TITLE: The Wrong Turn

AUTHOR: Obi the Kid

RATING: G

CHARACTERS: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn

SUMMARY: Pre-TPM time-frame. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan get a little lost.

DISCLAIMER: The characters and venue of Star Wars are copyrighted to Lucas Films Limited. I make no profit from the writing or distribution of this story.

NOTE: Thanks to Bren for the title challenge.

The kashee grumbled as she shifted weight to her right side. The animal, a roamer by nature, was not accustomed to being stationary for any length of time, and was impatient standing on the trail while the Jedi decided on a path. She slapped her long scaly tail and swayed her thick neck side to side. Kashee were cousins of sorts to dewbacks, resembling them in color and shape, but they were leaner animals, built more for speed and stamina than power.

Jedi Apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi sat astride the beast, contemplating where they'd just been and where they were going. He addressed his teacher, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, perched tall in the saddle of a larger male kashee.

"Master, he did say stay to the right, yes?"

"He did. And we did. We are lost again it would seem."

"We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. What exactly did that man tell us?"

Qui-Gon's beast shifted under him so that the master had to readjust his position. "His exact words were 'sta ta da rya' and he kept pointing towards the right. And he nodded when I asked him if that meant stay to the right. You saw that, Obi-Wan, I am not imagining it."

"And we stayed to the right. Well, there was that one multi-pronged fork in the road where there were technically two rights. We took the most extreme. We must have taken the wrong right."

"And that was yesterday. If we ride back to that point and it's not correct, well… Perhaps we should find another someone to help us."

Qui-Gon clicked to his kashee to go forward. The animal, relieved to be moving again, trotted stoutly in the direction the Jedi motioned the bridle. An hour later, they stopped when they spotted what appeared to be one of the planet's many forest people. Small, stocky and dark blue-skinned, the being stood from his crouch position when the Jedi approached. Qui-Gon dismounted from his kashee to appear less intimidating.

"Hello. Can you direct us to Tien?"

The dark being stared at him with large perfectly round yellow eyes.

"Tien. The capital of your planet. The big city." Qui-Gon's arms went up and wide to try and put emphasis on 'big'.

"Ah! Beeg, beeg!"

"Yes, the big city. It's called Tien. Which way is it?"

The man scanned the area, rolling his head side to side, similar to what the kashee had done earlier. He sniffed the air in each direction then closed his eyes and pointed to the left. "Beeg. En tee."

"Big entry?"

"En tee."

Obi-Wan, watching carefully from atop his mount said, "I think he's saying 'in tree', we should go through the forest?"

"Yah. En tee!" A dark hand pointed again to the forest as his entire body bounced up and down in what appeared to be a 'yes' motion.

The two Jedi exchanged a wary glance but ultimately decided to trust the local. They followed the left trail until it disappeared into the woods, then they plowed into the forest. The kashee enjoyed the trek. Built for any terrain, they moved easily at the swift pace the Jedi encouraged. Eventually though, the woods ended. Before them was not a city of any size, but a range of enormous grass covered hills that began and ended nowhere in particular. At the top of each hill was a single small dwelling made of sticks and branches. The kashee were pulled to a stop.

"Master, this certainly isn't the city of Tien, or a city at all. At least I hope not. Another wrong turn. We're lost again."

"So we are. The locals aren't as helpful as I would have liked. Or perhaps we just aren't grasping what are saying."

"Should we camp for the evening?"

"We're both hungry and tired. And the kashee are probably tired of us." Both animals grunted as if to agree. "We shall rest until morning. Allow these two to roam a bit."

"They'll come back?"

"It's their nature to return to task. In my many years and travels, Obi-Wan, I've learned to trust the nature of animals. Most seem to respond better to trust than to tying them to a tree."

They dismounted, but did not remove the saddles and bridles from the beasts. Keeping them tacked was safer should they need a quick departure. They did set them loose to graze in the night. Obi-Wan pursed his lips and let out a 'hmm' sound when he watched the beasts jog rapidly off and disappear into the distance. He thought briefly about questioning Qui-Gon's decision about that whole trusting nature thing, but in the end decided against it, willing to trust the voice of experience instead.

The voice of experience was not happy the next morning when the kashee hadn't returned to camp and didn't respond to their calls.

"Perhaps I should stop trusting nature during those times when we are on lost on strange planets."

The boy next to him smirked. "Perhaps."

Jinn tossed a sour look at his apprentice as he packed his satchel and began walking.

"Which way should we go, Master?"

"Right didn't work. Left didn't work. How about we go straight?"

With a shrug, Obi-Wan drew his small pack onto his shoulder and trudged after his teacher.

