The dreams become worse . . . the memories more real . . . what is
happening? And then, a person from Ben's past comes back . . . and all
hell is about to break loose . . .
****************************************************************************
********
The Past Returns
Chapter Sixteen
- A Visitor From The Past-
Journal Entry 24: "Wow. That's all I can say. The flashbacks are getting more confusing. It's like they're memories or something, but that couldn't be possible. I mean, I'm only twenty-three, and it's not like I had that much of a life experience to have that many memories. Well, on second thought, I could, but the planet that I keep seeing. It's unlike any planet I've seen in my lifetime, at least the one I remember. It's a planet covered in blue oceans, kind of like Mon Calamari, but there's also a lot of land, covered in green and sprawling cities. A word came to me last night, in a dream. Earth. Could that be the name of that planet? Why did it seem so familiar? And these spurts of anger that come over me. I've tried to control them, but it just doesn't work. I don't know what to do. I can't go over to the dark side, I just can't. I want to become a Jedi, and no dream is going to stop me from accomplishing my goal."
A few days later, the doctor came in to tell them the good news, that they had found a cure. Ben would be out of there in no time.
Ben slept soundly as Luke watched over him. Luke looked out the large view- port at the nighttime of Coruscant. The window and walls were soundproof, so no sound could be heard from the passing speeders. The light from outside that passed through the blinds let in some light, enough for Luke to see. Luke looked at Ben. These past few days have been so strange. How could Ben know all those things from the past, if he had never been there? It just didn't make sense.
Suddenly Ben moaned, rolling to his side. "No, Damon, please don't say that," Ben mumbled in his sleep. Damon? What was going on?
* * *
Ben tossed and turned, the dream so vivid in his mind. . . .
"I've come to apologize. For everything." Ben heard himself say.
"That won't fix what you did," a cold voice said. "You can say those words but that can't heal the wounds you've caused or the harm you've done to so many people as a result of your selfishness. The damage is done and it's too late to fix it."
"Why are you being so cold? Damon, we're best friends."
"Were, remember?" he said coldly. "I even tried to be nice to you and all I got was slapped in the face."
"Damon, please. I just found out what Darth Sidious really plans to do. I found out that he's been using me."
Damon sneered. "You've finally figured that out? I've been trying to tell you that the moment I realized that you were with him but you wouldn't have any of it."
"I've come here to become a Jedi."
"That's not possible. You're tainted by the dark side. Master Yoda said that if once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. He told me that in my training. And it's true. No matter what you say, the dark side will forever taint your future."
"But I can work really hard. Please, help me."
"Why should I?"
"Because you're my brother."
"You betrayed me. You killed my wife, my son, and my best friend. Are you so stupid and naive that you'd actually believe that I'd forgive you for what you've done? You murdered Jedi ruthlessly. You killed millions of people just because you felt like it."
"Damon, I'm different."
"Hah!" Damon laughed scornfully. "That's a really funny joke." His face grew cold. "Do you really think I'm going to trust you? For all I know, this could be part of your plan to get to my remaining son or the other Jedi."
"It's not!" Ben cried, tears springing to his eyes.
"Stop the crying. It's not going to work on me. I once tried to be warm and receptive to you. I cared a lot about your safety and I tried to warn you ahead of time. It made me feel so guilty when I thought you had died on my account. I had cared so much about you and I was ready to do anything to save your life, even give up my own. Now I realize that it would have been pointless." Ben tried to say something but Damon held up his hand. "I tried to help you, but you, stubborn as always, wouldn't see the truth in my words. Now you're paying for it and you're crawling back to me for help. When we were still on Earth, I once thought that you were the nicest, most caring person I had ever met. Maybe you had a temper, but hey, I had one too. You always seemed to be helping people and I had thought you'd do almost anything for me. Now I see your true self. That the whole routine was always a cover up to hide the selfish, ruthless, uncaring, heartless, cold-blooded person you really are."
"No!" Ben cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"No matter what you say, I'll never forgive you so you might as well give up trying. I tried to help and instead I got slapped and my heart torn apart and so, I'm not going to help you anymore. You've already hurt me too much." He stood and opened the door. "I'm sorry Ben, but after what you've done and are capable of, I can't trust you. I mean, you murdered millions of innocent people and innocent Jedi, you didn't even care. You didn't even look back. You don't care anymore and now I see you never did. There's nothing you can do that will make me trust you. You've broken that bond of trust and nothing can put that trust back together. Once trust is broken, it can never be healed. Goodbye. Forever. . . . .
"NO, DAMON!" Ben yelled, sitting upright. He looked around the room, breathing hard.
Luke ran over to him, sitting on the bed. Luke put a comforting hand on Ben's shoulder. "Another bad dream?"
Ben looked at Luke, tears welling up in his eyes. "What does all this mean? These dreams, they're so real. Did I kill millions of innocent people and not realize it?" Ben looked down, putting his head in his hands. "I don't know where these dreams are coming from. It just doesn't make sense."
* * *
Two years later, Ben stood in Mon Mothma's chambers. She looked at him. "Ben Kenobi, over these past three years you have been training and keeping pace with Luke Skywalker. His updates gave me useful information and with that information, I feel that we can trust you." Ben let out a small, quiet sigh of relief. "You have proven yourself worthy in his eyes, and therefore my own. We wish you luck in the future and I hope that the Alliance will provide you with a good home."
"Thank you. Thank you so much!" Ben said, smiling.
* * *
Later on, Luke and Ben sat at a table at a nearby restaurant. Ben took a sip of his water and bit into his desert. "So," Luke said, swallowing the food in his mouth, "What are you planning on doing now? Where will you go?"
"Well," Ben said, swallowing. "I'm not sure exactly. I figured I would just travel and see all the worlds that I can."
"I wish you luck. With your Jedi training, you'll make a fine Jedi Knight someday."
Ben smiled. "I hope so."
Luke smiled and then grew serious. "How have those dreams been going?"
Ben looked down, suddenly losing his appetite. "I haven't had any new ones for a while now. One thing, though, that had stuck out in my mind, is the name of the planet Eriadu. I'm thinking that I might go to this planet and see if I can find some answers."
"That sounds like a plan."
"I'm leaving tonight for Eriadu."
"Well, then I won't hold you up. I've got to speak with my sister. Senate problems, the usual," Luke said, standing. Ben stood, after finishing his desert. A droid wheeled up to them and Luke paid the bill. The droid wheeled away and Luke turned to Ben. "It was good seeing you."
Ben stood. "Good luck, Luke. You'll make a great Jedi Master someday."
"Thanks. If you ever need anything, feel free to contact me or Leia. Leia said that anytime you ever need anything, just contact her, and she'll do what she can."
"Thank you. Good-bye." Ben nodded.
They shook hands and then hugged. "Good-bye," Luke said.
Ben turned and left the restaurant, going to a loading dock. With credits, he bought a ticket on a freighter. He glanced back before boarding. Then he boarded. It lifted off soon after.
* * *
An old man, about eighty-five, sat in the back of the freighter. He watched as a young man, about twenty-five, boarded. The old man took in the dark Jedi robe, the flash of a lightsaber hanging at his side, the dark black hair and the piercing green eyes. The young man walked over to an empty seat and sat, looking out a small window.
