"Future's Sentinel" - pre-OT, Ben Kenobi

Future?s Sentinel
by Cheveyo

Timeframe - 10 years before ANH
Focus - Obi Wan (Ben) Kenobi, 9-yr-old Luke Skywalker, original characters
Summary - For nine years, Ben Kenobi has stood in the shadows, secretly watching over the son of his fallen apprentice. The unexpected arrival of two bounty hunters now threatens Kenobi's life, as well as the fate of the galaxy, when one the young Skywalker's identity is discovered.

Disclaimer: Based in the Star Wars Universe, as created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm ltd. All rights reserved by George Lucas and Lucasfilm ltd. alone. This is a work of fan fiction, not to be published or reprinted for profit.



Hi friends! I've always wanted to write about Kenobi's life as silent guardian of Luke Skywalker. Such stories have been touched on in the past, and have always given rise to different possibilities. This will be posted in a few parts, so I'd greatly appreciate your feedback!

Enjoy!!!

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The bounty hunters? pristine attire stood out in contrast to the dust and grime of Anchorhead?s bustling streets. They carried themselves with an air of pomposity as they marched side by side through the sand-ridden burg. They didn?t belong here, and everyone within sight of them knew it. They would have been the typical mark for pickpockets and thugs, but even the local swoop gang left them to their own business. Something about them warned others to steer clear.

?He?s near, Kath,? the male said. ?I can feel it.?

His sister shook her head. ?You feel [i]something[/i], Kree. You don?t know it?s him.?

Kree scoffed. ?How many Force-Sensitives do you think are hiding on this backwater dustbowl? It has to be Kenobi.?

The siblings rounded the corner onto a busy open-street market. Merchants filled the avenue, peddling wares and marketing services. Clad in their polished battle armor and rich-fabric cloaks, Kree and Kath Szun turned the heads of every anxious trader. The bounty hunters pushed their way through the labyrinth of beggars and peddlers, following the guidance of the Force.

A chance meeting with a Rodian trader had brought them to this waterless planet along the Outer Rim. The Rodian had spoken of an aging hermit who had used a mind trick to slip past a Tusken raiding patrol just outside of Anchorhead. According to the Rodian, the man carried what looked to be a lightsaber at his side. After a brief negotiation, the Rodian also produced a holo-image of the incident. It didn?t take long for Kath to identify the wrinkled visage of Obi Wan Kenobi, long thought to have been dead.

Kree and Kath could not pass up the opportunity to dispatch another Jedi, especially one as prestigious as the venerable ex-Master of their employer, Darth Vader. It had been some time since they had entertained themselves with a Jedi?s murder. Kenobi would make the ideal retirement trophy. They sent word to their ?broker?, a lump of a Twi?lek name Jenuda, to be ready to collect payment on a Jedi, and made for Tatooine.

The Szun siblings were sensitive to the Force, but had been denied instruction by the Jedi Order. Untrained in the Force arts, the duet lived and learned on the smuggler?s moon of Nar Shadda. By their late twenties?after years of military training?they proved to be a formidable pair. When the Emperor?s anti-Jedi propaganda brought the galaxy against the generations-old religion, the Szuns were only too happy to assist.

They claimed responsibility for the deaths of twelve Jedi in the years surrounding what history would come to call the Jedi Purges. Soon, they planned to add a thirteenth lightsaber to their trophy case.

The Force tingled around Kree. The sensation was stronger now. He glanced at his sister, who nodded an affirmative. She had felt it, too. Kenobi had to be near.

They crossed the sand-packed avenue and stopped before a dingy shop. The sign carved into the face of th

 

Great start Cheveyo!
I can't wait to see where you take this.

 

Thanks, RingThane. I'm happy you're enjoying it! I'll post a new section in just a short time. Stay tuned...

 

Up we go!

 

Love your start, Cheveyo! Will love to see more.

~Baroness

 

Thank you, Baroness! I'll post more this afternoon.

And thanks for the "up", RingThane!

 

Wow! What a creative idea, I really enjoy this so far! I'll be reading!

 

Great start! Only one tiny bone to pick: it should be Rodian with a capital, not rodian, because this is a race, not an adjective like fat, skinny, ugly, whatever. Otherwise, awesome beginning to a neat expansion between Ep. III and Ep. IV.

 

Wow, what a beginning! Neat premise.

 

whoa! thanks Belle and RebelMom!! I hope you enjoy the future installments.


As to the Rodian vs. rodian error... this always confuses me, since we don't typically capitalize "human". It's like capitalizing "frog" or "tiger". Whereas, if I were refering to his hometown (or in this case, homeworld), I can see where it would be capitalized. ex. European, New Yorker, Corellian, etc.

