Chapter 1
Obi Wan mounted his Eopie after giving infant Skywalker to Beru. He knew Beru and Owen Lars would raise the boy properly. After all there was no other choice. Luke and Leia had to be kept from the Emperor and his newly christened apprentice, Darth Vader. Even Obi Wan himself had to be discrete. He was once a Jedi Master and member of the Jedi council, the ultimate symbol of truth, justice, and peace. Now however he was regarded as an intergalactic terrorist. He pulled on the reigns turning his eopie towards Mos Eisley, with a nudge of his boots to the flanks he was off to purchase some land and supplies.
As he rode off, his mind turned to the events of the past two days. He hadn't slept and in his silence his body started to let him know that it needed rest. Tears silently rolled down his cheeks into his beard as he contemplated the events of the last several days. His former padawan and best friend turned to the dark side, the democracy he had sworn an allegiance to and served was now reborn into the first Galactic Empire, and the Jedi Temple was lost. The Jedi Temple the only home he had known since he was a young boy. All of his brothers and colleagues were either brutally murdered or scattered among the galaxy being hunted by Darth Vader and the Clone Troopers, rechristened Stormtroopers, of the 501st. As his mind raced he decided to meditate to ease the stress.
Deep in his meditation, his mind was clear, and mediclorian went to work to repair the damage done to his body in his battles with General Grievous and his former padawan. The battles and stress from the past several days had taken a toll on his body. Several hours of meditation passed before Obi Wan opened his eyes to see that it was nearly dark. He was currently in a ravine and still half a day's ride from his destination. He decided to make camp and continue in the morning. He found a deep recession in the ravine wall and dismounted his eopie.
He grabbed the reigns and tied the eopie to a stake he had driven into the ground. He pulled down his saddle bags tossing them onto the ground to form a makeshift bed. From the saddle bags he pulled a large canteen. He watered and fed his eopie before sitting down and getting some much needed nourishment himself. As he ate the dried bantha meat his thoughts turned to his brothers and sisters of the order. How many had survived? The mere question itself made him sick. He moved his mind on to a recent conversation with Master Yoda. The wise master had given him a mission, well two for that matter. He was not only tasked with protecting young Skywalker but he was to study, research, learn, and obtain the ability to manifest himself through the force after death.
Obi Wan had heard legends of this ability but had never experienced it. Yoda had told to Obi Wan that he had talked with Qui Gon Jinn, Obi Wan's former Master, since his death on Naboo several years ago. The ancient master then went on a spiritual quest to seek the knowledge to be able to use this ability. He must have foreseen the betrayal to come and that his knowledge would be needed after he was gone to help rebuild the Jedi Order.
He continued to contemplate his mission, as he did a question raised in his mind. If Yoda did in fact see what was to come and was looking to help restore the Jedi Order, why did he want Obi Wan to seek the same ability? As quickly as the question came so did the answer. Apparently Yoda had more faith and respect in him than he had thought. It enlightened his heart to think of being viewed that way even after his former padawan had just turned to the dark side.
The twin suns over the Tatooine were set now. With darkness set in Obi Wan covered his eopie and grabbed his own blanket and lay down on his makeshift bed. He reached out with the force to detect any nearby hostile beings. When he felt no negative presence he let himself fall into a deep sleep.
Obi Wan awoke the next morning to his eopie licking him in the face. The brutal Tatooine suns were raised to mid morning already. He quickly jumped up donning his robe and saddled the eopie. He immediately started off to Mos Eisley. He needed to buy some land and supplies if he was to live here. As he came into Mos Eisley he knew the first thing he had to do. He needed to get some credits for his purchases. His A-Wing was docked in a hanger and would fetch quite a handsome sum on the black markets of Mos Eisley.
He headed to Chalmun's Cantina, more commonly known as the Mos Eisley Cantina. This is where he would find the 'right kind of buyer'. As he entered he could hear the band, Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodals playing in the corner. He kept his eyes down as he walked to the bar. He leaned up as the bar tender came closer and ordered a Jawa Juice. When the bartender returned he paid for the drink plus another hundred credits and whispered, "I'm looking to offload a Republic A-Wing, no questions." With that he walked away from the bar to a corner booth. He sat back with his hood covering his face, sipping his Jawa Juice, and watched silently as other patrons went about their business.