They aimed for one of the hilltop dwellings. The hills were tall enough, there was a chance they could see into the distance and maybe see the city of Tien for themselves. When they arrived on the top of the tallest hill however the only thing they saw out beyond were miles and miles of trees, grass and more hills.

"Master, maybe the city of Tien isn't really a city at all. Could it be just a small village hidden in a forest?"

"Possibly. Although our original guide said we would know it when we saw it, as it was bigger and more unique than anything else on the planet."

"You mean the original guide who left us on our own after saddling us with the wandering disappearing kashee? Wasn't he supposed to stay with us?"

"I suppose he had better things to do than to babysit a couple of Jedi Ambassadors around the countryside. I think he found us a slight bit boring. And he did say he had other work to do. Kashee to wrangle and such."

"Do you think he was exaggerating that we would know Tien when we saw it?"

"Deceit, Padawan?"

"We have been prone to it lately, Master. Remember the whole child-eating-monster thing a few months ago?"

"Please don't remind me."

They were interrupted by the chattering of foreign voices, scattered and questioning. Three short green-skinned creatures scurried up the hill. They were bone-thin and hairless, though humanoid. When they came face to face with the Jedi, they began yelling the word "shee" over and over as they pointed between the Jedi and the forest below. There was an accusing tone to their voices. One of the creatures held up a half-eaten, half-squashed fruit. Something had stepped on it and used it as breakfast at the same time. The visible marks on the skin of the fruit were familiar to Obi-Wan.

"Master, I think 'shee' means kashee. And the kashee have been eating their fruit. Well, our kashee have. They know they are ours, since the animals are still tacked. I do believe they are blaming us for bringing the kashee here."

Rubbing at his beard, Qui-Gon tended to agree with the boy and despite their current predicament, felt a slight swelling of pride at how quickly Obi-Wan interpreted the problem.

"A good theory, Obi-Wan. And it means the kashee are near. If we can find them, we can solve two problems in one."

The big Jedi tried to get the attention of prattling creatures.

"The kashee, where did you see them?"

All three of the green creatures looked up at him with multiple saucer-shaped eyes. "Shee?" They replied in unison.

"Yes, the shee. Where are they? Can you show us?"

A claw-fingered hand pointed into the forest from where the Jedi had just come. "Shee shee!"

"We will find them. Thank you."

Obi-Wan whispered to Qui-Gon as they started wandering off. "Shouldn't we ask them about Tien?"

"No, they are not pleased with us and I doubt if we'll find out anything, but you may do so if you wish."

The apprentice, feeling confident, did just that. And when he arrived back at his master's side, the remaining part of the squashed fruit had become one with Obi-Wan's face.

The boy sighed. "You were right, Master. They are not happy with us."

"Not a good look or smell for you, Obi-Wan. Not to mention the insects you'll attract covered in that sweet, sticky goop."

The boy frowned. "Goop, huh? Now there's a word I never thought I'd hear from you. Let's just go back to the forest."

With a fruity smelling apprentice at his side, Qui-Gon had no trouble locating the escaped kashee. In fact, the beasts had followed the pair for a mile before they were close enough for the Jedi to get under control again. The squashed fruit that Obi-Wan was currently bathed in, seemed to have lured them close. Obi-Wan took the reins of his kashee and she responded by licking his face and head until the sticky fruit residue was replaced with a sticky slobbery saliva residue. The padawan's short hair stood out in all odd directions and his braid was now one large strand of goopy drool.

Wiping the junk from his mouth and eyes, Obi-Wan stared at the creature. The creature stared back tilting her head slightly in what he swore was a grin.

"That's just not funny, you obstinate beast. Not at all. Disgusting is more like it."

Behind him, already mounted on his kashee, Qui-Gon thought differently and was laughing heartily at his apprentice.

"Actually, it's quite funny, Obi-Wan. A laugh I've not had in a long time. Thank you for that."

"Glad I can be worth something on this trip."

"There was a small lake on the other side of the hills. Let's ride up and over so you can get cleaned up."

Obi-Wan legged himself up and they moved out of the forest again. "Master, we still don't know where Tien is. Although I'm sure we're late getting there. The issues might be settled before we arrive. Save us the trouble of negotiating. So really, this getting lost might be to our advantage."

"See, I knew you'd find a glimmer of hope in our plight if you looked hard enough."

They rode up and over the hills and right into the lake.

There was no warning that the ground beneath them would give way into ten feet of murky water a full hundred yards before the water of the lake was even visible. The earth looked sound enough on first appearance. Qui-Gon kept his mouth shut about that though, or he was certain to get an earful from his apprentice about not judging things by first appearance. The boy was busy at the moment, trying to tread water and get detangled from his kashsee at the same time. They were a species not overly fond of water and they'd both sunken to the bottom. Both were struggling to find their way out as the Jedi worked to free arms and legs from the riding tack.

