Tatooine.

Tatooine; what a desolate place, he couldn't imagine why a moisture loving being like Yoda would even consider living here.. Although he'd never known what planet Yoda was born on, he imagined it was one filled with marshes and swamps and lots of plants and animals. Yoda's skin was a funny shade of green and his rooms in the temple were full of plants and little creatures. This place was totally opposite, no plants, no water and nothing but sand and rocky terrain.

Flying over the sandy landscape Obi-Wan's ship by-passed the bustling spaceport of Mos Eisley, and skirted the settlement of Anchorhead. He had no desire to land at the spaceport or Anchorhead and be grilled by authorities about his reason for coming to this planet. He didn't want to attract attention to him or Yoda, he'd sensed the powerful Force aura when he first broke through the atmosphere and knew instinctively, in which direction to go.

Obi-Wan landed his ship on top of a mesa, where he could see in any direction for many miles. He sensed tribes of tusken's dotted across the dunes and ridges, but he was certain they could not climb to the top of this mountain and find his ship. During the long flight to Tatooine he'd studied the history of the planet and knew what sentient beings were common and read about the dangers of this place. He'd prepared himself well before leaving the safety of his ship and he flew his speeder across the mesa and down to the barren wasteland below. It was hot and dry, so Obi-Wan wrapped his black robe around him and covered his face with a black cloth to keep the sand out of his lungs and he flew in the direction of a small hovel he'd seen in the distance perched on top of a small plateau.

Obi-Wan brought his speeder to a halt on top of a sand dune a few miles from the hovel. He knew Yoda would have sensed him as he had sensed Yoda. He wasn't foolish enough to walk in there in broad daylight. His senses were sharp in the darkness and he more comfortable when night surrounded him.

The glow of a fire flickered inside the hut and smoke drifted lazily into the night sky by the time Obi-Wan made his way to the home. He stretched out sensing that Yoda was out in the desert many miles away, a thought crossed his mind that Yoda was hiding from him, but he doubted it. Yoda was a Jedi and didn't fear anything. Nevertheless, Obi-Wan wasn't in the mood to guess what was on Yoda's mind he was tired of this life that Yoda pushed him into and when Yoda returned, and eventually he would, then he would have his revenge.

Obi-Wan peered in through the window, and there was a big pot hanging over the embers and off to one corner was a table and several chairs and a small couch was in another corner. But along the back wall was a large couch; he thought it strange because Yoda was so small, he wondered why he would bother taking up space with such a big piece of furniture.

An arched door way led off to other rooms in the hovel, and in the centre of the room was a rusty looking Droid almost as tall as Obi-Wan; it didn't appear that it even worked. But on the floor there were tools and spare parts. He couldn't imagine Yoda fixing a droid. Obi-Wan lifted the handle, half expecting to have to use the Force to gain entry to Yoda's hideout, but the door opened easily.

Yoda's Force signature filled the room along with the smell of some kind of stew simmering in the pot. It did smell nice and Obi-Wan's stomach reacted, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in several days. It was tempting to take some and eat it, but his suspicious nature warned him that it might be poisoned. His emotions had been easily broadcast when he'd felt Yoda's aura on this planet, and his anger and resentment was pushed out toward the green being. Perhaps the old troll was hoping he would eat the stew and die before he came back.

Obi-Wan was tired, so he sat on the big couch facing the only door and waited. It wouldn't take much to stretch out on this couch and get some much need rest, but then perhaps that was why the couch was there to entice him to do just that and then Yoda could sneak up on him while he slept.

It wasn't long before he felt the shift in the Force, Yoda had returned and yet, stretching out he did not sense any concern or worry radiate from him as he approached the hut. Obi-Wan placed his hand on his sabre ready to activate it if Yoda came in with his lit; however, to his surprise Yoda entered the hovel carrying a container of water and spoke immediately.

"Found me you have, thirsty you are - long way you have come."

"Yes! I have come a long way. You didn't think I wouldn't come looking for you did you?"

"Knew you would come, good to see you again it is."

"I doubt that very much!" he said standing up.

"Answers you seek, 'umm." Yoda said as he made his way in putting the jug of water on the table and turned away from Obi-Wan to stir the stew.

Yoda could sense a brilliant flare of anger and resentment filter through the force, radiating from the young man standing behind him.

"I do not seek answers, just revenge!"

"Revenge is it? Your desire it is to seek revenge for your pain and suffering. Then if revenge will satisfy you so be it, but regret it you will."

After a stony silence one word was uttered. "Why?" it was a mixture of pain and defeat all laced into that one word.

