A journey takes us from one place to another. But we do not travel without reason; there is always a destination.

Chapter 2

Life was tough if you lived on Tatooine. The desert community literally survived day to day, and that produced hardy people, but people who helped each other all the same. In small settlements such as this one everybody knew everybody else and there was always a peaceful status quo. Not today!

Angry shouts, the whine of strained repulsors and a cloud of dust kicked up by a speeding vehicle had disturbed the rustic tranquillity. To a casual observer it might have looked like a robbery, and from a certain point of view it was just that. The speeding vehicle was a new landspeeder removed from its resting place without permission. The shouts were emanating from an angry parent upon their discovery of this, and the criminals were a fourteen year old boy with his ten year old accomplice.

The fugitives blazed a trail out into the desert, heading for local canyons where they could test the vehicles performance more thoroughly. The older boy behind the controls looked determined; his younger companion was wide eyed with excitement. Neither of them registered the approaching darkness rapidly filling the horizon to the east, nor the threatening colour of the sky. To any local, even a child, these two signs meant one thing, imminent danger! You must seek shelter right away. The trouble was before you were able to react, you had to first be paying attention, and that wasn't high upon the list of skills associated with these two boys in particular.

Within minutes the sandstorm had begun to catch the speeder. As soon as the occupants registered the danger, they swerved suddenly, attempting to take a shorter route to some rocky formations. Cover was minutes away, but that was still too far. The weight of the storm enveloped them and everything went black.

This is the peril of the sandstorm, it is so fast. Winds whip up dust and grit that blind you, and can flay the skin from exposed parts of your body. If you find shelter you can sit it out, providing you have the right supplies, as storms can last for hours or even days. If you're caught out you're in a world of trouble. Stay still and you might be buried by sand, try to run and you will get lost in the constantly moving storm. Both scenarios will eventually end in disaster, unless you are very, very lucky.

"Slow down, you can't see anything," screamed the younger boy. "We don't have time, we've got to get to that crevasse," his older companion shouted back assuredly. The youngsters' eyes were shut against the maelstrom but his terror was palpable, he could contain himself no longer. Reaching across he grabbed the other boys' arms, forcing the vehicle to swerve suddenly. The violence of the turn forced one of the rear engines to burrow into the sand. This slowed their trajectory, but also caused the speeder to flip once, landing upside down on a cushion of drift sand. Nothing stirred from the crash; nothing stirred for miles around, the world had closed down to ride out the storm. There would be no help soon. Nothing moved, only the impenetrable wall of dust hurled furiously by the howling wind.

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Obi-Wan Kenobi yawned, the gentle plodding of his Eopee having almost sent him to sleep. This will never do, he thought, there was a time when I could stay awake and ready for action for days straight. That time had long gone, and that Obi-Wan Kenobi with it. The previous night in his small shelter at the mining camp had not been a peaceful one. The wind had moaned all night long, whipping up sand that had battered the sides of his shelter, sounding like a rainstorm. Not ideal conditions for sleeping. At first light Obi-Wan had set off for home, intending only to make a short stop for supplies at one of the small local settlements. It quickly became apparent that the wind of the previous night had been the periphery of a sandstorm passing through the area, and Obi-Wan was able to observe the subtle changes that had taken place in the landscape. A new dune here, a new valley there, and several now exposed rock formations that had previously been buried. There was even one small feature that appeared to be waving at him.

Obi-Wan squinted against the sun and was able to make out two small figures in the shade of a rock cliff. Even as his eyes processed this information, his Force senses began to overwhelm him with an unmistakeable presence. There was no doubt who one of the boys was – it was him!

