Obi-Wan awoke early the next morning feeling a disturbance in the force. It wasn't a rare occurrence these days, almost every action the Emperor took caused problems somewhere in the galaxy. However, whatever this disturbance entailed, Obi-Wan felt as though it was coming closer and closer at an alarming speed. Had Kraytus reported him to Czerka authorities for some reason? Maybe he didn't want to be held responsible for Jan's death and needed a scapegoat. The danger was so close that Obi-Wan leapt into the air out of his bed calling his lightsaber to his dominant hand. Yet when he opened his eyes and looked around the cave, he saw nothing but Tatooine's moons staring back at him through the entrance of his cave. He rushed to the edge of the cab to see if something was wrong at the Lars residence only to find everything appeared fine. The disturbance was just a dream, one of many he had been subjected to at multiple times in the Wastes.
The Dewback groaned to his right making Obi-Wan carry a bucket of water in that direction, "We'll be in the city soon and you can have all the water you want."
Looking up into the night sky, Obi-Wan realized the disturbance he felt was literally coming at him from orbit. A spaceship with a design he didn't recognize was making a hard landing in the middle of the Dune Sea. The Hutts shot down other criminal syndicate vessels all the time to protect Jabba's security but, Obi-Wan suspected something else was going on here. There had been no sign of a fight in orbit suggesting the ship jumped out of lightspeed on fire. Also, he found it important to note Hutt fighters weren't currently chasing it down to guarantee a kill meaning they hadn't anticipated it's arrival. What made him even more concerned was the struggle he could sense on the ship itself as it fell from the sky. A clash of darkness and light so close to Luke was far too dangerous to ignore. He tugged the lightsaber into his robes marching to the back of his cave where the emergency speeder he had hidden away was waiting for him.
His commlink went off and as soon as he answered Owen's voice came through, "Kenobi, any idea what's landing in my backyard?"
Obi-Wan threw his leg over the speeder while starting its engine, "I don't know, but I'm going to check it out. You need to get Luke out just like we talked about. Just in case."
Owen let out a sigh, "I'm not going to evacuate my family offworld when you don't even know what's going on Ben. Tell you what, I'll take Luke to the Boonta Eve celebrations since he's wanted to go anyways. Find us when you learn something new."
Obi-Wan wanted to protest though Owen already ended the comm, "Why do I always have a bad feeling about this?"
The speeder roared to life sending Obi-Wan off the cliff face flying towards the Dune Sea. Obi-Wan didn't like flying anything faster than a passenger tram these days but, it was a straight shot from the cave past the Lars residence to the ship. As he got closer to the crash site, Obi-Wan noticed a few things that didn't make him feel any better about the scene. The first was the fact that a swoop bike was already rushing away from the scene having emerged from the ship's open cargo hold heading towards Mos Eisley. A part of him wanted to give chase in order to determine who was running away so quickly yet that wasn't his mandate. Keeping whoever had just fallen out of the sky away from Luke was all that mattered. However, the body lying next to the cargo hold door did give him pause. Whatever happened here wasn't the typical violent outbursts of Tatooine, this was something he had to investigate.
His gut feeling telling him something was wrong only intensified when he left the speeder to get closer to the body. The dead body was a Human male no older than thirty years old wearing a red shirt and tan pants. A large slash mark across his chest suggested someone with a vibrosword murdered him. His raven black hair cascading over his shoulders was a mess indicating he had been in quite the struggle. Obi-Wan's gut twisted into knots however when he saw the man clutching a blaster in one hand, and a lightsaber in the other. This person had been a member of the Jedi Order though he didn't personally recognize them. That wasn't necessarily unusual, Obi-Wan was sure there were thousands of members of the Order he never came into contact with. It still made him feel terrible that they lost another member of the Order who now can't fight back against the Empire.
As he bent down to investigate the lightsaber, he heard a voice coming from inside the cargo hold, "Do scavengers on Tatooine always arrive at a crash within five minutes? Or am I just unlucky?"
