Strike the Past

Chapter 2 - Obi-Wan

At first, Obi-Wan doesn't know what woke him. Usually, it's the sound of screams and the smell and sight of flames – or the laugh of a boy long gone. For how much he sees the past constantly, even in his every waking moment, Obi-Wan isn't immediately sure it wasn't nothing but a normal nightmare that woke him.

The cave is dark and quiet, too quiet almost, except for the distant sound of a howling animal. He was too used to being around people. He has been his entire life, but most of all, he's not used to not having that blinding bright Force presence near him constantly.

But there's something else wrong right now. Obi-Wan slowly sits up, scanning the cave. But no, it's nothing right here.

It's somewhere else.

It's... a disturbance in the Force. He knows that for sure, even if he hasn't truly reached into the Force since... everything. He tried and he can't, and even if he still meditates – he's done it his whole life, there's no way he couldn't do it every day – it's... he can't find any calm whatsoever. All he can think of when he reaches for the Force is Anakin, and then he can't feel the Light at all.

But he can still feel this now, and it feels wrong.

But what sends a chill through him most of all is that he's felt this before. During the Clone Wars, when Anakin was still with him. (Before he killed him.)

The Mother.

She –

Why does he sense her now? He doesn't feel it anymore, but the ripples in the Force from it have yet to fade.

That doesn't even make any sense, because she was dead. They'd managed to destroy her, purely by luck, so how could she be alive now? He has no idea, and the truth is...

Maybe she'll take out the Empire for them, he thinks with a morbid sense of satisfaction.

Because really... nothing really matters to him out here anymore. Except watching over Anakin's son and preparing for the day that he'll take down Sidious. Somehow. When the time comes, Obi-Wan will have to train Luke. He doesn't even know how he'll be able to do it, but if it's the final straw against the person who took Anakin from him, he'll find a way.

So, what happens with Abeloth really isn't his concern. Not anymore. Not since the galaxy stood by as the Jedi fell. It's their own trouble to face now.

***

He doesn't think much of it again, at least not until he's out in the Mos Eisley working for the day when he again starts to sense that something's wrong. And it's... This time it is his concern because it's centered on Luke. Maybe he can't feel the Force anymore, but that is something he would sense anywhere.

Luke is in danger.

It's probably Tuskens, but he isn't going to waste a moment in getting over there, even if it's probably something Owen can handle. He excuses himself from his job – knowing full well he might be fired for this – and scrambles to where he's keeping his eopie. Riding so quickly through the streets in the day like this is a sure way to attract attention, but he doesn't have another choice. On second thought, taking something other than an eopie is probably better.

He borrows a speeder instead, using up some of his spare credits.

Sand blows around him wildly as the speeder streaks across the sand, the homestead finally coming into view. But even from here, he can see that it's smoking.

Force, Luke –

And what's hitting him most of all is how wrong the Force feels here. There's something....