A/N: The 'Star Wars' portion of this story takes place in the cannon universe (Movies, Clone Wars) The Marvel portion takes place almost directly following the events of Age of Ultron (spoiler warning!).
It was a bright day, even for the desolate planet with twin suns. No shadows where cast upon the ground, save for faint outlines cast by the largest of buildings. There was no refuge provided from the extreme heat. Only what the inhabitants of the planet wore provided the necessary protection from the elements. Beings of all shapes and sizes roamed the streets of Mos Espa, a haven for the scum of the galaxy. Bounty Hunters. Smugglers. Criminals.
If you didn't want to be found, Tatooine was the place to hide in.
Which was why one particular figure knew he could walk out in the open. He had nothing to fear from the long arm of the newly minted Galactic Empire. In one year, the poor reflection of the Republic managed to extend its reach over more systems. It had crushed the remaining Separatist cells with merciless force. Countless legions had descended upon those poor planets, raining fire down upon them. Rumors quickly spread to all corners of the Galaxy of a terrible warrior who led them. A figure as black as midnight and more terrifying than one hundred Rancors.
Obi-Wan Kenobi did not dwell on those rumors. There was no need for it. They would only lead him down a path which he could not follow. If he allowed himself to think on them, he would be tempted to meet this new threat head-on, as a Jedi Master should. But he was in hiding for a reason. He couldn't let himself be found by the Empire, or else things in the galaxy would go from terrible to hopeless.
So he continued on his way, walking through the bustling streets. Many notorious criminals passed him by. Many times, he saw Bounty Hunters that he had previously encountered completely drunk off of their money from a recent catch. Oh how many would love to know who I am, the exiled Jedi thought to himself as he wandered around a corner. He felt a pang of memory as he passed by a run-down shop. A shop that he had never been into before in his life, but one that he knew quite well from the sleeping Toydarian out front. A Toydarian who, although he didn't know it, had helped shape the fate of the entire Galaxy for generations to come. Could he possibly know? Obi-Wan thought to himself, would it destroy him to know?
Subconsciously, the Jedi Master touched his hand to his belt. Not out of pain or anger, but of memory. He ran his fingers over the two, cylindrical shafts attached to his belt. Quite possibly the last two Jedi lightsabers in existence. One being his own, the other belonging to his former apprentice. He passed by the shop without incident as he made his way out of the city. He knew he had two hours of walking ahead of him, because his hovel was so far away from the prying eyes of the local crime-lords. The reason for this was twofold. On one hand, he needed the solitude for practical resons. The farther he was from a city, the harder he would be to find.
The other reason was for peace of mind. After three years of death, destruction and conflict, he needed the space. He needed to reflect on himself after losing everything that had ever been important to him. He had given his entire life to the service of the Jedi Order, and by extension the Galactic Republic. His friends, beings he had known since he was a youngling, had been whittled down, one by one in an endless war, before one final, devastating strike.
"It's over, Anakin! I have the high ground!" A tired, beaten and bloody Obi-Wan proclaimed as he held himself aloft, confident that he had won the duel, and possibly saved the Galaxy from certain doom. He held his blade out from his body, still weary of possible retaliation. He wanted his fallen apprentice to know that he was beaten.
"You underestimate my power!" Darth Vader roared as his muscles tensed, like a coil ready to spring. He leaped forward, higher than Obi-Wan could have anticipated. But he was still too slow. With a sweep of his blade, and a flick of his wrists, Kenobi severed the Sith warrior's remaining limbs. What was left of the dark lord landed in a heap at the base of the lava river, struggling with one mechanical arm to reach towards the Jedi Master. The Mangled Darth Vader no longer posed a threat, Obi-Wan knew this. He turned away, not wanting to watch the immolation of the man who had been his brother.
Anakin's screams split into his mind. The screams of a dying soul, corrupted by an overwhelming evil that he was destined to destroy. The ghost screams where so real to him, that the Jedi lost his balance, catching himself on another rock not far below. Obi-Wan knew very little of this path, having only discovered it several hours previously, thanks to a young man serving as a crewman on a freighter docked nearby.
