In a small, crowded cantina in Mos Eisley, a bearded, fairly young man sat in the corner, watching the action. Obi-Wan Kenobi often frequented this bar under the name "Ben".

When choosing a planet to hide, Obi-Wan instinctively thought of Tatooine. He had a strong emotional connection to the barren place, as it is where Qui-Gon had stumbled across Obi-Wan's former Padawan, Anakin.

Ten years later, Obi-Wan still felt like a failure. His Master's dying wish was that he train the boy, and instead he allowed him to be taken away, never to be seen again.

Sometimes Obi-Wan would visit Anakin's mother. She was married now- to a farmer called Lars. They were a nice family; always offered him a hearty meal when he was hungry or some company when he was lonely. Living in a desert cave wasn't exactly the life he had pictured for himself.

He liked the cantina because he could experience a taste of civilization without being bothered. No one took the time to come sit down and chat with "Hermit Ben". He was just a weird guy who wore strange robes. Although Obi-Wan still carried his lightsaber, he kept it well-concealed. It was ironic that the weapon he once used for protection could bring about his own death if seen by anyone loyal to the Empire.

A scantily clad waitress of an unknown species approached him. "What'll it be, dear?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

"A cup of Jawa juice and whatever the special is," Obi-Wan replied.

She scribbled his order on a notepad and scurried off to the next table.

Obi-Wan watched as a fight commenced between two Twi'leks. One had stolen a part from the other's speeder. He agreed to give back the part when he was beaten to the ground. An attendant dragged him across the floor and left him in the sand outside as the music resumed. It was always the same songs- over and over again each week he came. Obi-Wan dearly wished they would invest in a new band.

But these petty thoughts were instantly forgotten when his food and drink appeared before him. It was not the food itself that alarmed him, but the dark-haired person that brought it to him.

"…Senator Organa?"


Obi-Wan grabbed hold of Bail Organa's arm and dragged him out of the cantina.

"Hey!" the waitress shouted, chasing after them. "Aren't you going to pay for that?"

Obi-Wan waved his hand in front of her. "I don't need to pay for that."

"You don't need to pay for that," she replied hypnotically and retreated inside.

Releasing Bail's arm, Obi-Wan asked, "What are you doing here? Is this an undercover mission? If so, I wasn't informed."

Bail stared at him as if not comprehending what he said. "I'm sorry," he replied, "but I don't know who you are."

Amnesia. So Bail had somehow lost his memory and was now running food in a cantina on Tatooine…

"Bail, can you tell me what happened to you in the past month or so?" Obi-Wan asked gently. "Anything at all."

"Bail?" he replied. "Is that my name?"

"Yes, and I need you to tell me what happened," Obi-Wan persisted. "You were a lead member of the Rebel Alliance and from a transmission you sent out that did not match any of our plans, we assumed you'd been captured. We wanted to stage a rescue mission, but we didn't know where you were…"

Bail was silent, obviously attempting to process this overload of information. Instead of asking more questions, Obi-Wan was grateful that he began to give him answers.

"The first thing I remember is a man in a black suit and mask. He had me in restraints and held up some sort of communication device and told me he'd release me if I said what he wanted me to say," Bail explained, "so I did. Something about building a base on some planet called Dantooine. Then he held true to his promise and a couple men in white armor escorted me here. They dropped me off in Mos Espa and I never saw them again."

Vader.

"Do you know where you were?" Obi-Wan prompted. "Before they brought you here."

"On some sort of ship, I think," Bail answered. "A very large one."

The Executor.

"And was there a girl with you?" Obi-Wan continued. "Curly brown hair? Her name is Padmé and she went missing around the same time you did. She contacted her parents recently, but we suspect she may have been under watch."

"No, Sir," Bail replied. "No girls…" He paused as if reconsidering this statement. "I did overhear one conversation. When the man in the black suit ordered that I be taken here, one of the white-suited men asked if they should take 'the girl' too. He said no."

Padmé was still on board.

"Thank you, Bail," Obi-Wan responded. "I'm going to get you home. You live on Alderaan and have a wife that is worried sick. Her name is Breha."

Obi-Wan pulled out his old communicator that he rarely used and headed behind the cantina to make sure his call would be private. The only people that ever called were the rebels with meeting locations and he generally had no reason to call them. He entered the only code he could remember, rebel leader Senator Mon Mothma.

Her hologram soon appeared, fading in and out a bit due to Obi-Wan's distant location and the outdated technology. "Greetings, friend," he said. "I have good news- I have found Bail Organa."

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "And Padmé?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "It would appear that our suspicions were correct. Both were captured by the Empire. Bail was released, but somehow his memory was wiped. Vader must have some new technology that we don't know about yet. It's actually quite clever- making rebels forget that they're rebels. It would be wise for us to try and remove this from his grasp."

"But, Master Jedi," said Mon, "what about Padmé? Do you know where she is being held?"

"Aboard the Executor in the presence of Vader himself," Obi-Wan answered. "It is unknown whether or not she is still alive."

"We will plan a rescue immediately," Mon responded, signaling to someone across the room. "Even if we are unable to acquire her, we need to get our hands on that memory wiper. We could use your help on this one, Kenobi. Getting so close to Vader will not be easy."

"Gladly," Obi-Wan replied. "I am taking Bail back to Alderaan- perhaps Breha can help him remember more of his life. Meet me there so we can discuss this further."

Mon Mothma agreed and disconnected the call. Obi-Wan proceeded to lead Senator Organa to his ship, which he had a bit of trouble starting due to lack of frequent use. "I hate flying," he grumbled as he finally got the engine running and they set off for Alderaan.


Vader had visited Padmé every day for the past week. Each time he arrived, she was reading a new book. He was tempted to scold his trooper for providing her with them (and obviously slacking off himself if he had time to read), but they kept Padmé occupied and it was a harmless hobby. Today, she was reading something called The Man behind the Mask: Theories about Darth Vader.

"What does it say about me?" he asked, slightly interested. Generally Vader ignored the press- just a bunch of scumbags that reported anything the Emperor wanted them to say.

"Oh, a great many things," Padmé answered. "Ichtuhu from Ryloth theorizes that you are not a human, but a high-tech robot designed by the Emperor, devoid of all emotions and indestructible in battle."

Not far off.

"I know she's wrong," said Padmé.

"And why is that?" asked Vader.

"Because robots don't need company," Padmé answered.

"But what if I'm a robot with a human mind?" Vader replied. "Perhaps the Emperor ripped out someone's brain and put it inside me. Or maybe I'm a Cyborg." He debated taking off his right glove to reveal his metal hand, but decided against it.

Vader thought he saw a glimpse of a smile from Padmé. Just as she had opened her mouth to say something, the ground shook. Vader and Padmé were both knocked into the wall.

One of the guards opened the cell door. "My Lord," he said, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I've just been informed that we are under attack."

"From who?" Vader shouted.

"The rebels, Sir," the trooper answered.

Vader exited the cell, yelling at the Stormtroopers to abandon their current post and assume attack positions with the rest of their unit.

It wasn't until he was halfway across the rattling ship that he realized he had left the door open…