Twin Suns
Chapter 1 – Dichotomy
The suns were merciless that morning. A searing heat bared down on his exposed neck, singing the ends of his hairs. All around him, the air rippled and shimmered, giving the impression that he was under water. If only he could be so lucky. Then again, he didn't know how to swim, so maybe he was better off in the desert.
Taking off his hat, Luke wiped his brow with the back of his hand. He squinted and craned his head up to look at the spotless blue sky. Directly overhead, a single wispy cloud wafted lazily. Just a little farther to the left, and it would blot out the suns and give him a momentary reprieve. Just a little more…
A disgruntled squawk caused Luke to snap to his left. "Oh come on," he complained to the droid. "I was just taking a little break, Elle." His companion had no sympathy for him, however. Unplugging from the vaporator port, L-2 rolled toward him on her four wheels and tilted her retinal scanners up to his face. "Alright, fine," Luke muttered.
Plodding back toward the vaporator, Luke put his hat on and resumed his work. This unit had been giving them trouble all harvest as it inexplicably stopped collecting moisture from time to time. Luke suspected the internal wiring had fried in the heat, but there was no way to know for sure without tearing the whole thing apart. Uncle Owen definitely wouldn't let him do that during the dry season, so Luke was forced to take regular trips out into the basin to perform maintenance on the finicky vaporator. He really hated moisture farming.
Ten minutes later, and Luke still hadn't managed to fix the problem. He took a step back and glanced at the flashing red light above the control panel. Why wasn't it coming online? He had done everything he could think of. Maybe the vaporator had finally kicked it. While Luke would be relieved if that was the case, he certainly couldn't go back to the homestead and tell Uncle Owen that. He had only just started trusting Luke with these assignments on his own. He didn't want to make his uncle feel foolish for believing in him.
Luke threw his screwdriver to the ground in frustration and plopped down in the sand by the base of the vaporator. "Oh, shut up!" he barked when L-2 beeped at him. "It's not like you've been any help either." The droid made an indignant sound, and Luke waved her off. Dabbing his forehead with his sleeve, Luke sighed and rested his head in between his knees.
This is my fault.
Luke looked up sharply. What had that been? It sounded like a young man's voice. Getting to his feet, Luke looked around but saw nobody in sight.
I should have just stayed home.
There it was again! Where was it coming from?
"Elle, do you hear that?" he asked. Figuring he was stalling, the droid made a haughty sound and rolled away from him in protest.
No… no… no!
Luke's heart was hammering in his chest. He ran into the desert out of the shadow of the vaporator and swiveled his head in every which direction.
"Hello! Hello! Who's there?"
No!
They needed his help! Whoever they were, they were in danger. Without a second thought, Luke took off running toward his speeder.
"Stay with the vaporator!" he yelled to L-2 before leaping in and driving away.
He had no idea where he was going, but he didn't let it stop him. Intuition guided him to the east deeper into the desert rather than west back toward the homestead. Before long, he was passing the outer reaches of the Lars farm and into the Jundland Wastes. Uncle Owen forbid him from traveling out here, but Luke didn't care. There was someone out here. He knew it!
Reaching to his left, Luke picked up his macrobinoculars from the empty passenger seat and held them to his eyes while he drove. He scanned the horizon for any sign of life, but still he found nothing. Rather than giving up, however, Luke pressed down on the accelerator and sped up. The wind whipped against his face and knocked his hat off his head. Finally after ten minutes of driving, he abruptly slammed on the breaks. He hadn't seen anything, and yet he felt as if he had arrived in the right spot.
Luke reached into the glovebox and produced a weathered blaster before stepping out of the speeder. He had never used a weapon before, but it was best to be safe. Sand People were known to traverse the Wastes on occasion. He cautiously plodded forward with the blaster in one hand and macrobinoculars in the other. A gust of wind picked up a cloud of sand and Luke had to cover his mouth with his elbow. When the air cleared, he gasped when he saw two figures in the distance.
The first thing he noticed was an orange and white astromech droid. Its mottled legs were rigidly vertical and its body was sagging forward a bit. The droid had clearly run out of power. Lying in the sand a few meters away was a person. As Luke approached, he was able to tell that it was a young man who looked to be about his age. Stuffing the blaster into his pocket and pulling the strap for the macrobinoculars over his head, Luke rushed forward.
