Chapter VII

To the man who has known no real misfortune, nothing but continued providence and propitious circumstances can be imagined. After all, these men reason, calamity is something which falls only on other men, belonging to another sphere. Little do they suppose that men throughout history utterly ruined by unforeseen tragedy have once believed the same as they, and were brought to their knees defeated in an attitude of shock quite as much as grief, stunned beyond measure to learn at the last that they are as vulnerable to misfortune as any other man. In such a state we rejoin young Master Luke on his receipt of the news that his family estate had been seized, his inheritance annexed, his relations imprisoned and disgraced, and, in short, the entirety of his livelihood and reputation destroyed; all of which momentous events had taken place in the scant few hours that he had been away. Naturally, it was a scarcely believable turn of events to the poor young gentleman, and perhaps he would have refused to credit the report entirely had it not arrived from several different and reputable sources and were not the signs of great agitation in the county so obvious for all to see.

The young man, along with his two servant companions and the venerable old knight, were finishing preparations for their journey (Luke having agreed to accompany the others as far as the township) when the word came. Sir Kenobi turned pale, Mr. Threepeo squeaked and trembled, Arthur Deetoo mumbled a prayer in his coarse tongue, but Luke said not a word for several minutes. His mind struggled to comprehend the fate that had befallen his nearest and dearest relations.

How quickly our contempt for the familiar object will vanish once it has been taken from us! And likewise how sharply we feel the pain of the absence of loved ones who, when they were present, we never regarded with more than a passing glance! Thus it was that all of young Master Skywalker’s resentment towards his uncle, but a few hours since incensed against his guardian for the old gentleman’s many deceptions, turned at once into the grief of a dutiful child and heir when word of his arrest and incarceration had worked upon the boy’s thoughts. In a flash his adventurous and impetuous nature reasserted itself, and the boy spoke forcefully of affecting a rescue worthy of an ancient epic, or at least of one of the three-volume novels which had so much fed his imagination as a lad.

“Ruin!” the young man exclaimed, “D--- it all, but that it should come to this! It is not to be born, by G---. A fine and noble act indeed, to apprehend a noble gentleman and his wife who never did any harm to anybody? How very brave! And on upon what charge? Conspiracy against the Empire? Why, it’s perfectly outrageous! Barbaric! Dishonorable!” He rattled his father’s sword, red faced with the fire of youthful ire. “We should storm the Homestead at once and free my kin from their unrighteous detainment! Will you not help me save them, dear old Sir Benjamin?”

Wise Sir Kenobi shook his head at the young man’s naivety. “Think, lad!” the seasoned old knight reasoned, “The four of us alone against a whole battalion? We would be inviting the greatest of ruin upon ourselves and failing in our duty to the princess utterly. Though it pains me greatly to say it, it is certain that your guardians are well on their way to the Bastille or La Force by now, and you no doubt marked to join them there the moment you can be found. It is clear that these forces are in pursuit of whatever information our friend Arthur possesses, and they are eager to silence any who may have had contact with him and who could have received any intelligence from him.”

Luke could not help but stare at the sailor who had been the cause of all of this disruption in his life. “What information could one sailor possibly possess that would prompt such drastic action from the French? It is absurd!”

“I do not know,” the old knight said, “And it is clear the man has been sworn to secrecy in the matter at the request of one in whom we must place our trust. It is up to us simply to safeguard him to Alderaan-upon-Avon as we were entreated and to ask no further questions.”

“By heaven!” Luke gasped, “And am I simply to leave my uncle and aunt, who have given everything to me, who have been the only parents I have known, in the hands of French and to think nothing more about them? Can a man be so unfeeling?”

“The safety of their persons, and the countless others like them who have met a similar fate, cannot now be secured until the power of the French is countered and defeated. Aid me and you shall be aiding the Resistance, Luke – and by aiding the Resistance, you shall be aiding your unfortunate relations.” The old knight placed a comforting hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Do not blame yourself, young friend. We should praise Providence that you were not at home and are yet free – in you there is now a ray of hope for us all.”

Though he still raged with anger and indignation, young Luke could not but hear the wisdom in the old man’s words. Suddenly he knew his path, the only path left to him, the only way to regain his family’s lost honor.

“You are right,” Luke said quietly, “What else is left to me now? I will follow you to Alderaan, good Sir Kenobi, and be your squire. I want to be a valiant knight, as my father was before me, and bring honor to the name of Skywalker as he did.”

“Yes,” Kenobi said, with a sad smile. “I am certain that you shall, my young friend. But for now we must leave at once. With the French so heavily present in the county, it will behoove us greatly to vacate the region, and without delay. We can reach Mos Eisley by sundown.”

“Mos Eisley!” interjected Threepeo in his shrill voice, “But that’s a port city! Surely you do not suppose to reach Alderaan by sea? What of the French blockade? We’ll be captured for sure! Mr. Deetoo and I can both attest to the strength of the French armada.”