Yoda's ears drooped and he sighed "Why regret it you ask?" he said.

Obi-Wan breathed in sharply and snapped "No…Why did you hate me so?"

"Hate you - hate you I do not. Followed the urging of the force I did, otherwise in darkness the galaxy would be for many years to come. Saved the galaxy from Darkness and saved the lives of many you have." He said.

"I wanted to be a Jedi, to fight against the sith, but you prevented that from happening, you and Jinn. Well Jinn has already paid his debt and now it is your turn."

"Destined to live a long lonely existence you were if become a Jedi you did."

"I'm living a lonely existence now, what is the difference!"

"Young you still are Obi-Wan; your life is just beginning. A new order you will create. Teach the boy Luke you will, teach him to be a Jedi you will."

"Teach him! Never! I am a sith, I will not tarnish a child's view of what is right and what is wrong and neither will you. Your ways were wrong and we - the children, suffered because of you and your decisions. My friends died needlessly because no one cared enough for them and how many other initiates were taken from their parents only to be set adrift by the council when it suited them. I have walked and lived in darkness for so long I don't remember what the light feels like. I only feel anger, despair and vengeance they are the only feelings that keep me going."

"Never vengeance Obi-Wan, it was pain and anger that pushed you, but it was the force that kept you grounded to the light."

"The light – don't make me laugh. I can't hold onto it - it is elusive and leaves me in darkness, and it is your fault, I know there were Masters who wanted me as their apprentice at least three of them, but you refused to let them take me –Why?"

'Tell you I will, but first eat something you should – eat in a long time you have not! Good stew it is, poisoned it is not – eat it myself I do -hungry you are. Talk of what troubles you on a full stomach we can."

Yoda filled two bowls and placed one on the table within reach of Obi-Wan and took his and sat down on a small cushion opposite the large couch.

It smelled good and Obi-Wan hadn't eaten in many days, not because he didn't have credits, it was because he had just forgotten too, his life was so filled with loneliness and bitterness, that he just hadn't bothered to eat.

He sat back down on the couch and reached over taking the bowl, he watched Yoda eat some and then he took a mouthful. The stew was good and he felt better as the food began to fill his stomach.

His anger was being replaced by weariness, he was disillusioned with life and it was hard to hate some one who wouldn't even fight back. Nevertheless, he wanted answers; he wanted to know why, why he shouldn't just kill Yoda and end his torment.

They ate in silence and when Obi-Wan finished eating he put the bowl down and waited for Yoda to explain. He watched Yoda pick up the dishes and put them in the small kitchen area and then he began to hum. Apparently he was in no hurry to begin talking and walked over to the broken droid and picked up a spanner to tighten a bolt.

Obi-Wan's irritation was rising and he was in no mood to wait for Yoda to fix that blasted droid.

"What is it about you, I've travelled a long way to get here and all I want is for you to justify what you did to me. I didn't come here to watch you meddling with a blasted droid! You cannot fix it! It's beyond repair and if you think by stalling I will calm down, well you're wrong." Obi snapped.

"Told you I did, hate you I did not" Yoda said as he continued to tinker with the droid.

"A vision the force sent me, choices to be made with many outcomes. A Jedi you could have been, easy for me to make it so. A great Jedi you were meant to be, but with greatness comes pain and suffering and your suffering would have lasted until the day you died, when very old you were. A choice of destinies was set before me.

I saw the future as you struggled to be accepted as a Jedi Padawan, your compassion and your diligence to duty would be your undoing." Yoda dropped the spanner he was using to tighten the bolt, he bent down and picked it up and continued to speak.

"Right you are when say that chosen to be an apprentice you could have been. But not meant to be their apprentice you were. No future for you on that path there was, die an early death you would and send the galaxy spiralling out of control into the hands of the sith. Thought I did that being Qui-Gon's apprentice would bring about a better destiny for you but the Force showed me otherwise and changed your destiny itself."

Obi-Wan was trying to concentrate on what the old troll was saying, but Yoda was more interested in tinkering with the droid and several times he mumbled something that Obi-Wan didn't understand. He could stand no more of the green troll's cryptic gibberish. His patience was at an end, his nerves were frayed. His anger was boiling over, he had to end this mockery, and he had to stop the troll from meddling.

In a flash he sprung from the couch and ignited his sabre, screaming. "Stop it! Stop it."

Obi-Wan swung his sabre in a blinding flash of movement, his eyes piercing into Yoda's as the blade sliced in half the object of his wrath.

Either Yoda had not sensed it coming, or he had decided to accept the will of the force, but he never shied away as the blade sliced away…

tbc...