It's time to revisit his past . . . . and confront it . . . a bounty hunter
is after him . . . . will he survive??
****************************************************************************
***********
The Past Returns
Chapter Seventeen
- Eriadu . . . again-
Journal Entry 26:
"This man helped me today, his name's Damon. I had lost my I.D. and Damon had picked it up. We went to a cantina to talk and Damon asked me a lot of questions. He asked a lot about my past that even I don't know much about. I mean, how was I supposed to explain to him that I have no memory of my existence? I don't think he believed me. But every time I said something about my past, he got this weird look on his face, almost like one of hatred. He said a lot of things that got me thinking. Damon had said some things about my past that contradicted with Obi-Wan. Like my father now may be my grandfather? Also, it was weird but everything that Damon told me, I didn't just take in like one would if they were getting new information, I remembered it. Like I had actually experienced that. I don't know. Right now though, I'm going to stay on Eriadu and then probably move on. Oh and another thing, when I was told the name of this planet, it rang a huge bell in my mind. Like I've been here before. And also, the town square, it holds a definite sense of familiarity to it. I think I'm going to ask around for information."
Ben stood up, finished his drink and went to the bar. The bartender came over and Ben paid him. "Sir," he said as the bartender went to leave.
"Yeah?"
"I'm new here -"
"Well, that's obvious," the Rodian said with a smile.
"And I have a few questions. Do you have a moment?"
The bartender looked around, and then turned back to Ben. "Sure, kid. What can I help you with?"
"How long have you been here?"
"Oh, probably near to eighty some years."
"And you see a lot of stuff that goes on, right?"
"Yeah, you could say that," the Rodian said, smiling.
"Has any major crisis ever taken place in this city?"
"There's crisis that happen all the time."
"Well, did this city ever get destroyed?"
The bartender looked thoughtful. "You know, now that you mention it, yes. I was gone on a trip to the inner worlds for some stock and I heard about it when I came back. Many cities were in ruins. They were rebuilding when I came back. It was said that a man, and he was probably in his twenties. He was dressed in black, an assassin from what I was told. He was here on some discrepancies with a man, who I guess had done something to him, and blew up the city and the surrounding cities."
Whoa, Ben thought. That's almost exactly how I remembered it. This is way too weird. He turned his attention back to the Rodian. "Do you know who the man was in which this assassin was after?"
"I think it was a government official, the mayor, I think."
"Did he have a daughter or son?"
"A daughter. She lives down the street in one of the high-rise buildings. She has a daughter, two actually, of her own. One's about ten I think and the other, about seventeen. Why?"
"Maybe they can give me answers to some questions that are bothering me. I thank you for your information, sir. Have a good day."
"Thank you. And good luck."
The bartender turned to another customer and Ben left.
Ben was walking though the square, looking at all the shops when he heard a cry off to his left. He ran in that direction and followed the noise to an alley. He hid behind a tower of boxes, watching as two guys assaulted a young girl.
"Hey!" Ben yelled, standing out in the open. The action stopped. The guy that had been in the process of taking the girl's bag of food dropped his hands, crossing them in front of his chest, sneering.
"You think you're a tough guy, kid? You can't touch me. I suggest you leave me and my friend here alone and go mind your own business." Ben looked at the guy that was pinning the girl's arms. He waved his hand slightly, keeping it hidden behind his cloak and the guy flew backwards, the girl now free. She grabbed the bag of food and ran. The leader glanced at the girl but decided Ben was the more interesting topic. He stepped towards Ben. "You want to fight? Bring it on," the guy said, obviously not fazed by the fact that his partner had just been thrown back by some unknown source. That guy was lying in a pile of garbage, not moving. The leader crossed his arms.
"I don't want to fight you. I really have no desire to."
"You took away my dinner. You'll have to fight me, if you want to stay alive."
"Without moving a single muscle I could beat you, and I don't really want to hurt you, so please leave."
"No."
"Fine." Ben looked at the guy with a fierce concentration. The guy suddenly found himself floating a half a foot in the air.
"What the -" The guy looked scared, which was a drastic understatement. This guy was terrified now.
"I told you." He set the guy back down. "Now go."
Ben turned around and went to leave. He sensed the guy running at him with something in his hand, probably a weapon. Ben reached back, grabbed the guy's hand that held a sharp piece of glass, twisted it and with one swift kick, he sent the guy flying into the wall. Ben left the alley.
He stood at a vegetable stand, looking over the variety, when the girl that had been in the alley walked up to him. "Thank you. For saving my life," she said. He turned to her. She was about a half a foot shorter than him, with piercing blue eyes and long blond hair. She wore a simple lavender dress but in the trained eye, one could tell that she was of a wealthy background.
"It was no problem. I just happened to be passing through."
"And thank God that you were. I don't know what I would have done."
"May I ask what you were doing in a dark alley, alone?"
"I - I was on my way to the shelter with food for kids that don't have families or don't have the money to buy food."
"That's very generous of you. I only wish that there could be more people like you."
"Thank you," the young girl said, blushing slightly. "Would you like to come to dinner tonight? My mother would like to meet you."
"I see. And where do you live?"
"Over there, in that high-rise building."
"Are you, perchance, the granddaughter of a man that used to be mayor here?"
"Yes, actually."
"Well, then, I will be at your home at six o'clock, is that alright with you?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Goodbye, then, and I will see you at that time."
"Bye."
He walked off, thinking. Now maybe I can finally get the answers to all my questions.
