Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.

Let's get to it.

Chapter 11- Old Commander

(August 24, 2004)

High over the sands of Tatooine, a jet black transport known as the Scythe descends slowly towards the town of Mos Eisley. Aboard are four of the Empire's greatest servants: the Grand Inquisitor and three of his Inquisitors, the Third Sister, Fifth Brother, and Eighth Brother. They are here for a double mission, one of them assigned by the Emperor himself.

Recently, a rumor reached the Inquisitors that a Jedi was hiding on Tatooine. Although the Third Sister privately believed it might be Obi-Wan Kenobi, her obsession, the rest of the Inquisitors believed it was just a random Jedi refugee. However, their second target, who they were very certain of, was a far more dangerous target. The Crimson Blade.

Over the last 5 years, since his attack on Fortress Inquisitorius and his duel with Darth Vader, the Crimson Blade had travelled the galaxy, leaving a trail of death and destruction in his wake. He had popped up at random times across the galaxy, attacking Imperial facilities or ships, and when possible, killing any Inquisitor he came across. His trail of carnage had started to cause a real sense of unease amongst the Empire. His crusade against the Inquisitors had grown so costly that the Emperor had been forced to expand the Inquisitorius to greater numbers than he ever intended just to make up for the losses the Crimson Blade had called.

Including the three he had killed before his attack on Fortress Inquisitorius and the three he had killed during his attack on the Fortress, the Crimson Blade was now credited with the death of 13 Inquisitors. Many of his subsequent kills were newer recruits brought into the Inquisitorius to fill empty spots in their ranks. However, his kill list did include some very powerful Inquisitors, including the Second and Ninth Sisters. Over three fourths of the Inquisitors who had been killed since the group was formed had fallen at the Crimson Blade's hands. He'd also slaughtered thousands of Imperial personnel and destroyed three Imperial warships. All the while, he had grown stronger and stronger.

Killing or capturing the Crimson Blade had become the primary goal of most of the Empire, and one of the primary goals of the Emperor himself. After extensive hunting, a sighting of the Crimson Blade had reached the ears of the Empire. The sighting was from Tatooine in Mos Eisley. The Grand Inquisitor himself had taken this small squad of three more Inquisitors to Tatooine to hunt down not only the rumored Jedi, but also the Crimson Blade.

The four Inquisitors feel the ship touch down. As the loading ramp lowers, the four Inquisitors walk down the ramp and off of the shuttle. Pausing for a moment to look around at the twonsfolk on the street, they slowly begin walking down the street towards a small saloon at the end of the street. The rumor about the Jedi mentioned this saloon.

Reaching the saloon, the Inquisitors enter. The other three spread out along the edges while the Grand Inquisitor walk through the tables towards the bar, where the owner walks around to meet him.

Stopping in front of the owner, the grand Inquisitor says simply, "You know who we are."

"Inquisitors," the owner replies simply.

"You know what we do?" the Grand Inquisitor asks.

"You hunt Jedi," the owner responds simply.

"In actuality, I would say, the Jedi hunt themselves," the Grand Inquisitor says. He glances around the saloon before leaning in towards the owner as he asks, "Do you know the key to hunting Jedi, friend? It is patience."

The Grand Inquisitor begins slowly walking around the saloon, walking around and between tables, speaking to nobody in particular, "Jedi cannot help what they are. Their compassion leaves a trail. For example, in our line of work, rumors run rampant. Here's one I heard just recently. It involves a Jedi hiding right here in your lovely saloon. Let's say ours is a wanderer. Maybe he's looking for people like him. Comes across this establishment, nice place. And then, he sees you."

By now, the Grand Inquisitor has circled back around to the owner, and stops next to him as he continues speaking to the owner specifically, "A man in need. Perhaps the locals are stealing from you. Threatening you. So what is the Jedi to do? Help you and risk exposure? Or move?"

The Grand Inquisitor again begins walking amongst the patrons, continuing to speak, "Now, if he were smart, he'd keep moving, but the Jedi Code is like an itch. He cannot help it. So he steps in and saves your saloon. You offer him a place to hide. Fresh water, shade from the suns, but the stories have begun, and they travel quickly. His compassion has been his undoing."

