Obi Wan’s journey takes him to Wol-Loh, the ‘husk of the outer rim’ to find out who hired Black Krrsantan and what it has to do with Mace Windu.
Wol-Loh.
The husk of the Outer Rim.
Once the hub of a vibrant mining colony, now a hollowed-out rock floating in orbit, its uneasy grip of gravity keeps even the lowest of bandits and criminals away. But it is far from abandoned.
Opportunistic pirates have occupied a lofty peninsula, fighting to keep the lights on, the only thing that keep the creatures of the night at bay. Two pirates in-particular are fighting far from the main settlement at the abandoned Foreman’s complex. Armed with little more than sticks and flaming torches, they question the wisdom of their boss. The planet is barren. They make moves to abandon their troop. Take the ship and run.
Their flames expire. They don’t get the chance to make their escape.
It is here that, the following day, Obi-Wan Kenobi arrives. Before entering the thinning orbit, he takes a moment to search for the source of the malevolent presence that permeates his acquired ship.
Instead, he finds a Droid. Small. Sleeping. More intricate and older than anything Kenobi has ever seen. He takes the droid to try and wake it, but as he begins his work, he is hailed from the Wol-Loh’s surface. He is warned to leave. The planet is claimed. As Kenobi, shocked that the planet is populated, attempts to justify his need to visit, the voice goes quiet. Then, conspicuously, he’s invited to the surface.
Surviving the bumpy landing, cursing the invention of flying, Obi-Wan sets foot on uneasy ground.
The malevolent energy is here. It surrounds the peninsula, pungent and rotting. Closing his mind to it, Kenobi heads to the Foreman’s complex and the crumbling mansion within. He passes small pods of raggedy, mining pirates as he approaches. The way into the complex is blocked by two bandits clad in a hodgepodge of various armours. Clone bits, Stormtrooper bits, and even droid plating. Uneasily, they welcome Kenobi, now hooded, to the complex and invite him inside.
Inside the mansion, Kenobi is greeted with a sight in stark contrast to the rest of the complex. Carpets. Rooms with all the walls and ceiling intact. It’s far from lavish, but it is more secure.
The ground shakes as the Jedi is taken to a large dining hall. The bandits leave. Waiting for his host, Kenobi takes in the view out of the window, the red sun setting in the distance.
“What is that smell? It is beautiful. Like a flower. So familiar. Ah, yes. Profit!”
Obi-Wan meets his host, the pirate Hondo Ohnaka. Immediately on edge, the Jedi accepts Hondo’s offer of food and sanctuary. After bargaining for Hondo’s silence regarding the Obi-Wan’s survival, Kenobi turns the conversation to the pirate’s purpose on Wol-Loh. The pirate confesses that the tightening grip of the Empire has forced honest pirates further into the shadows, attempting to make a living scrounging in the dirt. Kenobi doesn’t buy it. Hondo knows that Wol-Loh is barren, and smart enough to look elsewhere. He’s here for a reason. Hondo confesses.
He hired Black Krrsantan.
No, he didn’t.
Offended, Ohnaka concedes he didn’t hire the Bounty Hunter, but he has information about who did. He even offers that information freely, for a price.
Hondo needs his mines cleared of the vermin that currently infest them. Kenobi refuses. He will find another way to procure the information.
“But how, my old Jedi friend? You are my captive, no? You do this teeny, tiny favour for me and I will give you information and your freedom! I will also take your ship. It is a good deal!”
It isn’t, but Kenobi accepts.
As the sun sets, the pirates retreat to the light of the compound. Then, the creatures come. They scuttle at the edge of the light of the compound. It’s a swarm. Kenobi cautiously considers his options. Ohnaka, however, is keen for him to get out there. Fight the demons! Kenobi refuses to move until he knows what he’s doing. He considers the power levels of the complex, which are dwindling. He considers the location of his ship. Too far to get to. Hondo tells him where swarms nest is. Kenobi heads out.
Using his lightsaber to keep the swarm at bay, Kenobi heads out into a small mine opening. The malevolent energy is stronger beneath the surface, but the swarm does not follow. He stalks the network of caves, following the strength of the malevolent energy. It comes out at a deep chasm, which he clears with some difficulty, and then opens up on the surface.
The ground is expansive and empty except for a collection of small ships, and a small hut. They’re Hondo’s ships, and they’re all out of power.
