Chapter 23

Obi-Wan cursed under his breath as he turned the ignition key again. Nothing happened. He had made it as far as Anchorhead on his way back from Mos Espa when he decided to stop for a drink at the cantina. It had been a blisteringly hot ride and he was parched. A tall cold ale sounded like just the thing but unfortunately, when he came back to continue his journey, the engine had stubbornly refused to turn over and no amount of coaxing on his part could raise even a shudder from the belligerent speeder.

With a sigh, he went to the nearest garage and arranged for the vehicle to be towed in for service. They were very busy and told him it would be at least another day before they could even begin working on it. He glanced at the suns. Thankfully it was still relatively early in the afternoon. If he hurried he could just make it home before dark. He didn't relish the idea of camping out and so without wasting any more time, he began the long lonely walk across the desert.

As he made his way through the barren rocky landscape, he wondered how Luna and Jinn were making out. Had they made it to their first connection on time? He hoped they would com him soon and let him know how the trip was going. In the meantime, he supposed he'd have to find something to keep himself busy.

He was within a few clicks of the house when he noticed a set of bantha tracks going directly across the path in front of him. They looked fresh which meant there were Sand People nearby. Suddenly he sensed a presence he hadn't felt this close in a very long time. Luke! What on earth was he doing all the way out here? Something didn't feel right and his danger sense began to prickle.

Obi-Wan made his way towards Luke's bright presence and peered over the edge of a steep hill into the valley below. Sure enough, there was Luke standing next to a gold protocol droid. He was looking at a group of Sand People through a pair of macrobinoculars but didn't seem to notice that one of them was sneaking up on him. Before Obi-Wan could do anything the Tusken attacked. Luke dodged and desperately rolled out of the way as the being lunged at him again and again with his gaffi stick. There was a loud crack as the weapon connected with Luke's head and he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

By the time Obi-Wan was halfway down the hill, two more Sand people had joined the first one and were riffling though Luke's speeder as it's owner lay unconscious a few feet away. He needed to get rid of them fast. Drawing a deep breath, he focused all his Force suggestion powers on the Sand people and began his best krayt dragon call. Thankfully it worked. He breathed a sigh of relief as they dropped what they were doing and ran for their mounts.

He hurried over to Luke, anxious to make sure he was alright and grasped his wrist to feel for a pulse. There it was, reassuringly strong and even. He breathed a sigh of relief. The only injury he sensed was a large lump on the boy's head where he had been hit. Grateful that it was nothing worse, he placed his hand on Luke's forehead and concentrated on healing the swollen painful area. It wasn't long before the hard lump shrunk in size and the bruising disappeared. As he waited for Luke to regain consciousness, a soft, robotic sounding whistle caught his attention and he looked around. There, hiding among some rocks was a small astromech droid.

"Hello there. Come here, my little friend. Don't be afraid." he called.

It gave a hesitant series of beeps and whistles.

"Oh, don't worry. He'll be alright."

Just then Luke began to come around. He slowly sat up, gingerly rubbed the back of his head, and blinked hard trying to focus his eyes.

"Rest easy son. You've had a busy day. You're fortunate to be all in one piece."

At the sound of his voice Luke looked up. It had been a long time since Obi-Wan had been able to observe him this closely. The last time had been about 5 years earlier when they had met by chance at a store in Anchorhead. They had briefly engaged small talk about Luke's school before Beru came up and hurried him away. Obi-Wan looked him over fondly and noted a few changes in his appearance. His blue eyes were as bright as ever and his face had matured and become more angular. He had grown several inches, and even though it was obvious he would never reach the same stature as his father, his resemblance to Anakin was striking.

"Ben? Ben Kenobi? Boy am I glad to see you!" Luke's face broke into a wide smile.

"The Jundland Wastes are not to be traveled lightly." he said as he helped the boy to his feet. Now that he was out of immediate danger, Obi-Wan began to wonder what exactly he was doing this far away from home. He could think of no possible reason for him to be all the way out here.

"Tell me young Luke, what brings you out this far?" he asked curiously.

"This little droid." Luke indicated the blue and silver astromech which had trundled over to them as they talked. It beeped cheerfully. "I think it's searching for it's former master, but I've never seen such devotion in a droid before."

He looked at the small robot more closely. There was something familiar about it. It closely resembled the quirky little R2 unit that had belonged to Anakin. He hadn't thought of that droid in years and a quick smile crossed his lips as he remembered how it used to follow his padawan around like a dog. Idly he wondered what had ever happened to it.

"He claims to be the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi. Is he a relative of yours? Do you know who he's talking about?" Luke asked innocently.