Obi-Wan snapped his gaze upwards towards the voice spotting him almost immediately. His broad shoulders covered in a black cloak made it appear as though he could barely fit through the Correllian style hatch that led deeper into the ship. It didn't help that he was around half a foot taller than Obi-Wan giving him an intimidating figure in the same vein as Darth Vader. However, his soft smile and graying short, trimmed beard gave him a fatherly like presence. Obi-Wan recognized him as Jedi Master Baylan Skoll, the librarian from the small Jedi Academy on Taris. During the Mandalorian succession crisis of his youth, Skoll had been instrumental in finding records dating back hundreds of years that proved Clan Kryze were the rightful heirs to the throne. Obi-Wan doubted however that the man remembered their brief interaction now though. It was so many years ago and so much happened in between for both of them. His best way to play this was to pretend they had no association until he knew what was going on.
He pulled his hand away from the lightsaber on the ground to stand up straight, "I happen to live in the homestead near here and came to see if I could help."
Baylan gave him a knowing smile marching out of the cargo hold to meet him, "Well the offer is appreciated but, as I seem to recall you never truly honed your skill as a healer... Master Kenobi."
The two of them embraced in a friendly hug clapping each other on the back. It had been a long ten years with no one to keep him company other than Qui Gon's ghost. Just to know a Jedi Master survived this long gave Obi-Wan hope that the Order could one day reemerge from its slumber to protect the galaxy once more. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Baylan's smile appeared rather forced as though this reunion wasn't something he was happy about. Obi-Wan also noticed he didn't seem in much of a hurry to check on his other lightsaber wielding crewmate. It was certainly possible he was still in shock from a violent crash but, the force was telling him to be cautious. Especially considering the fact that he still had no idea what was going on here.
Obi-Wan let go of the hug motioning to the dead Jedi behind him, "Baylan, what happened here? Tatooine isn't a usual traveling destination for fleeing Jedi."
Baylan bent down to pick up the lightsaber with a sigh, "Just a random coincidence I'm afraid. I merely put in random coordinates into the navi computer and here we are. Me and my Padawan Bode were raiding an Imperial installation for a Holocron. We escaped with it but had no idea we had a stowaway Inquisitor on board. They sabotaged the ship and well, you can put together the rest."
Obi-Wan showed no outwards sign of emotion even though this was probably the worst-case scenario. He and Master Yoda had chosen Tatooine as a good hiding spot for Luke specifically because it was almost impossible to believe the Empire would look for him here. Not only did Anakin hate his home planet, but Jabba's iron grip on the system made it unlikely that the Empire would even attempt a struggle for jurisdiction here. However, if the Emperor were to receive word that two Jedi Masters and a missing Holocron were here, he would come looking. His first instinct was to contact Owen to let him know they had been comprised but, he stopped himself quickly after that. The force was telling him that Baylan shouldn't find out about the boy. He needed to get the other Jedi Master off the planet as soon as possible before the Empire could put together where he had fled.
"I'm so sorry Baylan, is there anything I can do to help?" Obi-Wan asked not wanting the other man to think he was trying to rush him out of here immediately.
Baylan clipped the extra blade to his belt looking far more determined than anything else, "I am not the first to lose an apprentice as we both well know. Bode will become one with the force once our mission is complete." He decided not to elaborate on what that mission was before he continued, "I would appreciate it if I could hitch a ride with you to the nearby spaceport. I need a few parts to repair my ship."
Obi-Wan did his best to hide the fear he was feeling, "Taking another ship offworld might be faster. Tatooine isn't known for having modern repair parts."
"Then it's a good thing the Ebon Hawk is a smuggling vessel from before the war. I'll trust in the force that there are no true coincidences." Baylan declared clearly not budging on his desire to leave in that ship.
Obi-Wan scratched his chin, "The Ebon Hawk, why does that sound familiar? Have you always had the ship?"
Baylan let out a hearty chuckle out of amusement, "By the force no, it came upon me when my hope was at its lowest. Perhaps you heard of something similar in your history classes. Qui Gon always told me your interest in history would one day make you a great archivist."
