Part 7

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and began to meditate. The force flowed around him. He could feel his body being lifted from the ground. He tried to open his mind, forgetting where he was. He relaxed as a wave of calmness spread over him like a blanket. He opened his eyes. The mission came back to him. He frowned at the occurance of last night's events. He knew Master Jinn was right, his focus should be kept on the mission, not someplace else. But, he couldn't keep Kirana out of his mind. He wanted to speak to her but a part of him refused to move. He stood up and looked out of the window. They were rapidly approaching Tatooine, the vast, dry planet.

"Obi-Wan?" came Qui-Gon's voice.

"Yes Master?" said Obi-Wan.

"We will be landing shortly. I want you to come into the main cabin where we will discuss the plan to rescue her. And bring Kirana with you." said Qui-Gon as he left.

Obi-Wan sighed and walked out of his room, towards where Kirana was sleeping. The door opened and he stepped inside. Her eyes were closed and she was meditating. Obi-Wan did not want to disturb her, but he had to. He closed his eyes as he tried to call her through the force. Come Kirana, we have to go. Master Jinn is waiting for us.

Kirana concentrated, blocking everything from her mind. But she thought she heard someone calling her name. She concentrated more. Using the force, she managed to understand the message. She opened her eyes. There stood Obi- Wan. So, he had been calling her. Their eyes met. Obi-Wan could see uncertainty in her eyes. Silence passed through them.

Finally, Obi-Wan spoke. "Master Jinn is waiting for us."

Kirana stood up. "Alright. Lets go,"

Kirana felt uncomfortable silence between them. She had heard what Master Jinn had said, that they were both losing their focus. But how can that be true? I don't love Obi-Wan. Kirana repeatedly said this over and over in her mind. She pushed these thoughts out of her mind, she wanted to concentrate on the most important thing, their mission. Just as Master Windu had told her, the force would guide her.

Qui-Gon looked up to see them coming. He noticed they both had not said a word. He was aware they both felt uncomfortable.

"Kirana, Obi-Wan, I want you to listen to me carefully. You will first have to go find Watto, he's a Toydarian. He owns Shmi Skywalker and used to own Anakin. I will need you to show him this. In here is a hologram message from me. Do not be fooled. He's very stubborn and can be hard to manipulate, but I'm sure the both of you can handle it," said Qui-Gon as he handed Obi-Wan the small, round looking device.

"But Master, didn't Anakin say the slaves have devices in their bodies? If they try to leave, they get blown to pieces," pointed out Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon smiled. "A point well made, Obi-Wan. But not to worry. As soon as Shmi gets aboard the ship, we have a medical droid that will remove the locater. The locater cannot explode until 24 hours after the escape. And by then, I plan to leave this place."

"Another thing, I want you both to change into these farmer clothes. That way, no one will know your true identity," he said as he handed the clothes over to them.

"Sir? We will be landing on the outskirts of Mos Espa soon," said the pilot.

"Yes, thank you," replied Qui-Gon.

The ship quietly landed on the hot surface of Tatooine. Obi-Wan and Kirana, had already changed, and they stood at the entrance of the ship.

"All right. Now, I will stay here and watch after the ship. I want you to two to be careful. Be wary, I sense a disturbance in the force. It is not safe to stay here long. Now go, and may the force be with you," said Qui- Gon.

"Yes, Master," said Obi-Wan and Kirana as they ventured out into the hot blazing sun. They both walked silently. Kirana looked around this strange world. The weather was fire hot and sand blew around everywhere.

"Have you been here before?" asked Obi-Wan.

Kirana looked ahead. "No, I never have. But I know it's ruled by the Hutts. Disgusting creatures. They are all gangsters. You know, I'm still surprised there's slavery out here."

"Yeah, slavery is terrible, but right now, there's nothing we can do about it," said Obi-Wan, shielding his eyes from the hot sun.

"So, I take it you've been here before?" said Kirana.

"Yes, I have, but I've never been in Mos Epsa. Master Jinn explained to me what it was like. The last time we were here, I had to stay in the ship while he, Jar Jar Binks and Padme went to go search for a new hyperdrive because ours was leaking," he replied.

"If you dont mind me asking, who's Jar Jar?" she asked.

Obi-Wan laughed. "Jar Jar was this Gungun we picked up in Naboo. He's quite a comical character."

Kirana looked ahead. They had finally reached the entrance for the spaceport. They walked through the small city, unnoticed by most. Every creature you could ever imagine was here. Kirana was fascinated, what an interesting place! She was walking right behind Obi-Wan when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. She bumped into him.

"Why did you stop?" she said as she rubbed her nose. She looked over Obi- Wan's shoulder and saw what had made him stop.

A huge Hutt blocked their way. He looked at the two Jedi. His mouth was large enough to swallow eight full grown men. Slime protruded from his mouth. Kirana was sickened by the sight of him.

"Obi... what should we do?" whispered Kirana in Obi-Wan's ear.

"Dont worry," he said.

"Where have I heard that line before?" said Kirana with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Obi-Wan ignored her sarcasm. He instead focused on the creature.

"Where do you think you're going?" bellowed the Hutt.

Obi-Wan was glad that at least he spoke in English.

"We are going to see Watto." said Obi-Wan, his tone flat.

"My name is Hluib. I work for the mighty Jabba the Hutt. What business do you have with Watto?" asked Hluib suspiciously.

"We are here to get some parts from him for our ship, that's all," cut in Kirana, keeping her face expressionless.

The Hutt leered at her and then glared at Obi-Wan, obviously annoyed. The Hutt could not do anything because he knew the two travellers had not done anything wrong.

"I do not like you. Perhaps, I will not let you pass," Hluib threatened.

Obi-Wan waved his hand in front of the Hutt's face. "You will let us pass."

Hluib looked confused. "I will let you pass."

"Thank you," said Obi-Wan as he and Kirana walked past him.

"Thank you," repeated the Hutt.

Obi-Wan breathed deeply in relief. He wanted to cut that Hutt in half but he did not want to make a scene. Even thought the Hutts moved slowly, they were powerful.

Kirana smiled. "Good work, Obi-Wan. I thought you were going to explode, but you kept calm."

Obi-Wan grinned. "Good thing I didn't."

Suddenly, Obi-Wan's face became serious. "Kirana, I, well, I'm a little ashamed of my behavior yesterday. I'm really sorry."

"Oh...that. It's okay, really. Listen Obi, I don't want to fight with you. It's not good for the either of us. By staying friends, we help each other and others as well. Right now, there's a little boy out there who needs our help. Qui-Gon is counting on us. So is Anakin," finished Kirana, giving him a small smile.

"You're right. Now, let's go and see what this Watto character is like." said Obi-Wan as he entered the shop.