The old man scratched his once blond beard. That man looks familiar, he thought. He sat back, shifting in his slightly uncomfortable seat, his cloak moving, revealing his lightsaber. He quickly covered it. No one was within two persons of him, but he had to be cautious. He couldn't reveal that he was a Jedi. Not yet. Not yet.
* * *
Ben watched as the stars melted together to form star lines as they went into hyperspace. He sighed. He was what, twenty-five, yet he felt like he was so much older. He looked around the small area he was in. Benches lined the sides, leaving just enough room in the middle for feet. It was packed with a variety of species all around him, but towards the back there was an old man, hidden in the shadows. No one was near him. Ben noticed him staring. Ben quickly adverted his eyes. Who in the blazes is that? He shook his head and took out his journal and a pen.
Journal Entry 25:
"I'm heading to Eriadu. All I know is that it's far away from the core. Outer Rim. There's this man here, I don't know who he is, but he keeps looking at me. I can't see his face, it's covered in shadows. I sense something though. It's either me, or that guy is strong in the Force. Another Jedi? The only problem with that is the fact that Luke and I are the only remaining Jedi. I'm going to find out what that guy knows."
There was a slight tug as the ship pulled out of hyperspace. Ben grabbed onto the edge of his seat, putting his journal and pen away. As the ship lowered through the atmosphere, the ship rocked slightly. Then it landed. The hatch opened and people started piling out. Ben moved quickly through the crowd. He walked into the spaceport and walked over to a table where a guard stood. "Your pass please?" The guard held out his hand.
"Oh, um, yeah." Ben fumbled in a pocket inside his robe. Then he realized that his pocket was empty. The ID card must have fallen out. Ben looked back at the guard. "Um, it seems that I-"
"He's with me," a firm voice said. Ben turned to the see the old man from the transport standing next to him. The man handed the guard two ID cards. Ben saw his. What the - How did he get that?
The guard looked at them and nodded, handing them back. "Go on."
Ben started walking, the old man keeping pace. "So, why did you help me?" Ben asked finally.
"You looked like you needed a hand there."
"Thanks. But um, if I may ask, why were you looking at me like that on the ship?"
"You look like someone I once knew, someone that died a long time ago. I was just making sure you weren't him back from the dead," the man added jokingly.
Ben laughed. "Yeah, well to my knowledge I haven't died yet," Ben said, smiling.
"Would you care for a drink?"
"Sure, I'm really thirsty. Thank you."
"You're welcome." They walked to the nearest cantina in the spaceport, taking two stools by the bar. The man ordered for the both of them. When they got their drinks, they walked over to a table in the back, sitting across from each other. The nearest person was a Rodian, and he was sitting three tables away. "What's your name, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Ben Kenobi." Ben didn't notice the shocked look on the man's face, for he was looking around the cantina. "What's yours?" Ben asked, looking back at the man.
The man swallowed. "Damon."
The name rang familiar in the back of Ben's memory. Damon. Where had I heard that name before? Ben thought. He stared at the wall beside Damon, thoughtful.
* * *
Damon sat there, staring at Ben. Ben looked thoughtful and didn't seem to notice Damon's uneasiness. Ben Kenobi. That name. First he looks like my brother, now he has the same name? Could he be a son or grandson then? If he is, what now?
Damon remembered back to when they first had gotten to Coruscant. Ben had been a totally different person. . . .
"I am so nervous!" Ben exclaimed as he and Damon stood outside the council chambers. "Remember back when we wished we could be here, and now here we are!"
"I know! This is it! This is the time when we finally become Jedi! I remember reading all those books, wishing I could be a Jedi, and now, here we are!" Damon said, grinning.
Ben grinned back. "We'll get to see Yoda! And Qui-Gon! I wonder if Obi- Wan is here, or if he even is born yet!"
A Jedi came out of the chambers, approaching Ben. "Are you Ben Kenobi?" he asked.
Ben nodded. "Yes."
"The Jedi Council is ready to see you."
Ben glanced at Damon, who gave him a reassuring smile. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Ben said, and went into the chamber. . . .
Damon shook his head, clearing that memory. That had been the last time Ben was happy, the last time Damon had seen a smile on Ben's face. When Damon had gone in, he had been chosen and then, he found out that Ben hadn't. Ben's anger had controlled him and Damon was willing to try to help, but Ben fled before he could do anything. He remembered what Ben had said that had hurt him so badly. . . .
"What's the matter with you?"
"What do you think?!" Ben asked, his voice rising, his green eyes flashing with anger and something darker and more dangerous. "You're older than me and got accepted to be trained as a Jedi! I'm not!"
"I didn't know that," Damon said softly, looking up at him.
"Nor would you care!"
Damon's face took on a look of shock by Ben's brashness. "Of course I would care. How could you think otherwise? Please Ben, calm down. Your hatred is blinding you, convincing you that I'm the enemy."
"Why should I calm down?! You've always gotten things over me but this . . . this is it."
"You're not realizing what you're doing. Please, reconsider. You're teetering on that edge between light and dark and I'm worried you're going to get in over your head and not be able to get out."
Ben twisted his arm out of Damon's grasp and backhanded Damon with all his anger. Damon staggered back, a hand on his cheek where Ben had slapped him.
"I hate you!" With that, Ben ran down the corridor.
"BEN!" Damon shook his head, a tear running down his cheek . . .
Damon clenched his hand, remembering that moment. Ben had hurt him so badly when he said that Damon hadn't cared about him. Of course he had and he had tried to be a friend, he tried talking to Ben, but it just wouldn't work. He remembered when Qui-Gon had told him about what had happened on the planet Eriadu . . . .
Damon sat in his chambers, twenty-five years old. He stayed at the Temple just to keep learning, helping Qui-Gon and helping Master Yoda train the new students in the ways of the Force. Damon took out a candle, lit it and practiced his techniques on the flame, making it swirl in different shapes and sizes.
The door opened and Damon extinguished the flame, looking up to see Qui- Gon, who sat down on his bed. "Practicing I see," Qui-Gon said, smiling.
"Yes."
"Have you heard the news?"
"No, what happened?" Damon said, putting the candle away.
"Your friend has struck again."
"Why do you keep calling him my friend?" Damon asked, looking at Qui-Gon.
"You are friends, deep down. Don't give up on him."
"I won't."
"Are you familiar with the Trade Federation sector, involving the planets of Naboo, Umgul, Sullust, Eriadu, and Sluis Van?"
"Not very, but I do know a little."
Qui-Gon nodded. "The planet Eriadu has one major city, Eriadus, and then the rest of the planet is populated by small villages of farmers. Ben, under orders of his Master, went to that city, and destroyed it."
Damon looked down, balling his hands into fists. Why Ben? Why? . . . . .
Another memory flashed in front of Damon's eyes, the words coming back to him from the time when he had confronted Ben on Earth. . . .
"We can still save you. With Yoda's help, we can help you begin your healing. You can return to the light side. Throw away the dark side and join us."