It was Obi-Wan's turn to laugh though he felt uneasy, "I suppose your right about the first part anyway."
Baylan motioned towards the speeder with a rather odd smile, "Regardless, I don't think the name of a ship is important to the current situation."
Obi-Wan started walking back towards his speeder knowing Baylan would follow him, "I assume we need to go after the inquisitor as well? Before they get away?"
Baylan shook his head hopping on the speeder behind Obi-Wan, "I'll find them eventually, they failed Lord Vader one too many times. I doubt they'll be running back to him anytime soon."
He thought it was strange Baylan didn't want to go after the object that got his Padawan killed but Obi-Wan wasn't going to complain now, "I know a mechanic in the city that should be able to help you."
o0o_
The trip to Mos Eisley was a quiet one other than the fireworks going off in the distance. Obi-Wan hadn't been used to hiding his emotions in the force with anyone since all the populace on Tatooine weren't force sensitive. Baylan had been a Jedi Master years before the start of the Clone Wars, of course he would be able to sense Obi-Wan's suspicions regarding his arrival. Interestingly Baylan wasn't opening himself up in the force to put Obi-Wan's mind at ease. The Holocron, Bode, and this fleeing inquisitor were going to remain a mystery to him unless Baylan decided to say anything on the subject. At the same time, Obi-Wan felt guilty doubting him considering he wasn't being forthcoming about his own assignment. From Baylan's current perspective, Obi-Wan left the fight to become a moisture farmer.
"What are the people celebrating today? I don't recall any Hutt holidays falling on this day." Baylan questioned always putting his knowledge of history up for debate.
Obi-Wan decided to be open with him this time as it might get him something in return, "Anakin won his freedom this day in the Boonta Eve pod race years ago. Slaves look up to him as a symbol that maybe they too can one day be free."
"Hmm, I suppose it is appropriate for someone to celebrate the most monumental moment in the galaxy. For better...or worse." Baylan declared flatly watching the sunrise.
The hairs on the back of Obi-Wan's neck stood up feeling that tension in his gut feel worse. Baylan would have obviously known Anakin was considered the chosen one by many in the Order. Finding the chosen one could be described as a monumental moment. That said, the way he lingered on 'or worse' gave Obi-Wan a bad feeling. Baylan seemed to be implying Anakin Skywalker had transformed into Darth Vader. As far as he was aware only he, Bail Organa, and Master Yoda knew Vader's identity for certain. If Baylan knew that terrible truth, what else did he know? More importantly, who would've told him? Unfortunately, all of those questions weren't appropriate for a speeder parking lot outside of Mos Eisley. The return trip however was sure to be an illuminating experience.
Baylan spoke again even before Obi-Wan could disable the speeder engine, "I don't blame you Kenobi. The force has a destiny for all of us no matter our opinions on the matter..." He stared off randomly into the distance lost in thought, "If you had prevented his fall something else would have set him down his path."
Obi-Wan felt defensive when someone he thought was a friend so openly pointing out his greatest failure, "And what is your path then? You seem to know an awful lot about mine."
Baylan gave him a frustratingly confident smile, "I believe our immediate path takes us through that gate into the city. Once I have the parts I need, I'll be out of the way of your meditations Master Kenobi."
It was technically the right answer but Obi-Wan found it as evasive as everything else he had been told. Baylan seemed to only speak in vague side-stepping answers. Had he told Obi-Wan the truth about anything? He had been awful quick to pick up Bode's lightsaber before he had a good chance to look at it. What if Baylan was the inquisitor that was hunting a Jedi? Obi-Wan forced himself to take a deep breath before he overreacted. Baylan wasn't the first Jedi to be cagey about a particular subject. Even Master Yoda tended to speak around something when he wanted you to learn something on your own. Baylan had done nothing wrong that couldn't be explained away, in fact he was a victim in all this. So why didn't he feel like a victim?
