FORSAKEN II - Eternal Dawn

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Syrran raced over the scorching desert of the Xelric Draw. He had charted a path to their destination using his precognitive abilities from the psychometric reading of the piece of robe. Even though "Ben's" connection to the Force was weak, it allowed Syrran to pinpoint his location in the same manner he could navigate through hyperspace. The path ended at a mountain range.

Syrran stopped at a distinct sight of tracks from a quadroped. On closer inspection, the depth they left in the sand suggested some kind of beast of burden. Though the winds had covered most of it, Syrran could see similar marks going to and from the hills several times. This was a route undertaken often by the rider. There were also other tracks, less frequent, but it meant the hermit had occasional company. Augmenting his sense of smell with the Force, Syrran got a faint scent of raw meat. Enhancing his hearing, he caught intermittent sounds of metal. Syrran increased his vision and scanned the mountains. He spotted the thermal emissions of an animal and a small machine by the entrance of a cave, and more significant, he could see the heat signature of a human next to the device.

The human fixing the moisture vaporator dressed in simple clothes under a dusty poncho. He had graying, auburn hair and an unkempt beard. The lines in his middle-aged face had been further weathered by the desert's harsh climate. His blue eyes showed concerned when he saw the speeder bike approach. The man put down the tool in his hand and rose. An eopie, a quadruped mammal, rested near him.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," said Syrran, getting off the speeder.

"Syrran..." The Jedi Master sensed the taint of the dark side in him.

"So, this is where you've been hiding. I got to say, this planet doesn't seem to agree with you." Syrran didn't see the shapes of weapons through his clothes or sensed a kyber crystal from a lightsaber.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Quinlan."

"Why?"

"I believe he's in trouble and I know he met you when he was here."

"He did. I gave him as much help as I could, but I believe he's gone off-planet. Listen, whatever this is about, I don't want any part of it. I—"

"Who's the boy, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan tensed. "What are you talking about? I told Quinlan—"

"This child is so important to you, he left quite the psychic imprint." Syrran showed him the rag he found in the speeder bike. "You're not really hiding, are you? Why would the great Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, be doing in a remote planet, spying on a little kid? One that managed to trigger a precognitive flash, dealing with the balance of the Force."

Obi-Wan looked at the hem of his poncho from where he noticed the strip of cloth had come from. He realized Syrran must have Quinlan's psychometric abilities as well. As part of the Jedi High Council, he knew Syrran was trained as a Jedi Investigator, tasked with undercover missions during the war. Lying to him was a dangerous proposition. "The boy is the son of an old fr—"

Syrran lifted a hand and reached out with the Force. Pain seized the Obi-Wan as Syrran tore through his memories, disregarding the agony he caused. Having brought up the questions he sought answers to made Obi-Wan thinking about them, making it easier for him to find them. The Jedi Master's weakness surprised the Chiss. Syrran saw images of the late Senator Padme Amidala giving birth to a son. "Luke," she said. "To Tatooine. To his family send him," Master Yoda said in another memory. Pushing deeper, Syrran watched Obi-Wan taking the baby to a delighted young woman in a moisture farm—the same place he saw in the psychometric reading. Having found his answer, Syrran broke contact, letting Obi-Wan collapse on the sand from the strain of the probe.