Soggy kashee and soggier humans dragged towards the shore. The animals picked up the pace as their large feet found land and seemed ready to take off again. Qui-Gon sensed it coming and used a little Force manipulation to compel them to a halt. A flick of the hand and he had them secured to a nearby tree. All of this while he lay on his back on the muddy and marshy shoreline.

Obi-Wan was beside him in the same position, glancing back momentarily to see that the beasts had been halted. "Nice, Master. They didn't see that coming, I bet."

"I do have my moments."

"So, now what?"

"Perhaps we should just lay here for a few days."

"There has to be someone or something around here that can get us to the capitol city. Are they all so out of touch with their government that they just don't know where it is?"

"Perhaps they don't care. There are so many different races and cultures on this planet, all speaking various languages, it could be that some groups have no need or worry for government rule."

"But to not even know where the city is?"

"Oh, I'm sure they all know."

Obi-Wan stripped off his mud sodden robe and made a feeble attempt to clean and rinse it in the cloudy lake. His effort ended after a few minutes of futility. The water was as grimy as the mud and the rinse wasn't helping. But another thought did occur to him.

"Master, what about the kashee? They're used as transportation back and forth all over this planet. Perhaps they know where Tien is."

"Interesting theory, Obi-Wan. But unless they learn the art of speech, I don't see how that makes much difference."

"That guide, the one who gave us the kashee. One of the things he mentioned in passing was that his home is just outside of Tien and he's often in the city to retrieve borrowed animals."

"True. But he also said he wouldn't be in the city anytime soon as he had work elsewhere."

"Right, but what if the animals know Tien? It's likely that these two have been there or perhaps they live at his place nearby. They might know the name or the word 'home' or something of the sort."

"And in what language should we ask them? It's unlikely they'll respond to the word in standard."

"Oh, well, I didn't think about that."

"Still, it can't hurt to toss a few words at them and see if they react. What was that man's name?"

"See…ma…Saa…meeli…Sa…ah…Samuli!"

Two interested grunts came from the nearby beasts. The kashee lifted their heads in unison and turned toward the young Jedi. Qui-Gon laughed at the immediate and intense stare that his learner was receiving.

Obi-Wan stood and wiped excess mud from his tunic. "They know his name! Now if they associate his name with Tien, they may lead us right to the city!"

"Only one way to find out."

The Jedi mounted up and Obi-Wan gave the command. "All right, girl. Samuli? Take me to Samuli. Find Samuli. Let's go!"

The beasts accelerated from a stationary position to a lumpy gallop in seconds, tossing their riders toward whiplash. The Jedi were only able to stay aboard with the assistance of the Force and the gallop seemed to go on forever. An abrupt stop happened at the top of the last hill as they came out of yet another forest. The ride had extended into two hours. Obi-Wan's backside was numb, but the sight in front of him was glorious.

The capitol city of Tien.

Hundreds upon hundreds of small houses littered either side of the main dirt path leading to the dwelling that housed the main government. All the Jedi needed now was to ride down the hill and right into town. Even they couldn't get lost going straight.

Naturally though, on this trip, nothing was so simple. The kashee sensed they were close to their own home and refused to budge another step towards the city. Instead they began a swift jog in another direction.

"No! Wrong turn, girl. We need to go that way. Into the city. Samuli is there. Turn around. Samuli is that way!"

They reacted to the name again, but continued on their quest to the left.

"They're going home, Obi-Wan. And we should let them. We can walk the remainder of the way."

"That's fine, Master, but how do we get off at this speed?"

"With a little help from a friend."

Qui-Gon pulled on the Force one last time and slowed the animals to a walk, then stopped them. Dismounting, he released them with a friendly swat to the hindquarters. The heavy feet thundered quickly away.

Sometime later, after managing the straight path into Tien, they were welcomed into the governing house. Their muddy robes were taken by servants and they were directed to continue down the hall to the main conference room. The house was extraordinarily large and confusing with the maze of rooms and hallways. Thirty minutes after they were sent towards the conference room, the Jedi admitted to being lost again.

"This is getting out of hand, Master. The servant said, pointed actually, down the hall and to the right. How can we get that wrong? We went down the hall and to the right."

"And after that, we started guessing."

"Well, yes. But we couldn't have strayed that far, even if we took a wrong turn somewhere."

"Evidently we have. It might be wise if we stop trusting our instincts for a time. We think we should go one way so we do. Next time, let's go the opposite way."