Obi-Wan dismounted and led his Eopee the last thirty or forty meters. The boys, it appeared, were in the process of excavating a small vehicle of some sort from a sand drift that had formed against the rock face. "Hello there my young friends," Obi-Wan offered a greeting. "It appears you have somewhat of a problem." The boys stopped digging. "Figure that out on your own did you?" said the older boy sarcastically. He was lean with dark hair and Obi-Wan recognised him as one of the Darklighter family, whom he had often worked with in the past. "That ain't the half of it," said his younger companion, "I'm in so much trouble, my uncle's gonna ground me for the rest of my life!" Obi-Wan looked at the child, and despite himself his breath caught in his throat and a long buried pain knotted his stomach. He may as well have been addressing another boy he had known long ago. This was the first time he had actually spoken to the child he was sworn to protect, in the entire decade he had been here. He had seen him from a distance and had listened to many conversations about him, but had not once been close enough to see the blonde hair and blue eyes of his unmistakeable parentage. "Well then," said Obi-Wan, shaking loose the memories. "Let's see if we can prevent that from happening by getting you out of your predicament."

All three of them cleared away sand from around the speeder until Obi-Wan, being the tallest was able to reach up and guide the craft back into an upright position, using some of the piled sand as a makeshift ramp. One engine had been ripped away, and Obi-Wan had no idea where that was, but the other two still appeared to be functional, well they would be once several hundred pounds of sand had been removed from them. "You don't appear to be in too bad a shape," Obi-Wan smiled, trying to make the two of them feel better. "That's mainly thanks to him," said the older boy. "Really, how so?" inquired Obi-Wan. "When the storm hit we were blind," he continued. "I was goin' full throttle for shelter, when Luke made me swerve and we ended up here," holding his arms out for effect. "I don't know how he knew, but if he hadn't done that we'd have hit the cliff face flat out and," he trailed off, "well, you know." Obi-Wan smiled knowingly at the younger boy. "Well done Luke, it seems you're quite the hero."

"Not really," said the boy matter of factly, "it just felt like the right thing to do." Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile once more.

"Well now boys, let's see if we can't get you back to civilisation," Obi-Wan changed the subject. "No need," said Luke deflated, "we're rumbled," pointing over Obi-Wan's shoulder as he spoke. He turned to see a small group of people heading towards them. At the front was a man Obi-Wan knew instantly, even though it had been many years since he had seen him this close up. Owen Lars was even sterner than Obi-Wan remembered; he was certainly more weather-worn as well. "You two get that speeder on the trailer," said Lars without so much as a glance in Obi-Wan's direction. "You have no idea just how lucky you are, but you will be by the time I'm through with you." The statement from Lars left no room for doubt what he meant. "I do not believe luck had much to do with their survival," Obi-Wan tried to sound positive for the boys' sake. Owen Lars finally glanced in his direction, he did not look pleased to see Obi-Wan. "The wizard man helped us dig the speeder out," said the Darklighter boy, feeling the tension. "Kenobi," Lars nodded, and then turned to head back the way he had come. The others followed. After several seconds he turned to face Obi-Wan again. "If you're heading into town, you should check the holonet, there have been developments that might concern you," he said.

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The nearest settlement consisted of a few farmsteads within easy reach of each other, centred around a small supply store, a communications station, a mechanics workshop and a small cantina. Obi-Wan gathered the supplies he needed, and then headed for the comm.' station and the holonet receiver.

The place was empty save for the centre manager, who took absolutely no notice of Obi-Wan, and carried on at his computer terminal. The holonet receiver was projecting continually in one corner of the room. Obi-Wan checked the news channels. All off-world news was blanket Empire coverage, clear propaganda and obviously centrally controlled, so Obi-Wan found a local channel instead. "….continues to expand its control of more outlying systems," Obi-Wan had tuned in during the middle of the announcers report. "Imperial presence is being felt more directly," he continued, "as Galactic Senators are increasingly coming under the jurisdiction of Regional Governors, regions which now include large sways of the Outer Rim Territories." It was a huge task to monitor and control such a vast and unruly sector of space, Obi-Wan observed, even the Republic had never truly managed to bring most of it into the fold. How was the Empire going to manage it? He had the answer almost immediately before his eyes; he should have known better – brute force was how! The holonet announcer was now talking about a structure being quickly erected in the background of his camera shot. Hundreds of white armoured soldiers were engaged in the work. An imperial garrison! The Empire had come to Tatooine, and the cold shiver that ran up Obi-Wan's spine came with it.

