~ ~ Chapter One ~ ~

Antwerra was little more than a small outpost near the Outer Rim, a jumping point for ships leaving the Core. With its small population and business focused primarily on the spaceport's needs, few sentients would call the place an exciting world. Rowan was among the majority, at least so far as his opinion of the planet was concerned. He was only visiting as a stop on his way to the outer worlds, seeking his adventure, excitement, and a chance to earn himself some respect.

At last, the time had come to leave port. Rowan finished off his drink and returned to his ship, the light freighter Sword of Glory. All of the departure procedures went well, and the Sword turned upward to advance into the beautiful sky. It was a nice thing about the mostly ignored planets, Rowan thought, that they rarely had their sky view marred by huge buildings and blinding lights. As he finished the thought, he heard the sound of a lightsaber being activated behind him. The sound caught his attention, but he didn't turn from the cockpit's controls. A voice spoke, and it was a very young voice at that. A teenager at best.

"Rowan Starlight, I'm placing you under arrest by order of the Jedi Council." Rowan gave a hushed sigh, but allowed the boy to continue. "Turn control of this vessel over to me and we will return to the Jedi Temple, where you will be tried for your crimes."

It wasn't until he was sure the would-be captor finished that Rowan turned around, leaving his hands on his lap. His voice was calm and he wore a simple smile in greeting. "Hi there. I'm Rowan Starlight, it's a pleasure to meet you. And you are?"

The boy wore the costume of a Jedi on a mission, light robes over plain clothing. His stance indicated a certain level of confidence, but it was his eyes that gave him away. There was uncertainty there, made worse by Rowan's polite demeanor. The Jedi lifted his lightsaber, gently pointing it toward Rowan as he responded.

"My name is Davin Fel. I'm a Jedi Kni-" There was a moment of hesitation, and he looked away for a second before renewing his composure and standing tall to finish. "I am a Jedi."

Rowan chuckled for a moment before he caught himself, then immediately dropped his smile and nodded. His hands didn't leave his lap, where they could be plainly shown holding no weapons.

"I understand. Davin Fel, Jedi, you must know that I cannot allow you to take me in quietly. You've snuck aboard my ship, and while I do recognize your authority as a Jedi Kni," he paused, and tried to hold back another smile, "as a Jedi, I do not answer to that authority anymore. And although you might become a proper Jedi Knight if you take me in, I doubt your master will be pleased to know that you've come here all by yourself to try and arrest me. Clearly, you aren't ready. He likely told you not to, but you decided to come anyway. To prove yourself, perhaps?"

The longer Rowan spoke, the lower the tip of Davin's lightsaber fell. Fear began to widen his eyes, or perhaps it was simply nerves, but whichever it was, the boy was losing this battle already. Rowan could feel the confidence crumbling. The Jedi's voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke again. "I…you could tell?"

Rowan tilted an eyebrow and gestured towards his opponent. "You faltered when you tried to tell me you were a Jedi Knight because you couldn't bring yourself to lie to me. You stand like you've barely made it to the second stage of your lightsaber training."

The cadence of Rowan's words slowly began to shift. He was speaking more quickly and less deliberately, and dropped the hand to his knee as he leaned forward to continue, resting the other on the armrest of his seat.

"I find it very difficult to believe you've even completed study of negotiation. You certainly underestimated my abilities, and you still do. A novice mistake." At this, he shook his head and sighed. Davin, meanwhile, was having difficulty holding his lightsaber steady, and took a step backwards as Rowan carried on his criticism. "Until you become a proper Knight, you won't stand a chance against me in a proper duel, whether it's with your blade or your words. So put that away."

There was a moment of deliberation. The Jedi Padawan looked from Rowan to the glowing blue tip of his lightsaber, and when he looked back at Rowan, he shut off the blade. The weapon didn't leave his hand, however. "So, now you're going to kill me?"

Davin's question was only partially unexpected, as Rowan had assumed that was going through the boy's head, but he feigned complete surprise regardless.

"What? Kill you? No, not unless you had attacked me! No no, I'm going to abandon you on the nearest populated world and give you an opportunity to send a message to your master telling him where to find you. If I kill you now, you'll have gained nothing and lost everything." Once again, Rowan seemed to be completely at ease. He leaned back in the chair, grinned, and continued.

"Now if your master finds you, you'll learn so much more! There will be a lecture about responsibility, handling yourself properly," he continued, even as the young Jedi slowly walked over to the co-pilot's seat and sank down into it, "overestimating yourself and underestimating others, patience, and so on. No, you'll be fine. Just keep in mind that not everyone will give you an opportunity like this." There was a momentary pause as Rowan turned to the controls again and began checking readouts. "And it'll only happen once. Next time I will kill you. It'll mean you're unteachable and not worth my efforts."

The ship's engines hummed along, giving the floor a gentle vibration as the two sat there, silent. He trip through hyperspace took only another hour, during which Rowan stayed in the cockpit to ensure his "guest" didn't attempt to alter their course. The boy had made an attempt to arrest him already, and may have thought about getting them lost along the space lanes. Someone like that would be willing to sacrifice himself if he thought it was worth the trouble.

Davin, meanwhile, had gone to look over the rest of the ship, and stayed quiet the rest of the journey. There was little wonder that he'd found the portion of the cargo hold modified into a museum. Rowan was confident the boy's fear would keep him from touching anything, though many of the displays would call out to those who could hear the Force. He'd learn better if he got too close.

When realspace was visible again, the Sword of Glory's sensors indicated they were approaching their destination. A few seconds after the hyperdrive engine quieted down, Davin was in the cockpit, smiling in relief. Rowan glanced over to him and eased the ship down towards the spaceport below.

