Part 1 (1/2)

Star Wars

The Life And Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi

by Ryder Windham

PROLOGUE

Luke Skywalker was surprised to see thebeside Ben Kenobi's abandoned hut on Tatooine Given that over three years had transpired since Ben left the desert planet, Luke had assued by the Jawas or Sand People Incredibly, both the vaporator and Ben's hut appeared to be in good shape

The sun-bleached dwelling hugged a re view of the Western Dune Sea Luke had landed his X-wing starfighter nearby, and was eager to get out froed across the rocky ground and drew closer to the plasteel door that was the entrance to Kenobi's hut, he sensed a strange tension in the air It reobah, at the cave that was so strong with the dark side of the Force But while that cave had radiated cold and death, and seee and beckon Luke to enter, this was an entirely different feeling - as if the entire property were saying Go away

However, Luke also sensed that the e was not for him He wondered if Ben had used the Force to protect his hoh

The plasteel door was unlocked Luke slid it open and stepped inside The air was musty, but the shadowy interior offered at least so around at the various relics that rested on small tables and shelves, and the animal pelts stretched out on the semicircular couch that had also served as Ben's bed, Luke couldn't see that anything had been daed or stolen The only obvious evidence of Ben's absence was the thin dusting of sand that covered everything

Lukearea, where he found a vacuum-seal chest on the floor beside a structural column It was frohtsaber, the saed to Luke's father

Luke brushed the sand from the chest's lid, then lifted it and looked inside

It was ehed He hadn't expected the chest to contain a second lightsaber, but he had hoped to find so, at least soht answer the questions that had been gnawing at him for months, ever since his duel with Darth Wader on Cloud City

As he thought of that devastating encounter, which had cost hiht hand, he suddenly felt an aching sensation at his wrist Phantom limb pain, he recalled That was the term that the medical droid had used to describe the occasional ache that Luke ht feel from tiers of the prosthetic hand that the droid had so carefully attached to the end of his right arm Veins, muscles, and bones had been replaced ires, pistons, and ers touch-sensitive Despite the fact that Luke's original right hand had been lost in the reactor shaft at Cloud City, the hly specialized techniques of genetic reconstruction - had replicated a perfect synthetic duplicate, right down to the fingerprints

But theabout the phantom pain Luke would have to live with that

He continued his inspection of Ben's ho to find the trapdoor in the floor that led to the cellar A short series of steps, hewn frolowrod froht, and climbed down the steps The cellar wasn't entirely dark, as a scant, eerie light emanated from luminescent stone that was set in one wall

Ben had used the cellar for food and water storage, and a setables, and meats - all of which now looked like collapsed bits of leather - re to a metal pipe that traveled to a cistern Luke also found a workbench that had been constructed froed on shelves, but a few select tools rested on the workbench, as if waiting for their owner's return

Then Luke spotted the box It was an intricately carved boa-wood box, resting on the floor between the workbench and slowrod closer to the box when a sudden sound came from above

Thud!

In a swift, fluid motion, Luke spun to his left as he reached fast for the blaster that was bolstered at his right hip, and then sprang back toward the cellar steps He brought his blaster up fast so that its barrel was angled up through the open trap door An instant later, the air was filled by a panicked, electronic shriek

The shriek came from the domed head of Luke's astromech droid, R2-D2, who had traveled with him and helped to evade the Imperial blockade around Tatooine The startled droid unleashed a flurry of angry beeps as he peered down at Luke, then he sto, kicking up the layer of sand that rested on the floor of the upper room

”Sorry, Artoo,” Luke said as he lowered his blaster ”Guess I'm a little jumpy” As he returned his weapon to its holster, he muttered, ”I'll probably stay that way until we findHan”

Luke's throat was already dry from the desert heat, but as he said Han's naht choke He had no idea where his friend Han was, only that the armored bounty hunter Boba Fett had taken Han's carbonite-frozen body from Cloud City Various reports confirmed that Boba Fett intended to deliver Han to the Tatooine-based gangster Jabba the Hutt, but so far, Boba Fett was a no-show It was Luke's other friend, the Alliance leader Princess Leia Organa, who had instructed hin of Han

Unfortunately, Luke had never been very good at waiting

From above, R2-D2 emitted a series of soft electronic beeps and a short whistle Recognizing the whistle's lilt as a concerned question from the droid, Luke replied, ”I'e net is secured, and I'll be up in a few minutes”

R2-D2 chirped a hesitant response, but then his motor whined and he backed away from the trapdoor Theit strea down into the cellar Luke shook his head One way or another, sand found its way into just about every place on Tatooine

While R2-D2 headed back outside to inspect the X-wing, Luke returned to the boa-wood box and crouched down in front of it Exaht cluster of buttons, and realized that the box was a keypad safe

Luke stared hard at the keypad Ben had never mentioned this box in his baseht be Struggling to recall whether Ben had ever hinted at the code, Luke thought back to that fateful day when Ben - in the room just above Luke's head - had revealed hiht and told Luke about the Force Luke seriously doubted that Ben would have programmed any obvious letter combination, like JEDI or THE FORCE He wished he could soe, that seeobah, Luke had been on his own

For aa small prybar he had noticed on the workbench, but then he dismissed the idea As much as he was curious about the box's contents, he didn't want to da the tips of his fingers against the keypad

Snap!

Luke flinched and pulled his fingers back as the keypad automatically slid aside on an inlaid track to reveal a thumbprint clasp He wasn't sure what had just happened, but somehow, he had bypassed the keypad He hesitated for a ht thuainst the clasp

Clack!

The clasp yielded to his touch, and Luke saw a thin black slit appear along the lower edge of the box's lid He lifted the lid sloith one hand, adjusted the glow-rod with the other, and peered inside the box The first thing he saas a flashpacket, an explosive device that had been affixed near the back of the keypad

Luke eyed the flashpacket warily It certainly appeared that Ben had rigged the box to explode, but for whatever reason, it hadn't worked Luke thought, Maybe it's a d u d

Another possibility suddenly struck him Maybe Ben not only left this box behind for me, but also set it to explode if anyone else atteerprints? Did he foresee that I would lose nize me by the Force? Luke was erprints had been all that prevented the flashpacket frorateful to thepast the flashpacket, Luke saw that the box contained soh he was far e, he had seen enough books in his lifetiest book was a leather-bound volume that appeared quite ancient Luke picked it up, and noticed that it too was sealed by a thuainst the clasp The clasp yielded without a sound

Luke wasn't surprised to find another flashpacket, this one affixed behind the book's front cover Nor was he surprised that the explosive didn't detonate What surprised hie

Luke, The flashpackets were a necessary precaution I trust you will dispose of thehts is in your hands Read these books and use them wisely

May the Force be with you