MIDICHRLORIANS, MIDICHLORIANS, WHO'S GOT THE MIDICHLORIANS?

by ardavenport

- - - Part 1

Beru was up early as usual. She made her way through the rounded passages, relying on just a few dim night-time lights, her thorough knowledge of her home and the pre-dawn twilight coming through the round windows and doorways was enough to make her way.

Entering the kitchen, she tapped in the code to begin the start-up routine for the power generators. The small moisture farm conserved in every way they could, using only enough power at night for their intruder defenses. The panel on the wall blinked red . . . red . . . . red . . . . green. She touched the controls again and the room lights came up.

"I need to speak to you and Owen."

Gasping, Beru backed up, shocked to see an intruder speaking to her in her own kitchen. Ben Kenobi lifted the hood of his brown robe and pushed it back.

"Before Luke gets up."

"How did you - - ?"

"I need to speak to both of you. Now," he added, his tone mild, but urgent, "it's very important."

Her hand on her chest, Beru recovered. She had lived in the harsh environment on Tatooine her whole life. The sudden appearance of the mysterious, bearded near-stranger in her home was enough to startle, but nowhere near enough to cause panic.

"I'll get Owen." She hurriedly left, leaving the lights on.

Folding his arms before him, Kenobi huddled into his robe. The nights of the Tatooine deserts were as chilly as the days were mercilessly hot. But harsh as the environment was, it was hardly barren. The moisture in the air sustained primitive plants and the smallest life that were at the base of a predatory food chain. Subsistence moisture farms like the Lars Homestead used vaporators to extract water from the air to grow a meager harvest of nutritious subsurface lichen and fungus for trade. The simple kitchen and work area he waited in was small, but clean with the usual conveniences. It was a good home.

He straightened, hearing footsteps returning. Owen Lars preceded his wife into the room. He carried a weapon, an old blaster, leveled at the intruder.

"Get out."

"I need to speak with you." Kenobi spoke smoothly, taking a step toward the farmer. "It's important. For you and your family."

Lars wavered. Kenobi felt the man's outrage that his home had been violated succumb to the curiosity about what Kenobi had to say.

The gun lowered. He scowled at the visitor who had slipped past his home's defenses. He was a gruff man, reputedly very similar to his father who had died a few years ago. Tatooine had a way of aging and hardening its inhabitants. Kenobi's beard had gone mostly gray in the few years he had lived out his exile in its wastelands.

"What is it?"

"Are you going into Anchorhead today?"

The man grimaced as if tasting something bitter. "I haven't decided."

"Go," Kenobi ordered. "If you don't show up for the census, the Empire will send stormtroopers to find you." The clone troops that he had once commanded to defend the Galactic Republic were now stormtroopers who kept order in the Galactic Empire. "You do not want to be made an example by them."

Lars remained belligerent. "I said I haven't decided."

"Go." Kenobi glared back. "If you don't, you will be endangering Beru and Luke, as well as anyone other family you have." He took another step toward him. "The Empire has landed two Legions on Tatooine. There are six battle cruisers in orbit right now to enforce the transition."

"It's not my problem if the Hutts just gave up without a fight."

"Fight? With what? For once in my life I can agree with the Hutts. Trying to fight the Empire would be suicide."

"Are you going?" Owen challenged back.

"Yes."

The moisture farmer scowled back, but he broke eye contact first.

"They're not getting my farm."

"They don't want your farm." Kenobi pressed the stubborn man. "They want this planet, they want the space ports, they want the Hutts to do their dirty work when the Emperor calls them. All this," he waved a hand, "is just a formality for them. A show of force. Once they've established control of this sector, they won't have any reason to bother with this place. Unless someone gives them a reason."

Owen remained tight-lipped. Beru watched the confrontation between the two men. She did not need any convincing that defying the Empire was foolish and dangerous.

"I'm going to get Luke up." She looked from her husband to their visitor, her eyes kind but grave. "I don't think you should be here when I do."

Kenobi nodded, bowing his head and replacing the hood of his robe. She stepped to her husband's side as he left. The tans of the sunken desert home were just emerging from the gray of morning twilight.

- - - End Part 1