understand. Adults never do. She knows about Star Wars but I don't think she'd believe me and if I told her where I was really going, somehow, some way something would interfere and I wouldn't be able to go. But I love her a lot so I'm not going to leave her totally in the dark."
Ben wrote the letter and put it in an envelope, leaving it on his desk. He took a towel and put some of his personal possessions in it, including his journal, and tied it up. He opened the window and threw out his huge beanbag. It landed with a plop on the bushes below. He slung the towel over his back, and jumped out, landing on the beanbag, getting scratched a little. He stood and shoved the beanbag under the bushes and ran to their secret place. Damon was already there, waiting. "Come on." Ben said. Damon followed Ben without a word to Tahiri's campsite. Ben explained along the way.
When Damon first met Tahiri, the first words out of his mouth were, "Are you really a Jedi Knight?"
"Yes," Tahiri said with a laugh as they boarded her ship.
Ben walked up behind her as she strapped into the pilot seat. "Need a co- pilot?" he asked.
She looked up at him with a smile. "Usually I have my R2 unit with me, but he got severely damaged in the crash so sure, why not, Obi-Wan." He smiled and sat down in the co-pilot seat. "Set the coordinates on the nav- computer for Coruscant. Alpha 96 - 30X57X9." He punched in the coordinates into the nav-computer and they lifted off, heading into space, the cloaking shield on so that they wouldn't be detected. They headed for the spot where they would launch into hyperspace.
Damon was in the back, practicing with Tahiri's lightsaber, deflecting bolts from one of those floating droids. Every once in awhile they'd hear curses and shouts from the back and they'd just smile.
"Prepare for hyperlaunch." Ben said loudly so that Damon could hear him. He waited about two minutes and then pulled back the lever. He heard a shout from the back as he was pressed against his seat and a crash as Damon hit the wall. He shook his head. White star lines appeared around them as they went into hyperspace.
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Chapter One
-A Shocking Discovery -
Journal Entry 1: "My name is Ben Kenobi and my best friend Damon Lars and I are totally into this series of movies called Starwars. I'm seven and Damon is ten and we've been best friends and fans forever. If you were to go into my room, you'd be in shock. Not an inch of wall or ceiling can be seen since they're covered in posters. My curtains and carpet have Starwars figures on them and the back and front of my door is covered in posters so you can't see that either. When you close my door, it blends in with the rest of my room. My shelves have nothing except Starwars figurines on them, old and new. My bed never has anything but Starwars sheets and pillowcases. My Starwars quilt always stays on and during the summer, it's hung over my closet door. Damon has just about as much as me. When I first saw Starwars Episode IV 'A New Hope', I was shocked and excited that one of the characters had my name. From then on, Damon called be Obi-Wan, which I of course, had no problem with. I had always dreamed of being a Jedi and even though I thought Darth Maul, in Episode I, was awesome, I really, truly looked up to Qui-Gon Jinn."
Ben Kenobi was just your average kid. He had his own hobbies and interests and they just happened to be Star Wars. He had wished upon a dozen stars to become a Jedi Knight. No one knows their future and Ben figured he'd just grow up as your average, nobody kid. Little did he know, a strange event was about to take place and he was going to end up caught between the light and the dark side of his dreamed of life.
* * *
"Obi-Wan! Hey! Wait up!" Ben heard a voice call out behind him. He slowed his pace a little so Damon could catch up. "Hey, why are you in such a hurry?"
He looked at Damon as they walked towards the woods where they would separate. "I've got to help my Aunt Bet," Ben said. His Uncle Mike had a mean temper and if everything was not done by the time he was home, which was an hour after Ben got out of school, he would punish Ben and yell at Ben's aunt. Ben helped her as much as he could since she'd always been there for him and helped him whenever he needed it. They had taken care of him since his parents died when he was very young. And he was a half an hour late.
"Why is it always her first?"
"You know why Damon."