"What is the dark side? Is there really such a thing? From what I've heard, the dark side seems to be anything that disagrees with the hide- bound, divisive, every-tree-and-bush-is-sacred teachings that shackled the Jedi gifts like an iron chain. Just because I'm learning things a little differently and easier at that, you want to stop me? You have your ideals, and I have mine."
"Ben, come on. Come with me."
"No way."
"You don't know -"
"What I'm doing?" Ben finished. "I know perfectly what I am doing and it's what I want. You have always had your way on everything and now it's my turn to do things my way. You disagree with my ideas so you're trying to prevent me from achieving my goals."
"The dark side is controlling you. Remember when we were little, that one time that kid was picking on you and I beat him up?"
"I remember. I remember that you thought I was so helpless and stupid that I couldn't take care of myself."
"No, Ben. You're twisting things around!"
"Oh, so now you're yelling at me?! You're not my father. You can't tell me what to do. You're always lecturing me! Do this, do that! Well, what if I don't want to? What if I want to do what I want to do?" Ben looked around. "Where is my ship?"
"It's not here. The only way off Earth is with me." Ben didn't say anything. "I saw what happened at your house," Damon said, his voice softer. "With your uncle. You're slipping further and further down the dark path and -"
"What were you doing? Spying on me?! I thought we were friends. Oh yeah, I forgot, you don't care about me anymore. You wanted me off the face of the Earth so that you could go prancing around in your Jedi costume, acting all good and that."
"Ben, you know I was only worried about you. That's why I followed you," Damon said softly.
"Followed me?! Am I your dog or something?! I have my own life! Why can't you just accept that?!"
"I accept that you can make your own decisions and that you have your own life. What I don't accept is your way of going about making a life. You're choosing the wrong path and I'm afraid -"
"Just shut up! All my life it was Damon this, Damon that. You always got everything. You always had to be better. Had to show me up so that I'd feel inferior." Damon began to protest but Ben held his hand up. "And now that I've finally excelled in something and become better than you in that something, you want to take it away from me? I don't believe this." Ben shook his head.
"Please Ben; don't let our friendship break up over this."
"What friendship? We never had one. You were just another person looking over my shoulder and telling me what to do. . . . . . .
Damon clenched his teeth, thinking about that. He had tried to help Ben, and he had gotten slapped in the face. He had been so worried, and now, he realized that he shouldn't have. Damon remembered when Ben had tried to turn Damon's son against him and when he had ruthlessly murdered his wife . . . .
"NOOOOOOO!" Damon screamed, stopping suddenly in the middle of a corridor in the Jedi Temple. He fell to his knees, his hands on his head. "No, no, no, no, no . . ." he said over and over again. "Oh God, no." Tears streamed down his face. Jedi rushed to his side and he felt Mace Windu's strong arm around his waist, lifting him up. "He killed her! She's gone! I told her not to go!" Sobs filled his voice as he felt Mace Windu embrace him. "I told her not to go," he repeated softly. . . . .
and his other son, Tarc . . . .
Damon set down his ship on the planet Boria and jumped out of the cockpit as the cover lifted upwards. Damon ran towards the still form that he saw lying on the moss covered ground. "No, no," Damon said, tears filling his eyes. He knelt beside the still form of his son, Tarc, who laid face down on the ground. Damon rolled him over and pulled him close to his chest, where he rocked back and forth, tears streaming down his face. "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Damon yelled, his face turned up to the heavens.
Tahl walked up slowly behind Damon and placed a hand on his shoulder. He had buried his face in his son's hair, still holding him tightly. His sobs had quieted down, but his entire body still heaved. Damon looked up at Tahl, his face streaked with tears.
"Why did he have to do this Tahl? What did this prove? He killed an innocent boy, one who had done nothing to him? What did I do to deserve this?" . . . . .
Ben had been so jealous of Tarc but he had had no right to be . . . .
"Where is my son?" Damon asked again, spacing out the words.
Ben shook his head. "You're no fun, no fun at all Damon. You haven't changed one bit." Ben sighed and shrugged. "Oh well." Ben waved one hand and a section of the forest disappeared to reveal Damon's son, Tarc, but it wasn't a pretty sight. Tarc hung by his wrists from a tall metal rod over a huge fiery pit. Snarls and howling came from the pit. Damon took a step closer and saw that the pit was filled with lava creatures called chuzarks. Chuzarks were large, fiery monsters with rows of tiny, needle sharp teeth and small black eyes. They were known to devour their prey bit by bit. Damon looked up at his unconscious son, hanging over the chuzark filled pit. Damon moved to go after his son, but in an instant, Ben stood before him, blocking his path. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you take one step closer, I'll release his bonds," Ben sneered. "What's the matter, brother? Seen a ghost?" Ben laughed.
"Move out of the way, Ben," Damon said slowly. "Release my son. He's done nothing to you."
"Oh, but he has. He WAS BORN!" Ben's anger flared as he yelled the last words. "You abandoned me and then you married and had HIM!" Ben pointed at Tarc who moaned as a flame leapt up and licked his foot. "Why Damon, WHY? Why did you abandon me? You left me, in a manner of speaking, to the chuzarks! You didn't care! And now that your little brat son is in danger, sure, you'll save him, but WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME???!!!"
Damon looked Ben in the eyes. "I tried, you know that. You wouldn't have any of it. It was your own fault that you've become like this, a cold- hearted, hate-filled, spiteful creature. You have no right to accuse me of abandoning you. You murdered my wife out of cold-blood! You think I don't know pain? Loosing her was like loosing a part of me! First you run off, go to the dark side, and then blame me. Then you killed my wife. Now you want to murder my innocent son, who had done nothing to you? I want to hate you with every part of me! And I should! But I'm not like you; I'm not cold-blooded and heartless. Jedi do not hate." Damon's voice grew calmer. "Don't you try to tell me what's right and what's not. You stepped out of that area a long time ago. So leave my family alone and leave me alone."
Ben shook with bottled up rage. He looked ready to explode and then he straightened and actually smiled! "You're not as righteous as you claim to be, Damon. You're not as perfect as you think you are. You need to be taught about loss and hate. If you loose everything you love, maybe you'll feel a small measurement of how I felt when you left me on my own. Say goodbye to your son forever."
Ben laughed and made a motion with his hand. Tarc had just opened his eyes when the rope suddenly snapped and he fell straight towards the pit. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in a soundless scream.
"Tarc!" Damon yelled and ran at his falling son. . . . . .
Then the battle on the landing platform. The end, when Ben had apologized. . . . .
"You don't have to apologize, Ben."
"Yes I do. I was selfish and stubborn. I didn't think when I made that decision to train under Palpatine, my anger controlled me. You don't know what it's like . . . being under Palpatine's power. There's no resisting him. I tried at first but I found myself falling deeper and deeper into the dark side and it's so hard . . . so hard to climb back out. I thought I could handle it, but now I realize that I was just being foolish. I didn't think how my choice would affect others, I just cared about me. I'm sorry that we couldn't have both become Jedi Knights. You know, that's what I've always dreamed of."
"I know," Damon said in a choked voice, full of tears. "You can still come back."
"It's too late for me."
"No, it isn't. Darth Vader came back."