* * *
That evening, he went to the designated building and, following a man's directions, he found himself at the door of their elegant apartment. He knocked twice and a little girl with two blond pigtails and green eyes opened the door. She wore a summer dress. "Are you the man that is having dinner with us?" she asked.
"Yes."
She let him in. An older woman walked out of a back hallway and into the front entryway where Ben waited.
"Sir, if you would follow me, the mistress is in the parlor."
Ben followed the maid through a large doorway, under a set of stairs and into a rather elegant looking room. A woman, with curly blond hair and dressed in fine robes sat in a plush red chair. Ben walked over to her.
"M'Lady, my name is Ben Kenobi and I believe I met your daughter earlier today."
She nodded for him to sit down, which she did. "Mary," the woman said, looking at the maid. "Please go get the girls." Mary nodded and left the room.
"My girls, Alicia and Rose will be joining us shortly. My name is Gwen. Please, tell me what happened earlier today."
"Well, I was going to go buy some food when I heard a cry. I saw your daughter, the older one, getting a bag of food that she was carrying, stolen. I simply got the two guys to leave her alone."
"She certainly made it more heroic than that, Ben," Gwen said with a smile.
"Yes, M'Lady."
Gwen chuckled softly. "Just call me Gwen."
Ben nodded, smiling. "I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me. They've been troubling me for quite some time."
At that moment, Mary entered with the two girls behind her.
Gwen smiled. "Let me introduce you to my daughters. The oldest, Alicia and the youngest, Rose."
They sat down by their mother.
"I'll go get dinner ready, ma'am," Mary said.
"Thank you." Mary left.
"Are you a Jedi?" Rose asked.
"Rose," Gwen scolded.
"It's no problem." Ben looked at Rose. "Actually, I am."
"Cool!" Rose cried, grinning.
"You are a Jedi, sir?" Alicia asked.
"Yes, M'Lady."
Alicia blushed. "You can call me Alicia."
"Okay," Ben said with a smile. He turned back to Gwen.
"What are you doing in the outer worlds, Jedi?" Gwen asked.
"I'm here to get away from the inner worlds and the core. Certain people I just need to get away from. Also, Luke, you know, Luke Skywalker-"
"The Luke Skywalker?" Alicia asked.
"You know Luke Skywalker? Cool!" Rose cried.
"Yes," Ben said, laughing, "the very same that destroyed the Death Star. Luke saved my life. I was in the Imperial forces and wanted to join the Rebels."
"You do know, that it's called the New Republic now, don't you?" Gwen asked.
"That I did not know. Thank you. Well, I was on the Death Star and I hid on the ship that Luke and his father escaped on. Luke found me and took me under his wing. He showed me a lot about the Jedi. I was on a three year trial to see where my loyalty laid and when I had proven that I was loyal, they let me go on my own. I have memories, of this planet specifically, and I have a lot of unanswered questions that I was hoping that you might be able to answer."
"We'll try." Gwen said with a smile.
"I'll have to explain my background first and maybe that might help you. I grew up on Tatooine, with Luke, and was trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Then, after I was old enough, I joined the military and that's what brought me into the present. I have had bits and pieces of memories floating around in my head ever since I can remember and most of them don't make sense. A lot of it is angry, hurt and scared feelings. One memory stuck out at me though. It was of this very city getting destroyed by some sort of bomb that was placed in a building where the mayor at that time, I believe your father, M'Lady," Ben said, looking at Gwen, "lived. Numerous cities were destroyed. The man believed to be responsible for this destruction was some sort of assassin but I don't know why he would be here. Do you know?"
Gwen swallowed. "I was very young, but I seem to remember my father talking about a Darth Sidious and some dealings that he had. I eavesdropped a lot and I overheard many discussions. I think that assassin was in fact Darth Sidous' loyal servant. A Sith."
"But weren't the Sith, in fact, extinct?"
"No, there were rumors that two that remained. That's what I heard anyway. This boy, in fact, he looked exactly like you!"
Ben raised his eyebrows. "He did?"
"The police from other cities that had survived had an exact description from one of the survivors in the rubble of this city. The only difference was that this man wore black clothing and carried a double lightsaber."
"Like this?" Ben asked, taking out his lightsaber.
Gwen's eyes widened. "Yes, but how do you -"
"I don't know how or why, but I think I'm a direct relation to that man."
The three women gasped. "Then you're evil!" Rose cried, hiding behind a chair.
"Rose," Alicia scolded. She turned to her mother. "Mother, Ben is not evil. Even if his ancestor may have been the one that killed grandpa, it doesn't necessarily mean that Ben is evil, does it?"
Gwen looked down, not saying anything. She finally looked up. Ben swallowed. "If you are who you say you are, and what Alicia says is true, that you are not evil, then . . . you are welcome here. Pardon me if I sound reluctant to keep your company, it's just that when my father was killed, it hurt a lot of people. It's true that the majority didn't like him, saying that he wasn't fair, but enough did like him and many people died because of that explosion. It's hard to forget things like that, you have to understand."
Ben nodded. "Completely. I'm sorry if I've stirred up old memories. That wasn't my intention. I was just hoping to find some answers to my past."
Gwen nodded. "It's all right. Please, stay for dinner."
"If it won't bother you, I'd be honored."
"Dinner is served, Madame," Mary said, walking into the parlor.
"Shall we?" Gwen said, standing.
Ben stood, watching as the two younger girls left the room, following Mary. Ben moved to follow them when Gwen stopped him.