The path cut into the side of one of the few mountains on Tatooine, and so far seemed to be cutting Obi-Wan's journey in half. The rocks proved no obstacle for him, given his Jedi reflexes and training. But would be in-passible to all but the best climbers the planet had to offer. He continued to climb, for what seemed like an hour, before he really looked at his surroundings. They seemed different than he thought they should be.
The rocks where not the reddish-brown that they should be. They had small layers of moss covering them. Moss did not belong on Tatooine. He had never seen it before, nor had anyone else. He flashed his eyes left and right as he double-checked his surroundings. The horizon was filled with the tiny dots of trees. Something else that did not grow on the desert planet. Two deep breaths later, he was able to centre himself. He reached out with the force, searching for something, anything that was familiar to him.
Nothing.
Nothing was familiar. He could feel life forces around him. All of them unfamiliar. Living beings, he was certain, but completely unfamiliar. He sighed to himself as he knelt down on the ground. He quickly assumed a meditative pose, one which would help him to centre his thoughts better. Even in this unfamiliar place, he knew that his connection to the force would be strong. He would be able to reach out farther with his mind, to find something to orient himself.
He slowed his breathing as he closed his eyes, searching far and wide. He could feel everything around him. An entire planet, in fact. He saw gigantic, golden structures. Thousands of citizens, all living their normal lives. But there was something else too. Something that eluded his sight. He tried to discover its source, but a tremor disrupted his concentration. Not a tremor in the force. A tremor in the ground. Something big was approaching. At first, he thought of the AT-TE transports that he had deployed during the Clone Wars. But that wasn't the source, he knew that deep down.
He opened his eyes, and saw what he was being confronted with. Three beings of an unfamiliar species pointed barbaric-looking weapons at him. Two of them carried spears, while the last carried a large hammer. Their skin was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was like rock.
"Hello there," Obi-Wan said calmly, wanting to avoid conflict at all costs. He hoped that they understood him, and would be able to help him find transport off-world.
"HURAAGH!" the one carrying the hammer roared fiercely, as its companions readied their weapons. Not wanting to start a fight, Obi-Wan raised his hands calmly, showing that he bore them no ill will. Unfortunately, that didn't work the way he wanted it to, and one of the Rock-Beasts charged forward with its spear, aiming to skewer him with the long shaft. The seasoned Jedi Master did not draw his lightsabers. Instead, he stepped to the side and grabbed the end of the spear.
Using the alien's momentum against him, Obi-Wan flipped his opponent over on his back as the other spear-wielder charged forward. His swift Jedi reflexes saved Obi-Wan yet again as he ducked under the weapon and swiftly spun it out of the wielder's hands. Now, he had something to defend himself with. Sure, he could have ignited one of the two blades hanging from his belt. But in the current climate, it was dangerous to even be a known associate of the Jedi. With a pang of remorse, Obi-Wan remembered all those beings he had left behind on Coruscant. Hundreds of Temple Employees, everyday beings who made everyday life at the Temple, had been killed off. Countless allies were imprisoned, Obi-Wan knew that. He had heard rumors circling the local bars even a few days after he arrived on Tatooine about an underground resistance being crushed by the Empire's newest servant.
His distraction cost him, however, as the Hammer-wielding brutish alien took a mighty swing at him.
The blow would have cleaved Kenobi in half had he not managed to raise the shaft of the spear in time to intercept the incoming blow. His defence held against the attack, but he had no way to defend himself against the tackling brute charging him from the side. He was hit with a powerful blow that sent him careening into the side of a rock-face. His vision blurred as the group's leader menaced him with an all-to familiar gleam in his eye.
"Your Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. I gutted him while you stood helpless. How does that make you feel, Obi-Wan?" The Zabrak Sith Lord taunted, as he flourished his lightsaber towards Obi-Wan's downed form. Not one to give up easily, the Jedi master burst to his feet and attempted to strike down his tormentor. With a flurry of motion, the two exchanged rapid blows. Both aiming to kill. Obi-Wan wishing for swift justice for the slaughtered innocents of the Raydonian village. Maul, on the other hand, worked his blade in hoped of attaining revenge for his severed limbs.
"Your rage has unbalanced you!" Maul taunted in a brief respite between blows, openly stating that he knew he held the advantage in the duel. That is not the Jedi way, is it?" The Sith sneered as he raised his blade for the killing blow.