"Yes, but he gave up his life to do so."
"You're not going to die and you are going to come back to the light side."
"He died because he saved Luke's life. I'm going to die because of my own selfishness and arrogance." Ben gritted his teeth in pain. "I-I killed millions of people Damon. Ruthlessly. I didn't even care. I killed your wife and your son. I can't be forgiven for that. I deserve to die for what I did."
"No, Ben. Please, don't go. I forgive you."
Ben smiled. Ben's face took on a look of peace and hope. Ben sighed. "You're the best brother I could ever have . . ." Ben slumped into Damon's arms . . . . .
That had all been a lie. He couldn't believe that he had actually believed Ben. After that, Damon didn't know what to think. Then Ben killed his best friend and his apprentice . . . . .
Damon sat in his quarters, mediating. The Force was flowing through him, calming him. Suddenly a wave of pain and fear washed over him and voices cried out and then were silenced. Damon opened his eyes abruptly, standing. He had just felt the deaths of two Jedi, but who? He suddenly had a sinking feeling inside his gut. Ulian! "Damn you, Ben!" Damon yelled, ramming his fist into the wall. . . . .
That had been the last straw. When Ben had come back, trying to apologize, Damon had brushed him off. And now, his grandson, if that's who this kid was, was sitting right across the table from Damon. He could easily reach over and kill the boy. Damon took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He had to let go of his anger so that he could think clearly.
What could he do? He had hated Ben so much then, and still did, even though Ben had to be dead for he hadn't heard anything after Ben had ran out. Did he hate the Kenobi's period? But that was his family; he had the same blood line. Did he really hate all of them, or just Ben? Should he give this kid a chance to prove himself as good or bad? But he had Damon's brother's blood in him, so there was the chance of him turning evil. He had to find out more about this kid before he laid out his final plans. Then he would decide if he should take this kid under his wing, or kill him outright.
Damon looked at Ben. "Ben," Damon said. Ben looked at him. "Where did you grow up?"
Ben's eyes widened for a moment and then he sat back. "I grew up on Tatooine."
"Did you know your father?"
"No," Ben said hesitantly. "He died when I was very young and I was put in foster care by a man who was living by me."
"Who was that man?"
"His name was Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Damon swallowed. That was his son. Obi-Wan . . . the boy that his brother had tried to convert. This kid had known him? "What about your grandfather?"
"No."
"Did you have any friends on Tatooine?"
"Luke."
"What were his parents' names?"
"Owen Lars and - why are you asking me all these questions?" Owen, Yenasta's son, Damon thought. Damon realized that he had been asking a few too many direct questions.
"You just look like someone I used to know," Damon said, trying to cover up his previous actions.
"What? I do? Who?" Ben asked, leaning forward.
"A man that I never want to think about again."
"I'm sorry," Ben said, leaning back.
"No, it's okay."
"I've been trying to figure out my past, ever since I was little, getting bits and pieces of information here and there. I never knew my ancestors, yet Obi-Wan said that my father had been evil. When you said that I looked familiar, I thought that maybe you had known my father, or grandfather."
"Well, then, I suppose it is about time you found out some things about your past." Damon then proceeded to tell Ben about his grandfather. About when they first got to Coruscant, when Ben had turned to the dark side, everything.
When Damon was finished, Ben sat back. "Thank you very much, sir," Ben said. "That really answers a lot of my questions. As I said before, Obi- Wan didn't know that much and then he left when I was young, so I never got a chance to ask him more questions."
Damon sat back, thoughtful. This Ben seemed like how his brother had been before they got to Coruscant. But still, this kid was a direct link to that cold, ruthless, evil person that had been Damon's brother. This kid had that same blood, and even if he was a Jedi, that didn't mean anything. He could still turn evil, just like his grandfather or father.
Damon looked at the boy as Ben sipped his drink. This kid seemed innocent, but that didn't mean he didn't have a dark past.
"Do you ever have realistic dreams?" Ben asked out of the blue. Damon blinked his eyes, coming out of his thoughts. Ben looked up at Damon as he finished his drink. "Do you?"
"I, well, sometimes. Why?"
"Ever since I was little, I knew that there was more to my past then I knew about. That there was some dark, hidden secret just waiting to jump out. I have these dreams, but they're during the day mostly. But these don't seem like the dreams that are just dreams, if that makes any sense. They're more like memories. I'm sorry; I'm not making any sense, am I?" Ben looked down.
"No, I understand you perfectly. Continue," Damon said, leaning forward, interested.
Ben looked back at Damon. "Well, I have visions also. Like my dreams, they seem more like memories. They're so real, as if I'm actually reliving them! I mean, I can feel the betrayal, the hurt. I have this journal that had been my father's. I still write in it, but I think that it may have a few answers. Half of it I can't read though. Over the years the pages turned yellow and the writing is smeared in some places. Like the last entry my father wrote. I can't read it. Believe me, I've tried. It's just not readable."
This kid knew about his grandfather and his father, through dreams? Damon thought. If his visions were has real as he was telling them to be, he might actually be reliving the past. That just makes him more dangerous though. With the past shadowing this kid, he has an even bigger chance of turning to the dark side. That still brought Damon to the same question. Should he kill the kid right now, should he protect the galaxy from this evil, or should he take him under his wing?
"You must think I'm crazy," Ben said softly.
"No, I don't."
"I just don't understand them. How can dreams be real?"
"Maybe you just think that they're real."
"No, it's not that. I'd know if I was imagining them. They're real, I know that for sure. It's just that I don't know why they seem like memories. Like I had lived a different life years ago. But that couldn't be possible, could it?"
Damon looked down, thinking. How had this kid gotten all of those memories? Damon looked at Ben, who had looked down at the table with a troubled expression on his face.
"Ben, I -"
Ben looked up. "You don't believe me."
"No, it's not that, it's just, maybe you ate something bad," Damon said, trying to lighten the mood.
"I don't think so." Ben sighed. "Thank you for listening."
"It was no problem. But maybe these visions are trying to tell you something."
"Like what?"
Damon stood. "That, you will have to figure out for yourself. As for me, I've got to get going. I have a mission I'm in the middle of at the moment. Just a little information gathering. Goodbye, Ben. I wish you luck in your researching."
"Thank you, but -"
Damon walked towards the bar.
* * *
Ben sat back, thinking. That man had really gotten him spooked. Everything that Damon had told him, he didn't just understand, but he had remembered. When Damon had spoken of the past, Ben had remembered exactly what Damon had been telling him. But how could that be? That wasn't possible. Also, Obi-Wan had said that his father had been the one that was evil, but now this man was telling him it was his grandfather? Maybe it was both. Ben shook his head, sitting back. He had been in space way too long. He was thinking insanely. Ben smiled and looked out the window of the cantina.
* * *
Damon stood by the bar, waiting for his refill. He looked at Ben, who looked very thoughtful. He looked almost sad and Damon almost, almost, felt sorry for the kid. He watched as Ben looked out the window. The bartender, who was a Rodian, handed Damon his drink and with a nod, he left the cantina. Damon was going to have to do this the hard way. There were information brokers in this city, and that's who he would use to find more about this boy's past. He would put his "feelers" out and see what he could find. But the question, if Ben turned out to be his brother's grandson, what was he going to do?