"I'll lead the way, it's easy to get lost in a city like this." Obi-Wan explained not mentioning he saw the Ebon Hawk's swoop bike parked close by to the speeder.
Baylan either didn't notice or didn't care about the murderer of his Padawan when he replied, "Once you've traveled the ruins of Taris you find that it is easy to get lost anywhere."
Obi-Wan threw his hood up motioning for Baylan to do the same. It was impossible to know when Imperial spies might do a scouting mission in Hutt territory, so his best bet was to keep up his persona as a crazy old hermit. That said it was going to difficult for a spy to track anyone in this crowd. The Boonta Eve brought citizens from all over the planet to celebrate Anakin's independence in this one city. Baylan was only able to keep close to him due to his sheer size pushing people out of the way through the crowd. Obi-Wan could sense another force user somewhere in the mass of people in front of them yet it was faint. They were hiding but from who? Baylan or Vader? He kept pushing towards a repair shop where a group of Jawa's resided.
One of the Jawas looked up at him, "Eh, chuti ibab?"
Obi-Wan motioned to Baylan behind him, "My friend here crashed his old ship and needs help-"
Baylan knelt down in front of the Jawa to get on its eye level interrupting Obi-Wan, "I need a power converter for an old Dynamic Class Freighter." He looked up over the Jawa's shoulder, "And that Droid back there..."
Obi-Wan followed his gaze only to spot...nothing remarkable. The droid in question was hanging from the back wall covered in a thick coating of rust and Tatooine sands. Its angular head suggested the droid was an extremely old design, probably before he had even been born. What could Baylan possibly want from a droid that most likely couldn't be reactivated? The memory core could potentially be of use to a historian like Baylan, but the problem was Obi-Wan couldn't remember the other Jedi being much of a programmer. He also didn't think this was the time to go droid shopping when an inquisitor was supposedly hunting him down across multiple star systems. Despite all that Baylan stood up staring at the droid as if he recognized a family friend.
The Jawa waved their hand emphatically while shaking its head, "Naly uchi luutnii! Dra husd yahta."
"He says the droid was causing them a lot of trouble, so they destroyed its power supply. That would cost you another thousand credits. On top of the three thousand credit power converter." Obi-Wan translated the sentence as best he was able, yet he couldn't imagine a droid in that condition costing that much.
Baylan examined the droid more closely sounding somewhat distracted, "How much for just the droid?"
The Jawa threw its hands up in the air rather frustrated with the whole situation, "Dutay."
"Five hundred credits." Obi-Wan translated before cutting in, "Baylan I think it's important that I mention I don't know any other repair places on Tatooine. If you buy just the droid, you'll be-"
Baylan set a pouch of credits on the table to interrupt him, "Tell the Jawa the droid is an acceptable trade." He turned to look at Obi-Wan with an amused smirk, "There are no such things as coincidence. I survived from this crash with exactly five hundred credits to my name. Tell me that isn't fate."
Before he could impart Qui Gon's wisdom about the force a familiar voice came from behind him, "Luke, what did I tell you about cutting in line?!"
To his horror the ten-year-old boy zipped past him to tug on Baylan's cloak, "Sir, I heard you say something about needing a power converter? There's a scrap yard nearby that should have what you're looking for. Should be free too."
Obi-Wan reacted out of instinct reaching for his lightsaber deep under his robe in case something went wrong. Even though he didn't completely draw it out, Baylan was quite aware of such a standard technique prompting him to look between the two of them. He couldn't possibly know the exact nature of the relationship between Luke and Obi-Wan though an expression of understanding crossed his features. For just a moment the former Master tensed as if to have this battle right here in public. If you were in trouble with the Empire handing over a Jedi Master and a force sensitive child could make almost all crimes as forgiven. Just as he was about to tell Owen to run, Baylan relaxed his shoulders reaching out to grab the droid.
"I'll remember that, thank you for the help. Though you might want to listen to your father, it is impolite to skip the line." He threw the droid over his arm approaching Obi-Wan, "Think next time." Baylan whispered before marching out of the store towards the Dune Sea.
