Title: The Quandary
Author: BaBaKaNuSh13
Category: Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)
Summary: AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.
Rating: PG/K+
Spoilers: Minor ones for the JA books
Archive: Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.
Disclaimer: The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

A/N: Sorry for all of you who had read this when I first posted it – I was in a hurry and didn't get to check my post, so consequently didn't get to see that I'd lost vital information and all the breaks in the transition between my documents and the website. Anyway, please review. I know I sound like I'm review-mongering, but I would really like to know how to improve, and what people like, etc. Besides, it's the only payment I get for writing this :) … er, apart from the satisfaction of actually completing something that I started, of course.

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Chapter 2

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Obi-Wan was exhausted.

Being the only Jedi in the Bandomeer Agri-Corps, the manager of the settlement had become excited with his presence and sent him around to Force heal all the new fruit tree grafts onto the rootstock, to improve success rate and quicken the trees' growth.

Not only was he already bored with the mundane task, he was weary with the continual Force usage and knew that he'd be scraping the bottom of his reserves within a few hours.

He looked back over the paddocks he'd already done and sighed. It seemed as if he was getting nowhere, yet his body sure felt as if he'd toiled for hours in the stifling atmosphere of the Agri-dome.

Which, in reality, Obi-Wan thought, he had done.

Turning to the sapling tree in front of him, Obi-Wan carefully placed his hands around the tiny graft and concentrated his attention in the Force. He had never been confident in

his Force abilities, but he had to admit that the countless hours of having to access it to heal the grafts were paying off, and he was finding it easier to locate the elusive touch of its presence in his mind.

Obi-Wan reached deep within himself and caught a tendril of the Force's energy, sending it out through his hands and into the graft, willing it to grow and attach itself to the rootstock, setting down deep-seeded bonds to the mother-plant to help it survive. He opened his eyes to view his work.

Another success.

But somehow the sight didn't cheer Obi-Wan up. Instead he slumped back down into the dusty soil beneath him and glared at the plant. He would have been much better off fighting alongside other Jedi, Force healing any wound his Master had sustained, rather than planting trees and looking after sick crops.

Obi-Wan scowled at the thought.

But he was helping entire planets, saving them from starvation, wasn't he? He was saving lives, even if it wasn't directly so. He should be happy with what he had, what he could do. Wasn't that a Jedi teaching?

But how could he ever be faulted for wanting to do something more, of wanting to become more involved?

Yet that is what he had been told, that he could never become a Jedi Knight.

Obi-Wan's stoic glare slipped and his chin fell to bump against his chest, despair threatening to overwhelm him. He sat there for a moment, just staring at his dusty Jedi boots, before he finally moved, sighing resignedly.

Obi-Wan crawled over to the next tree, not even bothering to stand up for the short journey. He swiped his dusty hands over his sweaty forehead, leaving a trail of mud down his face. Obi-Wan was about to put his hands around the sapling's carefully bound graft, ready to help its growth along, when he felt a strange tingling in the back of his mind. His head flew up instantly.

A disturbance in the Force.

But what could it be? Obi-Wan couldn't think of anything in the Agri-dome that would cause such disquiet in his enhanced senses. Something was seriously off somewhere in the area. Obi-Wan knelt up and looked around him, over the top of the surrounding fields of tree grafts, so that he could just peer above their tops without giving away his position.

Then he saw it. At the nearest curve of the dome. A speeder bike raced towards the entrance, never slowing down. The Agri-guard stationed there stepped forward as if to stop the bike, but at the last minute the rider pulled out a vibro-shiv and ruthlessly cut the man down. The bike raced unimpeded through the entrance, gunning its engines.

Time slowed down as Obi-Wan's vision zoned in on the racing speeder bike, heading straight towards his position. He was sure that the rider had not seen him yet, still kneeling between the sapling rows, but he knew that he would not stay unfound for long unless he moved fast. Thinking quickly, Obi-Wan ducked down and lay in the middle of his row, pulling his dark brown Jedi robe over himself so that he would blend in with surrounding soil.