There was a sudden strong surge in the Force as Luke said his name. He stepped back for a moment, and sat down on a rock feeling stunned. Just a few days ago he had told Luna that things usually happen when you least expect them, but the surprise he felt at hearing Luke say his real name almost took his breath away. For almost 20 years he had been waiting for this moment and finally it had arrived. The time had come to reveal himself.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan. Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time. A long time."

Luke looked at him curiously. "I think my uncle knows him. He said he was dead."

Obi-Wan scoffed and rolled his eyes. Of course Owen would say something like that. He shook his head. "Oh, he's not dead. Not yet."

"You know him?"

"Of course I know him. He's me!" The droid rolled back and whistled with suprise. "I haven't gone by the name Obi-Wan since, oh, before you were born." Memories came flooding back to him. Images of The Temple, Coruscant, Anakin, and the countless missions he had completed drifted through his mind. It all seemed so long ago. He suddenly felt ancient.

"Well then, the droid does belong to you." Luke replied.

"I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid. Very interesting." No, he hadn't owned the droid, but he certainly knew who had. He had no idea how it had gotten here or where it had been all these years, but there was no doubt in his mind that this was the same one that had belonged to Anakin. How very remarkable that it would be the catalyst that brought Luke back into his life! The Force certainly did work in mysterious ways.

Before he had time for further contemplation, a loud braying sound echoed through the canyon from the direction the Sand people had gone. It wouldn't be long before they retuned. As quickly as possible, they loaded the two droids into Luke's speeder and began the short trip to his house.

As they flew across the sand, Obi-Wan's spirits began to rise. Beginning Luke's training again was just the thing he needed after saying goodbye to Jinn. He couldn't wait to unlock Luke's memories and really find out what had been happening in his life. He had kept up as best he could, but there was only so much you could learn from listening to gossip and watching someone from afar. How he had missed spending time with Luke! When they finally reached the house they helped the droids out of the speeder and headed for the door.

"Do you have some tools I could borrow?" Luke asked politely. "I need to reattach this." he held up C3PO's golden arm.

"Of course." Obi-Wan said. He went into the kitchen and rummaged through the junk drawer before returning with a hydrospanner and a few other tools. "Will these do?"

"Yes!" Luke exclaimed. "Thanks!" A slight frown crossed his face as he concentrated on his work. "If my Uncle finds out he was damaged I'll be in big trouble. We just bought these two droids from a some Jawas yesterday."

Well, that answered the question of where they had come from Obi-Wan thought as he watched Luke work. "I'm sure you can fix it." he said with a smile. "If you're anything like your father, he will be good as new in no time." He hadn't intended to bring up Anakin, but somehow the comment had slipped out anyway.

Luke stopped short and stared at him for a moment. "You knew my father?" Fixing the protocol droid was suddenly forgotten as questions began excitedly bubbling out of him like water. "What was he like? Was he good at fixing things? Do I look like him? Were you friends?"

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Easy now, young man. Slow down. Yes, I knew your father." Suddenly something occurred to him. "What has your family told you about him?"

Luke looked down sadly. "Not much. My Uncle Owen won't allow us to talk about him. I guess it makes him feel bad, but I'd give anything to know more about him."

Obi-Wan nodded. No doubt he would. "Anakin Skywalker was a great man and a powerful Jedi. You look just like him."

"Jedi?" Luke looked confused. "But the Jedi weren't real. They said in school that…"

"Well, you can't believe everything they tell you in school." Obi-Wan answered. "The Jedi were very real. They were around for thousands of years before the Empire came along and your father was one of the best. He and I spent quite a bit of time together during the Clone Wars. We fought side by side on countless missions and he saved my life many times."

Luke looked at him with surprise for a second and then shook his head in disbelief before turning back to his work. "No, my father didn't fight in the wars. He was a navigator on a spice freighter."

A navigator on a spice freighter? Where had he gotten such a ridiculous idea? An image of Owen's unsmiling face came to mind. It wasn't hard to guess.

"That's what your Uncle told you. He didn't hold with your father's ideals and thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved."

"You fought in the Clone Wars?"

"Yes. I was once a Jedi knight the same as your father."

Through the Force Obi-Wan could feel endless questions swirling around in Luke's head. A look of naked longing clouded his face. "I wish I'd known him."

"He was the best star pilot in the galaxy and a cunning warrior." Luke smiled, proud of the man he had never known. "And he was a good friend. Which reminds me, I have something here for you." Obi-Wan got up and walked over to the old wooden chest that stood against the wall. He lifted the lid and removed Anakin's lightsaber.

"What is it?" Luke asked curiously as he eyed the silvery hilt.

"This was your father's lightsaber. It's the weapon of a Jedi knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age."

Luke turned it on with a familiar snap hiss and experimentally waved it back and forth. It hummed with energy as Obi-Wan continued speaking. "For over a thousand generations the Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire."