"Sit down, Jedi. When the planet's gravity takes over, you won't want standing for long anyway." Davin slowly moved to the co-pilot's seat and slid down, looking much less pleased than he did a moment earlier. A moment of silence passed before the boy broke it.

"So what planet is this?" It was a decent question, but obviously one better suited to the computer display right in front of him. Rowan sighed and pointed to the readout. This Jedi was exasperating.

"This is Tatooine, a desert world in the Outer Rim. It's where people go when they're hiding from trouble. Or in our case, looking for it." He tried to hide his smirk as he returned his attention to piloting, but it grew across his face regardless. Fortunately, Davin was too busy digesting the words to notice. He was suddenly tense and rigid, staring at the approaching planet surface. A small speck appeared among the tan billows of the sandy world, and was quickly growing closer.

"Rowan? Why are we looking for trouble?" The nervous question made Rowan smile, delighted to share, or perhaps simply delighted to tease the frightened padawan.

"You chose a wonderful time to arrest me, Davin. You see, I'm currently tracking down someone strong in the Force. I believe it to be a pirate captain by the name of Lon Gavo, a spice smuggler and slave trader." The speck was now close enough to identify. It had buildings and lights. "He's avoided arrest himself, as a matter of fact, escaping seemingly hopeless circumstances. I believe this to be the influence of the Force, and I believe it's calling me to seek him out." Davin nodded as he listened, clutching the console as the ship shook during its descent.

"What do you plan to do with him once you find him?" The boy looked over at his captor as he asked, and Rowan shrugged back in response.

"He's a powerful man, even without taking his latent Force potential into account. Someone like that could be a great ally for the Republic, though he could also be a destructive menace. Already, he's killed, pillaged, and destroyed so much life wherever he's gone." Davin had begun to relax, distracted from his fear by Rowan's casual behavior. His grip on the console loosened, and he leaned forward slightly as he listened. "If I can train him to use his gift for peace, I will. If not, I'll kill him." This matter-of-fact attitude took Davin back for a moment. The city was perfectly clear now, and almost audible through the bulkheads.

"I thought you were… you know, fighting against the Republic." The boy's voice carried much less fear and nervousness than before, now filled more with curiosity. "I was told you're a criminal, that you turned to the Dark Side and left the Order." Rowan started the landing procedures as he thought about the statement, then nodded and spoke, choosing his words deliberately.

"That's about what they should be saying now, except that it's all wrong. I'm on the side of the Jedi and the Republic, whether they want me or not. The Order denied me Knighthood, even though I passed the tests." The landing struts touched down on the pad and the ship gently bounced as its full weight was released to the planet's gravity. Rowan took a moment to make sure everything was right before turning away from the console to face Davin. "I was rejected, I didn't leave on my own. But I am a criminal, and I am a dangerous man to cross." There was a tense moment in the cockpit while the boy tried to decide whether to say anything or not. Seconds into his indecision, Rowan stood up and walked out to the boarding ramp. "Come on, let's get you home."

Tatooine was lively, with hundreds of sentients and droids moving about the city. Aliens of all kinds were everywhere, native Jawas could be seen in small packs making deals on every corner, and massive pack animals tromped through the streets being led by long leashes. The noise was incredible, made up of as many different languages as there were people, music blaring from the local pubs, and street merchants calling out their wares.

The two had gone to what was apparently an inn. After some time of haggling with the proprietor in a language Davin couldn't understand, a deal was agreed on and some money was exchanged for a small key with a red tag attached. Rowan passed it to Davin, who was somewhat confused about what just happened. Rowan hushed him before he could say anything and hurried him down a corridor lined with doors.

"Take this, boy," he whispered as they walked. "You've got the last room on the left side." Davin responded just as quietly, though still bewildered.

"What happened? Why are we whispering?" When they stopped at the proper door, Davin fumbled with the key for a few seconds before he got the door open. The two went inside and Rowan closed the door before continuing to explain, this time with less secrecy in his voice.

"If anyone here finds out you're a Jedi, you'll be killed and your organs sold for profit." Davin tensed up again as he made his way to the bed, the only place to sit in the cramped room. "Your lightsaber will be taken and either kept as a trophy or sold on the black market. No one will ever know what happened to you, or even that it happened here. These people are very good at this game." Rowan looked around the room, checking corners and under the bed. "Don't mention the Jedi or the Force. Don't act too out of place and don't attract attention." Davin watched Rowan move, and eventually shifted his eyes to the door.

"Why are you telling me all this? I was sort of planning to let you do all the talking. Wasn't that the plan?" He shifted uncomfortably, and Rowan moved back to the middle of the room and shook his head.

"No, I'm continuing my mission. You're taking responsibility for your own mistakes. I'll send a message to the Republic with your name, they'll cross-reference it with the Jedi and identify you, then they'll send a rescue party to pick you up. Shouldn't take more than two weeks at the most." Davin's eyes went wide and he completely forgot about being quiet.

"Two we-?" Rowan covered his mouth with a hand and shushed him, glancing for the door. Davin pulled the hand away and continued, whispering again. "Two weeks? How do you expect me to hide in here for that long?"

"I don't. I only paid for three days." Rowan moved to the door and listened closely, shushing Davin's attempt to speak. After a moment, he smiled and sat down on the bed beside Davin. "I expect you to learn how to blend in, get a job and pay for the room, and survive here until the Jedi collect you. It'll be a good experience for you, padawan." With a wide smile, Rowan patted the boy on the shoulder and stood to leave. He ignored Davin's stuttered protests, responding only once he reached the door.

"Oh, by the way. This place is half-inn, half-brothel. I got you a cheap rate by saying you wouldn't cause any trouble and that you'd help the girls here by cleaning up their rooms after work. I'm sure you'll be quite popular, if you play your cards right. Good bye, Davin Fel. See you when you're ready." Rowan closed the door on Gavin's blank stare.