A short while later a Rodian male came over to Obi Wan's booth and sat across the table from him in a nonchalant manner. The stranger took a drink of his Sarlacc kicker while he sized Obi Wan up. After a few benign moments he looked right at Obi Wan and scoffed with a distinct undertone of malice, "So, why would someone want to buy a Jedi fighter that can be tracked by the Imperials? It's suicide." "Well," Obi Wan replied unflustered by the Rodian's demeanor, "I don't know. I'm not the one that showed interest in buying it by coming over here. Furthermore if the imperials were able to track it, don't you think they would be here right now kicking in doors?"
The Rodian contemplated Obi Wan's reply carefully before he pulled up a sack of credits and tossed them onto the counter. "I believe this should cover it and then some." He said, deliberately leaving out the sum of credits in the bag. Under normal circumstances this may have raised some concern, Obi Wan however understood in the environment that they were in. With that understanding he picked up the credits, tossed them lightly into the air as if he were judging the weight, before he slid the bag under his robes and grabbed a data pad with his docking information. "Three, two, seven, nine is the pin." He stated simply before he rose from his seat. He made his way through the cantina knowing many eyes were on him.
Once outside Obi Wan headed to the market to purchase some supplies and maybe find a lead on purchasing some property. He went into a large tan supply store. He walked up to the shop attendant who was a middle aged male human. He was skinny, dirty and had about a weeks' worth of stubble on his face. "I will need eight eopie two dewbacks, three moisture vaporators, food, tools, utensils, bantha furs, and a couple generators." he said in his matter of fact tone as he sized up the shop keeper. The attendant leaned over and replied with a raspy voice, "That's a lot of scratch stranger, are you sure you can cover it?" Obi Wan reach inside his robes grabbing a handful of the credits he had just obtained for his A-Wing. Extending his hand he dropped the credits on the counter without a word. The shop keep's eyes opened wide in shock, as he stammered, "That'll cover it, let me gather everything for you and pack it on your eopie and dewbacks."
After a short while the shop keeper returned to the front counter. "That should do you nicely." he said happily, "Everything is out back waiting for you." Obi Wan however wasn't through with his purchases just yet. "Well, I do have one other thing," he said with a quizzical look on his face, "do you happen to know of any property for sale close to Anchorhead but remote and not too close to the moisture farms?"
With that the shop keeper studied Obi Wan for a second. Here was another smuggler or bounty hunter in his shop running from the law. After a few tense moments the shop keeper snapped himself out of his own thoughts. "Well my brother has a place for sale out on the edge of the Jundland Wastes if you're interested. It's nothing fancy but something tells me you don't really care one way or another." He offered the stranger. "How much does he want for it?" Obi Wan asked, reaching into his robes. "Well he didn't really have a set price, so I guess make a reasonable off….." His raspy voice trailing off as Obi Wan shushed him.
Obi Wan walked away from the shop keeper, using the force he reached out while he blocked himself from being sensed. Darth Vader had just entered the Tatooine system. Obi Wan immediately thought someone had reported him to the Imperial Navy for a quick credit. He turned to the shop keeper. "You know those illegal smuggling panels behind your walls? Let me use em and lock up early and there's another thousand credits in it for you." Obi Wan said hurriedly. The shop keeper's mouth dropped. How did this guy know about those panels and what had him so spooked. "Hey! Who are you and how do you know about my…" growled the shop keeper in outraged protest but he was cut off by Obi Wan. "Two thousand credits!" He interjected.
It had worked; Obi Wan's generous doubling of his offer took the shop keeper off guard and tripped him up. "Well two thousand, I mean well, yea I guess so." The shop keeper replied, clearly put off. Obi Wan threw the shop keeper the credits as he headed for the lights. He hit the lights before turning to the shop keeper, "Alright get out of here and lock up on your way out." He ordered. "Well," the shop keeper replied with a look of disdain in his face, "If you are going to be using my shop to hide from whoever it is out there, the least you could do is tell me your name." Obi Wan considered the notion for a few seconds before he replied, "Ben, my name is Ben Kenobi. Now go on and get out of here." "The name's Leeran Saunders." The shop keeper grumbled as he headed out the door.
Just as Leeran was locking up from outside he heard a loud CRACK, a larger ship had just entered the atmosphere. He could hear Obi Wan inside rearranging his hideaway storage. 'This Ben is quite intelligent. He somehow knew that my storage spaces would conceal biological signatures from scanners. Not to mention the fact that he knew they were there in the first place. Is this guy some sort of Jedi or something?' Leeran thought to himself as he turned his head to the sky to see the incoming ship. His eyes got wide in shock as he seen an imperial troop transport headed to the surface. "Well Bantha crap!" He spat in frustration as he bolted toward his X34 landspeeder to skip town, "He is a Jedi! I'm harboring a freaking Jedi and the Imperials are here to look for him.