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The remainder of his journey home had been fairly swift, but by no means as restful as his usual travels. Obi-Wan had a lot of issues to contemplate, but could not come to any conclusions. He was worried, certainly not afraid, but definitely concerned, and he didn't like that, not one little bit. In the past Obi-Wan was practically unflappable, he was always able to approach any difficult situation with unerring calm and decisiveness. ­­­­­ The difference was, back then he had always been able to seek council from those wiser and more experienced than himself. Now he was the wise and experienced one, and he was alone. "Melancholy fool," Obi-Wan said to himself, "you know damn well you're not alone." There was someone he could talk to, that someone with whom he had been meaning to do exactly that.

There was one thing he felt he needed to do before anything else however. It wasn't always possible, not without the risk of drawing attention to himself, and he would have to be cautious. But it was, under the circumstances, worth the risk Obi-Wan decided, as it would allow him to focus on the Force in preparation for his meditations. Entering his dwelling Obi-Wan headed straight for his storage chest. He returned to the cooling evening air having removed his upper garments and carrying one small item. Following a trail towards the cliffs nearby, Obi-Wan headed out into the desert once more. After several minutes walk he arrived at a fairly large overhang in the cliff face, almost a cave really, and somewhere that would hide him from any casual observers. Obi-Wan relaxed his breathing then took a comfortable stance. The object he had brought with him at once came to life in a burst of graceful blue fury, with an unmistakeable snap-hiss, and the cave became bathed in light.

Despite his age, Obi-Wan began a series of lithe and precise movements, the blade of his lightsaber spinning about him in a blur, causing the air in its path to sizzle. He had learned these sequences as a child, and the basic principles of block, parry, riposte, always formed the opening of any practice session, even now. Obi-Wan opened himself to the Force, allowing his movements to flow seamlessly from one to the other. He was not elaborate to look at, fast to be sure, and extremely precise, but without any of the twists or jumps one would normally expect of a Jedi. Time was always irrelevant for Obi-Wan when he opened to the Force, and that was the key to his lightsaber prowess. When his practice suddenly ceased, he had not even broken sweat, despite the fact that his chrono told him he had worked for a standard hour without a single pause. If necessary, he could engage in combat almost without end, his style had become so efficient. As he returned home he was now fully centred in the Force and ready to seek the council of an old friend.

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In the main living area of his dwelling, Obi-Wan dimmed the lights and seated himself on the floor. He closed his eyes, then systematically concentrated on shutting off all other external stimuli, until he was aware of himself only. At this point he allowed the Force to flood in and flow through him. It was an extraordinary sensation, but such a familiar one too, and despite that, Obi-Wan would never tire of experiencing it. It was like being in the presence of an old friend, or returning home to a warm and secure place after a long journey.

Even though he had shut off his normal senses, Obi-Wan was aware of everything, he was everything, and everything was him. He could feel every particle of sand moving outside, could see through the eyes of flying creatures circling the skies nearby, could locate the star ship passing by ten thousand klicks into space, and even sense the pulsing of stars on the other side of the galaxy. He didn't require all this input however and simply withdrew his focus back to himself.

"It is good to hear from you again old friend," Obi-Wan said aloud, "I have missed you." A reply came. "You know better than to grow too attached to things my young apprentice," said the disembodied voice of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan's former master. "Not so young anymore it would appear," Obi-Wan replied dryly. "Your sense of humour remains undiminished," Qui-Gon chuckled, "despite the tangled web of thoughts I sense clouding your mind. Perhaps I can help old friend."

"Yes please," responded Obi-Wan, almost like a child being offered a special gift.

