A/N: FINALLY, the next chapter! Sorry about the wait!

InsaneJediGirl: I'm glad you like it! I will keep writing. In fact, I've got ideas to make a trilogy of sequels!

Mystress Daedra: Ummm... OK, well, here's more... I don't think I've ever gotten a review that was so straightforward and to the point...

SoloKenobi: I suppose I must agree with you. The romance stories are good, as long as they stay... well, safe, if you know what I mean... never mind...

Well, I suppose that is it for shout-outs... did I do them for the last chapter? Ah, well... check my bio for links to the poster I made. Poster made by Eowyn Skywalker may be coming soon. And, Master, please review or I'll have to send you the chapters to beta read! wonders how much like a threat that sounds

OK... I'll stop talking now... next chapter!

Chapter 5: An Early Landing

Garen leaned forward in his seat and studied the data readouts for the ship. Obi-wan had left some time ago, and he and Bant were left alone in the cockpit. They were nearing Kashyyyk, and Garen had just discovered that they were low on fuel. They weren't going to make it to their landing base. They would have to land early and walk the rest of the way. He and Bant weren't worried, and they didn't think the others would be either. They had all seen worse before.

Bant walked into the sleeping quarters and found Anakin just waking up. Adi was still sleeping, but Obi-wan looked like he hadn't even shut his eyes. Bant was concerned, but right now they had to prepare for an emergency landing. Garen had decided to push their fuel as far as it would go, which was dangerous, but would get them as close as they could get to their destination. Bant shook Adi gently, then turned to Anakin and Obi-wan. As soon as Adi was awake, Bant announced to them all, "We are nearing Kashyyyk, but it seems we are too low on fuel to make it to our destination. Garen said it's not going to be smooth landing, but he is going to get as close as he can. We will still need to walk the rest of the way."

Bant sat down next to Obi-wan and waited. Anakin looked excited, but Adi was worried. "The territorial dispute will become a war before we get there," she commented. She didn't like the thought of walking along the surface of Kashyyyk. There were terrible carnivorous predators living down there, which was the reason the Wookie natives lived in tall trees high above the ground. She was more worried about the inexperienced Padawan, though, than herself. At least, that's what she told herself. She found herself thinking once again of Obi-wan's pained face the night before, wondering if his preoccupied state would affect his ability to defend himself. She suddenly realized what she was thinking about and quickly wrenched her mind away from the topic. She had been thinking more and more about him, and she didn't know why.

"Brace yourselves!" Garen shouted from the cockpit. "We're coming up on Kashyyyk!" Anakin looked through the viewport and saw the tree-infested surface coming up hard to meet them. All of his excitement was soon gone. He glanced nervously at his Master.

"Are we going to crash?" he asked anxiously. He didn't like the idea of what Garen was doing. They might not survive a crash like that. Obi-wan could feel his apprentice's nervousness, and completely understood it, but there was no reason to fear for their lives. Garen was a good pilot. Not just a fair pilot, mind you. He was one of the best pilots in the Core worlds.

"We'll be fine, Padawan," he assured his nervous apprentice. He glanced over at the other passengers. They didn't seem to be worried, but there was something close to fear in Adi's eyes. She had obviously never flown with Garen before.

Anakin glanced again out the viewport at the quickly rising ground beneath him. He turned away and closed his eyes, gripping the sides of his seat. There was a hard jolt that nearly knocked everyone off their seats, then the ship came to an abrupt stop. There was silence in the sleeping quarters as the passengers all recovered from the shock. Then Garen broke it. "We've arrived at Kashyyyk in one piece! Please gather your belongings and head for the main exit. Thank you."

The passengers all rose and headed toward the ramp. Anakin seemed to find Garen's remarks amusing. "So, kid, what did you think of that landing?" Garen asked as he joined the rest of the team outside. The ship was not too badly damaged, but it was not functioning, and it had no fuel left at all.

Anakin nodded, an astonished look in his eyes. "That was amazing," he said breathlessly. Garen smiled, then turned to the dense forest around them. They were in a small clearing, surrounded by trees, trees, and more trees. It would be a long, hard walk to the city ofKapitenotchen where their negotiations were to take place.

Garen took out a locator and pointed off into the forest. "It's that way," he said, glancing around at the other Jedi. They started off into the forest of wroshyr trees in the direction that Garen had indicated. Anakin seemed unhappy about having to walk the entire way, but followed his Master into the darkness without a word.