"Ben, I wanted to say that you seem like a very nice young man and one that cares, very unlike the one that killed my father. I won't hold your father or grandfather's actions against you since you weren't even born and you had no part in it. Thank you for saving Alicia's life, that means a lot to me and I'm sure, if their father was alive, he would thank you too. I wish you luck in finding the answers to your past and be assured, I will help in any way I can."
"That means a lot to me, ma'am. Thank you."
"Shall we go eat then?" Gwen said, smiling.
"Yes." They left the parlor.
* * *
That evening, after dinner, as Ben went to leave, Rose came up to him. "Excuse me, sir?" Ben looked down to see Rose standing behind him, her hands clasped. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for my actions this afternoon. It wasn't proper."
Ben knelt down so that he was eye-level with her. "Rose," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You had every right to be angry. You didn't hurt my feelings and so if you're worried that I'm mad, I'm not. You're a very nice young lady and it's not every day you meet someone as polite as you. I forgive you, even though you didn't do anything wrong."
Rose smiled. "Thank you."
Ben smiled. "Now, why don't you go back to your mother so that she doesn't worry and I'll see you around, okay?"
Rose nodded as Ben stood. "Bye."
"Bye." Ben left.
As Ben walked down the street, he could sense someone behind him, following him obviously. Ben ducked into an alleyway, his back against a wall. He peered around the corner, but all he could see were shadows, illuminated by a few lights here and there and the squares of light from windows high above. Ben continued walking and he didn't sense the presence anymore. He reached the apartment building where he would be staying and went to his apartment.
* * *
The next morning, he was eating breakfast in a small diner when Alicia walked up to his table and sat down. "Good morning, M'Lady," Ben said with a slight bow.
"Oh, don't be so formal," Alicia said with a smile. Then she grew serious. "I came to warn you."
"About what?" Ben asked, taking a sip of his drink.
"Well, a man came to our home after you left, asking about you. He wanted to know where you lived, which we didn't know. Then he asked if you had been carrying a lightsaber or anything that would signify you as a Jedi. We told him that you were a Jedi and then he left as suddenly as he had come. Then, Rose was on the holo-net and she found some interesting things. Like, did you know some guy is printing ads that tell people to contact them if they know anything about you? And there's a bounty for you. It looks like you have a bounty hunter after you and if the information I read is correct, that bounty hunter is non other than the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter, Boba Fett."
Ben nearly choked on his drink. He swallowed, wiping his mouth with his napkin. Boba Fett!! Why was he after him? What did he do now that he didn't remember?
"What?" he asked hoarsely. "The Boba Fett is after me?" Ben's face drew into a mask of terror which he quickly hid. He leaned forward. "Do you know if he's here yet, on this planet?"
"I don't know for sure, but if Boba Fett's after you, then you'd better get off-world as soon as possible. He'll stop at nothing until he kills you or brings you to the person who sent him to get you. Do you have any idea why someone would be after you?"
"I really have no idea. I mean, yes, I'm allied with the New Republic, but the remnants of the Empire are so few that I'm sure it's not them after me. It might be someone from my past, I don't know. This is not good," Ben said, sitting back.
"I brought you this." Alicia said, taking out a large sack. "It's enough rations and preservatives for a couple of months. It should provide you with enough food while you are on the run. Do you think you'll be able to lose him?"
"If I know Fett, he'll stop at nothing until he has me in his possession. Thank you for warning me. I hope that I didn't put your family in danger."
"I wish you luck, then. If you ever need help, don't be afraid to ask. We'll always be here if you need us."
"Thank you."
"Good bye, then, and good luck."
Ben nodded and Alicia left. He sat back. Boba Fett was after him? What more could go wrong? First the memories. Then all the people. And now a bounty hunter? He was in serious trouble and he was going to need help and fast. He remembered a lot of things about Boba Fett and one thing that he had admired was his persistence and cleverness. There was no way he was going to be able to outrun Fett. He was going to have to hide, but even that wouldn't last very long. He had to see Luke.
Ben stood, paid his bill and left the diner. He was on the next ship out, heading to Coruscant.
* * *
When the ship landed, Ben got out and headed to a landing pad. He waited until an air taxi arrived. The window went down and Ben looked at the driver. "Can you take me to the building where Leia Organa lives?"
The driver looked at him like he was out of his mind. "Leia Organa? As in, the member of the Senate?"
"Yes."
"You must be someone pretty important to get to meet with her."
Ben shrugged. "I guess. Can you take me there?"
"Sure. Get in." Ben opened the door and got in, closing it.
The taxi sped off. A few minutes later they had reached their destination. Ben got out and paid the driver.
"Thanks!"
"No problem."
The taxi flew off. Ben went inside the building and to an elevator. He took it up to where he could get information. The elevator stopped and he got out. He walked up to the lady at the desk.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but could you tell me which floor Leia Organa lives on?"
The lady looked at him, her eyebrows raised. "You have an appointment?"
"No."
"Well then, I'm sorry, but I can't give that information out."
"Comm. her, call her room or something. She knows me." The lady didn't move. "Look lady, this is very important and I -"
"You know how many times I've heard that?"
"This is a matter of life or death. I'm telling you, she knows me. If you'd just comm. her room, she'll tell you."
The lady rolled her eyes and punched in a number at the comm.. unit. Leia answered. "Yes?"
"Excuse me, ma'am, but there's a young man here. He claims to know you."
"What's his name?"
"Leia it's me, Ben!"
"Ben? What are you doing here?"
"No time to explain. It's crucial I come see you."
"Of course. Let him up, Christi."
The lady let go of the button and turned to Ben. "Up ten floors and the second door on your right."
"Thank you!" Ben rushed out and into the elevator.