You're the second person (today alone) to correct me on it, though, so I shall endeavor to rectify the error post haste.

I hope to post the next installment in the next couple of hours.

 

PART 2

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Luke hadn?t seen the old hermit, Ben Kenobi, in over three seasons. His uncle had wanted nothing to do with Ben, and demanded that Luke follow suit. The boy didn?t understand his uncle?s disdain for the pleasant, if somewhat odd, hermit. Owen?s dispassion couldn?t be quite described as outright hatred in Luke?s eyes, but he suspected something from their past hindered the men?s acquaintance. Owen would never like Ben, as far as Luke could tell.

Regardless of his uncle?s feelings and advice, Luke enjoyed old hermit. He wished he could see him more often, to learn more about him. Many knew of Ben, but no one seemed to know [i]about[/i] him. Luke?s friend, Camie, had told him once that Ben was a washed up military officer, and that he?d lost his sanity in a top secret experiment. Biggs had a different idea: Ben was likely a Krayt Dragon keeper for the Hutts, and kept a ranch full of hidden dragon eggs deep in the Jundland Wastes. Regardless of the outlandish tales, none of Luke?s friends thought much of the middle-aged man.

?What d?ya think we should do, Biggs?? Camie asked. The four kids stood in the shade of a low-hung awning across the avenue, their eyes transfixed on the entrance to Tuula?s. Even across the way, they could hear the cacophony of destruction reporting from the shop. Only the occasional passerby glanced toward the sound, but even they didn?t stop.

Luke glanced at the eldest of his friends. ?We?ve gotta do something. Old Ben can?t handle those two on his own.?

Biggs held his hand up. ?Think about it, Luke. Who can we go to??

Windy, the fourth of their group, chimed in. ?Wormie?s right, Biggs. The old man?ll be fodder if we don?t??

?It?ll all be over before help got here, Win, you know that.?

?Don?t call me Wormie,? Luke warned for the fifth time this afternoon.

Resolution solidified upon Luke?s face. He started back for the shop. He had to help Ben somehow. He knew how to fire a sporting rifle. Maybe he could wrestle one of the weapons away from the foreigners.

A blast hole exploded outward in the shop?s façade. Biggs caught hold of Luke?s tunic as he passed and yanked him back under the awning. ?Don?t get yourself killed, Luke.?

The group fell silent. Luke felt his heart sink. Ben couldn?t die? he refused to think it.

[hr]

The lobby of Tuula?s Wholesale warehouse was a shambles within moments. The counter had been reduced to splinters, and the walls were pocked with carbon-scored divots. Ben Kenobi stood behind what had been the counter, while Kree and Kath took a moment to collect themselves. Kree favored his right arm after sustaining a cauterized gash along the muscle tissue. Kath tried to draw the Jedi away from her brother and was tossed backward by Ben?s manipulation of the Force.

He wouldn?t show it, but Ben, himself, needed the pause. Years away from such exertive activity?not to mention nearly fifty years of bodily wear and tear?had weakened him. His heart pounded in his chest and his lungs gasped for more air. For a flash of an instant, his thoughts went to Qui Gon Jinn, his old master. At his mid-forties, Master Qui Gon had appeared as lean and agile as he?d been in his twenties. Conversely, Ben?s midsection was already beginning to widen with neglect, and his muscles did not stretch as far as they had even ten years before.

It had been a hard decade for his body, his mind, and his spirit. No longer was he the young, lightning-fast Jedi who had overcome a Sith apprentice on Naboo.

Now he was a seasoned, retired general and Jedi Master. His tactics had changed with age, but the outcome remained tantamount. He held his lightsaber easily, poised for the next attack. He would be ready.

Kath stalked the Jedi Master from across the large room. She kept her blaster leveled at his head. She was impressed by the codger?s determination, but she knew they would outlast him. Her thoughts drifted to the boy they?d stumbled on. Skywalker, they?d called him. Kath couldn?t shake th

 

This is a great story. I really wannna know who the siblings really were.

Can't wait to read more.

 

That was great Cheveyo!

 

Thank you, Ring. This was really fun to write! I actually did research on it! cyber-research, anyway. I've always prefered to write "within" the context of known Star Wars lore, to lend plausibility to the story--to say it may have really happened within canon.

Hi Mayo, thanks for reading! The story ended a little more abruptly than I had originally planned, but it made logical sense to me.

In the first draft, one of the bounty hunters realized who Luke was and escaped from Ben. The tale then became a classic cat-n-mouse through Anchorhead.

