Obi-Wan had been living in the desert for three years. He had given Luke to Owen and then retreated into the depths of the desert to watch from afar. He meditated most hours of the day when he wasn't an observant speck on the horizon of the moisture farm. He didn't visit Owen and Beru. He didn't want to draw suspicion. His only friend for the past three years had been a merchant on the outskirts of Mos Eisley. He had taken a job manning the counter at her restaurant. It was the only one in Mos Eisley that didn't have a bar. She didn't allow weapons inside either. It was one of the most respectable establishments on the planet. She had the whole building rigged to self-destruct and had always said that she'd sooner watch the place burn then sell it to the Hutts.

He would take the orders and handle the money, occasionally "convincing" customers to buy a slightly larger meal. In exchange he got free food and water, and a room in the upstairs (with an inside lock). He was paid a small amount by the hour too. It was really one of the nicer jobs on the planet that didn't involve high casualty rates.

Seriah, his employer, had become a good friend to him the last few years. In some ways she reminded him of Satine. Although he certainly didn't feel the same way about her. One time a bounty hunter named Greedo had entered. Obi-Wan had encountered Greedo before and was somewhat worried about being recognized. Seriah noticed his fear and immediately ordered him to restock the freezer, a job he had never done before or since. She knew he had secrets and was willing to protect them without ever asking what they were. She was the one who had named him Ben after he had refused to give a name for the first week he had worked there.

It was a good life. He was happy. He woke up with the suns. He would meditate until he got called downstairs for work. After he got off he would walk over and watch the farm from afar. After he was sure everyone was ok he would walk back and meditate. A few hours later he would go back downstairs for dinner. Seriah would cook and he would help. They would eat and talk about nothing. There was nothing he could talk about after all. After that they would go upstairs to their respective rooms. He would meditate more before going to bed when the second sun would go down. He would have nightmares about the war most nights. It didn't matter. He would wake up the next day and start over.

For the last three weeks his nightmares had changed. They weren't about the Clone Wars anymore. They weren't even about Order 66. He had been seeing flashes of red skin, metal and horns. He had been hearing Seriah scream.

He awoke one day with a shout. Seriah rushed across the hall and knocked on his door, "Hello? Ben? Is everything alright?"

Kenobi got out of bed and walked over to unlock the door, "Yes, sorry. Everything's fine."

Once the door opened Seriah gave him a worried look, "More nightmares? You know they're getting worse. Can you tell me anything about what's in them? What happens that makes you so scared?"

He remembered the hateful Dathomirian eyes, "It's something from my past. Something I thought was gone long ago."

Seriah nodded, "Something from your past, the past you won't tell me anything about."

Obi-Wan grimaced slightly, "I'm sorry. I can't. You have to believe that it's for your own safety."

She smiled at him, "I believe that you believe it is. That's enough for me. I'll see you downstairs after you're done meditating."

Later that day during his shift, he felt… something. He found his thoughts clouded by a presence. He actually messed up someone's order because he was so distracted by the shroud of darkness.

His employer noticed that there was something bothering him, "You haven't gotten a single order wrong in almost three years. There's something wrong."

Ben nodded, "There's something. I can feel it. It's something I haven't felt since…"

Seriah put a hand on his shoulder, "It's ok. You don't have to tell me. Take the rest of the day off. You can go, wherever it is you usually go, a bit early today."

Kenobi smiled at his friend, "Thank you. Maybe I just need some desert air to clear my head."

He hesitated at the door before leaving for the moisture farm. As always he stayed at a distance. He watched just long enough to ensure everyone was still fine. Just as he was turning to head back home he had another vision of red light and sharp teeth. He turned back to the farm and saw that things were still quiet.

When he got back to the restaurant the door was open. Immediately he knew something was wrong. He ran inside to find the whole place in ruin. The tables were upturned and the kitchen was trashed.

He panicked, "Seriah! Seriah!"

The voice was not hers, "Over here."

Obi-Wan turned and froze.

Darth Maul stepped out of the shadows. His blade activated and stretched in front of Seriah's throat. He was holding her by her hair.

Ben broke down, "Please, don't kill her. She hasn't done anything. I'm begging you. Take me instead. Just don't hurt her."

Maul grinned, "Do you have any idea how hard it was to find you? You cover your tracks well. Turns out I'm even better. Once I found you I tracked your movements for a while. I watched from a distance, just like you've been doing. What is so interesting about a moisture farm anyway? Oh but then I saw you with her! The second I saw the way you look at her I knew my next target. I killed your master. I killed your love. Now I'm going to kill your little friend too. And you can't do anything except stand there and watch."

The room went silent in horror when his blade went through her chest.

Ben rushed to her side. Maul stepped out of the way to watch the pain he had caused.

Seriah looked up at her favorite employee, "Ben, dear Ben. You're a Jedi, aren't you?" She took his silence as a response, "I thought so. Now listen to me Ben. You have to promise me something. You have to promise me you won't blame yourself for my death. I never asked for you to protect me. I was always the one who protected you. Now let me do so just this once more. Get out now."

She grabbed Maul's leg and pushed a button on her wrist. Maul struggled but Seriah held on with all her strength. Kenobi ran outside just in time to see the whole building glow orange before turning to dust. He looked on in shock at what had once been his home, his life, his hope.

He searched the ashes. There was nothing left. Seriah was ash, and so was Maul. With his dying act, Maul had destroyed the only life Ben had left. Maul had succeeded in getting his final revenge. He had won.

Ben was at the funeral. Turns out she had left almost everything she had to him. He now owned a small fortune and a house out in the desert. He moved into his new home the next day. It was only an hour walk to the Skywalker farm from his new house. He supposed that would prove useful.

The next day he couldn't quite get himself to meditate. He watched the farm for almost the whole day. He thought that Maul had destroyed his last hope for any kind of life. He realized he had been wrong. This baby he had given to Owen, Luke. As long as Luke lived he could hope that the world could be a good place again. Luke made him hope that life could survive the empire's crucible. Luke was his last hope now. Luke was his new hope.

Author's notes:

This was an idea I had when I was watching Clone Wars earlier. Maul didn't die. Why would he give up on his hunt for Obi?

I really do try to avoid writing tragedy. Then again, sometimes inspiration strikes and there's nothing to be done except to write.