Chapter Sixteen
- A Visitor From The Past-
Journal Entry 24: "Wow. That's all I can say. The flashbacks are getting more confusing. It's like they're memories or something, but that couldn't be possible. I mean, I'm only twenty-three, and it's not like I had that much of a life experience to have that many memories. Well, on second thought, I could, but the planet that I keep seeing. It's unlike any planet I've seen in my lifetime, at least the one I remember. It's a planet covered in blue oceans, kind of like Mon Calamari, but there's also a lot of land, covered in green and sprawling cities. A word came to me last night, in a dream. Earth. Could that be the name of that planet? Why did it seem so familiar? And these spurts of anger that come over me. I've tried to control them, but it just doesn't work. I don't know what to do. I can't go over to the dark side, I just can't. I want to become a Jedi, and no dream is going to stop me from accomplishing my goal."
A few days later, the doctor came in to tell them the good news, that they had found a cure. Ben would be out of there in no time.
Ben slept soundly as Luke watched over him. Luke looked out the large view- port at the nighttime of Coruscant. The window and walls were soundproof, so no sound could be heard from the passing speeders. The light from outside that passed through the blinds let in some light, enough for Luke to see. Luke looked at Ben. These past few days have been so strange. How could Ben know all those things from the past, if he had never been there? It just didn't make sense.
Suddenly Ben moaned, rolling to his side. "No, Damon, please don't say that," Ben mumbled in his sleep. Damon? What was going on?
* * *
Ben tossed and turned, the dream so vivid in his mind. . . .
"I've come to apologize. For everything." Ben heard himself say.
"That won't fix what you did," a cold voice said. "You can say those words but that can't heal the wounds you've caused or the harm you've done to so many people as a result of your selfishness. The damage is done and it's too late to fix it."
"Why are you being so cold? Damon, we're best friends."
"Were, remember?" he said coldly. "I even tried to be nice to you and all I got was slapped in the face."
"Damon, please. I just found out what Darth Sidious really plans to do. I found out that he's been using me."
Damon sneered. "You've finally figured that out? I've been trying to tell you that the moment I realized that you were with him but you wouldn't have any of it."
"I've come here to become a Jedi."
"That's not possible. You're tainted by the dark side. Master Yoda said that if once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. He told me that in my training. And it's true. No matter what you say, the dark side will forever taint your future."
"But I can work really hard. Please, help me."
"Why should I?"
"Because you're my brother."
"You betrayed me. You killed my wife, my son, and my best friend. Are you so stupid and naive that you'd actually believe that I'd forgive you for what you've done? You murdered Jedi ruthlessly. You killed millions of people just because you felt like it."
"Damon, I'm different."
"Hah!" Damon laughed scornfully. "That's a really funny joke." His face grew cold. "Do you really think I'm going to trust you? For all I know, this could be part of your plan to get to my remaining son or the other Jedi."
"It's not!" Ben cried, tears springing to his eyes.
"Stop the crying. It's not going to work on me. I once tried to be warm and receptive to you. I cared a lot about your safety and I tried to warn you ahead of time. It made me feel so guilty when I thought you had died on my account. I had cared so much about you and I was ready to do anything to save your life, even give up my own. Now I realize that it would have been pointless." Ben tried to say something but Damon held up his hand. "I tried to help you, but you, stubborn as always, wouldn't see the truth in my words. Now you're paying for it and you're crawling back to me for help. When we were still on Earth, I once thought that you were the nicest, most caring person I had ever met. Maybe you had a temper, but hey, I had one too. You always seemed to be helping people and I had thought you'd do almost anything for me. Now I see your true self. That the whole routine was always a cover up to hide the selfish, ruthless, uncaring, heartless, cold-blooded person you really are."
"No!" Ben cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"No matter what you say, I'll never forgive you so you might as well give up trying. I tried to help and instead I got slapped and my heart torn apart and so, I'm not going to help you anymore. You've already hurt me too much." He stood and opened the door. "I'm sorry Ben, but after what you've done and are capable of, I can't trust you. I mean, you murdered millions of innocent people and innocent Jedi, you didn't even care. You didn't even look back. You don't care anymore and now I see you never did. There's nothing you can do that will make me trust you. You've broken that bond of trust and nothing can put that trust back together. Once trust is broken, it can never be healed. Goodbye. Forever. . . . .
"NO, DAMON!" Ben yelled, sitting upright. He looked around the room, breathing hard.
Luke ran over to him, sitting on the bed. Luke put a comforting hand on Ben's shoulder. "Another bad dream?"
Ben looked at Luke, tears welling up in his eyes. "What does all this mean? These dreams, they're so real. Did I kill millions of innocent people and not realize it?" Ben looked down, putting his head in his hands. "I don't know where these dreams are coming from. It just doesn't make sense."
* * *
Two years later, Ben stood in Mon Mothma's chambers. She looked at him. "Ben Kenobi, over these past three years you have been training and keeping pace with Luke Skywalker. His updates gave me useful information and with that information, I feel that we can trust you." Ben let out a small, quiet sigh of relief. "You have proven yourself worthy in his eyes, and therefore my own. We wish you luck in the future and I hope that the Alliance will provide you with a good home."
"Thank you. Thank you so much!" Ben said, smiling.
* * *
Later on, Luke and Ben sat at a table at a nearby restaurant. Ben took a sip of his water and bit into his desert. "So," Luke said, swallowing the food in his mouth, "What are you planning on doing now? Where will you go?"
"Well," Ben said, swallowing. "I'm not sure exactly. I figured I would just travel and see all the worlds that I can."
"I wish you luck. With your Jedi training, you'll make a fine Jedi Knight someday."
Ben smiled. "I hope so."
Luke smiled and then grew serious. "How have those dreams been going?"
Ben looked down, suddenly losing his appetite. "I haven't had any new ones for a while now. One thing, though, that had stuck out in my mind, is the name of the planet Eriadu. I'm thinking that I might go to this planet and see if I can find some answers."
"That sounds like a plan."
"I'm leaving tonight for Eriadu."
"Well, then I won't hold you up. I've got to speak with my sister. Senate problems, the usual," Luke said, standing. Ben stood, after finishing his desert. A droid wheeled up to them and Luke paid the bill. The droid wheeled away and Luke turned to Ben. "It was good seeing you."
Ben stood. "Good luck, Luke. You'll make a great Jedi Master someday."
"Thanks. If you ever need anything, feel free to contact me or Leia. Leia said that anytime you ever need anything, just contact her, and she'll do what she can."
"Thank you. Good-bye." Ben nodded.
They shook hands and then hugged. "Good-bye," Luke said.
Ben turned and left the restaurant, going to a loading dock. With credits, he bought a ticket on a freighter. He glanced back before boarding. Then he boarded. It lifted off soon after.
* * *
An old man, about eighty-five, sat in the back of the freighter. He watched as a young man, about twenty-five, boarded. The old man took in the dark Jedi robe, the flash of a lightsaber hanging at his side, the dark black hair and the piercing green eyes. The young man walked over to an empty seat and sat, looking out a small window.