"Are you okay?" he called out. No response. The boy was unconscious with his face planted in the sand. Unsure what to do, Luke tentatively nudged him with his foot to no effect. "Here goes nothing," he said to himself. Leaning down, Luke grabbed the boy by the armpits and pulled him upright. He then began to arduously drag him away back toward his speeder.
Unable to lift him into the seat, Luke propped him up against the door instead. Running around toward the driver's side, Luke reached into the speeder and found his canteen. "Can you hear me?" he asked when he returned. Kneeling down by the boy's side, he considered his face for a moment. The boy had short black hair and a distinctive scar on his left cheek which looked like scratch marks. He must have been out in the desert for a long time, because he was covered with grime and his lips were desiccated
Opening the canteen, Luke poured a bit of water into his hand and splashed it on the boy's face. He woke up with a start, the back of his head hitting against the speeder behind him. "Ow!" he exclaimed in a hoarse voice. Blinking a few times, he looked up to see Luke.
"Hey there," Luke said. "How do you feel?"
The boy swallowed hard and grimaced. "Thirsty," he rasped.
Luke offered him the canteen. "Drink up."
The boy reached out with shaking hands and grabbed the canteen. He drank greedily for nearly a full minute while Luke watched.
"What's your name?" he asked when the boy finally lowered the canteen from his lips and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Ezra," he said. Suddenly, he looked up at him and stiffened. "You're…"
"I'm Luke," he told him.
Ezra stared at him unblinkingly. "You… I've seen you before," he said.
Luke frowned. "You have?"
"I…" Ezra trailed off and looked away.
Luke followed his gaze to see that he was looking at the powered down astromech a few meters away. "Is that your droid?" he asked.
"You have to get him."
"Sure thing. Wait here, okay?"
Luke stood up and hurried away toward the droid. When he arrived, Luke tilted its cylindrical body and began rolling the astromech back toward the speeder. Upon returning, he saw that Ezra had managed to stand up. He looked quite disoriented.
"Get in," Luke instructed.
"I need to… I need to find him."
"Find who?"
Ezra didn't respond. Taking a step toward the speeder, his eyes rolled back and his body went limp.
"Woah!" Luke exclaimed when Ezra fell into the speeder. Rushing forward, he grabbed his torso and helped him into a standing position. "Easy there," he said through gritted teeth. Wrenching the door open with his free hand, Luke inelegantly stuffed Ezra's body into the seat. He took a moment to catch his breath before picking up the astromech and dropping him into the back of the speeder. "Alright," he said to himself. "Let's go."
Δ Δ Δ
An hour later, Luke returned to the homestead and helped Ezra out of the speeder. When they made it through the front door, he heard his aunt's voice.
"Luke? Is that you?"
Biting down on his tongue, Luke glanced at Ezra. The boy looked dead on his feet. His eyelids were fluttering and he seemed to be on the verge of fainting. "Don't say anything," he whispered before responding to his aunt. "I'm back!" he called out. "Going to get changed!"
Wrapping his arm around Ezra, he helped the boy down the stairs toward the open area. He glanced around surreptitiously, but fortunately neither his aunt nor uncle were anywhere in sight. They must be in the kitchen.
"Let's go," he said urgently. Luke practically dragged Ezra across the commons and toward his room. Opening the door with a swipe of his hand, he and Ezra awkwardly stumbled down a second flight of stairs. When they arrived in his bedroom, Luke released a sigh of relief.
"Here," he said. "Sit down." Ezra collapsed onto the bed and immediately keeled over on his side. "Uh, sure. You can sleep there, I guess." Luke crossed his arms and stood over Ezra for a moment before his aunt's voice caused him to spin around.
"Luke!"
"Coming!" he yelled.
Brushing himself off, Luke hurried toward the stairs and made his way back to the surface. The door opened, and he found himself face to face with his uncle.
"What's the rush?" Owen asked.
"No rush," Luke insisted at once.
Owen narrowed his eyes. "Did you fix that vaporator?"