At this point, the Third Sister is growing impatient with the Grand Inquisitor's tactics. Seeing a knife on a patron's plate, she picks it up and throws it at the owner. However, the knife halts in midair about two inches from the man's face, quivering. The Third Sister looks around the saloon and sees a younger man sitting at a table, his hand open and facing the owner.

"There!" the Third Sister declares. Immediately, seeing he's been noticed, the young man leaps up from his seat and starts to run for the entrance. The Fifth Brother steps into his path, blocking it. The young man tries running around him and continuing towards the entrance, only for the Third Sister to roll over a table, landing right in front of him, and igniting one of the blades of her lightsaber.

"Prepare him for interrogation," the Grand Inquisitor orders.

As the other three Inquisitors surround him, the young Jedi looks around at them and says defiantly, "You know you're wasting your time, right? You'll never find us all, and you've got a much bigger threat out there."

The Third Sister pulls her lightsaber back, ready to strike down the young Jedi. The Grand Inquisitor, frustrated with her impulsiveness, is about to use the Force to restrain her when a plate suddenly lifts up from a table and smacks her hard in the face, making her stumble back. The look of surprise on the Jedi's face makes it clear it wasn't him.

Then, there's a sound of loud cracking as the wooden beams overhead shatter into multiple large splinters. Then, without warning, the splinters start flying at the four Inquisitors, who are forced onto the defensive, using the Force and their lightsabers to deflect them. The young Jedi takes the advantage and races out of the saloon, disappearing into the assembled crowd outside. As he goes, the overhangs just outside the entrance are ripped down, masking the line of view of the Inquisitors.

The Grand Inquisitor, now holding his activated lightsaber, stalks towards the entrance, his intended lecture to the Third Sister about her impulsiveness forgotten. "He's here. That was him," he says aloud.

"Should we wait here for him?" the Eighth Brother asks aloud.

"No. If he wished to engage us now, he would have already done so. He wishes to remain hidden for the moment, until a more opportune time. We must find him first and take the fight to him before he is ready," the Grand Inquisitor orders. The Grand Inquisitor strides out of the saloon, followed by the Eighth Brother. However, the Third Sister remains behind for a moment, wondering if it could've been someone else instead of the Crimson Blade, before she follows the other Inquisitors out of the saloon, ready to hunt down the Crimson Blade if it was him. While he obsession is with Kenobi, if she can kill the Crimson Blade, that would surely bring about a similar reward if she were to kill Kenobi.

Meanwhile, in the midst of the crowd, one man, wearing a small hood to protect his face from the sun and hide his features, smirks as he watches the Inquisitors walk away.

Philip watches the Inquisitors disappear back down the street. He had successfully helped that Jedi escape, and hadn't even given his position away. However, despite his initial urge to, he hadn't attacked the Inquisitors. He didn't want to take his chances against four at once, especially when the Grand Inquisitor was among them, as well as the Fifth Brother. Soon enough, he'll get his chance to strike.

Philip stares after them for a moment longer before the crowd begins to disperse, and he decides to head to a nearby vendor for a bite to eat.

(That night)

Philip reaches up and readjusts the clasp on his outer cloak as he slowly makes his way through the small canyon he's currently hiking through. Philip had set up several small hideouts in this area of Tatooine, either in caves or even homes of some individuals who weren't friendly towards the Empire. He's now heading for one of the caves he uses as a hideout.

Suddenly, Philip feels something. A tremor in the Force. Philip whips his head around, looking for something in the immediate vicinity. He's only felt something like this a few times. Only someone who is strong in the Force could cause such a tremor in the Force.

While the tremor doesn't have the distinct feeling of darkness from when he encountered Vader on Nur, Philip isn't taking any chances. He carefully draws his lightsaber as he slowly walks in the direction he sensed the tremor.

It doesn't take him long before he reaches a more open space amidst towers of rock. And right in the middle of it is a man on an eopie. Philip narrows his eyes as he presses the activation button on his lightsaber.