The old man scratched his once blond beard. That man looks familiar, he thought. He sat back, shifting in his slightly uncomfortable seat, his cloak moving, revealing his lightsaber. He quickly covered it. No one was within two persons of him, but he had to be cautious. He couldn't reveal that he was a Jedi. Not yet. Not yet.
* * *
Ben watched as the stars melted together to form star lines as they went into hyperspace. He sighed. He was what, twenty-five, yet he felt like he was so much older. He looked around the small area he was in. Benches lined the sides, leaving just enough room in the middle for feet. It was packed with a variety of species all around him, but towards the back there was an old man, hidden in the shadows. No one was near him. Ben noticed him staring. Ben quickly adverted his eyes. Who in the blazes is that? He shook his head and took out his journal and a pen.
Journal Entry 25:
"I'm heading to Eriadu. All I know is that it's far away from the core. Outer Rim. There's this man here, I don't know who he is, but he keeps looking at me. I can't see his face, it's covered in shadows. I sense something though. It's either me, or that guy is strong in the Force. Another Jedi? The only problem with that is the fact that Luke and I are the only remaining Jedi. I'm going to find out what that guy knows."
There was a slight tug as the ship pulled out of hyperspace. Ben grabbed onto the edge of his seat, putting his journal and pen away. As the ship lowered through the atmosphere, the ship rocked slightly. Then it landed. The hatch opened and people started piling out. Ben moved quickly through the crowd. He walked into the spaceport and walked over to a table where a guard stood. "Your pass please?" The guard held out his hand.
"Oh, um, yeah." Ben fumbled in a pocket inside his robe. Then he realized that his pocket was empty. The ID card must have fallen out. Ben looked back at the guard. "Um, it seems that I-"
"He's with me," a firm voice said. Ben turned to the see the old man from the transport standing next to him. The man handed the guard two ID cards. Ben saw his. What the - How did he get that?
The guard looked at them and nodded, handing them back. "Go on."
Ben started walking, the old man keeping pace. "So, why did you help me?" Ben asked finally.
"You looked like you needed a hand there."
"Thanks. But um, if I may ask, why were you looking at me like that on the ship?"
"You look like someone I once knew, someone that died a long time ago. I was just making sure you weren't him back from the dead," the man added jokingly.
Ben laughed. "Yeah, well to my knowledge I haven't died yet," Ben said, smiling.
"Would you care for a drink?"
"Sure, I'm really thirsty. Thank you."
"You're welcome." They walked to the nearest cantina in the spaceport, taking two stools by the bar. The man ordered for the both of them. When they got their drinks, they walked over to a table in the back, sitting across from each other. The nearest person was a Rodian, and he was sitting three tables away. "What's your name, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Ben Kenobi." Ben didn't notice the shocked look on the man's face, for he was looking around the cantina. "What's yours?" Ben asked, looking back at the man.
The man swallowed. "Damon."
The name rang familiar in the back of Ben's memory. Damon. Where had I heard that name before? Ben thought. He stared at the wall beside Damon, thoughtful.
* * *
Damon sat there, staring at Ben. Ben looked thoughtful and didn't seem to notice Damon's uneasiness. Ben Kenobi. That name. First he looks like my brother, now he has the same name? Could he be a son or grandson then? If he is, what now?
Damon remembered back to when they first had gotten to Coruscant. Ben had been a totally different person. . . .
"I am so nervous!" Ben exclaimed as he and Damon stood outside the council chambers. "Remember back when we wished we could be here, and now here we are!"
"I know! This is it! This is the time when we finally become Jedi! I remember reading all those books, wishing I could be a Jedi, and now, here we are!" Damon said, grinning.
Ben grinned back. "We'll get to see Yoda! And Qui-Gon! I wonder if Obi- Wan is here, or if he even is born yet!"
A Jedi came out of the chambers, approaching Ben. "Are you Ben Kenobi?" he asked.
Ben nodded. "Yes."
"The Jedi Council is ready to see you."
Ben glanced at Damon, who gave him a reassuring smile. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Ben said, and went into the chamber. . . .
Damon shook his head, clearing that memory. That had been the last time Ben was happy, the last time Damon had seen a smile on Ben's face. When Damon had gone in, he had been chosen and then, he found out that Ben hadn't. Ben's anger had controlled him and Damon was willing to try to help, but Ben fled before he could do anything. He remembered what Ben had said that had hurt him so badly. . . .
"What's the matter with you?"
"What do you think?!" Ben asked, his voice rising, his green eyes flashing with anger and something darker and more dangerous. "You're older than me and got accepted to be trained as a Jedi! I'm not!"
"I didn't know that," Damon said softly, looking up at him.
"Nor would you care!"
Damon's face took on a look of shock by Ben's brashness. "Of course I would care. How could you think otherwise? Please Ben, calm down. Your hatred is blinding you, convincing you that I'm the enemy."
"Why should I calm down?! You've always gotten things over me but this . . . this is it."
"You're not realizing what you're doing. Please, reconsider. You're teetering on that edge between light and dark and I'm worried you're going to get in over your head and not be able to get out."
Ben twisted his arm out of Damon's grasp and backhanded Damon with all his anger. Damon staggered back, a hand on his cheek where Ben had slapped him.
"I hate you!" With that, Ben ran down the corridor.
"BEN!" Damon shook his head, a tear running down his cheek . . .
Damon clenched his hand, remembering that moment. Ben had hurt him so badly when he said that Damon hadn't cared about him. Of course he had and he had tried to be a friend, he tried talking to Ben, but it just wouldn't work. He remembered when Qui-Gon had told him about what had happened on the planet Eriadu . . . .
Damon sat in his chambers, twenty-five years old. He stayed at the Temple just to keep learning, helping Qui-Gon and helping Master Yoda train the new students in the ways of the Force. Damon took out a candle, lit it and practiced his techniques on the flame, making it swirl in different shapes and sizes.
The door opened and Damon extinguished the flame, looking up to see Qui- Gon, who sat down on his bed. "Practicing I see," Qui-Gon said, smiling.
"Yes."
"Have you heard the news?"
"No, what happened?" Damon said, putting the candle away.
"Your friend has struck again."
"Why do you keep calling him my friend?" Damon asked, looking at Qui-Gon.
"You are friends, deep down. Don't give up on him."
"I won't."
"Are you familiar with the Trade Federation sector, involving the planets of Naboo, Umgul, Sullust, Eriadu, and Sluis Van?"
"Not very, but I do know a little."
Qui-Gon nodded. "The planet Eriadu has one major city, Eriadus, and then the rest of the planet is populated by small villages of farmers. Ben, under orders of his Master, went to that city, and destroyed it."
Damon looked down, balling his hands into fists. Why Ben? Why? . . . . .
Another memory flashed in front of Damon's eyes, the words coming back to him from the time when he had confronted Ben on Earth. . . .
"We can still save you. With Yoda's help, we can help you begin your healing. You can return to the light side. Throw away the dark side and join us."
"What is the dark side? Is there really such a thing? From what I've heard, the dark side seems to be anything that disagrees with the hide- bound, divisive, every-tree-and-bush-is-sacred teachings that shackled the Jedi gifts like an iron chain. Just because I'm learning things a little differently and easier at that, you want to stop me? You have your ideals, and I have mine."