* * *
Leia opened the door just as Ben was about to knock. "Come in," she said. She stepped aside and he walked into the living room of her large apartment. She closed the door behind him, motioning for him to sit. He sat on the couch, resting his head on his hands, his elbows on his knees. He looked down at the floor. Leia sat down across from him in a chair.
He looked up, straightening. "Thank you so much."
"So, what was so urgent?" Leia got a worried look on her face. "Is it Luke?"
Ben's eyes widened. "No, of course not. But I thought he was here, on Coruscant."
"He was for a short time, but he's off to god knows where. He said he was going to be gone for a few months. But anyway, what's wrong?"
"To put it simply, there's a bounty hunter after me."
Leia swallowed, her eyes wide. "A bounty hunter? How did you manage that?"
"I have no clue. But I found out from a pretty reliable source, that the bounty hunter is none other than Boba Fett."
"Boba Fett! I thought we were rid of him. I saw him get swallowed in that Sarlacc pit."
"Well, he must have survived somehow. Keep in mind; this is Boba Fett we're talking about. He can survive just about anything."
"True but -"
"Can you help me?"
"I don't know. I mean, this is Boba Fett we're talking about."
"I know there's no possible way to elude him but -"
"You just need to keep him as far away as possible from you. I can give you the resources that you'd need to survive. You'll have to keep moving from planet to planet. And, if by some chance he catches up to you, well, I'll try to have Luke stay in contact with you. So if that event should arise, you can contact Luke and he'll come to your aide."
The door opened and a man, in about his thirties, walked in. He was tall, had dark brown hair, wore a blaster strapped to his leg, and had a cocky grin plastered on his face.
"Han Solo?! The Han Solo?!" Ben cried.
"Yep, that's me," Han said, smiling. Then Han noticed Ben's lightsaber. "You're a Jedi too? Just like Luke?"
"Yeah."
"Han," Leia said. Han looked at her. "This is Ben Kenobi, Luke's best friend."
"Nice to meet you," Han said, grinning. "So, what are you here for?"
"I came to ask Leia for help."
"Help? Whatcha need?"
"I'm being chased by a bounty hunter."
Han's eyebrows rose. "And which bounty hunter is that?" Han asked.
"Boba Fett."
"WHAT?!!" Han yelled. "He's supposed to be dead! I saw him fall into the Sarlacc pit."
"Well, he's very much alive," Ben said. "And he's after me."
"What'd you do that made him come after you?"
"I have no idea, but obviously someone has a grudge against me but the thing is, I -" Ben stopped as a memory flashed in his mind . . . . .
"More time, please! It won't be enough to evacuate everyone!"
"You should have thought about that before you made the choice to rebel against my master. You are lucky he gave you any time to evacuate your people. Usually he isn't even this lenient."
"Just a few more minutes! We don't have the ships to evacuate this many in so little time."
"Well, then I guess you're just going to have to move very, very fast." Ben laughed again and left the room, chuckling to himself. . . .
And then another . . . . .
"It was of this very city getting destroyed by some sort of bomb that was placed in a building where the mayor at that time, I believe your father, M'Lady," Ben said, looking at Gwen, "lived. Numerous cities were destroyed. The man believed to be responsible for this destruction was some sort of assassin but I don't know why he would be here. Do you know?"
Gwen swallowed. "I was very young, but I seem to remember my father talking about Darth Sidious and some dealings that he had. I eavesdropped a lot and I overheard many discussions. I think that assassin was in fact Darth Sidous' loyal servant. A Sith."
"But weren't the Sith, in fact, extinct?"
"No, there were two that remained. That's what I heard anyway. This boy, he looked exactly like you!"
Ben raised his eyebrows. "He did?"
"The police from other cities that had survived had an exact description from one of the survivors in the rubble of this city. The only difference was that this man wore black clothing and carried a double lightsaber." . . . .
"Oh, my God," Ben said, looking down. "That's why he's after me."
"What?" Han asked.
Ben looked up. "Boba Fett. I know why he's after me."
"Why?" Leia asked.
"I think it's something, I think, my grandfather did. There was this planet called Eriadu. There was a large city on it called Eriadus and it was destroyed by him. And I had this conversation with a descendent of an official that ran Eriadus and had gotten killed. Someone must have hated my grandfather and so it's followed that lineage, to me. So now Boba Fett's after me. Or, if it's not one of those descendants, then it might be someone that he had hurt or betrayed."
"Eriadus. Yes, that does sound familiar. I think I remember hearing about that," Leia said. "It's been rebuilt, right?"
"Yes," Ben said.
"I seem to remember a statue in the middle of the courtyard," Leia said.
"Yes, there is," Ben said.
"Okay, well I think the best thing to do right now is to stay low. If I know Boba Fett, he won't leave you alone until he has you," Han said.
"Like you," Ben said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"The carbon-freezing. Jabba the Hutt wanted you so he sent Boba Fett after you."
"How could you know that?"
"I don't know," Ben said softly. He sighed. "Anyway, I think you're right. I'm going to try to find out some more about my past but I'll try and stay low."
"Good luck, kid," Han said seriously.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to contact me," Leia said. "I'll see if I can locate Luke and I'll see if he can help you."
"Thanks, Leia." Ben hugged her. With that, he left.
Han turned to Leia. "I'm going to hunt around for some information on that kid. There's something that he's keeping hidden, maybe something he doesn't know, but still, it might be the missing link to this puzzle about Boba Fett. I'm thinking the Black Sun."
"You mean the criminal organization?" Leia asked.