On his eopie, Obi Wan is still thinking about his encounter just minutes earlier with that young Jedi who called himself Nari. Despite the young man's pleading, Obi Wan is still convinced he's right.

Suddenly, Obi Wan hears the sound of a lightsaber igntiing. He looks off to his side, and is horrified to see a figure stalking towards him, a red lightsaber held at his side.

Obi Wan leaps off his mount, his mind racing through his options. Right then, the figure calls out, "You're a Jedi?"

Obi Wan is quiet for a few moments before he manages to get out, "I'm just a simple man."

The figure remains there for a moment before, to Obi Wan's surprise, the lightsaber deactivates. The figure then walks towards him and removes his mask and hood, revealing a human man. For some reason, obi Wan feels like he's seen this man before, many years ago, but can't think of where.

The man smirks and says, "Well, well, well. I'll be monkey's uncle. If it isn't Obi Wan Kenobi himself. I thought you were dead."

"Who are you?" Obi Wan demands, still thinking him to be an agent of the Sith.

"We've crossed paths before, General Kenobi," the man replies, the use of the title surprising Obi Wan. The man then says, "You may not remember me, but I know you. My name is Philip Nelson. A long time ago, I was staff sergeant in the British Army, and I was part of the Jedi Temple's garrison on the night it was attacked."

Obi Wan stands there, stunned. The last person he expected to encounter here on Tatooine is a stranded Terran soldier. Across from him, Philip smirks and says, "Sorry if I scared you a bit. I wasn't sure who you were."

"You can use the Force," Obi Wan says in shock.

"Yeah. Didn't know it until I tried to escape from the clones at the Temple and the power of The Force just…burst out of me. I've spent the last 10 years training myself in the Force," Philip responds.

"Why do you wield a red lightsaber?" Obi Wan asks.

"I stole it from the tomb of a Sith Lord on Korriban. I didn't know how to build one myself, so I had to take one that already existed. Plus, if I use some Sith tactics, may as well us one of their lightsabers," Philip says.

Obi Wan looks disappointed. "You have let yourself be drawn into the dark side, Sergeant Nelson," he says.

"Well, we're you're in my position, waging a one man war on the Empire and hunting Inquisitors across the galaxy, you do what you have to," Philip responds. He pauses, then says, "I've been hoping that one of the Jedi Council survived. I'm glad to know I was right. Perhaps you can teach me a few more secrets I don't already know. Or even better, join me and finally destroy the Imperial Inquisitors before moving on to the Sith."

Obi Wan is quiet for a moment before he says, "No. I cannot help you, Nelson. You have allowed yourself to fall into the dark side. I will not help someone on their path through the dark side. Even if you hadn't turned to darkness…the fight is over. We lost. I have confined myself to Tatooine. I cannot leave."

Philip stands there for a moment in surprise, not having expected obi Wan Kenobi to sound so indifferent. Then, he starts to feel angry. "You were once one of the greatest jedi. Now you're just going to be a hermit on Tatooine? How could you just abandon the galaxy, especially when it was your old apprentice who helped bring this about?"

Obi Wan feels incensed for a moment, but quickly lets go of it. "We lost, Nelson. There is nothing we can do. I have my reasons for staying here, and I cannot leave. Nor will I help someone who has delved so far into the Dark side. Not again," he says.

"You're a disgrace, Kenobi," Philip snaps angrily, "One failure like that aand you just give uo? If you came back out of hiding, maybe we could actually make a difference. I guess I'm the only one with the courage to actually do something about the Empire."

Philip turns away from obi Wan and starts to walk away. However, after taking only a step away, he turns back to Obi Wan and says, "Stay here then and waste away here, Kenobi. I'm going to keep fighting the Empire no matter what it takes." He then stalks away into the night. Obi Wan watches him go silently, still reeling a bit from Philip's accusations.

And, I'll end the chapter there.

So, yes, this story will cover the Obi Wan show, but Philip won't actually be present for a lot of the show's events. Just a few of them.

Next chapter will be up soon. Until it's up, please leave a review and stay tuned.