"Ben, come on. Come with me."
"No way."
"You don't know -"
"What I'm doing?" Ben finished. "I know perfectly what I am doing and it's what I want. You have always had your way on everything and now it's my turn to do things my way. You disagree with my ideas so you're trying to prevent me from achieving my goals."
"The dark side is controlling you. Remember when we were little, that one time that kid was picking on you and I beat him up?"
"I remember. I remember that you thought I was so helpless and stupid that I couldn't take care of myself."
"No, Ben. You're twisting things around!"
"Oh, so now you're yelling at me?! You're not my father. You can't tell me what to do. You're always lecturing me! Do this, do that! Well, what if I don't want to? What if I want to do what I want to do?" Ben looked around. "Where is my ship?"
"It's not here. The only way off Earth is with me." Ben didn't say anything. "I saw what happened at your house," Damon said, his voice softer. "With your uncle. You're slipping further and further down the dark path and -"
"What were you doing? Spying on me?! I thought we were friends. Oh yeah, I forgot, you don't care about me anymore. You wanted me off the face of the Earth so that you could go prancing around in your Jedi costume, acting all good and that."
"Ben, you know I was only worried about you. That's why I followed you," Damon said softly.
"Followed me?! Am I your dog or something?! I have my own life! Why can't you just accept that?!"
"I accept that you can make your own decisions and that you have your own life. What I don't accept is your way of going about making a life. You're choosing the wrong path and I'm afraid -"
"Just shut up! All my life it was Damon this, Damon that. You always got everything. You always had to be better. Had to show me up so that I'd feel inferior." Damon began to protest but Ben held his hand up. "And now that I've finally excelled in something and become better than you in that something, you want to take it away from me? I don't believe this." Ben shook his head.
"Please Ben; don't let our friendship break up over this."
"What friendship? We never had one. You were just another person looking over my shoulder and telling me what to do. . . . . . .
Damon clenched his teeth, thinking about that. He had tried to help Ben, and he had gotten slapped in the face. He had been so worried, and now, he realized that he shouldn't have. Damon remembered when Ben had tried to turn Damon's son against him and when he had ruthlessly murdered his wife . . . .
"NOOOOOOO!" Damon screamed, stopping suddenly in the middle of a corridor in the Jedi Temple. He fell to his knees, his hands on his head. "No, no, no, no, no . . ." he said over and over again. "Oh God, no." Tears streamed down his face. Jedi rushed to his side and he felt Mace Windu's strong arm around his waist, lifting him up. "He killed her! She's gone! I told her not to go!" Sobs filled his voice as he felt Mace Windu embrace him. "I told her not to go," he repeated softly. . . . .
and his other son, Tarc . . . .
Damon set down his ship on the planet Boria and jumped out of the cockpit as the cover lifted upwards. Damon ran towards the still form that he saw lying on the moss covered ground. "No, no," Damon said, tears filling his eyes. He knelt beside the still form of his son, Tarc, who laid face down on the ground. Damon rolled him over and pulled him close to his chest, where he rocked back and forth, tears streaming down his face. "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Damon yelled, his face turned up to the heavens.
Tahl walked up slowly behind Damon and placed a hand on his shoulder. He had buried his face in his son's hair, still holding him tightly. His sobs had quieted down, but his entire body still heaved. Damon looked up at Tahl, his face streaked with tears.
"Why did he have to do this Tahl? What did this prove? He killed an innocent boy, one who had done nothing to him? What did I do to deserve this?" . . . . .
Ben had been so jealous of Tarc but he had had no right to be . . . .
"Where is my son?" Damon asked again, spacing out the words.
Ben shook his head. "You're no fun, no fun at all Damon. You haven't changed one bit." Ben sighed and shrugged. "Oh well." Ben waved one hand and a section of the forest disappeared to reveal Damon's son, Tarc, but it wasn't a pretty sight. Tarc hung by his wrists from a tall metal rod over a huge fiery pit. Snarls and howling came from the pit. Damon took a step closer and saw that the pit was filled with lava creatures called chuzarks. Chuzarks were large, fiery monsters with rows of tiny, needle sharp teeth and small black eyes. They were known to devour their prey bit by bit. Damon looked up at his unconscious son, hanging over the chuzark filled pit. Damon moved to go after his son, but in an instant, Ben stood before him, blocking his path. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you take one step closer, I'll release his bonds," Ben sneered. "What's the matter, brother? Seen a ghost?" Ben laughed.
"Move out of the way, Ben," Damon said slowly. "Release my son. He's done nothing to you."
"Oh, but he has. He WAS BORN!" Ben's anger flared as he yelled the last words. "You abandoned me and then you married and had HIM!" Ben pointed at Tarc who moaned as a flame leapt up and licked his foot. "Why Damon, WHY? Why did you abandon me? You left me, in a manner of speaking, to the chuzarks! You didn't care! And now that your little brat son is in danger, sure, you'll save him, but WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME???!!!"
Damon looked Ben in the eyes. "I tried, you know that. You wouldn't have any of it. It was your own fault that you've become like this, a cold- hearted, hate-filled, spiteful creature. You have no right to accuse me of abandoning you. You murdered my wife out of cold-blood! You think I don't know pain? Loosing her was like loosing a part of me! First you run off, go to the dark side, and then blame me. Then you killed my wife. Now you want to murder my innocent son, who had done nothing to you? I want to hate you with every part of me! And I should! But I'm not like you; I'm not cold-blooded and heartless. Jedi do not hate." Damon's voice grew calmer. "Don't you try to tell me what's right and what's not. You stepped out of that area a long time ago. So leave my family alone and leave me alone."
Ben shook with bottled up rage. He looked ready to explode and then he straightened and actually smiled! "You're not as righteous as you claim to be, Damon. You're not as perfect as you think you are. You need to be taught about loss and hate. If you loose everything you love, maybe you'll feel a small measurement of how I felt when you left me on my own. Say goodbye to your son forever."
Ben laughed and made a motion with his hand. Tarc had just opened his eyes when the rope suddenly snapped and he fell straight towards the pit. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in a soundless scream.
"Tarc!" Damon yelled and ran at his falling son. . . . . .
Then the battle on the landing platform. The end, when Ben had apologized. . . . .
"You don't have to apologize, Ben."
"Yes I do. I was selfish and stubborn. I didn't think when I made that decision to train under Palpatine, my anger controlled me. You don't know what it's like . . . being under Palpatine's power. There's no resisting him. I tried at first but I found myself falling deeper and deeper into the dark side and it's so hard . . . so hard to climb back out. I thought I could handle it, but now I realize that I was just being foolish. I didn't think how my choice would affect others, I just cared about me. I'm sorry that we couldn't have both become Jedi Knights. You know, that's what I've always dreamed of."
"I know," Damon said in a choked voice, full of tears. "You can still come back."
"It's too late for me."
"No, it isn't. Darth Vader came back."
"Yes, but he gave up his life to do so."
"You're not going to die and you are going to come back to the light side."
