EXT. TATOOINE - LARS HOMESTEAD/COURTYARD - DAY
Obi-Wan, Owen, and Beru stand together outside the entrance to the Lars homestead. With his duffel bag slung over his shoulder once again, it is apparent that Obi-Wan is leaving.
OBI-WAN: (hugs Beru) It was nice meeting you, Beru. I wish I could stay longer, but I have business I must be getting to.
BERU: (punches Ben playfully in the chin) Don't be such a stranger in the future, Ben, okay?
OBI-WAN: (smiles) I'll see what I can do.
Turning away from Beru, Obi-Wan regards his stepbrother. The two look upon each other, their expressions serious.
OBI-WAN: Goodbye, Owen.
OWEN: Obi-Wan.
With that, Obi-Wan leaves the couple, walking towards his landspeeder. Once he has reached the vehicle he hops in and engages the engines. Making a U-turn, the Jedi knight takes off, leaving the homestead behind.
EXT. DESERT - DAY
Sometime later, Obi-Wan stands alone in the desert, perched atop a large boulder. Off in the distance, far enough away so that Ben cannot be seen but not so far that Ben cannot see it, is the Lars homestead. Looking down and behind him, the Jedi sees his speeder down below, parked in between the large boulder and another smaller boulder; loaded in the back seat of the vehicle are three-days worth of supplies.
EXT. DESERT - BOULDER - TWILIGHT
Hours have passed, and Ben is still on the lookout atop the boulder. Now seated and eating a protein bar, he looks out at the homestead through a pair of macrobinoculars.
OBI-WAN'S P.O.V. - LARS HOMESTEAD
Stepping out of the entrance, Owen makes his way across the courtyard. Passing by the nearest vaporators, he makes his way to the outskirts of the property, where a parked landspeeder is waiting for him.
CUT TO
Obi-Wan adjusting his macrobinoculars as he finishes his protein bar.
OBI-WAN'S P.O.V. - PARKED LANDSPEEDER
Zooming in, we can now see the details of the speeder driver. It is a boy dressed in the light tan clothes of a moisture farmer; tall and lean with dark blond hair, he is only around fifteen years of age. As Owen jumps into the passenger seat, the driver brings the speeder's engines to life and takes off.
CUT TO
Obi-Wan bringing down his macrobinoculars, making haste to climb down the side of the boulder to his parked speeder. Reaching the bottom, he runs over and jumps inside. Tossing the macrobinoculars beside him, be brings the vehicle to life and, gunning the engines, shoots out from between the boulders with a burst of high speed. An expression of grim determination on his face, Obi-Wan tries to keep a safe distance away from the other speeder to avoid detection without losing sight it.
EXT. ANCHORHEAD - EVENING
Sometime later, after the light from the twin suns of Tatooine has completely disappeared, Owen's speeder enters the settlement of Anchorhead, Obi-Wan's tailing behind at a discreet distance. Eventually, the first speeder comes to a stop at Docking Bay 32, Anchorhead's only starship harbour. Obi-Wan parks his speeder on the other side of the street, a building behind.
Climbing out of the speeder, Owen and his driver enter the dark depths of the docking bay. Ten minutes later, a medium-size starship -- a G9 Rigger freighter -- ascends from within the docking bay. Climbing upward, it speeds for open space, soon disappearing among the countless nighttime stars.
OBI-WAN: Owen, what are you up to?
EXT. ANCHORHEAD - STREET - EVENING
An hour later, the freighter returns from its trip into outer space. Obi-Wan, still parked and waiting, watches as the freighter makes its descent, slipping back into Docking Bay 32 without attracting any undue attention to itself. After a few minutes pass, Owen and his accomplice exit the bay, returning to their speeder. Instead of returning to the path that brought them into Anchorhead, however, they instead head down a street that takes them deeper into the settlement. Starting his own speeder, Obi-Wan follows after them.
EXT. ANCHORHEAD - STREET - WATTO'S SHOP - EVENING
Within a few minutes, Owen's speeder comes to a stop outside a junk shop. The large, currently unlit, sign installed above the main entrance reads "WATTO'S SHOP". Parking a fair ways away behind them, Obi-Wan narrows his eyes as Owen and the younger boy climb out and slip into the shop.
