Dear Qui-Gon,
As you likely see and hear everything, it will not surprise you to learn that I have finally been able to commune with Master Yoda. It was a dangerous exercise, but well worth the risk. Given my barren surroundings dampening my connection to the Force I set out to find a location better suited to reaching out to Master Yoda across the expanse of space.
My first option was the city of Mos Eisley, as close to a metropolis as Tatooine offers, where a plethora of living beings pulsate and sing with the Force. And yet the distance poses a barrier to regular communication, not to mention the privacy concerns. My face may be still well known enough to the intragalactic clientele who frequent the city, not to mention the bounty which I am certain is on my head, meaning that my image is transmitted into every scum hole, drive bar and cantina.
So where else on the Sith-forsaken desert planet am I to find life? It was then I remembered my rescue of young Kallie Calwell from a field of Sarlaccs, not long after I first arrived on Tatooine. The creatures pulsated with life despite their dormancy, and I knew that their presence in the Force would not only augment my own abilities, but mask them. And yet the journey out into the Dune Sea was still an immense undertaking – my epoie Rooh would not be persuaded to take me, no doubt remembering that harrowing day where we both almost fell victim to the sarlaccs. I do not blame her. She is my lone friend here, and the only one I can talk to. Other than you, Qui-Gon, but of course she is flesh and blood, and I find that sometimes makes a difference.
Oh, if the Obi-Wan of fifteen years ago could have heard that! Sometimes I envy that boy so sure of his convictions and place in the galaxy. And yet, he was a young, dispassionate fool who thought other life forms pathetic and beneath him. No, even with all that I have suffered, I would rather be me than him. I have learned so much, and still have more to learn. I know that now.
But I digress. I journeyed out into the Wastes where I knew several sarlaccs dwelled and was able to conceal my presence from them while reaching out into the galaxy and call to Yoda. He answered almost immediately, and explained that Dagobah was a planet teeming with the Force, light and dark, enough to mask him and yet also enable him a deep communion with the Force itself. I am not sure if I envy this or not.
I asked him if his meditations had revealed to him the future; whether we had made the right choice going into exile rather than standing firm to fight this new Empire. On this point Yoda was obtuse and cryptic as always, which leads me to believe he has not found the answers either. He advised me to stay the course and protect the infant Skywalker; that is my task. Perhaps someday we will form a more concrete plan, but for now I will heed Master Yoda's advice, and endure.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