"I, um… yeah," Luke lied. "I mean, sort of."
"Sort of?"
"I had to come back to, uh… to get some power converters."
"What for?"
"I forgot to charge Elle last night. She died while I was out there. I was just going to go back, actually."
"You left the droid out in the desert?"
Luke gulped. "I, uh…"
"That droid cost me twelve hundred credits! You better get it back here before nightfall."
"Yeah, of course," Luke said hastily. "I'll do it."
Owen nodded, but Luke could tell he had disappointed him. Spinning around, his uncle walked away toward the dining room where he could hear Beru setting the table. Once Owen was out of sight, Luke hustled across the commons and scurried up the stairs toward the main entrance. With the press of a button, the door unsealed itself and he ran outside toward the speeder which he had parked out front.
"Lift with the legs," he told himself as he strained to pick up the astromech droid from the backseat. He wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but he heard Uncle Owen say it all the time.
Luke rolled the astromech back toward the front door. Reaching the stairs, he attempted to lift the droid again, but it was too heavy and he lost his grip.
"Kriff!"
The droid went tumbling down the stairs and the subsequent crashing sounds echoed loudly.
"Luke! What was that?"
He scampered down the stairs after the astromech. He arrived just in time to pick up the droid and hide it on the step behind him when Owen emerged from the dining room.
"What was that noise?" he asked.
"Nothing," Luke said. "I just tripped."
Owen arched an eyebrow. "You tripped?" he repeated.
Luke was saved from having to explain himself when Beru arrived as well. "Luke, are you going to eat with us?" she asked.
"I, uh…"
"The boy has work to do," Owen said gruffly. "He'll eat when he's done. Isn't that right, Luke?"
"Yeah, of course," he said. "Let me just get those power converters."
Luke didn't move, however. He couldn't without revealing the astromech behind him.
"Well?" Owen asked.
"You're working him too hard, Owen," Beru said on his behalf. "Let the boy eat."
"It's fine, really," he said. "I'm not hungry."
Beru gave him a concerned look. "Are you sure?"
"Don't let me hold you up. You can eat without me."
"He's fine, Beru," Owen said. Turning around, he walked back toward the dining room.
"Don't be afraid to tell him if it's too much for you," Beru told him when Owen was gone.
"I want to help," Luke said. It bothered him how much his aunt coddled him. Uncle Owen could be abrasive, but at least he believed in him. Beru still treated him like he was a kid.
His aunt crossed her arms and gave him a tepid smile. "Alright, but don't stay out after the suns go down."
Luke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, I know," he said. It's not like he was stupid. Of course he knew not to do that.
Beru gave him one last look before following after her husband. He waited for her footsteps to recede before spinning around to asses the damage done to the astromech. Luke winced. There was a prominent dent in the droid's domed body which almost certainly hadn't been there beforehand.
"Sorry about that," he muttered. Making sure he had a good grip this time, Luke picked up the droid and trudged toward his room. The door opened, and Luke took great care as he made his way down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, Luke set the droid down with a heavy thud. He arched his back and took a moment to recover before making his way toward the work bench. With a side glance at Ezra who was still fast asleep, Luke opened a drawer and found a power converter and an accompanying extension cord.
"Let's get you powered up," he said to the astromech. Hooking up the cord to a power source in the floor, he made his way toward the droid and searched around for a port. "There it is," he said when he found it at the base of its body. He plugged the droid in and waited for him to boot up. To pass the time, Luke got an air gun from the desk and began cleaning the sand out of the droid's various cracks and pores. Beneath the grime, Luke could see that the droid had a great many scuff marks and blemishes as well as several parts which looked like they came from different models. This droid had been through the wringer, so it seemed.
"What were you doing out there?" Luke mused to himself. Once again, he turned to look at Ezra. He was clearly a foreigner. No way a native would have ever gone out into the Jundland Wastes without water or a blaster. At this thought, something caught his eye. Standing up, he walked toward the bed. There was a metal cylinder clipped to the boy's belt, a little less than a foot long. What was it? It looked a bit like a flashlight, but the design was far too intricate.