OBI-WAN: What are you making my brother do for you, Watto?
Shutting down the speeder's engines, Obi-Wan climbs up and out of the vehicle. Making sure that no one is watching him, he quietly follows after the pair.
INT. WATTO'S SHOP - EVENING
Like a thief in the night, Ben slips inside the dark junk shop. Looking about him, he notices the many items of machinery laid in piles and placed on shelves within the dingy interior. Closing his overcoat, he begins making his way deeper into the shop. Soon he comes to the far end of the room, which opens out into a smaller room in the back. Peering into the room, making sure he cannot be seen, the Jedi knight sees Owen and the boy at a desk with Watto, the flying blue Toydarian owner of the shop.
WATTO: (irate) (gestures down at a datapad resting on the desk's top) Whatta's this? This is a payment, you say? Payment!? Bah! I wouldn't have been able to make a down payment for my mother's funeral with this!
OWEN: We can't help it, Watto. We’re in a funk right now. Ever since Ash-It Eeyoo Naim started up his business, the suppliers haven't been eagre to fly with us.
WATTO: Excuses, excuses! Bah! (beat) It's-a time, I think, that I got a cut of the profits thee are bringing in on your moisture work.
OWEN: (alarmed) Watto, no! We're barely getting by on what we make already!
WATTO: Thee think I give a ranat's rear if thee get by? I don't-a. I want what's due to me. I've been more than fair, waiting for thee to pay off your debt.
DRIVER: (irate) You're paying interest, you old bird. That's being fair?
WATTO: I was at a low point when I loaned to Cliegg Lars -- rest his soul -- as thee well know. I took a big loss pitying the fool. That's why there's-a interest. (pushing his face up in front of the boy's) I want-a cut of the farm, boy -- that, or a cut of your momma and sista's fine, soft flesh. How's that bargain for you, eh?
DRIVER: (enraged) You lousy piece of --!
The blond-haired boy strikes out, hands twisted into claws for Watto’s throat. Owen grabs him, wrestling him away from the Toydarian.
OWEN: Nik, no! Calm down! You're gonna get us in trouble! Cut it out!
NIK (DRIVER): (struggling against Owen's grip) Stupid rotten -- (to Owen) Let me go, dammit!
OWEN: Nik, stop! Stop it!
Nik squirms for another several seconds. Finally he stops, letting out a deep breath. Slowly, Owen releases him.
NIK: Okay ... I'm okay now. (beat) Let's get out of here. I don't want to stand in this dump a minute longer.
The spice-hauling partners leave the Toydarian’s desk, moving on their way out of the room. Watto follows them with angry eyes.
WATTO: You've made your decision, then ...
As the two young men cross the room, Obi-Wan flees into the shadows of the shop to avoid getting caught. Crouching down behind a partially-disassembled protocol 'droid, he watches as they make their way to the shop's entrance, slipping outside into the quiet night.
EXT. ANCHORHEAD - WATTO'S SHOP - EVENING
Owen and Nik walk over to their speeder. As Owen jumps in the passenger seat, Nik just stands there on his side of the vehicle, looking down at the moisture farmer.
OWEN: (noticing Nik's stare) What? Let's go already.
NIK: (frowns) You never stand up to him.
OWEN: What?
NIK: You never stand up to him, Owen. He walks all over you, and you take it like a Mos Eisley whore!
OWEN: (frowns) What would you like me to do about it, Nik? He's powerful, with powerful friends -- I can't just put a blaster bolt between his eyes!
NIK: You could still resist him, show him that you aren't going to take his garbage sitting down!
OWEN: We can't all be blessed with your brand of assertiveness, Mister Anakin Skywalker.
Sighing, Nik -- full name, ANAKIN -- decides to give up the discussion. Hopping into the speeder, he brings the engines to life.
ANAKIN (NIK): This deal's getting worse all the time.
OWEN: Don't I know it.
Punching the controls, Anakin takes off, racing up the street like a mynock out of Hell.
A few seconds later, Obi-Wan steps out of Watto's shop. Looking to his right, he spots the speeder in the distance as it turns and disappears around a corner.