"The one and the same."
"But why would they be after him?"
"That's what I'm going to try and find out."
Chapter Seventeen
- Eriadu . . . again-
Journal Entry 26:
"This man helped me today, his name's Damon. I had lost my I.D. and Damon had picked it up. We went to a cantina to talk and Damon asked me a lot of questions. He asked a lot about my past that even I don't know much about. I mean, how was I supposed to explain to him that I have no memory of my existence? I don't think he believed me. But every time I said something about my past, he got this weird look on his face, almost like one of hatred. He said a lot of things that got me thinking. Damon had said some things about my past that contradicted with Obi-Wan. Like my father now may be my grandfather? Also, it was weird but everything that Damon told me, I didn't just take in like one would if they were getting new information, I remembered it. Like I had actually experienced that. I don't know. Right now though, I'm going to stay on Eriadu and then probably move on. Oh and another thing, when I was told the name of this planet, it rang a huge bell in my mind. Like I've been here before. And also, the town square, it holds a definite sense of familiarity to it. I think I'm going to ask around for information."
Ben stood up, finished his drink and went to the bar. The bartender came over and Ben paid him. "Sir," he said as the bartender went to leave.
"Yeah?"
"I'm new here -"
"Well, that's obvious," the Rodian said with a smile.
"And I have a few questions. Do you have a moment?"
The bartender looked around, and then turned back to Ben. "Sure, kid. What can I help you with?"
"How long have you been here?"
"Oh, probably near to eighty some years."
"And you see a lot of stuff that goes on, right?"
"Yeah, you could say that," the Rodian said, smiling.
"Has any major crisis ever taken place in this city?"
"There's crisis that happen all the time."
"Well, did this city ever get destroyed?"
The bartender looked thoughtful. "You know, now that you mention it, yes. I was gone on a trip to the inner worlds for some stock and I heard about it when I came back. Many cities were in ruins. They were rebuilding when I came back. It was said that a man, and he was probably in his twenties. He was dressed in black, an assassin from what I was told. He was here on some discrepancies with a man, who I guess had done something to him, and blew up the city and the surrounding cities."
Whoa, Ben thought. That's almost exactly how I remembered it. This is way too weird. He turned his attention back to the Rodian. "Do you know who the man was in which this assassin was after?"
"I think it was a government official, the mayor, I think."
"Did he have a daughter or son?"
"A daughter. She lives down the street in one of the high-rise buildings. She has a daughter, two actually, of her own. One's about ten I think and the other, about seventeen. Why?"
"Maybe they can give me answers to some questions that are bothering me. I thank you for your information, sir. Have a good day."
"Thank you. And good luck."
The bartender turned to another customer and Ben left.
Ben was walking though the square, looking at all the shops when he heard a cry off to his left. He ran in that direction and followed the noise to an alley. He hid behind a tower of boxes, watching as two guys assaulted a young girl.
"Hey!" Ben yelled, standing out in the open. The action stopped. The guy that had been in the process of taking the girl's bag of food dropped his hands, crossing them in front of his chest, sneering.
"You think you're a tough guy, kid? You can't touch me. I suggest you leave me and my friend here alone and go mind your own business." Ben looked at the guy that was pinning the girl's arms. He waved his hand slightly, keeping it hidden behind his cloak and the guy flew backwards, the girl now free. She grabbed the bag of food and ran. The leader glanced at the girl but decided Ben was the more interesting topic. He stepped towards Ben. "You want to fight? Bring it on," the guy said, obviously not fazed by the fact that his partner had just been thrown back by some unknown source. That guy was lying in a pile of garbage, not moving. The leader crossed his arms.
"I don't want to fight you. I really have no desire to."
"You took away my dinner. You'll have to fight me, if you want to stay alive."
"Without moving a single muscle I could beat you, and I don't really want to hurt you, so please leave."
"No."
"Fine." Ben looked at the guy with a fierce concentration. The guy suddenly found himself floating a half a foot in the air.
"What the -" The guy looked scared, which was a drastic understatement. This guy was terrified now.
"I told you." He set the guy back down. "Now go."
Ben turned around and went to leave. He sensed the guy running at him with something in his hand, probably a weapon. Ben reached back, grabbed the guy's hand that held a sharp piece of glass, twisted it and with one swift kick, he sent the guy flying into the wall. Ben left the alley.
He stood at a vegetable stand, looking over the variety, when the girl that had been in the alley walked up to him. "Thank you. For saving my life," she said. He turned to her. She was about a half a foot shorter than him, with piercing blue eyes and long blond hair. She wore a simple lavender dress but in the trained eye, one could tell that she was of a wealthy background.
"It was no problem. I just happened to be passing through."
"And thank God that you were. I don't know what I would have done."
"May I ask what you were doing in a dark alley, alone?"
"I - I was on my way to the shelter with food for kids that don't have families or don't have the money to buy food."
"That's very generous of you. I only wish that there could be more people like you."
"Thank you," the young girl said, blushing slightly. "Would you like to come to dinner tonight? My mother would like to meet you."
"I see. And where do you live?"
"Over there, in that high-rise building."
"Are you, perchance, the granddaughter of a man that used to be mayor here?"
"Yes, actually."
"Well, then, I will be at your home at six o'clock, is that alright with you?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Goodbye, then, and I will see you at that time."
"Bye."
He walked off, thinking. Now maybe I can finally get the answers to all my questions.
* * *
That evening, he went to the designated building and, following a man's directions, he found himself at the door of their elegant apartment. He knocked twice and a little girl with two blond pigtails and green eyes opened the door. She wore a summer dress. "Are you the man that is having dinner with us?" she asked.