A low-pitched groan caused Luke to spin around. "You're back!" he exclaimed when he saw the droid sluggishly rotating its orange dome as if it had just woken from a nap. Hearing his voice, it swiveled toward him and made a startled sound. "Shh!" Luke hushed when the droid began babbling frantically. "Keep it down! I'm helping you!"
The droid raised its little mechanical arms and flailed them about, warning him to stay back. Luke rolled his eyes at its pugnacity. "I found you out in the desert," Luke told the panicked droid. "You were powered down so I brought you back here. See? I plugged you in."
The droid looked down to see the cord protruding from its outlet. "You can trust me, okay? Care to give me your name?" The droid hesitated for a moment before answering. "Chopper?" Luke repeated. "That's your name? That's not… common. Don't you have a classification?" Indignant, Chopper grumbled something indiscernible to Luke. "Okay fine. I'll be right back. You stay here and look after him."
For a third time, Luke considered Ezra's sleeping figure. His mouth was hanging open and he was snoring quite loudly. "Don't make a sound," he instructed the droid upon turning back around. "If my aunt and uncle found out…" Luke let the threat linger and shook his head. "Just keep it quiet," he said finally. 'I'll be right back."
Picking up his hat, Luke hurried past Chopper and up the stairs.
Δ Δ Δ
Having driven his speeder all the way out to the vaporator unit he had been working on that morning, Luke found a deeply aggrieved L-2. He apologized profusely for having left her, but there was nothing he could say to assuage his cantankerous companion.
Rather than returning home right away, Luke got back to work on the malfunctioning vaporator. He was distracted, however. All he could think about was Ezra and Chopper. What had they been doing out there in the desert? Where had they come from? It wasn't as if Tatooine received many foreign visitors, especially not way out here in these scarcely inhabited parts. They must have gotten lost. Luke could think of no other explanation for them to be here.
Luke finally gave up trying to fix the vaporator after about an hour. Exasperated, he gave it a kick before marching away toward the speeder. "Come on, Elle," he said to the droid. "We're going."
The whole drive back, Luke continued to ponder the bizarre events of that morning. How had he even known where to find Ezra? He had heard his voice somehow, but Ezra had been dozens of miles away from him at the time. The whole incident was utterly bewildering to him.
Luke made it back to the homestead an hour before nightfall. He tiptoed down the stairs and was about to make a dash for his room when a growling in his stomach forced him to reconsider. While he desperately wanted to check on his secret guests, Luke could concede that he needed to eat first.
Much to his relief, he didn't run into his aunt or uncle when he arrived in the kitchen. On the stove he found a broiling pot of stew. Producing two bowls from the cabinet, he set them down and took off the lid to the pot. He served himself two generous portions with the ladle before picking up the bowls and leaving. Walking carefully so as not to spill, he nearly dropped the bowls when the door to the kitchen slid open.
"Ah!" he exclaimed.
Uncle Owen gave him an odd look. "When did you get back?" he asked.
"Just now," Luke said. His pulse pounded in his ears as he desperately attempted to convey a casual demeanor.
Owen gestured to the two bowls in his hand. "You plan on eating all of that?"
"Uh… no. I mean yes! Just me! I… I'm going to eat this all by myself. I haven't had anything to eat, you see, so I thought –"
Owen raised a hand and stopped Luke's floundering. "You get one bowl," he said. "That's it."
Luke nodded vigorously. "Right," he said. "I'm sorry."
His uncle gave him one last disapproving look before leaving the kitchen. Luke exhaled in relief. He contemplated defying his uncle's instruction and taking both bowls anyway, but he decided that was too great a risk to take. Sighing, Luke returned to the stove and poured out the contents of the second bowl back into the pot. Setting the now-empty bowl into the sink, he picked up a spoon and left.
When he made it back to his bedroom, Luke found that Ezra had yet to wake. Chopper was standing at attention by his bedside. Seeing Luke return, Chopper extended an arm and prodded Ezra with it.
"Don't do that," Luke told the droid. "Let him sleep."
Chopper complained and Luke found himself chuckling. "You're bored?" he asked. "Droids can't get bored." Luke set the bowl down on the work bench and gave it a longing look. He was hungry, but he knew Ezra would need the stew more than him when he woke up. Who knew when the boy had last eaten.
