Obi-Wan didn’t like flying--not as a passenger, and certainly not as a pilot--but he was starting to think he disliked flying on the Millennium Falcon the most. The smuggler ship’s constant wobbling and rattling gave the impression that they were going to be ripped apart on the way to their destination. The smuggler pilot’s constant pessimism and scruffiness gave the impression that they were going to be ripped apart by bounty hunters if they made it to their destination. Either way, Kenobi was certain there was going to be some ripping.
As he meditated on the floor of the Falcon, Obi-Wan tried to commune with his master through the Force, but all that came to him was silence. He’d never tried communicating with Qui Gon in hyperspace before. He concluded that perhaps they were either moving too fast for Jinn’s presence to connect to him or that the energy propelling them through space was creating a barrier the Force couldn’t penetrate. They were both interesting theories, ones Obi-Wan would’ve loved to explore if he had the time, but training the next generation of Jedi didn’t leave much room for testing hypotheses.
He felt the ship lurch with a groan, and the buzzing quiet of hyperspace gave way to the roar of life. Every corner he reached out to was filled with living energy; it was so different to the empty deserts of Tatooine where life was sparse amongst the sand. After two decades of solitude, Obi-Wan had gotten used to the isolation, but now… now he remembered what it was like to be immersed in a world more alive than himself. The feeling was bittersweet…
Rising and stepping out of his room, Obi-Wan joined the rest of the group in the Falcon’s lobby, taking a seat across from the Falcon's co-pilot. The wookiee, Chewbacca, was sitting patiently on the otherside of the holotable with a blindfold around his eyes. He let out a curt whine as Luke took off his own helmet, brushing matted hair and sweat from his face.
“Don’t get your fur in a bunch, Chewie,” Luke grinned. “Master, Chewie said we just came out of hyperspace!”
Obi-Wan smiled; the young farm hand had really applied himself over the past few days. He had gotten better at sensing danger through the Force, a skill that would only be honed as the threat rose. Obi-Wan was proud of Luke, it was a basic ability, but one that would have taken temple younglings a year or so to get down. He truly had the power of a Skywalker…
“There, is that better?” Chewbacca let out a thankful vocalization as Luke untied the blindfold. “I really appreciate you helping me practice, Chewie. I noticed you’ve gotten a little better hitting the mark too!”
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Obi-Wan felt his eyebrow raise as Chewbacca growled and waved his hairy hand bashfully.
“He says it’s got something to do with his fur,” Kenobi watched as Han Solo strolled into the room. “I don’t know what he means by that exactly, but I guess paying close enough attention to how it moves lets him get some idea of where a shot is coming from.”
Solo threw a mean glare to the wookiee.
“That would’ve helped on Saki, fur ball.”
Chewbacca gave an indignant retort.
“All I’m saying is it could’ve helped knowing where those pirates were shooting at us from! Anyways,” Solo made his way to the center of the lounge. He pressed a button on the holotable and a diagram of Denon’s gridded hangars appeared. Transparent blue corridors and passageways hovered in the air, and Luke leaned in towards the red section Han pointed at.
“This is going to be where the deal’s going down: Hangar 78. Now, my contact can get a bit skittish around new faces, so I’m going to head there myself, confirm the ship, and make the deal. I’ll bring it back here and then we split, got it?”
“Is that a good idea?” The concern in Luke’s voice was clear. “What if one of Jabba’s men finds you?”
“Believe it or not, kid, I’ve made it this far without the two of you jumping in,” the comment was defensive, but Solo must’ve picked up how genuine Luke was. “Look, if I run into any trouble, I’ll call it in to Chewie.”
The wookiee let out an indignant whine.
“Oh, not you, too!”
Han and Chewbacca argued in circles, the scruffy smuggler wanted to do this on his own because he felt he could handle it, the furry smuggler wanted to come along because he felt Solo couldn't. As the two traded heated points, Obi-Wan drifted into his own mental debate. Something about this world, the deal Solo had arranged, something was wrong. He could feel it. Something was wrong…
“Master?” Luke’s voice pulled Kenobi from his trance. “Are you alright?”
Obi-Wan opened his eyes to see the bickering had stopped and the trio were watching him--Luke and Chewbacca puzzled, Solo suspicious. Going with his gut, Obi-Wan rose to his feet.
“I will accompany you,” he announced.
Han grimaced. “I don’t think--”
“I’m the one buying the ship, I believe I should at least be acquainted with whom I’m buying it from, no?” Solo didn’t have a retort, but his scrunched eyebrows and deepened frown said it all--Obi-Wan just chose to ignore them. “It’s settled then. Luke, stay here with Chewbacca, and we will return with our new ship.”
Luke looked like he wanted to say something but he nodded. Chewbacca roared his own affirmative.
Han sighed and clicked the safety switch on his blaster. “Alright, alright. Let’s just get this over with.”