There was a bitterness in his voice that he didn't even attempt to conceal. Luke picked up on it immediately and came to sit next to him.

"How did my father die?"

Obi-Wan looked down as he carefully considered how to best answer the question. He had wondered for years how much he should tell Luke about Anakin's fall when the topic came up. He deserved to know the truth, of course, but he still was only 19 years old. The burden that such knowledge would put on his shoulders was too heavy for now. He decided that he would keep the secret of Darth Vader's true identity a little longer. As soon as Luke had finished his training, Obi-Wan thought, he would tell him everything.

"A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine before he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi knights. He betrayed and murdered your father." There is was. Not exactly the truth, but not completely false either. At least, not from a certain point of view. "Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force."

Luke's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "The Force?"

"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."

Just then R2D2 warbled out a prolonged series of beeps. Obi-Wan was suddenly reminded that the droid had been trying to find him. Perhaps it was best to find out why before any further discussions. He got up and pressed a button on the back of the droid's dome. "Now, lets see if we can't figure out what you are my little friend and where you come from." A hologram began to take shape.

"General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars…" Obi-Wan stared at the hologram as the young woman pleaded for his help. About halfway through the message, he suddenly realized who he was looking at. The only person he knew on Alderaan was Bail Organa and if this was his daughter then…Leia! Goodness!

He risked a quick glance at Luke to see what his reaction was. Would he recognize her? He knew it was very unlikely, but twins did share a special bond. Gingerly he reached out to assess Luke's feelings. There was no recognition, but much to his chagrin there were some rather unbrotherly feelings of attraction. Oh, dear he worried. That was certainly one unintended consequence of separating Luke and Leia that nobody had ever considered. Obviously they needed to have a talk, but it would have to wait until later. The Force was practically humming around him as the recording ended. Something monumental was about to be set in motion. He could feel it!

The time had finally come. He looked at Luke and spoke the words he had woven into the mental barriers he had built around the boy's memories so long ago.

"You must learn the ways of the Force, if you are to come with me to Alderaan." He wasn't exactly sure what he had expected, but the words didn't seem to phase Luke at all. He leapt to his feet and began pacing back and forth.

"Alderaan?! I'm not going to Alderaan, I've got to get home. It's late. I'm in for it as it is!"

Something must have happened. Perhaps it had been too many years. Maybe the barriers he had placed around the memories were too strong. Obi-Wan wasn't sure, but he needed more time. "I need your help Luke!" he stalled. "She needs your help. I'm getting too old for this sort of thing."

Luke looked conflicted. "Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire, I hate it but there's nothing I can do about it right now." He leaned against the wall and looked miserable. "It all seems like such a long way from here.

"That's your Uncle talking." Obi-Wan said as he wracked his brain for a way to get through the stubborn mental barriers. Perhaps if he tried again…

Luke sighed heavily. "Oh, boy. My Uncle. How am I going to explain all this?"

Obi-Wan hoped against hope that this time it would work. If it didn't, all would be lost before it even began. "Learn about the Force, Luke."

Luke paused. He shook his head slightly and Obi-Wan held his breath. Would he remember? For a few rosy moments, his hope began to grow.

"Look, I can take you as far as Anchorhead. You can get a transport there to Mos Eisley or wherever you're going."

Obi-Wan was crestfallen. He tried not to let it show, but he feared he was unsuccessful. "You must do what you feel is right, of course." he replied.

Luke nodded and walked outside to the speeder as Obi-Wan drew a shaky breath. He felt terrible. Perhaps it was simply his fear for the future of the galaxy he told himself, but in his heart he knew better. Ever since that terrible day when Owen had found out about their training, he had consoled himself with the hope that someday he would be able to renew the close relationship he had with Luke. How he'd missed the sweet, funny, talented little boy over the years! In truth, he loved him like a son and sadly, Luke had no idea.

Well, he was certainly no stranger to disappointment. He would simply have to find a way to deliver the droid to Alderaan by himself and then…. He stopped. There in the doorway stood Luke. He had an odd expression on his face and suddenly there was a hesitant, timid flutter of activity along their training bond as Luke clumsily reached out to him. Immediately, he sent happy feelings of joy and acceptance back along the long dormant bond.

"Ben!" Luke exclaimed before he threw his arms around Obi-Wan. "You said I wouldn't forget you!"

Hi everyone! I hope you have enjoyed my story! Thank you so much for sticking around to finish it with me. I plan to do a short epilogue to wrap up some loose ends, but this is the final regular chapter. Thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate all the reviews and comments I have received! May the Force be with you! :) PS...if you have any ideas for future stories that you'd like to read, please feel free to PM me. I can't promise I'll write them, but I am always on the lookout for good story ideas. Cheers!