"Nnngghh!" Obi-Wan proclaimed as he sent out a powerful blast of force-energy. All three aliens where tossed back violently as Obi-Wan struggled to rise. He ran his hand along the interior of his tunic, finding a smear of blood staining his Jedi robes. He let out a ragged breath, and immediately felt a new bout of pain. Previous experience told him that he had several broken ribs. Nothing a little meditation couldn't take care of, but he would need to find somewhere more isolated for that.
Currently, he was too exposed. If he tried to meditate here, he could be at the mercy of more local tribes. And he certainly wasn't in any mood to fight them all off, if he could help it. So he stumbled forward, attempting to reach a series of caves he could see up ahead. With every step, the pain in his side grew, but he continued onwards, hoping to reach the caves before nightfall. He knew that from there, he would be able to further explore his situation. Perhaps even find more helpful locals who he could speak with about gaining transport off-world.
"Obi-Wan?" a familiar voice called out from the air, causing the Jedi Master to lose his concentration, and by extent, his footing. He tumbled down a large boulder, as horse voices shouted after him. As the Jedi righted himself, a hand stuck out to help him. He looked up, to see four humanoid beings. Three male, one female. All of them wore intricate pieces of metal around their bodies. The woman's looked most like that of an Ancient Jedi suit of armour, which was most curious. Strictly metal armour was almost unheard of in the modern Galaxy.
"Need a hand there, friend?" One of the males, who had short, sandy-blonde hair asked. Obi-Wan took a moment to examine the man, and his companions. The first man bore outlandishly green clothing, with small sections of armour around his more vulnerable areas. A long, thin sword hung at his side. The handle of the weapon was intricate, almost a work of art. He screamed 'adventurous' and 'risk-taking', unlike the man to his immediate left. This man wore darker colours. Mainly blue, purple and black. His skin was tanned and covered in dirt. A spiked ball on the end of a metal shaft hung at his side, which Obi-Wan recognized as being a 'mace'. The final man was taller than the others by a full head. He had a long beard, which was the same shade of red as his hair. In his hands he carried a large axe.
"Thank you," Obi-Wan said simply as he took the hand that was offered to him, and was pulled up to their level.
"You're an oddly dressed fellow, aren't you?" The bearded man blurted.
"Volstagg!" the raven-haired woman snapped.
"What?" the bearded man replied.
"I could say the same too you," Obi-Wan jested as he indicated towards the large man's bronze-tinted attire.
"I like this one," the blonde-haired man chuckled as he gave a curt bow. "Allow me to introduce myself, and my companions, stranger," he said as he came out of the bow, wearing a smile on his face. "I am Fandral, the Dashing," he quipped. "Or, as many a young lady would call me-" he began to continue, only for his female companion to draw her own sword, and place it across his chest threateningly.
"I am Lady Sif," she said plainly, with an odd accent. "This is Hogun the Grim," she continued as she pointed to the dark-clothed man, who nodded. "And Volstagg the voluminous," she said as she indicated towards the final, bearded man, who tapped the shaft of his axe to the ground.
"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi," Obi-Wan said as he bowed his head low, out of respect.
"An odd name for a warrior," Fandral blurted politely. "But my gratitude and respect, friend."
"I…I'm sorry?" the Jedi Master asked, confused. He had never met these people before, and had no idea why they would give him an ounce of respect. Especially if they were to really get to know him, and what he had done.
"You have just aided us in routing the Rock-Trolls," Hogun grunted in a strange accent. "We have been hunting them for weeks on end. Driving them away from Asgard, by Odin's orders," he finished directly, as he looked towards the horizon. "But you do not appear to be dressed as a Warrior should. Are you from this realm?"
"Realm?" Obi-Wan replied, confused by the obscure term.
"You look more like you are from Midgard," Sif suggested as she pointed towards his robes. "But your attire is unlike anything I have seen in that Realm. Perhaps," she said as she looked towards her companions, "we had better take you to see the All-Father. He will know what to do with you," she finished, as she indicated that he follow them. Which he did, understanding that whoever this 'All-Father' was, he was undoubtedly the best chance Obi-Wan had of getting back to Tatooine in a timely fashion. But, even as he walked, he could not help but feel that something was out of balance. Something was wrong with the planet. A trace of the Dark Side seemed to cloud his vision, however.