However, upon study of the character, I realized that even at age 46 (roughly), Ben would get the upper hand on these two yahoos. There will be more stories about the Szuns, though. While they credit themselves for the deaths of twelve Jedi, it will be interesting to show exactly how that number came to be. As for Ben... well, sadly not every secret is attainable. Just as in real life, circumstances sometimes prevent us from learning everything we want to discover about something. Since Ben had no intention of leaving Tatooine, and his contacts off-world were limited (to secure his anonymity and remain in hiding), he would not have had the capacity to deeply investigate the siblings. For him, it's an unsolved mystery.

I've also learned through starwars.com that the Jedi ranks were "wiped out by the machinations of the emergent Empire." This makes me wonder just how many bounty hunters (if any) were really involved in the Jedi Purges.

 

Great story Cheveyo! I liked the idea that there are threats to Luke, and Obi-Wan actually has to do something about it, beyond just sitting out on those dunes for 18 years. (I know it started out that they were looking for Ben, but you know...) Nice touch having the Bounty Hunter make the Skywalker connection just as she is killed. And I really like lil' Luke wanting to do something and frustrated that he is relatively helpless. I've always been a Luke fan, but after seeing Ep 2, Obi-Wan is definitely pretty high up there on my favorites list! (And Jango Fett! )

Thanks for the great short story!
Baroness

 

Great story, Cheveyo! (And, no, I don't mind the pms at all--in fact, I appreciate them very much! )

I really like the way you've portrayed Ben and Luke at this point in the saga. I'd never given much thought to what would have been involved in keeping Luke (and Ben himself, for that matter) from being discovered, but this makes perfect sense. I think the idea that the Empire would have hired bounty hunters to help hunt the Jedi also makes sense, especially when you consider how Vader used them in ESB.

Anyways, great fic, Cheveyo!!

 

Great story!!

I love seeing Ben prove that he still has it in him.

Personally, I always thought he'd try and keep himself in shape while living on Tatooine. I mean, he knew that sooner or later he'd begin training Luke and that he'd have to call on his old skills again. If nothing else, exercise would help him pass the time.

Any chance for more of this? I'd love to see Luke talk to Ben afterwards.

 

New readers! Thank you all for your time and comments.

TorontoJediMaster, I wasn't planning to continue this, but who knows... I agree with your thought (that Ben would try to stay fit); however, judging by his girth in ANH, we have to assume that age caught up to him eventually. This story demonstrates the beginning of that shift in his life.

 

Sorry I couldn't reply earlier, but wow, what a post! I love all of the set up you've created, it's extremely detailed and well thought out! The entire idea of Ben knowing Luke and the gang from the ANH novel really helps tie things together, very enjoyable to read.

-Arna

 

Well, I never thought he looked that fat in ANH. It is hard with the robes covering everything.

I think one factor is that Sir Alec Guiness was a lot older than Obi-Wan was supposed to have been. He was well into his sixties, while Obi-Wan wouldn't have been more than his mid-fifties.

One thing I always wondered about was why he wore his Jedi robes on Tatooine. I mean, as staying hidden was his goal until Luke was ready, he'd want to not draw attention to himself. Wearing the robes of the Jedi Order would be rather risky, in that they'd invite recognition. Even on a backwater like Tatooine, I'm certain there would be people who'd recognize Jedi robes.

I'd love to read more of this.

 

"Wearing the robes of the Jedi Order would be rather risky, in that they'd invite recognition...."

I don't know. I'd say it's about par with keeping Anakin's son incognito by naming him Luke Skywalker. hee hee heeee

Hey, Cheveyo - Anymore Ben/Lil' Luke stories in the works??? hint hint

~Baroness

 

In all fairness, Sir Alec was not "fat"; however, he obviously did not maintain his Ewan McGregor physique through the years.

Well, since you put it that way, Baroness... I need to do some more research on Ben, as well as on Luke and the gang, before I can write another story. It's my understanding that the two didn't cross paths all that often. As soon as get a couple plot bunnies, I'll let ya know!

In the meantime, I have a Darth Vader vignette called Above Ruined Lives that desperately needs reading. (Shameless plug, I know.) It takes place in the same time frame as this story.

I'll get right to work on that research now.

 

Well, Luke said that he knew Ben, but not well. Remember, Owen didn't want Luke to see Ben.

 

I second that motion for more Ben/Luke stories.

 

I third that motion!
Oh wait, I guess I can't since I'm the one that brought it up.

Well, Luke said that he knew Ben, but not well. Remember, Owen didn't want Luke to see Ben. - well, Luke could just not see Ben, and you could still have a story with both of 'em! OK, I guess I'm forgetting the fact that maybe Cheveyo has much better things to do than bow to the whim and fancies of one whiny fanfic reader!

~Baroness, shutting up now, and promises to cease whining for a Ben/Luke fic. Well, maybe just a little.....