"Ben -"
"I've got to go. Bye." Ben jogged into the woods, his fake lightsaber hitting his thigh as he ran. He always carried it on his utility belt. The belt was hidden for the most part by his T-shirt. The covering was black with silver bands around it. It was a plastic green one where you pushed the red button to one side, holding it down as you flung out the plastic blade. He grabbed the lightsaber, not flinging it out, but holding it, pretending it was real, imagining he was on a mission as a Jedi Knight.
A moment before it happened, he glimpsed someone running at him. He tried to dodge her but instead he slammed full force into her. His lightsaber flew out of his hand. He got up and helped her to her feet. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," he said. The woman looked at him. She had short black hair, like Ben, but black eyes when his were ice-green. She wore burnoose clothing and dark brown leather boots. A utility belt was strapped around her waist. Ben bent down to pick up his lightsaber and he noticed that the woman was picking up hers. Cool, she has one too, he thought. "Do you need help?"
"I'll be fine." she said, standing, clipping the lightsaber to her belt. She looked at him curiously but didn't say anything else.
"Okay. Goodbye." She continued walking and Ben hurried home, returning his lightsaber to his belt. * * *
That evening, he lay on his bed, holding his lightsaber in his hands. He turned it over, and for some reason he couldn't see the plastic inside the tube. He looked for the red switch but it wasn't there! There was a small black on instead. The outer casing was still the same though. He tried to activate it but it didn't work. So he pressed the button and a blue blade sprung out. Ben nearly dropped it as he leaped out of his bed, but grabbed it at the last second. He deactivated it quickly, dropping it onto the floor. Then, making sure his door was closed he hesitantly picked it up and activated it again. Ben swung it experimentally. It made a satisfying hum as it moved through the air. He switched it off and stood there, staring at it. It was real. A real lightsaber. Then that woman must have been . . . a Jedi! He ran to the phone in the hall and quickly called Damon. "Meet me at our secret place," he said hurriedly when Damon answered the phone.
"Okay," Damon said hesitantly. Ben hung up, and after a quick bye to his aunt, thank god his uncle was sleeping, he grabbed the lightsaber, strapped it to his own utility belt and grabbed his coat, running out the door. The light was dimming so he knew he had to hurry. He didn't know how to find his way home in the dark.
Damon stared at the phone and then hung it up. Sometimes Ben was so strange. But overall, the kid was the nicest person Damon had ever met. He thought about all the times that Ben had helped his neighbors without thought of reward or anything. He just did it. He was so thoughtful and caring. On the other hand, Damon knew that Ben had a fiery temper and a streak of stubbornness in him. Many times before Damon would try to reason with Ben but Ben just wouldn't have it. He thought he was right and no one was going to convince him otherwise. Damon smiled. But overall, Ben was a great person. If only the world had more people like Ben, maybe it would be a better place.
Damon grabbed his coat out of his room, strapping his lightsaber to his side. He ran down the stairs. "I've got to see Ben real quick Mom. I'll be back soon," Damon called into the kitchen where his mother was fixing dinner.
"Okay, but make sure you're back in time for dinner."
"Okay, mom." Damon ran out the door and to their secret spot. A gnarled old tree stood off to one side by a large creek and a rotting stump sat in the middle of the small secluded spot. He sat down on the stump. This had better be quick, Damon thought. If he missed dinner on the account of another one of Ben's wild stories then he'd get in trouble and then he'd be very mad. He heard a rustling in the bushes and Ben ran into the clearing, his lightsaber strapped to his utility belt. "What did you want?" Damon asked.
"Draw your lightsaber," Ben said.
He looked at Ben, eyebrows raised. "You called me out here just to fight? I was in the middle of a huge paper and I'm going to be late for dinner. I thought it was urgent. If this is another one of your wild stories -"
"It's not. You'll see. Now draw it." Damon did, reluctantly, flinging out the plastic green blade. Ben took the lightsaber off his belt. Damon looked at it. "Stand back." Damon stepped back until he was about a foot in front of the stump. Ben held out the lightsaber and pressed the button. The blue blade sprung out, humming.
