Obi-Wan did not realize the Force had transported him back to the future until he opened his eyes to see the blue face of his Master, mere centimeters from his own.
"Hurry, Obi-Wan. We don't have much time."
Qui-Gon's voice was frantic as he moved toward the door of the one-room Tatooine shelter.
"What are you talking about?" Rarely had his Master ever appeared frightened. He had always been so calm, and it sparked worry in Obi-Wan's heart. Not much time for what?
Obi-Wan moved to follow his Master out the door, but stopped right before his foot fell on the doorstep, a booming voice echoing across the rocky desert walls surrounding his home. It was a voice he recognized all too well, and it was screaming out his name.
"Anakin."
Obi-Wan quickly retrieved his lightsaber from the nearby cookstove and headed for the door. He had had enough of this. He would face his former apprentice one more time, and perhaps for the last time. But Qui-Gon materialized in the outer doorway, halting him in his stride.
"I know your intentions, padawan," He said quietly, "but perhaps it would not be wise."
Obi-Wan smirked for reasons he did not feel necessary in explaining. For one, he was tired of hiding on this force-forsaken rock called Tatooine, and secondly, he was tired of attempting and failing so miserably in changing the future.
Perhaps it was time to end it all.
Qui-Gon stepped to the side, apparently recognizing his padawan's decision, allowing the younger man to pass, speaking in a whisper in Obi-Wan's ear as he moved by.
"Before you decide to succumb to another bright idea, you should know that Anakin did not come alone."
Obi-Wan eyed his Master curiously, moved across the well-worn path in front of his home and looked over the cliff's edge.
In the distance, he could see two clone trooper transport ships and at least two dozen clone troopers tracking their way across the desert. The twin Tatooine moons were glinting off of their white armor. Just ahead of them, moving like a shadow across the sand, was a black-robed individual, his red lightsaber glowing at his side.
"Follow me."
This time, Obi-Wan did not hesitate as he pursued his Master around to the back of his home, scurrying up into the stony hills to hide in a cave that was camoflouged amongst the boulders.
Crouching down, Obi-Wan watched as his former padawan ransacked and burned down his home far below.
He and Qui-Gon sat quietly, Obi-Wan holding his shields tight in order to conceal his presence from his former apprentice. He looked at Qui-Gon and released a sigh. He didn't need to ask this time what had happened and was thankful that when Qui-Gon started speaking, he did so without any sarcasm or accusations evident in his voice.
"When you convinced Shmi Skywalker to not allow me to take her son, I had planned on staying in Mos Espa to try and convince her to let him go, but I never made it back to the ship."
"Maul." Obi-Wan said into the darkness. "You fought him, alone."
Qui-Gon nodded briefly. "You had left the ship and gone back into town, I suppose to ensure that Anakin's mother didn't change her mind."
His Master's blue hazy gaze locked onto Obi-Wan's. "After leaving me in the desert to die, Maul went back to the ship and killed everyone aboard. He took the queen back to Naboo to the sign the treaty. Of course, Padmé refused, and she was assassinated."
"And Anakin?" Obi-Wan could have guessed the rest, but he had to hear the words.
"Maul's Master sent him back to Tatooine to retrieve Anakin. Sidious had sensed him in the Force and took him to train as his apprentice."
Obi-Wan held up his hand to try and stop Qui-Gon from speaking, but his Master continued, ignoring his silent plea.
"Maul came back to Tatooine and took Anakin. He tortured and killed Shmi before the boy's very eyes. From that moment, Anakin was consumed by his hatred and his anger, and by the darkside. He vowed to destroy the Jedi."
"And where was I this entire time?"
A small sympathetic smile creased the older Jedi's face.
"Mourning, mostly. Your guilt in misusing the Force, and leaving me alone to face Maul, not to mention allowing the queen and her escort to be overtaken, was too much for you to bear. After taking my body back to the Temple, you left the Jedi and were never heard from again. You've been hiding here on Tatooine. Anakin has been searching for you for a long time."
"For me? Why?" Obi-Wan glanced back out the mouth of the cave to see the transport ships creating whirlwinds of dust as they began their ascent from the planet.
"He blames you for the death of his mother. Apparently Maul discovered your mental suggestion during her torture. He believes that if he had been allowed to be trained as a Jedi, his mother would not have died."
Obi-Wan's head dropped into his open hands as he fell to his rear on the cave floor, leaning backward against the wall.
"That's it!" He exclaimed with an outcast of his hands. "I quit. I can't do this any more. I'm just making things worse."
Qui-Gon, still in his crouching posture, moved out of the cave and then stood to his full height.
"You must do what you think is right, Obi-Wan, of course."
He then turned to the young Jedi and smiled genlty as the cool evening desert breeze whisked his spirit away.
