The next chapter is up. Hope you enjoy this story.

Tiny glittering crystals spilled out of the sack and onto the dusty floor.

"These are not normal crystals." Anakin said. Taffo knew he was right, because she could feel the Force through the crystals. "We need to contact the Jedi Council immediately. This is what we were looking for."

"If these are so important, why would they be left unguarded?" Remla asked.

"They wouldn't need to be guarded if they were hidden skilfully." Anakin pointed out.

"What are they?" Taffo asked, staring at the crystals.

"These are Force crystals, but they are usually bigger than this." Obi Wan explained. "It seems that they were smashed into pieces and hidden away in these bags."

"Almost like someone was trying to hide them here." Anakin added. "But Force crystals are not common at all, they are only found…."

"…in the historical Jedi Master's Temple underground, Kyle Katarn." Obi Wan finished. "These were what the Dark Jedi had stolen."

"No one can get to that Temple, Obi Wan." Anakin said, annoyed by this information. "It was sealed off by a Jedi Knight after he prevented the Sith from using the Force crystals."

"Force crystals?" Remla asked. "What do they do?"

"Force crystals are large crystals that contain the Force in them. The crystals magnify the power of the Force by a huge amount by using high resolution atomic force." Taffo explained complacently.

"So what do they do?" Remla asked not really understanding how these crystals could be so important.

"They are used to harness the power of the Force." Taffo continued. "When used by a Jedi they can be an easy way to communicate with the Force and even younglings can easily access the Force with these crystals. They give the user unlimited connection with the Force, and a very powerful connection."

"But where do they come from?" Remla asked, wanting to know about the glittering crystals that shone on the floor in front of her.

"They were used to guard the first Jedi Master, Kyle Katarn's, Temple underground of Nar Shadaa, and keep his spirit alive in the Force, but when the Sith discovered about these crystals and where they were kept, they went to retrieve them for themselves." Anakin explained. "The Council sent a Jedi Knight to seal the temple and destroy the Force crystals so no one could use them."

"And what happens if a Sith gets them?" Taffo asked.

"We can't talk about this now." Obi Wan interrupted. "We must inform the Council about this and get the Force crystals back to Coruscant so they can be destroyed. The Council never suspected this large amount to have been stolen."

"We should return to Coruscant now." Anakin agreed, Force jumping out of the hole. Taffo went over to the crystals and picked a handful up in her hands. They sparkled and glittered and they were really eye catching, they didn't seem dangerous at all. The power of the Force was huge and Taffo suddenly felt the huge connection, the power rushing at her like a waterfall of visions and emotions. In Mos Eisley there were a group of Jawas fighting in the cantina. In the Dune Sea there were Tusken Raiders riding their Banthas. She could sense the thugs playing pazaak in the cantina, knowing what cards they were playing before she could see them. Taffo could feel the Force everywhere, the power was huge and she felt connected to everything happening. She could feel the stars in the galaxy glitter, and was almost consumed in the power.

"We should go." Obi Wan said, breaking Taffo's connection to the crystals, Force jumping out of the room.

Remla looked over at Taffo to see her holding the glittering Force crystals in her hands and a strange look in her eyes.

"Come on Taffo, before our Masters get angry." Remla said, using the Force to push her up out of the room to land above. Remla waited, but Taffo was not following. Five minutes passed.

"Taffo?" Remla called, looking down into the room. It was quiet and the room was dimly lit by light shining through the hole in the floor. Taffo was not answering, Remla knew there was something wrong and she didn't need the Force to tell her that.

Remla decided to jump back into the hidden room and noticed that Taffo was lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Taffo!" Remla cried, running over to her and shaking her. "Taffo, get up, are you alright? What happened!"

Taffo lay still and Remla glanced around the room and noticed that the sacks of Force crystals had gone. Who could have taken them? There was only the entrance through the floor, and she had been standing there, she would have seen or sensed someone approaching.

"Taffo!" Remla pleaded, urgently wanting to warn their Masters about what had happened. Taffo opened her eyes and shook her head to clear her fuzzy vision.

"Taffo, you're ok." Remla smiled. She was glad to know her friend was alright, but wanted to know what happened to her. "What happened? Did you get attacked?"

"A man," Taffo said groggily. "He had a…." Then Taffo's eyes glazed over and she started to lose consciousness.

"Master!" Remla shouted, hoping her Master would hear her and come and heal Taffo. Padawans were not as experienced in the Force as their Masters were, and could not use the Force to heal.

Remla couldn't sense her Master or Obi Wan in the Force nearby and the only choice she had was to go and find them and bring them back to heal Taffo. They wouldn't have gone far.

"Stay conscious, I'll go and get our Masters." Remla promised, Force jumping out of the room to land back in front of the collapsed floor. Remla hurried up the steps and outside, back in the heat and sand. The light from the twin suns blocked Remla's view for a second but when she blocked the light with her arm; she couldn't see their Masters or the ship. They had gone. They can't have left without us, Remla thought angrily. They wouldn't.

A few metres away, Remla could see two figures approaching from the top of a sand dune. It was Obi Wan and her Master, but what were they doing without their ship?

"Master! Obi Wan!" Remla shouted, running towards them, not wanting to leave Taffo alone any longer in case something else would happen.

"Remla, our ship is gone." Anakin snapped, clearly annoyed.

"Well what could have happened to it?" Remla asked, now more worried about being stuck on Tatooine.

"The person who owned this moisture farm took it." Obi Wan answered, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Remla was annoyed and angry by this information. The selfish owner of the moisture farm had taken their ship and left them on Tatooine. He must have taken the Force crystals too! Now they were stranded and had failed their mission.

"The Force crystals were stolen! Taffo was attacked and she needs healing!" Remla cried, desperate to get back to her friend.

"I knew I sensed something was wrong." Obi Wan nodded and the three of them hurried back to the moisture farm. Remla was having trouble getting her feet through the sand and the heat wasn't making it any easier. Finally they reached the moisture farm and Remla was thick with sweat and annoyed with Tatooine's climate after being there only for a few hours.

"How could she have been attacked? Did you see anyone?" Obi Wan asked as they went down the steps and into the shelter of the building.

"No, there must have been another entrance into that room that he went through." Remla explained as they stopped in front of the collapsed floor. Obi Wan and Anakin jumped into the room and after a few seconds, re-emerged with an unconscious Taffo on Obi Wan's back.

"How did you know it was a man?" Obi Wan asked.

"Taffo told me before she fell unconscious." Remla said quietly.

"We didn't see any passageway into that room." Anakin said as they left the moisture farm, standing where their ship had previously been.

"We will have to go to Mos Eisley and get a pilot to take us to Coruscant." Obi Wan decided.

"Mos Eisley?" Anakin clearly did not agree with his former Master. "We should not go there; it would lead our Padawans into trouble."

"It is our only choice." Obi Wan answered. "Besides, I think our Padawans can cope with being in Mos Eisley. We should leave now and get there before the suns set."

Remla didn't want to argue so she followed her Master and Obi Wan with an unconscious Taffo on his back, across the Dune Sea to Mos Eisley.

Next chapter: The Padawans encounter danger at the cantina and face the Sith apprentice.