“We have no other choice,” replied Sir Benjamin, “for haste is of the greatest importance. To travel by land will take far too long and we are sure to encounter numerous patrols – no, we must brave the seas. We will hire a ship in Mos Eisley to take us there, a ship fast enough to run the blockade.”

“Is such a thing possible?” Luke asked skeptically.

“Not only possible, but profitable,” Kenobi explained, “Smugglers have been slipping past the French ships for years, and Mos Eisley is the perfect place to find smugglers. Why, such a wretched hive of scum and villainy is not to be found anywhere in England. We must exercise great caution, but depend upon it, my friends: this is our best and only course.”

The others could not think of any reasonable objection to this course of events, and so it was decided that Mos Eisley was their next destination. The four men set out on horseback, leaving Jundland Cottage far behind in a matter of hours. Three times they spotted French patrols along the roads, but the quick thinking and wisdom and Sir Benjamin allowed them to find another path around their enemies or to spot a position to hide and let the patrols pass safely by. It was a long day of journey, with scarcely a moment to rest. Mr. Threepeo muttered curses to himself continuously and rubbed his backside, unused as he was to travel by horse. Even Mr. Deetoo, as brave as his was, could not help but groan as his sailor’s legs adjusted to the saddle. Luke, however, was lost in his silent thoughts as he brooded over his family’s misfortune; and besides, Sir Benjamin said not a word of complaint about their fate, and Luke was determined to do likewise.

It was sundown when they at last crested a hill and saw the port of Mos Eisley splayed before them, hugging the water and bustling with energy and life. As they approached the city, Luke felt his stomach drop and his heart fill with dread. French soldiers were guarding every entrance to the town, interrogating everyone entering the city. It was obvious they were looking for something or for somebody, and it took little imagination on the part of our four heroes to imagine the object of their search. Threepeo let out a high-pitched yelp and would have turned and fled at that moment had not Arthur Detoo reached out and grabbed his reins firmly. Kenboi’s lips pursed at the sight of the enemy, but he remained as silent and stoic as any Roman soldier as he contemplated their duty.

“What shall we do?” Luke said, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. “We cannot hope to get past them without being discovered! We must turn around, Sir Benjamin, and seek another way.”

The old knight turned to set his steely gaze on his young pupil’s face. “Have faith, Luke,” he said, “for you travel in the company of a knight of the Order of the Jedi. Trust me.”

As they neared the French checkpoint, Luke felt his anxiety growing to near hysterical levels. Threepeo was nearly catatonic with fear, and even Mr. Detoo cast unsure glances at the old knight as if not quite sure the man was entirely in his right senses.

“Stop there,” a French soldier called out haughtily, “What is your business in Mos Eisley?”

“We’re taking a ship to London, friend, and then off to visit Paris,” Sir Kenobi replied casually, “I’ve long wanted to show my grandson the glories of your marvelous French capital.” He nodded to Luke.

The soldier frowned disbelievingly. “How long have you employed these servants, monsieur?” he said, studying Threepeo and Detoo with suspicion.

Kenobi rubbed his beard thoughtfully, “Over a decade, my good man. Let’s see… twelve or fourteen years now at least. If you are in the market for servants, these two are spoken for, I’m afraid!”

“Are you certain? They match the description of the men we are looking for almost perfectly.” The soldier narrowed his eyes, and Luke was certain their time had come.

Sir Benjamin leaned down from his saddle and fixed his unnerving gaze into the Frenchman’s eyes. “My dear boy, these most certainly are not the men you are looking for.”

“They… they are not?” the soldier replied, sounding somewhat dazed.

“Of course not, my good man,” Kenobi said, with an infectious smile, “Why, how could they be? They’ve been in my employ for many years!”

“Oui,” the Frenchman said uncertainly, “This is true. But they look so like the traitors we seek, dangerous criminals!”

“Criminals, indeed!” Kenobi replied, laughing good-naturedly, “They’ve been stealing wine from my stock for years, the ruffians! On second thought, my good man, if you’d like to take them into your service, you are more than welcome!” Pale Mr. Threepeo swayed in his saddle at that, as though he might lose consciousness at any moment.

The soldier laughed politely, “There is no need for that. They do not look so much like the traitors as I thought.”

“I thought not,” Kenobi replied, completely at ease, “Surely we can go about our business now, friend?”

“Yes, yes,” the soldier said, impatiently, “Move along, please.”

“Thank you,” the old knight said courteously, nudging his horse into a slow pace. Luke blinked in surprise as he followed. It was not until they had traveled some several minutes into the town proper that he allowed himself to believe that they were truly out of danger.

“I do not understand,” he said, “How did you change the man’s mind?”

“I didn’t,” Kenobi explained, “I only changed what he saw. A Jedi is adept at influencing the perceptions of less disciplined minds. Our gallantry, courage, charisma, and nobility are chief among our many weapons. We create our own reality, and lesser men have no choice but to accept it as the only reality. Let this be your first lesson as my squire, young Luke.”

Luke scarcely had time to wonder at this before they were enveloped in the strange and intoxicating sights of Mos Eisley herself.