An odd humming sound caused Luke to look up. He looked at Chopper, but it hadn't come from him. Furrowing his brow, Luke took a step forward. It was a strange sound, guttural yet melodious. It sounded… ancient.
Luke's eyes darted to Ezra's pants pocket when he saw something glowing. There was a faint red hue which pulsated in and out. What could that be? He hesitated for a moment before giving into his curiosity. Carefully reaching into Ezra's pocket, his fingers found two metal gadgets. Luke pulled them out and inspected them in the palm of his hand. They were pyramidal in shape with an ornate pattern emblazoned on its panels. Luke found himself mesmerized by their design. It was truly beautiful…
He gasped when they suddenly levitated into the air. They began burning a bright red and the mysterious voice he had heard returned. Fascinated, Luke watched with his mouth agape. He couldn't quite make out the words, but there was one that he did recognize.
Sky… walker.
It was talking to him! How did it know his name?
"Yes?" Luke asked, feeling slightly foolish to be talking to an inanimate object.
Skywalker.
"That's me," he said with a frown.
Skywalker!
"No!"
Luke jumped back when a hand swiped the floating pyramids out of the air. Blinking rapidly, he looked up to see Ezra had finally woken. The boy was breathing heavily and he was staring back at Luke with wide, incredulous eyes.
"What did you hear?" he asked manically.
"Keep your voice down!" Luke hissed. "My aunt and uncle –"
"Tell me what you heard!"
Ezra grabbed Luke by the shoulders and gave him a shake. Terrified, Luke pushed him away and staggered back a step.
"Calm down," he pleaded.
Ezra pocketed the pyramids and took a deep breath. He looked around and only then seemed to register his surroundings. "Where… am I?" he asked.
"This is my home," Luke told him, hands still raised defensively. "I brought you here after I found you out in the desert."
Ezra blinked a few times until his eyes found the astromech droid. "Chopper!" he said.
"I charged your droid," Luke said when Ezra got down to his knees and hugged his wiggling companion.
"Chop, I'm so sorry," Ezra said to the droid. "I never should have led us out there." He then looked up at Luke and narrowed his eyes. "You found me," he said.
"I did."
"How?"
Luke hesitated. "I don't know," he said honestly. "I thought I heard you, somehow."
Ezra stood back up. "You sensed me," he said.
"I… what?"
Ezra reached into his pocket and pulled out the two pyramids. They floated upward and pointed themselves at Luke.
"They were leading me to you," he said.
Luke scratched his temple in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
"All this time, I thought I was searching for Master Kenobi, but actually it was you! You're who I saw in my vision!"
"Your vision?"
"It's you! You're the secret to defeating the Sith!"
"Keep your voice down."
"What did it tell you? Did it share some sort of ancient Jedi wisdom?"
Luke shook his head and began backing away from the crazed boy. "I don't know what you're on about," he said. "Maybe you're just dehydrated. Do you need something to drink?"
"Don't lie! It told you something!"
"It, um… sort of," Luke said.
"What?"
"It didn't really say anything," he said. "It just said my name."
Ezra's face fell. "That's it?"
"Yeah, it just said… Skywalker."
Ezra's eyes turned wide. "What did you say?" he asked.
"It said my name," he repeated.
"You're name is Skywalker?"
"Um… yeah. Luke Skywalker."
Ezra pressed a hand to his forehead and walked away. "I don't understand," he said to himself.
"Care to explain what's going on?" Luke asked, but Ezra didn't reply.
"Could he be alive too?"
"Could who be alive?"
Ezra spun back around. "What's your father's name?" he asked.
"My… what?"
"Your father's name!"
Luke gulped. "His name… his name was Anakin," he said in a mousy voice.
"Was?"
"I never knew him. He died back during the Clone Wars."
Ezra shook his head. "No, that can't be. I was sent here for a reason."
"What do you mean you were sent here? Who sent you?"
Once again, Ezra ignored him. "Master Kenobi must know how to find him!" he said excitedly. "That has to be it!"
"He?" Luke asked. "Are you talking about… my father?"
"I have to find him!"