Damon jumped back, nearly tripping over the tree stump. "Oh my God," Damon whispered, steadying himself. Ben had been serious. Where had he gotten that? It was a real lightsaber. "Where did you get that?" Ben deactivated the lightsaber, returning it to his belt. Ben explained what had happened in the woods that afternoon. "So you think this person is a Jedi. Come on, get real. Jedi are in stories. They don't exist."
"Then how do you explain this?" Ben asked, motioning to the lightsaber. Damon shook his head and began walking away. Maybe it was real but maybe it was some kind of trick. Whatever it was, he knew he had to get home, and fast. "Where are you going?"
"Home!" Damon said, without glancing back.
"Damon!" Ben cried, but Damon kept walking. He was late for dinner and had no time for an explanation.
Ben slammed his fist against the tree. He knew it was real, why couldn't Damon see the truth? He slid down to the moss covered ground and leaned back. He fingered the necklace that he wore around his neck. It was a small emerald stone on a black chain. Damon had given Ben it when they had first met and he had one exactly like it. They never took them off, for it was a sign of their friendship. Even when they were mad at each other they wouldn't take them off. They were really close and Ben knew Damon would do just about anything for him, but sometimes Damon was just so stubborn. Ben closed his eyes.
* * *
Tahiri sat by the campfire she had made, leaning against a tree. She was going to be there for a long time. Her hyperdrive was blown out and she was going to have to find a replacement somehow. She looked around. This planet must have been separated from the rest of the planets for thousands of years. This didn't even seem like the same galaxy, but that would have been impossible except for the fact that this planet was such a backward planet. And from what she had observed, they didn't come close to what there was on the other planets she had been to. Also, it didn't look like they even had space flight. There wasn't any space craft that she could see except for a very small station. She doubted the planet would have any spare parts like a hyperdrive lying around. She thought she knew all the planets, but maybe not.
The species were human though and she had already spoken to one. The boy that she had run into this afternoon, she had sensed something about him but she couldn't place her finger on it. Could a being from another galaxy, if this was a different galaxy, be attuned to the Force? As she thought about it more, she grew more certain that the young boy was indeed Force-sensitive. She closed her eyes, thinking about the boy. Somehow, he looked familiar, but she didn't know how. He had had a lightsaber and she knew only Jedi Knights carried those. If there were Jedi Knights here . . . but no, there couldn't be. The Jedi Council knew of all the Jedi that were out in the galaxy for the most part and the Jedi didn't travel past the outer rim planets. But then why did that boy have a lightsaber? It just didn't make sense.
Tahiri shook her head, trying to focus on the task at hand. She had no idea how she was going to get help. She had already tried her com-link several times but for some reason, the signal wouldn't get through. She was just too far away. She was a Jedi Knight herself, but lacked the mechanical skills. She had tried a dozen times to fix her hyperdrive but nothing was working. She'd probably have to try to weld something together with her lightsaber. Tahiri stood and took her lightsaber off of her belt and tried to switch it on. Nothing happened. She looked in the tube and saw hard green material. Using her nails, she pulled it out. It was some sort of plastic. She set the fake lightsaber down on the grass, sighing. Great, just great. Then another thought crossed her mind.
How did that kid get a fake lightsaber? How did they even know about lightsabers? More questions flooded her mind. Then she realized. The kid had a real lightsaber. Her lightsaber. Who knew what damage that kid could inflict with it! She stood and went into her ship. She rummaged around in the back and finally found what she was looking for: the survival kit. It had a couple of week's rations in it. She took it back outside and sat down by the fire she had constructed. She'd have to eat something if she was going to try to figure out this place. She knew that she probably wouldn't see that kid again and she didn't know how to begin to try to find him.
Suddenly, she sensed a presence and looked towards her ship. Someone was after her ship!
"Who are you?" she asked.
The figure spun around, his hand flying away from the ship, his eyes wide in fright. As she looked closer, she realized it was a small boy. "I-I uh . . ." he stammered.