They walked on for hours, pausing to rest occasionally. It was beginning to get dark, so they found a place to spend the night. It was a circle of tall trees with a small clear space between their knobby roots. Garen dropped his pack and sat down with his back against one of the great trees. "This looks good enough," he said. He was out of breath and his legs were getting sore. Adi sat down next to him, heartily agreeing. She was also ready to call it a night. Obi-wan, Bant, and Anakin did likewise.

After they had rested a while, Garen and Anakin went off in search of fallen branches that would serve as a shelter. As he followed Garen through the forest, Anakin couldn't help thinking that the trees seemed forever tall and ominous, and that they seemed to be leaning down toward them as if they were displeased with the arrival of the unexpected guests and wanted them to know so. Anakin considerably quickened his pace. He came up close behind Garen and tried to take his mind off the trees by asking questions. He was good at this, and he always had some question to ask.

"Where did you learn to fly like that?" he asked for a start. He preferred to start with small talk, and then begin asking more serious questions. But this was still a pretty serious question to him. Garen smiled and settled into his memories in order to give the most accurate account.

"Well," he began slowly, "some time ago there was a Jedi flight program to teach young students to fly starships and transports. I was part of it, and my Master, Clee Rhara, had charge of all the students there."

Anakin looked up expectantly. "Was Master Obi-wan part of it?" he asked eagerly.

Garen shook his head. "No, his Master wouldn't allow it," he said sadly. He remembered how, when Clee Rhara had first started the program, Obi-wan had wanted to join Garen at the base, but Qui-gon had gone against it, saying that Obi-wan was better off staying at the Temple and studying. Obi-wan had been greatly disappointed, and he and Garen had been separated for several years.

Anakin went on to the next question on his mind. "How come I don't hear about this program anymore?" He had never remembered hearing about the Jedi flight program. If he had, he would have been sure to be a part of it.

Garen spotted a branch on the ground and bent to pick it up. "Because the Council decided to drop it," he answered casually. He moved on to another branch on the ground.

Anakin picked up a slightly smaller branch as his questions became more serious. "What did you do after they dropped the program?" he hurried to catch back up to Garen, who had somehow gotten a considerable distance ahead.

Garen answered without breaking stride. "I finished my training with Master Rhara." There was something mischievous in his eyes as he left the answer hanging in the air between himself and the young Padawan.

Anakin wasn't satisfied. "Did you and Master Obi-wan spend a lot of time together while you were in training?" he asked, trying to get a more detailed answer out of Garen. He knew that this man had been one of his Master's best friends. The question was: Did he know anything about Obi-wan's past that the Jedi Knight was hiding?

Garen's smile widened as he slowed a bit to look Anakin in the eye. "Of course we did," he said. "We were best friends. Why do you want so badly to know?" He could guess, but he had made a promise to a friend, and he didn't want to break it. So he played around with Anakin's mind, diverting the conversation as subtly and as well as he could.

Fortunately for Garen, Anakin didn't notice. "I was just wondering," he answered, trying not to look too eager, but failing considerably. "Why does Master Obi-wan dislike talking to Master Adi so much?" he finally asked quickly after a short pause.

Garen fell suddenly silent, the mischievous smile gone from his face. He turned away, once again busying himself with finding material for a shelter. Anakin began to have his suspicions of what was really going on. "He doesn't like to talk about it," Garen answered simply. And nor did he, especially without Obi-wan's permission.

Anakin quickly caught on. "Yeah, I noticed," he stated glumly, then his spirits returned and he tried again to get some information out of the pilot. "But I want to know why!" he said loudly. "Why doesn't he like to talk about it? There must be a reason, and I want to know!"

Garen turned back to him sadly. "There is a reason, Anakin," he said. He fought with himself for a few moments. He knew what he had to do. The trouble was, he just couldn't do it.

A/N: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Cliffie! OK, so, what did you guys think? I'd've liked it to get more intersting, but that conversation was getting a bit long. Anyway, let me know if I was inconsistent with the name of the city. I can't remember if I mentioned it more than once, and I made a last minute change, so, yeah... And let me know if you liked it! I love reviews! One last note: Jandalf, if you are reading this, I am so sorry to have stolen your boyfriend away from you! :)