Chapter 13
Obi-Wan sat in the cockpit alone while waiting for the timer to finish ticking down the time until the reversion into realspace. They had to fly some distance into unknown space, an area not well charted and rarely did many go beyond the outer rim.
He closed his eyes and listened to the low steady ticking, his hands on the lever he would use once the timer counted down to zero. A red warning light flashed on and a computerized voice came through the comm.
"Warning! This is a restricted sector, leave immediately! Warning! This is a restricted…."
Obi-Wan opened his eyes and hit the mute button and looked at the timer as it reached zero. He pulled back the lever and the ship exited hyperspace and the streams of light became stars. His breath caught in his throat as he saw his home planet for the first time. It was like an emerald jewel from a distance with blue and white interwoven with the green.
He reached out with the Force toward the planet and sensed an abundance of life. He smiled and watched as Nokijor grew ever bigger and more magnificent. They were here, they were finally here after a several day journey. His heart pounded in his chest in anticipation.
He checked the comm. frequency but found no comm., chatter, no radio signals indicating where he should land. He navigated the ship into the atmosphere and passed through a thick layer of white clouds.
The cockpit doors slid open and Siri and Anakin entered the cockpit. Siri sat down in the copilot seat and Anakin stood between the chairs, watching their descent.
"There are no comm. towers to signal our approach, so we'll have to find a place to land manually." Obi-Wan spoke as he adjusted the nose of the ship for a smother descent as they passed through some turbulence.
"For a technologically advanced culture they must not be interested in space flight." Siri said thoughtfully as she saw a satellite come into view.
"That and don't get many visitors." Obi-Wan added.
The ship burst through the clouds and as Obi-Wan slowed the ship, he looked out the viewport and took in the sights. The buildings were all beautifully built and looked well maintained with beautiful gardens.
He spotted a tall spread out building in the distance that glittered in the sunlight and adjusted the heading. If that was a Palace then it would be a good place to land near.
He flew the ship around the area until he found a grassy spot that was not devoted to a field or building and landed the ship.
Obi-Wan turned his head to look at Anakin who had been strangely quiet the whole time. "What's wrong Anakin?"
Anakin was looking straight ahead out the viewport at the distant buildings, his eyes wide, and his face pale. He licked his dry lips and swallowed hard. "I thought I saw…" He shook his head, "Master, when we were in the clouds there was a blue and red mist and when we came out of the clouds, everything on the surface was destroyed and the ground was red and there was something red and bubbly traveling over the surface."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and used the Force to search for any danger, but he came up empty. It was the emptiness that concerned him though, niggling at the back of his mind. There was a lot of evidence pointing to a thriving civilization from what they had seen as they were making their landing. Well tended fields, the buildings looked well maintained on the outside, the roads were free of debri… Obi-Wan stood up and laid a reassuring hand on Anakin's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Was there anything else?"
Anakin looked up at him, his face now returning to its original hue. "I sensed fear, despair, anger, and frustration."
"An echo?" Siri wondered.
Obi-Wan looked at Siri. "If it was then we should have felt it too. Also visual imagery in an echo has never been proven." He looked back down at Anakin and smiled. "Whatever it was I am sure the answer will reveal itself in time. Are you ready to go check out the city?"
"Yes, Master." Anakin answered, a smile working its way onto his face.
Obi-Wan ruffled Anakin's hair and they all exited the cockpit and headed for the ramp.
Stepping out of the ship, Obi-Wan breathed in deeply of the fresh, clean air. The temperature was comfortabl, warm with a light cool breeze blowing against them. They stepped out onto the lush green grass and began walking toward the distant city.
Upon entering the city some time later, they found it bustling with life. Shopkeepers were selling wares in stalls outside their main shop, food was being baked, people were buying goods and chatting with friends.
Obi-Wan sensed Anakin start to relax as they walked the cobblestone streets and looked at Siri who was taking in all the sights.
"Excuse me!" A gruff voice spoke from behind them.
Obi-Wan, Siri and Anakin turned around to see a Nokijoran male looking at them sternly with brown beady eyes, short gray hair neatly combed and a well maintained pointy beard. The Nokijoran wore a well pressed black uniform with purple trim along the edges of the cuffs and collar. He also bore a black cane that he rested his right hand on which he picked up and pointed at Anakin.
"Your child should be in classes right now!"
"I am sorry, sir. We have just arrived today and Anakin has not been enrolled in any classes yet." Obi-Wan calmly responded.
The man pounded his cane onto the cobblestone. "Intolerable excuses! You should be ashamed of yourself! What is your name? You will be reported for failure to get your child to classes in a timely manner!"
Obi-Wan's eyes hardened as he maintained eye contact with the man and took a deep calming breath before speaking. "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi and I assure you that Anakin will be attending classes by tomorrow."
The man's face went ashen and then beet red in a manner of seconds. "You dare blaspheme a name of the Ja'Mak?!" The man turned around and shouted for guards.
/Great negotiating, Kenobi./ Siri muttered through their bond.
/How was I supposed to know saying my name would be considered blasphemous here?/ Obi-Wan protested.
Anakin clutched Obi-Wan's cloak as they were surrounded by red armored guards. He opened his mouth to speak but Obi-Wan looked down at him and shook his head, silently warning him not to speak. Anakin closed his mouth and inched closer to Obi-Wan as he saw the huge metal pikes the guards held.
"This man blasphemed a name of the Ja'Mak! Arrest him!" The man ordered the guards.
A guard with purple stripes over his shoulders stepped forward and spoke with a loud authoritative voice. "You are under arrest for blasphemy." He motioned for two of the guards to seize Obi-Wan and they took hold of him and led him away.
The head guard looked down at Anakin, the guard's helmet obscuring his face from Anakin as he motioned another two guards forward. "Escort this child and mother to the central educt building and see to it that he gets to his class and then escort the mother to the palace."
Siri took hold of Anakin's hand, clasping it reassuringly as the guards led them to the educt building.