"He died because he saved Luke's life. I'm going to die because of my own selfishness and arrogance." Ben gritted his teeth in pain. "I-I killed millions of people Damon. Ruthlessly. I didn't even care. I killed your wife and your son. I can't be forgiven for that. I deserve to die for what I did."
"No, Ben. Please, don't go. I forgive you."
Ben smiled. Ben's face took on a look of peace and hope. Ben sighed. "You're the best brother I could ever have . . ." Ben slumped into Damon's arms . . . . .
That had all been a lie. He couldn't believe that he had actually believed Ben. After that, Damon didn't know what to think. Then Ben killed his best friend and his apprentice . . . . .
Damon sat in his quarters, mediating. The Force was flowing through him, calming him. Suddenly a wave of pain and fear washed over him and voices cried out and then were silenced. Damon opened his eyes abruptly, standing. He had just felt the deaths of two Jedi, but who? He suddenly had a sinking feeling inside his gut. Ulian! "Damn you, Ben!" Damon yelled, ramming his fist into the wall. . . . .
That had been the last straw. When Ben had come back, trying to apologize, Damon had brushed him off. And now, his grandson, if that's who this kid was, was sitting right across the table from Damon. He could easily reach over and kill the boy. Damon took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He had to let go of his anger so that he could think clearly.
What could he do? He had hated Ben so much then, and still did, even though Ben had to be dead for he hadn't heard anything after Ben had ran out. Did he hate the Kenobi's period? But that was his family; he had the same blood line. Did he really hate all of them, or just Ben? Should he give this kid a chance to prove himself as good or bad? But he had Damon's brother's blood in him, so there was the chance of him turning evil. He had to find out more about this kid before he laid out his final plans. Then he would decide if he should take this kid under his wing, or kill him outright.
Damon looked at Ben. "Ben," Damon said. Ben looked at him. "Where did you grow up?"
Ben's eyes widened for a moment and then he sat back. "I grew up on Tatooine."
"Did you know your father?"
"No," Ben said hesitantly. "He died when I was very young and I was put in foster care by a man who was living by me."
"Who was that man?"
"His name was Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Damon swallowed. That was his son. Obi-Wan . . . the boy that his brother had tried to convert. This kid had known him? "What about your grandfather?"
"No."
"Did you have any friends on Tatooine?"
"Luke."
"What were his parents' names?"
"Owen Lars and - why are you asking me all these questions?" Owen, Yenasta's son, Damon thought. Damon realized that he had been asking a few too many direct questions.
"You just look like someone I used to know," Damon said, trying to cover up his previous actions.
"What? I do? Who?" Ben asked, leaning forward.
"A man that I never want to think about again."
"I'm sorry," Ben said, leaning back.
"No, it's okay."
"I've been trying to figure out my past, ever since I was little, getting bits and pieces of information here and there. I never knew my ancestors, yet Obi-Wan said that my father had been evil. When you said that I looked familiar, I thought that maybe you had known my father, or grandfather."
"Well, then, I suppose it is about time you found out some things about your past." Damon then proceeded to tell Ben about his grandfather. About when they first got to Coruscant, when Ben had turned to the dark side, everything.
When Damon was finished, Ben sat back. "Thank you very much, sir," Ben said. "That really answers a lot of my questions. As I said before, Obi- Wan didn't know that much and then he left when I was young, so I never got a chance to ask him more questions."
Damon sat back, thoughtful. This Ben seemed like how his brother had been before they got to Coruscant. But still, this kid was a direct link to that cold, ruthless, evil person that had been Damon's brother. This kid had that same blood, and even if he was a Jedi, that didn't mean anything. He could still turn evil, just like his grandfather or father.
Damon looked at the boy as Ben sipped his drink. This kid seemed innocent, but that didn't mean he didn't have a dark past.
"Do you ever have realistic dreams?" Ben asked out of the blue. Damon blinked his eyes, coming out of his thoughts. Ben looked up at Damon as he finished his drink. "Do you?"
"I, well, sometimes. Why?"
"Ever since I was little, I knew that there was more to my past then I knew about. That there was some dark, hidden secret just waiting to jump out. I have these dreams, but they're during the day mostly. But these don't seem like the dreams that are just dreams, if that makes any sense. They're more like memories. I'm sorry; I'm not making any sense, am I?" Ben looked down.
"No, I understand you perfectly. Continue," Damon said, leaning forward, interested.
Ben looked back at Damon. "Well, I have visions also. Like my dreams, they seem more like memories. They're so real, as if I'm actually reliving them! I mean, I can feel the betrayal, the hurt. I have this journal that had been my father's. I still write in it, but I think that it may have a few answers. Half of it I can't read though. Over the years the pages turned yellow and the writing is smeared in some places. Like the last entry my father wrote. I can't read it. Believe me, I've tried. It's just not readable."
This kid knew about his grandfather and his father, through dreams? Damon thought. If his visions were has real as he was telling them to be, he might actually be reliving the past. That just makes him more dangerous though. With the past shadowing this kid, he has an even bigger chance of turning to the dark side. That still brought Damon to the same question. Should he kill the kid right now, should he protect the galaxy from this evil, or should he take him under his wing?
"You must think I'm crazy," Ben said softly.
"No, I don't."
"I just don't understand them. How can dreams be real?"
"Maybe you just think that they're real."
"No, it's not that. I'd know if I was imagining them. They're real, I know that for sure. It's just that I don't know why they seem like memories. Like I had lived a different life years ago. But that couldn't be possible, could it?"
Damon looked down, thinking. How had this kid gotten all of those memories? Damon looked at Ben, who had looked down at the table with a troubled expression on his face.
"Ben, I -"
Ben looked up. "You don't believe me."
"No, it's not that, it's just, maybe you ate something bad," Damon said, trying to lighten the mood.
"I don't think so." Ben sighed. "Thank you for listening."
"It was no problem. But maybe these visions are trying to tell you something."
"Like what?"
Damon stood. "That, you will have to figure out for yourself. As for me, I've got to get going. I have a mission I'm in the middle of at the moment. Just a little information gathering. Goodbye, Ben. I wish you luck in your researching."
"Thank you, but -"
Damon walked towards the bar.
* * *
Ben sat back, thinking. That man had really gotten him spooked. Everything that Damon had told him, he didn't just understand, but he had remembered. When Damon had spoken of the past, Ben had remembered exactly what Damon had been telling him. But how could that be? That wasn't possible. Also, Obi-Wan had said that his father had been the one that was evil, but now this man was telling him it was his grandfather? Maybe it was both. Ben shook his head, sitting back. He had been in space way too long. He was thinking insanely. Ben smiled and looked out the window of the cantina.
* * *
Damon stood by the bar, waiting for his refill. He looked at Ben, who looked very thoughtful. He looked almost sad and Damon almost, almost, felt sorry for the kid. He watched as Ben looked out the window. The bartender, who was a Rodian, handed Damon his drink and with a nod, he left the cantina. Damon was going to have to do this the hard way. There were information brokers in this city, and that's who he would use to find more about this boy's past. He would put his "feelers" out and see what he could find. But the question, if Ben turned out to be his brother's grandson, what was he going to do?