MOONFLOWER » obi-wan kenobi.

prologue.

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The faint crescents of the three moons slowly revealed themselves as the sun descended below the horizon. On a ringed planet far beyond the outskirts of the Outer Rim, a group of rogue Jedi prepared to evacuate their monastery upon the news of the fallen Republic. After months of restless nights in hope of the war's end, many of the Jedi believed their time of peace would arrive at their doorstep. Yet all had been lost within a blink of an eye, and the few that remained were struggling to make peace within themselves against the rising Sith.

As instructed, Padawan Senn'ru entered the worn down hallways of the temple, trotting through the stone staircase leading to a pair of grandeur doors. In order to conserve the last remnants of the Jedi's history, the young padawan was sent to retrieve invaluable holocrons tucked away in the underground caverns. Difficult was his task, but the boy knew better than to hesitate, and so he began to shift the gears anti-clockwise, the energy of the Force flowing through his wrists as the doors unlocked. The shelves of holocrons stood in perfect symmetry before him, leaving the boy astounded by the knowledge hidden within each of the geometric cubes.

Some time had passed; the boy grew tired of searching with no end, until his eyes laid upon the three silver-rimmed relics placed on a pedestal, deep within the archives. Senn'ru had little knowledge of the holocrons' purpose, but from his master's lessons during the war, he remembered their previous ownership under Eryn Liri, a Force-wielder who sealed away many secrets from the Jedi Order eons past. Secrets in which Senn'ru spent much time dwelling into, before his newfound knowledge brought the best of him, allowing his body to rest in his spot for the next few hours.

The boy soon awakened, fervently shaking his head before storing all three holocrons into his backpack and securing the archives shut. He made his way up to the temple's courtyard, crossing over into the main hall. Just as he tapped into his comm, a sharp beep from his holo projector caught him off guard- a rogue Jedi, near the west wing of the temple, faced the boy with a cold expression. The padawan sensed a great fear in his master, and as he tuned in closely, the grave words of the Jedi caused his heart to sink. The arrival of the Inquisitors, hunters whom the Emperor sent to eliminate surviving Jedi, had brought death to nearly all that sheltered in the camp, some who were once close friends with Senn'ru. The deafening hum of the lightsabers in the distance sent him chills, it was something he never wished to befall on anyone.

Master Yuuri, upon seeing her student's anxious stance, quickly advised him to escape on the nearest ship, and to do exactly as her task required him to do so. After receiving his final order, Senn'ru wished her well before dreading the fateful aftermath of their meeting. Running up to the landing docks, he jumped into an old Republic ship, its astromech engaging within the ship's smaller shuttle. As he ignited the engines, the Chiss boy set the coordinates to Sorgan, a peaceful planet of pastures and steppes. Upon arrival, he scrambled the ship's signature before descending into a woodland forest, vacating the ship with his holo projector in one hand, lightsaber in the other. Propping the projector onto a boulder, he took a deep breath, and began:

"This is an urgent message for Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am Padawan Senn'ru of the Indera Outpost on the border of the Outer Rim. I was ordered by Master Yuuri to alert you of the arrival of the Inquisitors at the ancient temple- they are users of the dark side sent to hunt any surviving Jedi post-Order 66." He paused, a solemn look falling upon his face.

"I am...afraid, Master Jedi, that Yuuri has been killed at their hands. With very little time I was instructed to send you this recording, in hope of you retrieving these three holocrons before the Empire takes advantage of them. I-" Before he could proceed, his voice was cut by the sudden screeching of TIE fighters closing in on his location. The boy's red eyes were fixed on their trail- he had very little chance to escape. But the holocrons, their existence must be kept far from the Empire's reach. And he knew the exiled general was his only living hope.

"They are here. Please, Master Kenobi, there is no one else for me to turn to. The holocrons of Eryn Liri must be kept safe from the Emperor, they hold vital information which may endanger the fabric of our galaxy if under his control. There is nothing more I can do, I have now set G-7 on an autopilot hyperspace route to Lesser Space. You will find all three intact, with little trace from the Empire. My time has come to an end. Stay safe, Master Kenobi. And may the Force be with you."

~

In the last few seconds of the recording, the padawan's smile had faded, and was soon replaced by a canvas of guilt and anguish. The message was left with ineligible fragments, with the final images of Senn'ru encountering the shadow of an Inquisitor and their crimson red blade.

Obi-Wan's gaze fell upon the holo projector, a wave of grief and helpless anger running through his veins. The scars he wore had yet to heal, even if a year had passed, the horrific events of Order 66 were deeply embedded in every inch of his being. What he once feared to happen, did happen, and all that time he spent in exile was filled with the Jedi shifting the blame on his weak self. And he continued to question the thought of ever attempting to journey through the stars once more. Because Obi-Wan knew very well that he was alone, regardless of the clone army's absence, or even the call of any other Jedi escaping through the galaxy.

Escaping. It was all he ever did. He escaped, the galaxy fell. He was left vulnerable, and even if he had his lightsaber in his hand, he couldn't possibly think the job could be done. The Emperor wouldn't waste a second to retrieve his dead body if he failed- it wasn't worth the risk of leaving the young Skywalker behind.

Questioning his morality over the span of several days, the Jedi pondered over the many outcomes, most of which weren't favourable. But as he paced back and forth in his room once more, a sudden disturbance in the Force, a strong one in all its might, had shook his soul and caused him to stumble in his feet. What was its purpose, Obi-Wan failed to understand, but he figured it would be in his best interest to let it go. The Force worked in mysterious ways, and he knew better than to meddle with its power. Yet with no clear resolution of his issue in sight, he soon became restless and decided to take a walk out the desert plains.

With a pouch of credits in his pockets Obi-Wan walked aimlessly across the Jundland Wastes, though he immediately changed his path to the city of Mos Eisley. The searing heat of the twin suns had the Jedi searching for a street vendor, but the outskirts of the city were still miles away, and the regret of not bringing water fuelled his impatience. He continued on, until a group of Jawas ran up to him, their arms waving back and forth as a few of them pointed towards the ridged canyon up ahead. Though his Jawaese was rough, Obi-Wan managed to make out their cries, and what was revealed to him certainly caught his attention.

A crater, as described by the Jawas, was spread far beyond the horizon, and was in their words, the size of a Sarlacc pit. He initially brushed it off, thinking it was yet another one of their many 'discoveries' on Tatooine. However, the more they spoke, the sooner he realised how intriguing the news was to him. A young woman they said, clothed in an outfit suited for the bitter cold, was found asleep by one of their members out in the open. He further asked if she came to her senses, but none of the Jawas were able to tell, saying it would be unwise to touch her. One raised their hand and stepped forward, tugging at his tunic, and as he bent down at eye level, the small Jawa suggested the woman may have already left for the city.

And so perhaps, Obi-Wan thought, his day had eventually held some purpose to it. The kind he still had to unmask, but whatever it was, the Force most definitely led him to a faint epiphany. And perhaps by the Force, this strange woman from the barren skies, with strange clothes in a barren land, could be the one to show him that purpose. Or better yet, an end to his indecision. The Force worked in mysterious ways, and it may have worked in its glory to bring him to her, and her to him.

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