"What troubles you Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked. Obi-Wan paused, gathering his thoughts into a cohesive response. "I feel," he began, "that I can no longer carry on my mission in its current state. Events are beginning to overtake me and I am unprepared, I don't know what to do next, I do not know how to take the next step," he finished in a somewhat flustered manner. "Events are moving, how so?" asked Qui Gon. "The boy," replied Obi-Wan. "His attunement to the Force is growing rapidly; therefore his presence within it must also be growing. Soon it will be easily detectable to anyone looking."

"But who would look here, in this remote place," Qui Gon soothed. "No one I believed, until today that is. The Empire is here!" Obi-Wan paused to allow this information to sink in. "It's not much, but enough to prompt me out of my slumbering," he continued pointedly. Qui-Gon did not respond immediately and there was somewhat of an uneasy pause. Eventually he said. "You fear it will not be long before the darkness uncovers our plan, and the boy is not ready?"

"Precisely," replied Obi-Wan. "He is just a child."

"Do you fear he will ever be ready?" Qui-Gon asked somewhat curtly. "How do you mean?" Obi-Wan was curious. "Do you fear he will ever be ready," Qui-Gon repeated. "If it is down to you to make him so!" Obi-Wan was stunned. "I….I….," was all he could stutter before his old master interrupted. "Come now Obi-Wan, you do not fool me. Will you really allow your personal feelings to get in the way?"

"I would never!" protested Obi-Wan, but Qui-Gon cut him off once more. "You blame yourself for Anakin's failure, and you are afraid it will happen again with his son. Is it not so?" Qui-Gon baited him. "Did he not fail?" Obi-Wan blasted. "Was it not me? Was it not my training that left him flawed?" Obi-Wan let it out. Was I not so arrogant that I believed I could guide the chosen one in your place? Yoda even warned me that the failure would be in his training, but I chose not to listen, Obi-Wan the wise always knew best." The silence that followed was even louder than Obi-Wan's ranting, and he felt ashamed at his emotions. "Let it go Master Jedi," Qui Gon said so quietly Obi-Wan barely heard. "Your fear prevents you from seeing the truth, and you must let it go." The use of the title Master Jedi, and the word fear aimed at him, cleared Obi-Wan's mind. Qui-Gon continued. "The ancient prophecy told only that the chosen one would restore balance to the Force. It did not say how or when, only that it would be so. Is this balance restored yet old friend? No, it is not. Anakin's fall is surely then a part of his destiny, a destiny he has still not arrived at. You my friend, still have a part to play in ensuring that he does."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I still have so much to learn master, how I wish you were here to teach me always." "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi," replied Qui-Gon, "I am. Perhaps your approach to Anakin was sometimes too inflexible, perhaps even too harsh, but the failure was not yours. Do not be afraid to guide another Obi-Wan."

His mind cleared, Obi-Wan thought for a while about his next step. Soon he knew what he must pursue. "Master," he said. "How was it that you came back to us?" Qui-Gon responded immediately. "I do not truly know. I am sure however, that I am not the first to have succeeded in this journey. The ancients knew how."

"But that's impossible," countered Obi-Wan. "Would not tales of such astounding feats have been in the archives? Surely Yoda would have been aware of them!"

"Not all knowledge was to be found in the archives," Qui-Gon said sagely. "And much has been lost to us. Many events have taken place over the millennia that have scattered such treasures far and wide, particularly that which is most ancient in its origin."

"Do you know of such a treasure?" Obi-Wan asked playfully. "I'm afraid not," replied Qui-Gon. An idea was forming in Obi-Wan's mind. "If I am to succeed in guiding Anakin to his destiny, and the boy to his," Obi-Wan mused. "The ability to keep in touch even in the event of my own demise would prove extremely useful." The return of his sense of humour was a good sign. "Can you teach me master?" he asked. "Alas, I know not how," Qui-Gon said sadly. "Then I must find out how," stated Obi-Wan. "But where to begin?"

"The archives still exist," offered Qui-Gon. "And any information about the ancients might be a good starting point."

"I'm sure they still exist, but under the Emperor's highest security," Obi-Wan countered. "There are ways around security Obi-Wan, and I know of an old acquaintance who could help you with just that.

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