"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Chapter 4

(So it begins…The lurking tiger has chosen its prey, but be careful of the assumptions you make for what you see is not what it seems.)

Where it all begins… It's quite a sad tale actually, a tale of desperation, of suffering, of trials and tribulations that no human soul should be forced to endure. But by the will of the Force, fate has been predetermined for two particular Jedi, and the inevitable has already begun…

"Get down!"

They were outnumbered. Obi-Wan knew it, Qui-Gon knew it, even the Ambassador knew it… It was a battle that they couldn not win, not like this anyway; there was only one thing left to do. Draw away the attackers. There were too many people packed in the tiny town square to successfully fight a gang of separatists. There were too many risks involved, so, Obi-Wan did the only thing he could think of; he ran, he grabbed the Ambassador's decoy and ran as fast as he could, drawing away as many dangerous tigers as he could from the pack. Qui-Gon could defend himself and the real Ambassador from the rest of the gang.

As soon as Obi-Wan noticed that his idea was working he began formulating a plan in his mind for the next course of action. The young apprentice could not simply turn around without any knowledge of what he wanted to do next; he would get both himself and the decoy killed. He had to get rid of the decoy somehow for in a fight the man would become a liability. As Obi-Wan continued to run forward with his eyes always on the attackers, he was unaware of the direction he was heading in until it was too late…

With his attention focused on the separatists, Obi-Wan did not notice the Lutiast till he smacked face first into the tree trunk. He tumbled backwards as the force of the blow caused him to loose his balance. The Lutiast was not a morning creature and was very upset at the sudden intrusion of its peaceful slumber. With a loud roar the Lutiast attacked forcing the young Jedi to roll quickly to his right to avoid being the squashed. Some of the Separatists, who had caught up by now, were not as lucky as the apprentice and were demolished by the creature's fury.

Obi-Wan took the inattention of the Separatists to make his escape. The men were temporarily afraid to enter the forest, but their mission and the potential reward would outweigh their fear. Obi-Wan went for the only option available to him at this moment; delve deeper into the mysterious and dangerous forest. Obi-Wan was a Jedi in training, he could do anything, he could even use these very irritant Lutiast to his advantage.

The startled decoy was hesitant to follow Obi-Wan at first, but it was follow the Jedi or loose his life. He chose wisely, but keeping up with the Jedi's apprentice proved to be difficult, that was till they came to a small waterfall.

"Jump." The Padawan commanded.

"Are you crazy?" The decoy nearly yelled.

"It's your only chance and you must do it quickly before they catch up. If you become lost in the river, they will not be able to follow you, and if they do not see you jump, they will not know that you are not still with me. You must do it. I will draw them away from you. You must trust me." The decoy looked hesitant to believe a teenage boy, but before he could make up his mind, the child pushed him leaving Obi-Wan alone to defend himself.

Now that the decoy was out of the way, Obi-Wan turned and faced his enemies. He had been looking for a fight all day and he was not about to miss the opportunity.

The Separatists came at him fast, guns ready to kill. Obi-Wan wasn't positive, but the men seemed furious, but about what was still a mystery. Dramatically he pulled out his lightsaber and proffered a withering glare at the offending villains. Obi-Wan knew he was putting on a show, but he didn't care. He was no longer outnumbered; the Force was on his side now.

"You might as well give up." The leader of the Separatists drawled at what he assumed was his captured prey. Obi-Wan, however, was not going to give up. He returned no answer to the separatists, but a small smirk graced his lips. These men were in for a surprise.

With the speed and reflexes awarded to a Jedi, Obi-Wan leaped forward and sliced the nearest Lutiast. He quickly jumped backwards and diminished out of sight. The gang was not so lucky. They could not move as fast the young apprentice and two of their people soon passed out of existence and out of mind. They were unimportant, simple beings that ceased to exist, leaving just two companions left to handle the Padawan.

Obi-Wan liked his odds now. These two he could handle without any help. He saluted the Lutiast and prepared for battle, slinging his lightsaber around to a defense position. The Separatists began to shoot at the teenager, but Obi-Wan's skill outmatched theirs and with a perfectly deflected shot by the teenager, there was soon just one gang member left. It was their leader.

"I think it is you that should give up now." Obi-Wan remarked.

"We will see." The man, with a crazed glint in eyes, rushed at the apprentice. Obi-Wan tried to stop him, tried to save him, but before he could do much, the battle was over. The leader's eyes shot open, surprise filling his eyes as he crumbled to the forest floor. Obi-Wan could smell the man's burning flesh. He hadn't wanted to stab him, it had all just happened so fast. Obi-Wan could not help, but stare into the man's eyes as the Separatists was dying. He didn't see the evil maniac glare that had graced the man's features earlier. All he saw was fear, pain, and utter shock. He clearly had not expected to loose. But for this man, he would not go down like this.

The Separatist had very little life left in his body, but with all the strength that he still possessed he picked up the gun, aimed and fired at the youngling still staring intently at his eyes…