Obi-Wan sat, his hands in his lap, his mind busy. He felt feelings
working in him that he had not felt for a long time.
In another life, he would not have hesitated. He would have taken off
for Bellassa. But everything had changed. He was charged to remain here and
watch over Luke. Luke and his sister were the last and best hopes for the
galaxy. He must be protected. Obi-Wan had promised Yoda, he had promised
Bail Organa, he had promised Padme on her deathbed that he would watch over
him.
Until the time is right, disappear we will, Yoda had said.
But Ferus had a call on him, too.
He could not contact Yoda to ask for advice. Qui‑Gon was not readily
available to him. He had to decide. He had to take the responsibility.
Just as I took responsibility for Anakin.
Yes, and look what occurred because of your judgment....
The voices in his head were familiar but no less real. Trusting
himself had become difficult.
His duty was to protect Luke. He would stay. And if he came to regret
that decision, he would learn to live with it. Just as he'd learned to live
with all the others.
Obi-Wan stepped outside and took a breath of the cold air, hoping it
would chase away the noise and smoke of the cantina. He looked around for
his eopie. Eopies were not known for their intelligence, but this
particular beast could manage to slip out of constraints and wander, greedy
for the sand lichen growing just beneath the dirt. Gathering his cloak
around him, Obi-Wan began to search, berating the eopie in his head. You'd
think if you fed and cared for a beast it would reward you for your
loyalty, not take off at the first sign of frost.
"It is not the eopie you're angry at." The voice was dry, amused.
"Here you are, a Jedi Master, and you still haven't learned to correctly
identify your feelings."
Qui-Gon's voice seemed to come from the shadows. Obi-Wan stopped
short. He was overcome. It was his Master. Even just the sound of his words
recalled in Obi-Wan's mind Qui-Gon's kind, rugged face. And there, the
ironic twist of his smile.
"You said I wasn't ready to begin the training...."
"You aren't," Qui-Gon said. "But you do need help."
CHAPTER THREE
"You're here," Obi-Wan said. The words felt thick in his throat. He
felt a rush of emotion at hearing Qui-Gon again.
Obi-Wan had ducked into a vacant building across from the cantina. The
derelict shelter had no roof, so the stars shone clear above.
"I have always been here," Qui-Gon said. "Being ready is your choice,
my Padawan."
"But I do choose," Obi-Wan said. "I want to begin the training. I
don't understand what you mean."
"When you know why you are not ready, you will be ready," Qui-Gon
said.
"Now you sound like Yoda."
"Thank you for that honor," Qui-Gon replied, his voice coming from
both the stars and within Obi-Wan's own head. "Now here I am, watching you
hunt around for an eopie - which is right behind the cantina, by the way -
instead of paying attention to your feelings."
Obi-Wan sighed. He felt old, older than old. Yet it appeared he still
had so much to learn.
"The Living Force, my Padawan," Qui-Gon said. "It includes knowing
yourself as well as others." "What are you asking me?"
"Simply this: What are you feeling?"
"Overwhelmed to hear you."
"That's a start."
"Angry at the eopie - "
"Not so. Try again."
"Irritated at your riddles - "
"Good! Now we're getting somewhere."
"Angry at myself," Obi-Wan burst out.
Qui-Gon said nothing. Obi-Wan's heart was so full. He couldn't speak
for a moment. Memories flooded him, years of missions, of conversations, of
the many ways Qui-Gon had helped and guided him. After his death, Obi-Wan
had missed his Master every day of his life.
"Tell me," Qui-Gon said gently.
"I'm angry at my own confusion," Obi-Wan said at last. "I used to make
decisions so easily. I knew what course to take, and I took it. If another
Jedi was in danger, I went. And now, although my mission is clear, my mind
is not. I want to go. But I am charged to remain here. Luke is the new hope
for the galaxy, and I must protect that."
"All this is true," Qui-Gon said. "But it's not the only truth. Hope
doesn't spring from one root."
"Meaning?"
"If Luke has a destiny, so does Ferus. If the Empire is to be
defeated, if balance is to be regained in the Force, resistance will come
from many places. All of this together will make the difference."
"You think I should go?"
"It is your choice to make, Obi-Wan. You must follow your feelings. I
can only tell you what I see. I can assure you of this - leaving now will
not endanger the boy. That much I know. The other is something that you
know, too - that if Luke is to rise, he must have something to join."
"So Ferus might be a part of that."
"Speak of what you know about Ferus, not what you can guess."