"Are you not listening? He's not around. Never has been."
Ezra waved his hand at him. "This is it," he said. "I'm sure of it." While Ezra began to pace, Luke walked over toward the bench and picked up the stew.
"You should eat this," he said to the boy.
Ezra glanced up at him. "Yeah, sure," he said absently.
"Now," Luke said sternly.
Conceding to his will, Ezra sat down on the bed and accepted the bowl. Looking down at the stew, he blew on it before raising the spoon to his lips.
"You're going to tell me what's going on," Luke said when Ezra took a tentative sip of the broth.
"The holocron guided me here," Ezra explained.
"The holocron? Is that what those pyramids are?"
"They're part of one," Ezra said. "It broke a while ago. This is all that remains."
Luke nodded as if he understood. "So what are they? Some sort of a navcom?"
"They're vessels of knowledge."
"Say what?"
"These fragments were part of a Sith holocron."
"Sith? What's that?"
Ezra gave him a blank stare. "You really don't know anything, do you?"
"Hey!"
"Did you even know that you were Force-sensitive?"
"Force what?"
Ezra snorted. "I guess it's a good thing you didn't know," he said.
Beginning to grow frustrated with him by now, Luke stood up and placed his hands on his hips. "I want answers from you," he demanded.
Ezra took another bite of stew before responding. "What do you want to know?" he asked.
"Who are you?"
"My name's Ezra Bridger. I'm a Jedi Padawan fighting against the Empire."
Stunned, Luke quickly sat back down. "You're with the Rebellion?" he asked, voice hushed in awe.
"Sure am," Ezra said proudly.
"So what are you doing here?"
"I told you, the holocron sent me. I'm trying to find an old Jedi Master by the name of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Have you heard of him?"
Luke shook his head. "I've never heard of any Obi-Wan, but maybe you mean old Ben?"
"Who's that?"
"Ben Kenobi. He's this old hermit who lives out beyond the Dune Sea."
"Can you take me to him?"
Luke took a moment to consider. He had a lot of work to do while the harvest came to a close. "I guess," he said eventually.
"Great!" Ezra set the bowl aside and got to his feet. "Let's go!"
"What? Now?"
"Yes now!"
"But why? Can't you at least wait until the morning?"
"He's in danger!"
"Danger? What kind of danger?"
"Someone's trying to kill him. I need to warn him before it's too late."
"Who's trying to kill him?"
"His name is Maul. I'd tell you more, but there's really no time. Are you going to help me or not?"
Luke faltered. "I…" He looked away toward Chopper who was watching him intently. "I can't," he said. "If my uncle found out, he'd kill me."
"Do you have any idea how important this is? Do you have any idea how important you are?"
"Me?"
"You're the son of a Jedi Knight! And not just any Jedi! One of the most powerful ones there ever was!"
Blinking rapidly, Luke got to his feet so he could be at Ezra's level. "My father was a navigator on a spice freighter," he said. "Not a… what did you say? Jedi Knight? What even is that?"
Ezra pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I'll tell you on the way," he said. Luke opened his mouth to object, but Ezra cut him off. "Listen to your feelings," he instructed.
"My feelings? What are you –"
"You were meant to find me, Luke. We were meant to help each other! The Force willed it!"
Luke had no idea what that meant, but he found himself unable to deny it. How else could he explain how he had found Ezra out in the desert? It must have been fate, or something akin to it.
"Help me, Luke," Ezra entreated him. He extended his hand to him and Luke's eyes darted down. A beat passed as he considered.
"Alright," he said. Taking Ezra's hand, he gave it a shake. "I'll help you."
Δ Δ Δ
Obi-Wan was panicking.
The Bridger boy's arrival had been a source of concern for him, but never in his worst nightmares could he have imagined this. He had taken his time, hoping against hope that the young Padawan would give up and turn back. Maul had clearly manipulated him into coming to Tatooine. He wanted Bridger to lure him out, but Obi-Wan wasn't going to give his old foe the satisfaction.
In retrospect, it had been a horrible decision. When he realized that Bridger wouldn't be able to live for much longer out in the desert, he had decided to take his dewback and rescue him. Bridger was nowhere to be found, however. At once, he had realized what must have happened. Anakin's son had intervened.
