A/N: I don't own Star Wars, and I probably never will.

Obi-Wan Kenobi now officially hated missions.

He was currently stuck on a ship to one to some Outer Rim planet called Mandalore, where he and Master Qui-Gon would go babysit a duchess. For at least five months, although probably more.

To say the least, he wasn't exactly excited. Five months without seeing any of his friends. Five months without any homework.

Okay, well that part he could stand.

"You should try and get some sleep," Qui-Gon said, walking into Obi-Wan's small compartment on the ship and seeing him still awake. Obi-Wan frowned.

"I'm not tired," he muttered.

"Believe me, you'll want to sleep once we get to Mandalore."

"Why do we have to go?" Obi-Wan complained.

Qui-Gon sighed. "You know why. It's the will of the council, Obi-Wan."

"You never listen to the council," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Besides, I'll miss all my classes at the temple while we're gone, and when I get back, everyone will be ahead of me!"

Qui-Gon chuckled, ruffling his fifteen-year old (almost sixteen) apprentice's hair. "I know for a fact that you won't mind missing class, my young apprentice."

"Shouldn't an older, more experienced Jedi maybe be in charge of this mission?" Obi-Wan tried.

"Well padawan, how do you expect to become more experienced if you don't get real experience?" Qui-Gon asked, a smile growing on his lips.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Missions around Coruscant, perhaps even Naboo. I don't min d visiting other planets. But not for five months!"

"Goodnight, Padawan," Qui-Gon said, closing the door. "I would get some sleep if I were you!"

"Well, you're not!" Obi-Wan muttered, pulling out his datapad and rereading over the mission plan.

"Do I have to wake up?" Obi-Wan grumbled the next day. "Master..."

Qui-Gon rose an eyebrow. "I told you to go to sleep early, Obi-Wan. You should have listened. Now, hurry up and get dressed. The duchess is waiting. You aren't a child anymore, padawan."

"I know. Sorry, Master," Obi-Wan muttered, quickly throwing on his tunic, and not bothering to rebraid his padawan braid. Qui-Gon walked down the ship's ramp, waiting for Obi-Wan to finish.

"Now, we'll have to work quickly to get the duchess to safety," Qui-Gon instructed. "Follow my lead. Do you have your lightsaber?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I'm not a child anymore. I don't need to be reminded to bring my lightsaber, Master,"

"I'll stop treating you like one when you stop acting like one."

He didn't reply.

After walking for about an hour through the cities on Mandalore, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon finally reached the palace.

"So this is it?" Obi-Wan asked, a smile forming on his face. He absentmindedly fingered his padawan braid. "I expected something... I don't know, different." Mandalore looked a lot like, well... most planets. Buildings. Cities. Life forms. Not what he expected a desolate Outer Rim planet to look like. "And the palace looks nice!" He could get used to living there, he thought, with its luxurious rooms, and chefs who actually cared about what was in the food, and-

Qui-Gon smirked, bringing Obi-Wan out of his daydreams. "We're not going into the palace, padawan. Now remember, padawan, the objective is to get the duchess back to our ship safely,"

"Oh?" came the reply. "Would you care to tell me where we are going, Master?"

Obi-Wan's master smiled. "Follow me."

They walked through the city, past the nice buildings and shops, into the dirtier part of town. Obi-Wan scrunched his nose at the smell.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Master?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Quite sure, padawan," Qui-Gon replied, leading Obi-Wan into a dilapidated building, where there stood a small blonde girl wearing a dark cloak, and an older man.

"You're the Jedi Knight that's supposed to protect me?" was the first thing that came out of Duchess Sabine Kryze of Mandalore's mouth.

Obi-Wan could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. "Well, my master and I," he managed to reply.

"How old are you, fourteen?"

Obi-Wan sighed audibly. Did he really appear that young? "I'm almost sixteen," he told the small inquisitive blonde girl.

"Well," she said haughtily, crossing her arms. "I'm about a year younger, I suppose. I'm almost fifteen,"

Obi-Wan glanced over at Qui-Gon, but his master seemed to be deep in conversation with whoever it was that brought the duchess.

"Isn't that a bit young to be a duchess?" Obi-Wan asked. She glared at him.

"Isn't that a bit young to be a Jedi?" she retorted.

"Well," he said. "I'm not technically a Jedi yet. I'm still training to be one,"

"So you lied, then," the duchess said, raising an eyebrow. "I thought Jedi didn't lie."

"What do you mean? I didn't lie!" Obi-Wan cried, clenching his fists. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering, he reminded himself.

The duchess turned up her nose at him. "Yes, you did. You said that you were a Jedi Knight, not training to be a Jedi,"

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did. Just admit it!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"PADAWAN!" came the roaring voice of Qui-Gon Jinn. He grabbed Obi-Wan's braid and pulled him aside. "Stop arguing! Are you out of your mind, Obi-Wan?"

"No, Master," Obi-Wan replied. "It's just that she accused me of lying!"

"Well no, but-"

"Remind me how old you are again, Padawan,"

"I'll be sixteen in two months,"

"Well then, I expect you to act your age, especially since we are representing the whole of Jedi,"

"I know, Master," Obi-Wan said, glancing at the duchess. She smirked and waved at him.

"And please," Qui-Gon added. "Try to be patient with the duchess. She's only fourteen, and in charge of an entire planet! Can you imagine the pressure?"

Right then, the only thing Obi-Wan could imagine was leaving the duchess there, and going to Coruscant. Who would be laughing then?

A/N: And there you have it, folks. Chapter One.