"He was the most gifted apprentice, second only to Anakin."
"With so many gifts, he is a formidable opponent of the Empire."
"But I would have to leave Luke alone," Obi-Wan said again. It was a
duty that Yoda had charged him with, and he knew it was vital.
"You will not be leaving him alone. I will watch over him. He will be
safe for a time. There is danger for Luke, danger that is close. I can feel
it, but I can't see it. I sense that Ferus is the key."
Obi Wan was startled. "Ferus knows about Luke?"
"No, it is not that easy. I sense a connection... though Ferus doesn't
know it's there."
Certainty flooded Obi-Wan. Certainty, and relief. All of his feelings
had pointed to this. He wanted to help Ferus if he could. "Then I must go."
"At last," Qui-Gon said, "you speak with your heart."
There was so much more he wanted to say, and even more he wanted to
ask, but Qui-Gon's presence faded. Obi-Wan was left feeling shaky, but at
least he had a direction.
He waited outside in the cold, no longer feeling it. Customers emerged
from the cantina, many of them staggering. He was relieved when Weasy came
out alone. Even better, he walked with a purposeful stride. He was sober,
at least.
Obi-Wan followed. After he had gone a few steps, Weasy sensed someone
was behind him and whirled around.
"Who is it?"
Obi-Wan stepped a bit closer. He had deliberately let Weasy know he
was being followed; as a Jedi, he could follow him easily without being
seen if he wanted.
"Oh, it's you." Weasy still eyed him warily. "Don't believe I ever
caught your name, but I see you in the cantina."
"Ben."
"Well, Ben, what can I do for you?"
"Passage to Ussa."
Weasy's eyes narrowed. "Dangerous place, Ussa."
Obi-Wan waited.
"Still, it's no concern of mine, if you've got the credits." Weasy
named the price.
Obi-Wan handed hire the credits, nearly the last of those brought with
him from Coruscan
t, and Weasy turned and began to walk, not waiting to see
if Obi-Wan would follow.
"My transport's at the spaceport. Mind you, I don't like any chatter
on the way to Ussa. I don't need to know your life story, or you mine. Got
that?"
"I don't think that will be a problem," Obi-Wan said.
Weasy led the way to the landing platform. He waved at a Corellian
star yacht. "Climb aboard while I do the preflight check."
Obi-Wan climbed aboard and took his seat. Within minutes Weasy stomped
aboard and sat in the pilot seat. The engines hummed to life, and they shot
off into the darkness. They left Tatooine's atmosphere, and Weasy set a
course for Bellassa.
CHAPTER FOUR
Bellassa had been a thriving world with an elected government when the
Clone Wars began. It had sent an army to fight alongside the Jedi against
the Separatists. It was an open, peaceful world with many resources, and
so, when the Empire was established, it was targeted for domination. Its
governor was deposed, and crackdowns on personal liberties began.
Journalists were silenced. Dissenters were jailed.
This much Obi-Wan already knew. But it wasn't nearly enough. In the
old days, he would have contacted Jocasta Nu at the Temple and asked for
details. After admonishing him that he could look up things just as well as
she - which, of course, wasn't true in the least - she would put her hands
on information in several seconds that could have taken him hours to find.
Obi-Wan felt a lurch of pain deep inside him.
Madame Nu, killed in her beloved library. The Jedi Temple in flames.
He pushed the images out of his mind. He could not function if he
allowed them to linger. He had to experience the pain, and let them go.
"Here we are." They were the first words Weasy had spoken since they'd
left Tatooine. "Security checks before we land. They'll want to know what I
had for breakfast. They'll want to know what my mother had for breakfast."
After an extensive check, the ship was cleared to land. Weasy dropped
into a vacant area near the edge of the spaceport. He activated the landing
ramp, then turned to Obi-Wan as he grabbed his ID dots and ship specs.
"Passengers check in over there. I have to arrange for docking. Good luck
to you."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Thanks for the lift."
"And Ben?"
Obi-Wan turned, already impatient to be gone. "You owe me a pitcher in
Mos Eisley."
Obi-Wan realized that in his own gruff way, Weasy was telling him to
be careful. He nodded and stepped out onto the ramp.
It was early morning, and the spaceport on Ussa was already bustling.
He checked in with security and then stood for several long moments on the
landing platform looking down at the city, trying to orient himself. Even
though he had a map on his datapad, it helped to see the ground.
