Title: Qui-Gon's Apprentice

Author: Darth Manul & Darth Corsa

Genre: Adventure/Drama

Summary: Instead of Melida/Daan, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon have a mission on Tatooine, which goes too bad. Local woman, Shmi, agrees to help, but she knows more about the Jedi than she supposed to. And Obi-Wan seems to know the least of all…

Feedback: greatly appreciated, as always.

Disclaimer: owning the whole galaxy as his property is only Lucas' privilege.

Nobody paid any attention to the intensive sound of laser-fire burst somewhere in the streets. Indeed, who would worry about such a thing in famous criminal Mos Eisley? One who shoots knows why he shoots. Locals were not in the habit of poking their noses into another's deal, especially at the noon, when every sane life form tried to hide in its hole from the burning sun.

Some more shots, and a boy appeared from the corner, having the air filled with dust as he turned on the run. He was wearing a typical poorest local robe: a light, pale-gray tunic, loose pants of the same color, and soft boots, bound with twines. This boy could either be a slave, whose cruel master sent him somewhere through the scorching city, or just a local hurrying to the shady hideout. Also, he could be an target of those shots—such things happened here.

When the boy had nearly passed the way to the next corner, a new figure ran the same way as he. The stranger was tall, he was wearing an average between light armor and dark-colored dense cloths; his brown cloak was fluttering. That man looked dangerous. Was he chasing the boy? There was only a dozen meters between them.

Suddenly, the first one stopped and turned around; the armored person almost ran into him.

"A dead end!" The boy cried, breathing heavily. "What's next, Master? We're trapped!"

His Master could not help recovering his breath too, but kept his eyes and voice calm:

"Don't panic, Obi-Wan. They know this street's a blind alley and, thus, we know they think we're trapped, too. At least, the guardians don't hurry, do you notice that?"

Indeed, there were no more shots for a minute already. Obi-Wan scratched his red-haired head, looking around.

"We can use the Force to reach the roof," he suggested. "It's the way for us to leave the district at least, or we can move to the parallel street to get round the guardians and then return to the Palace."

"It's too predictable," the Master objected. "The roofs could be easily watched." He made a pause to allow the boy suggest something else, but when Obi-Wan stood silent, he continued: "No. We're going to attack first. The sooner we start, the less time they'll have to block us here."

Obi-Wan nodded. They both quickly fixed their cloth, so that it would not hinder them in the battle, and went towards the corner they had appeared from. The pair moved fast, but cautiously; Obi-Wan covered the left side of the street and his Master took care about the right one.

However, an enemy appeared before they reached the corner. That well-equipped Rodian with a laser rifle reasonably thought that his deal was easy: to finish off the victims, already driven into the trap. He leaned from the very corner, he aimed at the tall victim, who was closer, he estimated the power supply to have some spare shots for the boy… The Rodian considered everything, everything except—

Qui-Gon ignited his lightsaber at the last moment and immediately reflected the first shot. The enemy even did not realize why the target had not fallen. The rest of the burst was masterfully sent back to the attacker.

Obi-Wan activated his weapon, too, overrun his Master, showed himself from the corner—and instantly had to protect himself from numerous and rapid laser shots.

"They're too many of them," he warned Qui-Gon, who was nearly to join him.

"We only must reach the crossing," the Master said after they made the attackers hide from their own weapons' reflected beams. "Our way is nearly free now."

Obi-Wan ran first again. On the one hand, he sensed the fear of the enemies in front of him, who were hiding now, and he definitely knew that there was nobody on the right, where he was going to turn. But on the other hand, he had a bad feeling, as if—

"Down!"

Kenobi had luckily closed the eyes, but he got much sand into his red hair and under the collar when he fell to the ground to avoid the beam in an inch from his head. He rolled aside and stood up, turning around, with his lightsaber raised. In contrast with the Jedi, their enemies used the roofs to sneak up to the targets from the back. Three gunmen attacked from different sides, taking cover behind the borders. Now Obi-Wan was able to protect himself, but the snipers were too careful to allow the Jedi even see them for more than a few seconds.

Suddenly, a single precise shot came from the back. Qui-Gon groaned with pain and dropped his weapon to the ground—he was hit to the fist. Right after that, all three snipers attacked from the roofs together. Jinn had managed to pull the lightsaber from the ground using the Force, but fell under the fire before he activated it.

In the next moment Kenobi was standing over him, protecting the Master. Neither the enemies, nor even Obi-Wan himself expected such a fatal lightsaber skill. He reflected all the shots such that they hit back the attackers, until he felt that no more enemies were hiding near here.

Then, he deactivated his lightsaber and knelt to check the Master. Qui-Gon was lying unconscious, but Kenobi sensed he was still alive. If only they managed to find some help! But in fact, it was only possible to find more gunmen if Obi-Wan did not hide Qui-Gon. He looked at the Master's wounds again: they were too heavy, a vital portion of bacta from the utility belt could only stop the blood, but not cure them.

Padawan looked around and gasped. He could do nothing but try to drag Qui-Gon as far from that place as it was possible with his bare hands. The boy embraced his tall Master and pulled him, but he could hardly do so. There was no chance that they would reach a safe place before bandits would return. However, Obi-Wan forbid himself thinking about this—he had to save his Master. He pulled Qui-Gon one more time, making another pair of feet…

"Need help?"

Kenobi turned so quickly that he nearly fell. It was a woman in a simple local dress of gray cloth who called him; she carried a large empty shopping basket, and Obi-Wan wondered how she had managed to come close to them so quickly.

"Oh, he's surely too heavy for you," the woman continued. "Take him by his legs, I'll help you." She took Obi-Wan's place, embracing Jinn's chest, but managed to raise the wounded Jedi from the ground. "Hurry up, those gangsters will send more gunmen very quickly!"

Obi-Wan was a bit confused by the fact he had to obey the stranger, but her advice seemed to be right and any aid was invaluable now. With the help of the woman they soon managed to move Qui-Gon so far that Kenobi never could. Slight wind was hiding their tracks in the sand and they met no person, not taking in account a few locals, who passed quite far. At last, the woman stopped, opened the door, which was very similar to dozens of other doors on that street, and they came in.

In the house, Master Jinn was put on a narrow bed with no pillow in a side room. Only after that Kenobi felt how tired he was. He even could not appropriately help the stranger to care about Qui-Gon's wounds and had to sit in the corner quietly. Obi-Wan came to his senses only when he found the woman towered above him, asking to leave the room with her.

"You're a Padawan of him, aren't you?" She asked Obi-Wan when the door was closed.

"Ah, yes," Kenobi answered and immediately shut his mouth: he had suddenly remembered that nobody here knew they were the Jedi. Did the stranger recognize the lightsaber? "Stop! Who're you? Why do you think so?" He tried to protect confusedly.

"You can call me… Shmi." Obi-Wan noticed the pause before she named herself. What could that mean? She continued: "I'm going both to cure your Master and help you to hide from gangsters—that's all for now. Does the Council know what had happened?"

That was a bit too much for Kenobi. Why did this Shmi acted as if she knew what they had been doing on Tatooine? The whole mission was top secret! The Jedi even used the disguise. Maybe, the plan had changed?

He looked down to check the comlink—and could not help moaning: it seemed, there was a shot he had not reflected in time. A little piece of melted metal on the belt was not his link with the Council anymore.

"Well," Shmi said thoughtfully, "our deal isn't good. Though… it plays into my hand."