Her face softened as she realized he was scared to death. "Come here, kid. I just made dinner. It'll be nice to have some company." He didn't move. "Come on, I won't bite." she said, smiling. The boy slowly walked over to her and sat down by her in front of the small fire. When he came into the light, she recognized him as the boy that she had run into earlier. She held out a dish with rations on it. He took it hesitantly. A plan formed in her mind. She needed to find out more about this planet and he might be able to help her in that aspect. "My name is Tahiri." "Thanks," he managed, taking a bit of the ration bar. He didn't say anything for a while. She nodded, eating her own. "So," he said, after a couple of minutes had passed, still not saying his name, "what brings you to Earth?" She looked at the boy.
"So that's the name of this planet. Earth." The boy nodded. She figured that she didn't need to lie, so she told the truth. "My ship was damaged and I needed to land to repair it. But I think I'm going to have to replace my hyperdrive. I thought I could repair it but now I'm rethinking about that one. I doubt I can fix it."
"Oh, I can fix it. Easily. Do you have a tool kit?" Her eyes widened. How could this kid fix a hyperdrive? He looked not much older than six years old. She knew that he probably was Force-sensitive but how much she couldn't really tell. He was, after all, from a different galaxy, she realized. He probably didn't even know what the Force was, realistically speaking. But if this kid knew how to fix a hyperdrive, and he had a lightsaber, even though it was fake, he just might actually be able to help her.
"How old are you?"
"Seven. Old enough to know how to fix the kind of thing I've been studying all my life."
A few minutes later, he was kneeling in the compartment next to the hyperdrive, fixing wires, putting this with that. She hoped he knew what he was doing. If he messed it up she was going to be stuck here for a very long time. "So," the boy said as he worked. She stood behind him, observing. "You're a Jedi, right?" She sucked in a short breath. How did he know she was a Jedi Knight? Could he tell with the Force? This entire situation was getting way too strange. Even if he had activated the lightsaber . . . "All Jedi's carry lightsabers," he said, as if he had read her mind. "I know you're thinking how can I know that since this planet doesn't even have space travel worth mentioning, but I saw the movies that are called Star Wars, and that's where I learned about the Jedi, lightsabers, Palpatine, the whole lot." He explained these movies of his, telling of an Empire, the Sith and an evil Emperor. The Sith have been extinct for thousands of years. How could he know of them? He reached back, grabbed a fuser and went to work, fusing the wires together. "Do you know of a Luke Skywalker?"
"Who?"
"Obviously not. Okay, well, who are Jedi Knights, or apprentices that you know of?"
"Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Master Yoda, Master Mace Windu, Master Ki-Adi- Mundi . . ." Tahiri rattled off all the names of the Jedi Council and then a few of the Padawan learners that she knew of.
"Is Palpatine still a Senator?" How could a movie teach this kid all this? And how did he know that Palpatine was a Senator on Naboo? She understood that Ben knew a lot more than she had first realized, but he knew things that she couldn't even dream of.
"Yes, why would he be anything else?"
"Palpatine is not who you think he is."
"He's a respectable Senator from Naboo."
"On the outside, but on the inside, he's evil."
"How did you learn to fix ships when you haven't even learned how to travel through space?" she asked, deliberately changing the subject. She didn't like where he was taking the conversation.
He backed out of the compartment and stood, looking at her. His clothes were covered in grime. "Always knew. Came naturally I guess after I saw the movies and read the books."
"You know many things, don't you?"
"Well, if what you tell me is true, I know a lot about your future that you can't even guess at yet." He walked outside the ship and over to the tree by the dying fire. It was still dark. He sat down and leaned against the tree, closing his eyes. Tahiri walked over to him and sat down next to him, resting her chin on her up-raised knees. She stared into the fire, thinking.
* * *
When Ben awoke, he saw Tahiri sitting next to him, her chin resting on her up-raised knees. Her eyes were closed. When he shifted his position, she opened her eyes and looked at him. "You know my name, but what's yours?" she asked, looking at him.
"Ben."
"Do you have a last name?"
"Yes, Kenobi."
"That's just like the Jedi you told me about in your movies."
"That's why my best friend, Damon, calls me Obi-Wan."
"What do you want me to call you?"
"Ben's fine."
She didn't say anything for a few minutes, looking down at the grass. Then she looked at him. "Ben."