"Yes."
She let him in. An older woman walked out of a back hallway and into the front entryway where Ben waited.
"Sir, if you would follow me, the mistress is in the parlor."
Ben followed the maid through a large doorway, under a set of stairs and into a rather elegant looking room. A woman, with curly blond hair and dressed in fine robes sat in a plush red chair. Ben walked over to her.
"M'Lady, my name is Ben Kenobi and I believe I met your daughter earlier today."
She nodded for him to sit down, which she did. "Mary," the woman said, looking at the maid. "Please go get the girls." Mary nodded and left the room.
"My girls, Alicia and Rose will be joining us shortly. My name is Gwen. Please, tell me what happened earlier today."
"Well, I was going to go buy some food when I heard a cry. I saw your daughter, the older one, getting a bag of food that she was carrying, stolen. I simply got the two guys to leave her alone."
"She certainly made it more heroic than that, Ben," Gwen said with a smile.
"Yes, M'Lady."
Gwen chuckled softly. "Just call me Gwen."
Ben nodded, smiling. "I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me. They've been troubling me for quite some time."
At that moment, Mary entered with the two girls behind her.
Gwen smiled. "Let me introduce you to my daughters. The oldest, Alicia and the youngest, Rose."
They sat down by their mother.
"I'll go get dinner ready, ma'am," Mary said.
"Thank you." Mary left.
"Are you a Jedi?" Rose asked.
"Rose," Gwen scolded.
"It's no problem." Ben looked at Rose. "Actually, I am."
"Cool!" Rose cried, grinning.
"You are a Jedi, sir?" Alicia asked.
"Yes, M'Lady."
Alicia blushed. "You can call me Alicia."
"Okay," Ben said with a smile. He turned back to Gwen.
"What are you doing in the outer worlds, Jedi?" Gwen asked.
"I'm here to get away from the inner worlds and the core. Certain people I just need to get away from. Also, Luke, you know, Luke Skywalker-"
"The Luke Skywalker?" Alicia asked.
"You know Luke Skywalker? Cool!" Rose cried.
"Yes," Ben said, laughing, "the very same that destroyed the Death Star. Luke saved my life. I was in the Imperial forces and wanted to join the Rebels."
"You do know, that it's called the New Republic now, don't you?" Gwen asked.
"That I did not know. Thank you. Well, I was on the Death Star and I hid on the ship that Luke and his father escaped on. Luke found me and took me under his wing. He showed me a lot about the Jedi. I was on a three year trial to see where my loyalty laid and when I had proven that I was loyal, they let me go on my own. I have memories, of this planet specifically, and I have a lot of unanswered questions that I was hoping that you might be able to answer."
"We'll try." Gwen said with a smile.
"I'll have to explain my background first and maybe that might help you. I grew up on Tatooine, with Luke, and was trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Then, after I was old enough, I joined the military and that's what brought me into the present. I have had bits and pieces of memories floating around in my head ever since I can remember and most of them don't make sense. A lot of it is angry, hurt and scared feelings. One memory stuck out at me though. It was of this very city getting destroyed by some sort of bomb that was placed in a building where the mayor at that time, I believe your father, M'Lady," Ben said, looking at Gwen, "lived. Numerous cities were destroyed. The man believed to be responsible for this destruction was some sort of assassin but I don't know why he would be here. Do you know?"
Gwen swallowed. "I was very young, but I seem to remember my father talking about a Darth Sidious and some dealings that he had. I eavesdropped a lot and I overheard many discussions. I think that assassin was in fact Darth Sidous' loyal servant. A Sith."
"But weren't the Sith, in fact, extinct?"
"No, there were rumors that two that remained. That's what I heard anyway. This boy, in fact, he looked exactly like you!"
Ben raised his eyebrows. "He did?"
"The police from other cities that had survived had an exact description from one of the survivors in the rubble of this city. The only difference was that this man wore black clothing and carried a double lightsaber."
"Like this?" Ben asked, taking out his lightsaber.
Gwen's eyes widened. "Yes, but how do you -"
"I don't know how or why, but I think I'm a direct relation to that man."
The three women gasped. "Then you're evil!" Rose cried, hiding behind a chair.
"Rose," Alicia scolded. She turned to her mother. "Mother, Ben is not evil. Even if his ancestor may have been the one that killed grandpa, it doesn't necessarily mean that Ben is evil, does it?"
Gwen looked down, not saying anything. She finally looked up. Ben swallowed. "If you are who you say you are, and what Alicia says is true, that you are not evil, then . . . you are welcome here. Pardon me if I sound reluctant to keep your company, it's just that when my father was killed, it hurt a lot of people. It's true that the majority didn't like him, saying that he wasn't fair, but enough did like him and many people died because of that explosion. It's hard to forget things like that, you have to understand."
Ben nodded. "Completely. I'm sorry if I've stirred up old memories. That wasn't my intention. I was just hoping to find some answers to my past."
Gwen nodded. "It's all right. Please, stay for dinner."
"If it won't bother you, I'd be honored."
"Dinner is served, Madame," Mary said, walking into the parlor.
"Shall we?" Gwen said, standing.
Ben stood, watching as the two younger girls left the room, following Mary. Ben moved to follow them when Gwen stopped him.
"Ben, I wanted to say that you seem like a very nice young man and one that cares, very unlike the one that killed my father. I won't hold your father or grandfather's actions against you since you weren't even born and you had no part in it. Thank you for saving Alicia's life, that means a lot to me and I'm sure, if their father was alive, he would thank you too. I wish you luck in finding the answers to your past and be assured, I will help in any way I can."