Back at the complex, Hondo decides it’s time to leave! Ready the lights! Pack your bags!
Kenobi peruses the ships. They’ve been ransacked by the swarm, converted into nests. Something else is there as well. Lurking, creeping near the hut. A snarl attracts his attention. At the edge of the light of his saber, scales shimmer.
The Swarm Mother is enormous. It bears down on Kenobi, disregarding the lightsabers light. The fight takes Kenobi around the ship graveyard. As he finally gets a strike in, his saber bounces right off the creature. She cries out.
Surrounded by a shield of his own men, Hondo moves through the swarm towards Krrsantan’s ship. The lights get low. Hondo is scared. One of his men is taken. Then another.
One of the swarm gets to Hondo. He squashes it. This is the end. The cry of the Swarm Mother causes the ground to shake. Hondo goes to the ground. When the tremor ends, the swarm is gone. Pushing his men aside, Hondo goes for Krrsantan’s ship.
Kenobi hears the swarm coming. He moves to the top of the hut. A strike comes from the Swarm Mother, knocking him through the roof. In a brief respite from the attack, Kenobi takes in his surroundings. There is a holo-disc on top of a large case. He grabs it.
He looks outside. The swarm is everywhere, moving around the feet of their mother.
Hondo peruses the ship. He finds the droid, and pockets it. Quite a haul, this Wookiee ship. He moves up to the cockpit, the throne of his stolen palace. The ship engines start up. Then they stop. He kicks the console. The engines start. The engines stop.
What is happening? What is this?
The little droid crawls onto the console. Hondo goes for it. They squabble. The droid, through knowledge of the ship, drives Hondo and his pirates from its home. Faced with the prospect of their being stranded, Hondo decided they must do the unthinkable. Save the Jedi.
Kenobi meditates in the hut, thinking of ways to escape.
The ships.
He lights his saber, jumps through the roof, and makes his move. Avoiding the swarm and their mother, he moves towards one of the ships. He hops inside and fires up everything. He stabs into the heart of the ship and moves on. The Mother tries to follow him, but he’s moving too fast. He hops into the next ship.
The mother barrels towards him, but too late. The first ship explodes. The swarm disperses. The mother screams. By the time she’s recovered, Kenobi has moved onto another ship. The fire creeps as Kenobi moves from ship to ship, encircling the Swarm Mother.
By the time the pirates arrive, the swarm and Mother is surrounded by flames. Dipping a blade into the fire, Hondo launches it at the Mother. It strikes her in the eye, and she dies.
Congratulating himself on ‘saving the Jedi’, Hondo grants Kenobi his freedom on the condition he takes the pirates somewhere safe. He did destroy their ships, after all. Kenobi is in no mood.
Hondo knows something. New deal, if he tells Kenobi what he knows, the Jedi might save his men. On balance, Hondo accepts. The creature and her swarm were brought here by some strange figures that hired the Wookiee. Hondo wasn’t partial to their plan, observing at a safe distance, but he saw them leave. A strange ship. An old ship. It looked like the Jedi’s pesky toy on the Wookiee’s ship. When they left, they put the payment in the hut…
Kenobi pieces the rest together. Ohnaka tried to steal the Wookiee’s payment, and woke the swarm early. Satisfied, he agrees to “save” the pirates.
Returning to the ship, however, the little droid has other ideas. It electrocutes, spits at Hondo, and blocks the door entirely to him. To compromise and fulfil his promise to “save” the pirates, Obi-Wan offers an old comms device. Wishing Hondo luck, Obi-Wan continues his journey.
Safely aboard his ship and deep in space, he takes the droid out back to watch the holo-disc. A woman appears. She wears a gilded purple cloak, as intricately designed as the droid. The droid cowers at the sight of her.
The figure thanks Krrsantan for his service. Unfortunately, she has sensed his failure and excuses will not be tolerated. With that failure, ‘the Custodian’ will not reach full power for a years turn. She must find another way. While his failure has stunted the rebirth of her order, she does not begrudge him. In fact, she still intends to give him what he’s owed.
“Violus ti Violi. Chaos is Peace.”
Knowing now that the threat is real and urgent, Kenobi pursues further knowledge. He needs to know who the woman is, and what her order wants.
Who is the Custodian?
Episode 03 Coming Soon
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