"Yes?"
"I've been thinking. You could help the Galactic Senate a lot with your knowledge. And maybe, if you were a Jedi, they'd listen to you. I mean, you're only seven after all. You might not be too old to begin training. You said yourself that they took a nine year old boy in for training in the future. Why don't you come back with me to Coruscant and go before the Jedi Council. I've noticed that you have Force potential and I think you have a chance to become a Jedi. By the way, the way you fixed that hyperdrive; that was amazing."
"Come with you?" His voice rose a notch and his mouth dropped open in shock. "You mean, actually meet the Jedi Council?"
"Yes," Tahiri said, perfectly calm.
"I'd love to but -" He looked down.
"But what?"
He looked back at her. "Could I take Damon?"
"I don't know. He's your best friend?"
"Yes. Please. We don't go anywhere without each other. I couldn't let him miss out on a chance like this, a once in a lifetime opportunity."
She thought about it for awhile, looking at the grass, moving her hand across it. Then she looked at Ben, smiling. "Bring him here tonight. We'll depart then."
"Thanks!" He jumped up and after a quick, "See ya later!" He ran towards home. It was light and it was sort of funny that if he had just gone a little while longer to the North, he'd have reached his house. He ran to Damon's and after a few lies and persuading, Damon agreed to meet Ben at their secret place after dinner.
* * *
Tahiri sat back against the tree, sighing. What have I gotten myself into?
* * *
Journal Entry 2: "It was so weird, seeing a real live Jedi Knight. I never thought I'd actually meet one. And here I was, about to go to Coruscant and become a Jedi, what I had always dreamed of. When I got home, my uncle had lectured me, saying that I should call if I was going to spend the night at someone's house. Like I carry a cell phone with me. Right. I understand where he was coming from but he's always yelling at me for this or that, even the tiny, itsy bitsy mistakes. In a way, I'm glad I'm leaving. I'll have a chance to do what I've always dreamed, without my uncle shadowing me. Tahiri was really nice and she helped me out a lot. Its people like that I wish we had more of on this planet. I don't think my uncle will miss me but my aunt will. I'd better leave a letter to my aunt, explaining somewhat where I was going. I couldn't tell her exactly because she wouldn't understand. Adults never do. She knows about Star Wars but I don't think she'd believe me and if I told her where I was really going, somehow, some way something would interfere and I wouldn't be able to go. But I love her a lot so I'm not going to leave her totally in the dark."
Ben wrote the letter and put it in an envelope, leaving it on his desk. He took a towel and put some of his personal possessions in it, including his journal, and tied it up. He opened the window and threw out his huge beanbag. It landed with a plop on the bushes below. He slung the towel over his back, and jumped out, landing on the beanbag, getting scratched a little. He stood and shoved the beanbag under the bushes and ran to their secret place. Damon was already there, waiting. "Come on." Ben said. Damon followed Ben without a word to Tahiri's campsite. Ben explained along the way.
When Damon first met Tahiri, the first words out of his mouth were, "Are you really a Jedi Knight?"
"Yes," Tahiri said with a laugh as they boarded her ship.
Ben walked up behind her as she strapped into the pilot seat. "Need a co- pilot?" he asked.
She looked up at him with a smile. "Usually I have my R2 unit with me, but he got severely damaged in the crash so sure, why not, Obi-Wan." He smiled and sat down in the co-pilot seat. "Set the coordinates on the nav- computer for Coruscant. Alpha 96 - 30X57X9." He punched in the coordinates into the nav-computer and they lifted off, heading into space, the cloaking shield on so that they wouldn't be detected. They headed for the spot where they would launch into hyperspace.
Damon was in the back, practicing with Tahiri's lightsaber, deflecting bolts from one of those floating droids. Every once in awhile they'd hear curses and shouts from the back and they'd just smile.
"Prepare for hyperlaunch." Ben said loudly so that Damon could hear him. He waited about two minutes and then pulled back the lever. He heard a shout from the back as he was pressed against his seat and a crash as Damon hit the wall. He shook his head. White star lines appeared around them as they went into hyperspace.
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