"That means a lot to me, ma'am. Thank you."
"Shall we go eat then?" Gwen said, smiling.
"Yes." They left the parlor.
* * *
That evening, after dinner, as Ben went to leave, Rose came up to him. "Excuse me, sir?" Ben looked down to see Rose standing behind him, her hands clasped. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for my actions this afternoon. It wasn't proper."
Ben knelt down so that he was eye-level with her. "Rose," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You had every right to be angry. You didn't hurt my feelings and so if you're worried that I'm mad, I'm not. You're a very nice young lady and it's not every day you meet someone as polite as you. I forgive you, even though you didn't do anything wrong."
Rose smiled. "Thank you."
Ben smiled. "Now, why don't you go back to your mother so that she doesn't worry and I'll see you around, okay?"
Rose nodded as Ben stood. "Bye."
"Bye." Ben left.
As Ben walked down the street, he could sense someone behind him, following him obviously. Ben ducked into an alleyway, his back against a wall. He peered around the corner, but all he could see were shadows, illuminated by a few lights here and there and the squares of light from windows high above. Ben continued walking and he didn't sense the presence anymore. He reached the apartment building where he would be staying and went to his apartment.
* * *
The next morning, he was eating breakfast in a small diner when Alicia walked up to his table and sat down. "Good morning, M'Lady," Ben said with a slight bow.
"Oh, don't be so formal," Alicia said with a smile. Then she grew serious. "I came to warn you."
"About what?" Ben asked, taking a sip of his drink.
"Well, a man came to our home after you left, asking about you. He wanted to know where you lived, which we didn't know. Then he asked if you had been carrying a lightsaber or anything that would signify you as a Jedi. We told him that you were a Jedi and then he left as suddenly as he had come. Then, Rose was on the holo-net and she found some interesting things. Like, did you know some guy is printing ads that tell people to contact them if they know anything about you? And there's a bounty for you. It looks like you have a bounty hunter after you and if the information I read is correct, that bounty hunter is non other than the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter, Boba Fett."
Ben nearly choked on his drink. He swallowed, wiping his mouth with his napkin. Boba Fett!! Why was he after him? What did he do now that he didn't remember?
"What?" he asked hoarsely. "The Boba Fett is after me?" Ben's face drew into a mask of terror which he quickly hid. He leaned forward. "Do you know if he's here yet, on this planet?"
"I don't know for sure, but if Boba Fett's after you, then you'd better get off-world as soon as possible. He'll stop at nothing until he kills you or brings you to the person who sent him to get you. Do you have any idea why someone would be after you?"
"I really have no idea. I mean, yes, I'm allied with the New Republic, but the remnants of the Empire are so few that I'm sure it's not them after me. It might be someone from my past, I don't know. This is not good," Ben said, sitting back.
"I brought you this." Alicia said, taking out a large sack. "It's enough rations and preservatives for a couple of months. It should provide you with enough food while you are on the run. Do you think you'll be able to lose him?"
"If I know Fett, he'll stop at nothing until he has me in his possession. Thank you for warning me. I hope that I didn't put your family in danger."
"I wish you luck, then. If you ever need help, don't be afraid to ask. We'll always be here if you need us."
"Thank you."
"Good bye, then, and good luck."
Ben nodded and Alicia left. He sat back. Boba Fett was after him? What more could go wrong? First the memories. Then all the people. And now a bounty hunter? He was in serious trouble and he was going to need help and fast. He remembered a lot of things about Boba Fett and one thing that he had admired was his persistence and cleverness. There was no way he was going to be able to outrun Fett. He was going to have to hide, but even that wouldn't last very long. He had to see Luke.
Ben stood, paid his bill and left the diner. He was on the next ship out, heading to Coruscant.
* * *
When the ship landed, Ben got out and headed to a landing pad. He waited until an air taxi arrived. The window went down and Ben looked at the driver. "Can you take me to the building where Leia Organa lives?"
The driver looked at him like he was out of his mind. "Leia Organa? As in, the member of the Senate?"
"Yes."
"You must be someone pretty important to get to meet with her."
Ben shrugged. "I guess. Can you take me there?"
"Sure. Get in." Ben opened the door and got in, closing it.
The taxi sped off. A few minutes later they had reached their destination. Ben got out and paid the driver.
"Thanks!"
"No problem."
The taxi flew off. Ben went inside the building and to an elevator. He took it up to where he could get information. The elevator stopped and he got out. He walked up to the lady at the desk.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but could you tell me which floor Leia Organa lives on?"
The lady looked at him, her eyebrows raised. "You have an appointment?"
"No."
"Well then, I'm sorry, but I can't give that information out."
"Comm. her, call her room or something. She knows me." The lady didn't move. "Look lady, this is very important and I -"
"You know how many times I've heard that?"
"This is a matter of life or death. I'm telling you, she knows me. If you'd just comm. her room, she'll tell you."
The lady rolled her eyes and punched in a number at the comm.. unit. Leia answered. "Yes?"
"Excuse me, ma'am, but there's a young man here. He claims to know you."
"What's his name?"
"Leia it's me, Ben!"
"Ben? What are you doing here?"
"No time to explain. It's crucial I come see you."
"Of course. Let him up, Christi."
The lady let go of the button and turned to Ben. "Up ten floors and the second door on your right."
"Thank you!" Ben rushed out and into the elevator.