Ussa was a city of circular districts built around seven lakes. The
housing and commercial buildings were kept to low height limits. Wide
boulevards ran in concentric circles around each lake. It was - had been -
a pleasant place to live.
He could see the Commons, a large green park at the very center of the
city. It had once been a meeting place, a place of celebration and
community. Now a gigantic black structure crowded out most of the grass.
Trees and native shrubs had been razed to accommodate it. The Empire had
imported an Imperial garrison, a huge prefabricated structure that
contained barracks for stormtrooper battalions and a large jail for the
overflow of prisoners.
He could feel it rising up from below. The city of Ussa was now a city
of fear.
He took the turbolift down to ground level. It was a cool cloudy day
that threatened rain. Obi-Wan blended in with the pedestrians, dodging
speeders and air taxis as he made his way through the streets. It was
strange to be on a populous world again, strange to feel cool air. He had
been alone so long. He slowed his pace as he approached the Commons. The
presence of stormtroopers was heavy here, as they filed in and out of the
garrison. The sight of the soldiers and the building had a chilling effect.
When the Clone Wars began, the stormtroopers had stood for the safety of
the Republic. Now they were instruments of intimidation.
And it was he who had found them on Kamino. He who had brought them to
the attention of the Jedi. They had thought the vast armies of
stormtroopers would help them after the Battle of Geonosis. Instead, they
had been tricked. Betrayed. Obi-Wan watched the white columns march through
the streets, watched how the people shrank before them, and his feelings of
guilt and despair washed over him again until his footsteps faltered and
his ears rang with the menace of their footsteps.
People tried to avert their gazes from the garrison but shot sidelong
glances of apprehension at it. So many streets fed onto the Commons that
they couldn't avoid it, but they stopped speaking as they passed. Even
footsteps seemed hushed, and paces quickened as the Bellassans hurried by.
Obi-Wan's steps quickened again along with the rest. His first stop
would be at Ferus's old office. It was on a street in the Cloud Lake
district, a long walk that would also give him a sense of the layout of the
city.
He had seen this before. All the signs were here - the menace in the
air, the strange silence. The troops in the streets, the black speeders
racing by, filled with uniformed officers. Obi-Wan knew well the techniques
of a powerful force tightening its grip on a once peaceful society. But
this was worse. It wasn't just fear in the air - it was terror.
It began to rain, a fine mist that made the air shimmer. Cloud Lake
was a silver disc ahead as he walked through the streets surrounding it.
Ferus's office was shut, blinds drawn. Outside a small lasersign read
OLIN/LANDS. That was all. It was a quiet street, one of the outer bands
from the lake, which was visible only as a haze of light in the distance.
Shops and a caf© surrounded Ferus's office door. Small businesses, mostly -
an accounting office, a tailor, a store selling ceramic teapots and plates.
The door of the tailor shop was directly opposite. A sign outside read
MARIANA'S EXQUISITE DESIGNS AND ALTERATIONS, FOR ALL YOUR TAILORING NEEDS.
Obi‑Wan crossed the street. On the door, a small, hand-lettered sign read
CLOSED, but the door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and heard a
buzzer go off inside.
A plump woman of middle years hurried out from a back room. Her hair
was braided in thick plaits around her head, but it had been done hastily,
and strands trailed to her shoulders. "I'm sorry, we're closed," she said
in a pleasant tone, but clearly, she was busy.
"Sorry to disturb you," Obi-Wan said. "I'm looking for Olin/Lands."
Her smile dimmed. "That business has been shut down."
"The sign is still on the door."
"They did not have a chance to take it down. I'm sorry - "
"Do you know what happened to them? I had an appointment - "
"I'm sorry. I can't help you."
The note of
finality in her voice was unmistakable. Obi-Wan bowed his
thanks and went out. A short, narrow alley led to the back door of the
shop. The back door was closed, but behind a series of garbage bins Obi-Wan
could just make out a gravsled wedged against the wall. A young boy lounged
on it, kicking his legs. He looked to be about twelve or thirteen, thin and
wiry, with a narrow face and a shock of bluish hair.
Obi-Wan strolled up the alley. "Do you work at the tailors?"
The boy gave him a sharp look. "We're closed."
"I heard. But maybe you could help me. I rang the bell at Olin/Lands,
but nobody answered."
"So what am I supposed to do?"
With customer service like this, it was a wonder that the shop could
survive. "I was wondering if you knew what happened to them."
"No."
"Do you know whether they'll be back - "
"No. Look, I'm about to make a delivery, so - "
"Do you know anyplace else I can get information?"