It was dark now and the dry desert air was bitterly cold. Obi-Wan wrapped his cloak around him tighter as his dewback plodded along at an infuriatingly slow pace. He needed to get to the Lars homestead before Maul did. That monster couldn't find the boy. If he did, all would be lost.
"I'm afraid, Master," he said to the night.
Obi-Wan received no response, but he hadn't expected to. He spoke to him often, but Qui-Gon only rarely responded. He sure could use his old master's advice right about now, however.
The distinctive dome of the homestead came into view in the distance. Before he could so much as sigh in relief, the sound of an engine caused him to spin his head backward. Terror seized his limbs when he saw a ship descending to the ground. He was too late! Maul was here!
Drawing his weapon, Obi-Wan leapt off the dewback and activated the blade. Sand billowed upward as the ship's propulsion slowed its descent. Finally, it set itself down and the hatch to the cockpit opened. Rather than springing forth like Obi-Wan had anticipated, Maul took his time getting out of his ship. Pulling himself out of the cockpit, the Sith stood atop the vessel and stared down at him for a long while with his lightsaber hilt in hand.
"Kenobi," he said finally. His voice was rife with bitterness, but devoid of the fiery hatred which he had heard all those years ago. This was an older and wearier version of the man he had known back during the Clone Wars. He knew Maul thought the same of him.
Obi-Wan opened his mouth to respond, but he was stopped when he heard a voice call out. "Master!"
Spinning around, he saw Bridger jumping out of a speeder. His heart skipped a beat when he looked to the right and saw who was standing up from the driver's seat. It was Anakin's son himself. The wide-eyed boy was staring at the lightsaber in Obi-Wan's hand with a mixture of awe and apprehension. Oh Force, how could this have happened?
"You have proven yourself to me, my apprentice," Maul said before sliding down the side of his ship and landing on his feet with characteristic grace. He traipsed forward with an unpleasant grin stretched across his black lips. "You led me right to Kenobi."
"No!" Bridger yelled.
Obi-Wan raised his hand to stop the boy. "It's alright," he said with forced calm. "I will handle Maul on my own."
"I'm going to help you!" Bridger insisted. He then produced his lightsaber and activated a green blade.
Maul laughed, and Obi-Wan turned back to look at him. "You are nothing but a boy," he taunted.
"Was I any more when I defeated you on Naboo?" Obi-Wan asked evenly.
Maul's expression darkened. Kicking his foot in the sand, he held his lightsaber hilt out in front of him and activated both blades.
"You will pay," he threatened.
Obi-Wan raised his lightsaber. "I have done nothing for which I need to pay," he countered.
Maul narrowed his eyes and a tense moment passed. He suddenly looked past him toward the speeder.
"You," he said, the enunciation slow and ominous. "I've seen you before."
Obi-Wan didn't have to turn around to know what he was looking at. "Leave now," he ordered Bridger. "Take the boy with you."
Maul lowered his lightsaber and took another step forward. "Yes!" he said, voice bursting with excitement. "You are the one! You are Skywalker's son!"
This had to end now. He had wanted Maul to make the first move, but now Obi-Wan had no choice but to attack. Feet stumbling in the fine sand, Obi-Wan took off with his lightsaber raised over his shoulder. Before he reached Maul, the Sith thrust out his hand and pushed Obi-Wan back. He soared several feet in the air and landed in the sand by Bridger's feet.
"Master Kenobi!"
Getting back to his feet, Obi-Wan shoved Bridger away before slashing upward with his blade to parry Maul's.
"Go!" he ordered.
He had spent years preparing for this final encounter with Maul. Now he could remember none of his plans, however. Panic rendered his technique sloppy and his defenses vulnerable. Maul's double-bladed saber whirred menacingly as he pushed Obi-Wan back. He tried to clear his mind and focus on the duel, but all Obi-Wan could think about was Anakin's son. He couldn't fail him! He couldn't let Maul take him! All the years he had spent looking after him. It couldn't have all been a waste!
"Luke, let's go!"
Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Bridger running toward Maul's ship with an astromech droid right on his heels. Anakin's son began to follow them but he stopped himself. He turned back to watch the duel.
"Luke! Come on!"
Bridger had made it to the ship and was beckoning for Anakin's son to come with him.
"No!" Obi-Wan yelled. He couldn't get on that ship! He couldn't leave this planet!
A blow to Obi-Wan's chin sent him tumbling to the ground. Maul had hit him with the hilt of his lightsaber. Leaping into the air, the Sith raised his blade to deliver a mortal blow, but Obi-Wan managed to roll away just in time.
"Your powers are weak, old man!" Maul jeered as Obi-Wan struggled back to his feet.
"Your greed for power is what makes you weak, Maul," he shot back.
Maul laughed humorlessly at this response. "You were always a fool," he snarled. They began to circle each other, lightsabers still held at the ready. "And look what has become of you. A rat in the desert."
"Look what I have risen above," Obi-Wan said, raising his chin proudly.
The sound of engines roaring to life caused Obi-Wan's heart to sink. He ceased pacing and turned his back on Maul to see the ship flying off toward the stars. Utterly dejected, Obi-Wan dropped his lightsaber to the ground and fell to his knees. Behind him, he heard Maul prowling. A lightsaber hummed in his ear and his eyes darted to the left to see a red blade mere inches from his neck.
"I have dreamed of killing you for decades," Maul said.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and sighed. "Do you think revenge will grant you the finality you seek?" he asked with the utmost apathy.
Maul growled. "Before I kill you, I must know one thing," he said. Obi-Wan bowed his head and closed his eyes. "The boy."
"You will not touch him," Obi-Wan said.
He felt the lightsaber be pulled away as Maul walked around toward his front. Obi-Wan didn't look up as he waited for his foe to speak.
"Skywalker," he hissed. "The son of Vader."
At this, Obi-Wan finally raised his head. How did Maul know about that?
"I tried to warn his Padawan," Maul said, answering Obi-Wan's unasked question. "I offered her my hand, but she refused to believe me. In your obduracy, you Jedi allowed this to happen! You brought this ruin upon us!"
"You blame me rather than the monster who was behind it all?" Obi-Wan asked. "Are you really that narrow-minded?"
Maul slashed his lightsaber into the ground, kicking up sand into Obi-Wan's lap. "I despise Sidious!" he roared. "I despise Vader! And I despise you! You are all responsible!"
Obi-Wan gave Maul a sympathetic look. "You and I both were betrayed," he said.
Maul scoffed at this. Raising his lightsaber, he pointed the blade at Obi-Wan's chin. "Enough of this," he said. "Tell me. Is he the Chosen One?"
Undeterred, Obi-Wan met Maul's yellow eyes with unfaltering calm. "He is," he said.
Maul's face twitched. It seemed he hadn't been expecting such a confident affirmative. A long silence followed as the two men stared at each other. Suddenly, Maul retracted his lightsaber and deactivated the blade.
"You will lead me to him," he demanded.
Obi-Wan blinked a few times in disbelief. "You aren't going to kill me?" he asked.
"In time," Maul said. "But if what you say is true, you might be useful to me yet, Kenobi."
"I don't know where he's gone," Obi-Wan said honestly.
"But you can find him," Maul insisted. "And together, we can get our revenge!"
"Revenge is not something I seek," Obi-Wan claimed.
"Oh no?" Maul asked. He kneeled down to Obi-Wan's level. "Did you not wish death upon me after I killed your master? Or what about after I murdered your friend the Duchess? Don't lie, old man. You hate me as much as I hate you!"
Obi-Wan grit his teeth and shook his head. "I don't hate you," he struggled to say. "I pity you."
Maul sneered at him before standing back up. As he loomed above, Maul contemplated Obi-Wan's impassive expression before offering him his hand. "You have a simple choice," he said. "Join me... or die."
There was no choice. Obi-Wan took his hand.
Author's Note: I put off watching Rebels for a long time because I heard a lot of negative things about it, but I regret ever having listened to the naysayers! I love the Spectre crew – they're such great, dynamic characters. Next chapter, Luke will get to meet them (save Sabine, unfortunately). Hope you enjoyed!