* * *
Leia opened the door just as Ben was about to knock. "Come in," she said. She stepped aside and he walked into the living room of her large apartment. She closed the door behind him, motioning for him to sit. He sat on the couch, resting his head on his hands, his elbows on his knees. He looked down at the floor. Leia sat down across from him in a chair.
He looked up, straightening. "Thank you so much."
"So, what was so urgent?" Leia got a worried look on her face. "Is it Luke?"
Ben's eyes widened. "No, of course not. But I thought he was here, on Coruscant."
"He was for a short time, but he's off to god knows where. He said he was going to be gone for a few months. But anyway, what's wrong?"
"To put it simply, there's a bounty hunter after me."
Leia swallowed, her eyes wide. "A bounty hunter? How did you manage that?"
"I have no clue. But I found out from a pretty reliable source, that the bounty hunter is none other than Boba Fett."
"Boba Fett! I thought we were rid of him. I saw him get swallowed in that Sarlacc pit."
"Well, he must have survived somehow. Keep in mind; this is Boba Fett we're talking about. He can survive just about anything."
"True but -"
"Can you help me?"
"I don't know. I mean, this is Boba Fett we're talking about."
"I know there's no possible way to elude him but -"
"You just need to keep him as far away as possible from you. I can give you the resources that you'd need to survive. You'll have to keep moving from planet to planet. And, if by some chance he catches up to you, well, I'll try to have Luke stay in contact with you. So if that event should arise, you can contact Luke and he'll come to your aide."
The door opened and a man, in about his thirties, walked in. He was tall, had dark brown hair, wore a blaster strapped to his leg, and had a cocky grin plastered on his face.
"Han Solo?! The Han Solo?!" Ben cried.
"Yep, that's me," Han said, smiling. Then Han noticed Ben's lightsaber. "You're a Jedi too? Just like Luke?"
"Yeah."
"Han," Leia said. Han looked at her. "This is Ben Kenobi, Luke's best friend."
"Nice to meet you," Han said, grinning. "So, what are you here for?"
"I came to ask Leia for help."
"Help? Whatcha need?"
"I'm being chased by a bounty hunter."
Han's eyebrows rose. "And which bounty hunter is that?" Han asked.
"Boba Fett."
"WHAT?!!" Han yelled. "He's supposed to be dead! I saw him fall into the Sarlacc pit."
"Well, he's very much alive," Ben said. "And he's after me."
"What'd you do that made him come after you?"
"I have no idea, but obviously someone has a grudge against me but the thing is, I -" Ben stopped as a memory flashed in his mind . . . . .
"More time, please! It won't be enough to evacuate everyone!"
"You should have thought about that before you made the choice to rebel against my master. You are lucky he gave you any time to evacuate your people. Usually he isn't even this lenient."
"Just a few more minutes! We don't have the ships to evacuate this many in so little time."
"Well, then I guess you're just going to have to move very, very fast." Ben laughed again and left the room, chuckling to himself. . . .
And then another . . . . .
"It was of this very city getting destroyed by some sort of bomb that was placed in a building where the mayor at that time, I believe your father, M'Lady," Ben said, looking at Gwen, "lived. Numerous cities were destroyed. The man believed to be responsible for this destruction was some sort of assassin but I don't know why he would be here. Do you know?"
Gwen swallowed. "I was very young, but I seem to remember my father talking about Darth Sidious and some dealings that he had. I eavesdropped a lot and I overheard many discussions. I think that assassin was in fact Darth Sidous' loyal servant. A Sith."
"But weren't the Sith, in fact, extinct?"
"No, there were two that remained. That's what I heard anyway. This boy, he looked exactly like you!"
Ben raised his eyebrows. "He did?"
"The police from other cities that had survived had an exact description from one of the survivors in the rubble of this city. The only difference was that this man wore black clothing and carried a double lightsaber." . . . .
"Oh, my God," Ben said, looking down. "That's why he's after me."
"What?" Han asked.
Ben looked up. "Boba Fett. I know why he's after me."
"Why?" Leia asked.
"I think it's something, I think, my grandfather did. There was this planet called Eriadu. There was a large city on it called Eriadus and it was destroyed by him. And I had this conversation with a descendent of an official that ran Eriadus and had gotten killed. Someone must have hated my grandfather and so it's followed that lineage, to me. So now Boba Fett's after me. Or, if it's not one of those descendants, then it might be someone that he had hurt or betrayed."
"Eriadus. Yes, that does sound familiar. I think I remember hearing about that," Leia said. "It's been rebuilt, right?"
"Yes," Ben said.
"I seem to remember a statue in the middle of the courtyard," Leia said.
"Yes, there is," Ben said.
"Okay, well I think the best thing to do right now is to stay low. If I know Boba Fett, he won't leave you alone until he has you," Han said.
"Like you," Ben said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"The carbon-freezing. Jabba the Hutt wanted you so he sent Boba Fett after you."
"How could you know that?"
"I don't know," Ben said softly. He sighed. "Anyway, I think you're right. I'm going to try to find out some more about my past but I'll try and stay low."
"Good luck, kid," Han said seriously.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to contact me," Leia said. "I'll see if I can locate Luke and I'll see if he can help you."
"Thanks, Leia." Ben hugged her. With that, he left.
Han turned to Leia. "I'm going to hunt around for some information on that kid. There's something that he's keeping hidden, maybe something he doesn't know, but still, it might be the missing link to this puzzle about Boba Fett. I'm thinking the Black Sun."
"You mean the criminal organization?" Leia asked.
"The one and the same."
"But why would they be after him?"
"That's what I'm going to try and find out."