But the speeder bike headed straight towards him. Obi-Wan pushed himself up and crawled between the trees, heading in a different direction. The rider changed course to follow him.

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. He could feel it wasn't just coincidence that the speeder bike was heading for him, but he couldn't think who could be chasing him. He had no real enemies yet, not any who would want to … well, he didn't know what the rider wanted, but he sensed it wasn't to say hello. Dark waves radiated from the figure and suspicion raised in his mind.

Realising that it was time to get out of there, Obi-Wan leapt up and began sprinting towards the nearest Agri-Corps building. He calculated that he could make it there before the speeder, with the narrow, twisting rows. In this situation, he knew his legs could beat machine.

Despite Obi-Wan's confidence, he could feel the speeder bike gaining on him. He glanced behind him to check on it. Although the rows between the trees were not made for a speeder bike travelling at such high speeds, giving Obi-Wan a natural advantage, the rider drove like a professional racer, twisting through the narrow gaps and turning at the last moment, so that to the untrained eye they would look like a madman, out of control. But Obi-Wan knew better. This rider knew how to drive a speeder bike, and well.

Obi-Wan risked another glance over his shoulder. The rider wore a large, dark cloak, with a hood that covered their face, and that billowed about their legs. The material flapped back, revealing a dark utility belt, and Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of a silver cylinder.

A lightsabre!

Obi-Wan nearly stopped in shock. It was Xanatos following him. He'd had suspicions earlier, but now he was absolutely certain of them. He could recognise the former Jedi's build. What was he doing here? What did Xanatos want with him?

Knowing that he could not win the deadly race to the Agri-Corps building, Obi-Wan waited until Xanatos was right on his heels before dropping flat to the ground and rolling onto his back, igniting his lightsabre and slashing at the underbelly of the speeder bike as it passed over him. He felt the whoosh of hot air as it flew mere centimetres away from his upturned face. The jolt of the lightsabre's impact with the bike sent a painful shock up his arms, making his shoulders ache, but he pushed the feeling away and jumped to his feet. He was vaguely aware of the speeder bike crashing into the ground metres away, on the way taking out the sapling trees he'd worked so hard to heal, as Xanatos neatly flipped off the careening vehicle.

Obi-Wan grimaced. RonTha was going to kill him.

As he landed, Xanatos' hood flipped back and revealed a horrible grin which marred his pale face, dark eyes flashing ominously. He nimbly leapt after Obi-Wan, continuing the chase, a sinister strain in each movement.

He was enjoying it.

Despite his head start, Obi-Wan knew it wouldn't be long before the older, faster man would catch up to him. If only he knew why he was being chased in the first place, then he might have had some advantage against Xanatos. As it were, Obi-Wan felt like a nerf being chased by a rancor. Utterly helpless and doomed.

With a fraction of a second's warning from the Force, Obi-Wan instinctively dodged to the right, a blaster bolt whizzing through the air. It grazed his left upper arm, and he immediately felt it go numb from his shoulder to fingertips, and nearly totally unresponsive. The gun had been set on stun.

What was Xanatos playing at? He was merely toying with Obi-Wan. He could have caught him by now, and yet he hadn't. And why did he have the blaster on stun? Obi-Wan came up with no conclusions, but continued to run. Whatever the dark Jedi had in mind, he could tell it would not be pleasant.

Obi-Wan was quickly ripped from his thoughts as his foot caught on a tree root and he tripped. He felt Xanatos leap over his head to avoid a collision, and landed a few metres away. Obi-Wan continued with his fall and rolled to his feet a short distance away, quietly cursing the recent growth spurt that made him so awkward within his own body. He stood staring at Xanatos, who was yet to make a move, poised like a hungry gundark, and silently willed his panted breaths to slow, limp left arm useless by his side.

"So, Obi-Wan, we meet again, I see."

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As usual, please R&R. Thank you.

BaBaKaNuSh13