"Next time? I'm never coming back to this planet, Master. It makes me dizzy."

"Listen. Hear that? Voices. And lots of them. A large gathering could be the political meetings."

"Yes, but which direction are they coming from? And why didn't they give us a guide once we got in the house? We should stand here and just yell for help. Someone will come. Eventually."

"And we'll look foolish in the process."

"Oh and we don't look foolish now, Master? We are Jedi Ambassadors come to help this planet solve their long standing political issues. We can't even find our way to the meeting room."

"I'm sure it's not the first time visitors have gotten lost here."

"If that's the case, again, why don't we have a guide?"

"Too many questions, Obi-Wan. Focus on the goal."

Giving up his whiny fight, the apprentice replied with an obedient and simple, "Yes, Master."

More time passed and the maze they were stuck in was never ending. It was almost as if they were intentionally put into this labyrinth and those who had called them here were watching and having a good laugh over their confusion. Obi-Wan suggested it, but Qui-Gon shot him down.

"No, these people are legitimate. The council has dealt with them before."

"Did you defy the council again, Master? Is that why we are stuck here? They are getting back at you for something you did, aren't they?"

"Funny, Padawan, but no. I've not defied them in sometime. Although several of the council do have long memories about such things. But again, no. This is just bad luck."

"There's no such thing as luck."

A tall, multi-armed pale-yellow being came down the hall towards them. It was clapping four of its hands together as if it had found a prize. With two other hands, it secured the Jedi by the wrists and led them around corners and through doorways and over passageways. Within moments, they'd landed in the conference room.

"Or perhaps there is such a thing as luck." Obi-Wan snorted as he shadowed Qui-Gon's actions, bowing as they entered the room full of political leaders. Several of them spoke standard, and the Master Jedi apologized for being late.

"Please forgive our tardiness, sirs. We were unexpectedly delayed. Your planet, for all the beauty and uniqueness, is very difficult to navigate. We took several wrong turns during the last two days. I do hope we have not caused your talks to waver."

The supreme leader of the planet stood. He too was a tall pale-yellow being with many arms, although much older than the one that had lead them to the room. Clapping two of his hands, he used the others to smack the backs of the other leaders close to him. The general mood of the room was…joyful? Not at all what Qui-Gon expected.

"Forgive us for not providing a guide, Ambassadors. An oversight on my part. And we thank you much for appearing before us, despite your difficulties. However, we seemed to have all come to an agreement on the issues we were debating. They were not as difficult as they initially appeared to be. We are grateful to honor you as guests, Ambassadors, should you wish to stay and rest, but we no longer require your assistance in political affairs. Your delay in arriving here spurred us to listen to each other and negotiate without you."

Obi-Wan fought the urge to say I told you so, but Qui-Gon nudged him with the Force anyway, knowing that he was probably thinking it. They bowed again, wanting no part of staying here any longer than necessary.

"If you please then, we will take our leave. However, might we procure the assistance of a guide to get us back to the spaceport?"

The leader smiled. "Certainly you may. My most trusted aide will get you back quickly and safely. Should take no longer than three hours by kashee. Good will to you both, Ambassadors and thank you again."

He left and was replaced with the same being that had escorted them from the hallway. Freshly cleaned robes in hand, he motioned for them to follow.

"Three hours, Master? It's only three hours from Tien to the spaceport. Not two days."

"We took the scenic route?"

"Now who's being funny?"

Ironically enough, they ended up on the same two kashee that they'd ridden in on and it was almost three hours on the nose after leaving Tien that they entered the spaceport.

"I don't think we took a single turn to get here, Master. Just a straight line. Impossible to take a wrong turn when all you need do is travel in a straight line."

"Indeed. It appears we can handle straight."

Back under their own power again, the Jedi were left alone and quickly began moving in the direction of their ship. Or what they thought was the direction of their ship.

An hour later they still hadn't found the place where they had parked the thing.

Obi-Wan started laughing – giggling really – and couldn't stop as he sat down in the sand. "We took another wrong turn, didn't we, Master?"

"I believe so, as impossible as it may seem. This place didn't seem like a maze when we originally landed here."

"Because we had a guide to lead us out of here. Then he left. We went right when we should've gone left and it's all one confusing mess after that. And here we are back to square one."

"If it was only as simple as a square." Qui-Gon scratched briefly at his beard before making a decision. "Well, stop laughing, get up and let's find someone who can point us in the right direction."

"Asking locals for direction? That can't go wrong, can it, Master?"

"I'm certain it will. Come on."

They did find the ship eventually.

They found it - two hours and several wrong turns later.

The End.