Chapter 4 – The Sands of Time

"Hello there"

The tiny little girl on the small grey cot looked up, amber eyes widening with fear as she beheld the tall rust skinned Deveronian that was poking his head through the doorway.

Despite his overall demonic appearance (that was common amongst the males of his species) his eyes were gentle and his smile was friendly. Still the girl wasn't too sure.

She'd seen many people give her friendly smiles before, only for them to literally kick her a few seconds later for their own amusement.

Almost as if guessing her thoughts, the Deveronian sighed.

"Still afraid of me huh? it's the horns isn't it, they always scare people" he smirked and was pleased to see the girl's body relax ever so slightly as she saw he wasn't angry.

"May I come in? Don't worry, it's just Bantha milk" he added holding up a small lidded cup she had been eyeing in his hands suspiciously.

After a few long seconds of deliberation, the girl nodded, lips pursed.

She did not trust this man, but so far he had done nothing to really harm her, aside from painlessly knocking her out before bringing her to his ship. After that a mustard-skinned Twi'lek, with some faint light orange tattooed Leku, had gently tended to her as she had woken up.

The girl had liked the Twi'lek. She had seen many Twi'lek's in the halls of the pleasure houses she'd been forced to scrub. Most of them were slaves like her, and treated her kindly, or at least, as kindly as they could, given the weight of their own situations.

But if the Twi'lek was friends with this man then perhaps he wasn't so bad after all.

"An extremely well-put-together little droid, Your Highness. Without a doubt, it saved the ship, as well as our lives."

Una watched, smirking as the tiny silver and blue astromech droid whirred to a stop beside Captain Panaka.

"It is to be commended." The very fake Queen smiled as she sat in the small throne room at the rear of the ship. "What is its number?"

There were a couple of beeps and whirrs from the tiny machine as it turned to show off its identification to Panaka.

"Artoo-Deetoo, your Highness"

"Thank you Artoo-Deetoo." The fake queen smiled and nodded to her left where Una noticed the real queen standing, still dressed in her handmaid's clothes. "Padme, clean this droid up as best you can. It deserves our gratitude"

Una had to admit, Padme was good at playing the submissive servant, however the determination and strength in her eyes as she looked down on the whistling droid, were a dead giveaway to those that bothered to looking hard enough.

And if it's noticeable to me then these two certainly must know what she's up to.

Una glanced towards the two Jedi beside her. They were calm and quiet throughout the whole proceedings even as Panaka turned to face them when his fake queen demanded news.

"Your Highness, with your permission we're heading for a remote planet called Tatooine. It's in a system far beyond the reach of the Trade Federation." Qui-Gon stepped forwards not even batting an eye when Panaka scowled at him.

"I do not agree with the Jedi on this"

"You must trust my judgement, your Highness."

The fake queen paused in thought, but Una thought she saw the slightest waver in her countenance as she spared Padme a quick glance before turning to face-

"Una Crest, what have you to say on the matter?"

Una blinked. She had only come as an accessory to the Jedi's report, she had not expected any of the spotlight to fall on her for judgement. She didn't know whether to be flattered or terrified that her opinion was being considered at all. Great at her job though she was, she was still just a hunter and not a Jedi or royal. It was not her place to dabble in such matters.

Get a grip Una, they're just people like everyone else. If they don't like what you have to say they can go jump.

She sucked in a deep breath.

"While it pains me to say this, and by god, I really cannot believe I am ever saying it," she grunted rolling her eyes to herself "I agree with the Jedi. We need a place to lie low, but also a place to repair and refuel. Tattooine is one of the few places in the outer rim we'll be able to do that without hopefully attracting too much attention. If anyone does notice our ship it will most likely be assumed that it was stolen or it's a rich black market fat-cat's pleasure ship, which I suggest should be our excuse if anyone should come knocking on our front door."

"A what?" Panaka's nostrils widened, positively incensed by the thought as the handmaids, Padme included, all stifled a small giggle. Even Obi-Wan had to swallow down a small smirk of amusement.

"You all laugh now, but I am dead serious" Una raised her eyebrows coolly at all of them. "Apart from the damage it's taken, this ship is so shiny and brand new that it still stinks of rich people. No one is going to believe we're just simple folk wanting a quick fix before jumping planet. We may be on a planet where people don't know us or what is going on, but we still need to keep a low profile."

"Indeed, which is why I suggest we land on the outskirts, try to keep away from as many prying eyes as possible while I or my padawan go into town and look for the parts we need to repair the ship." Qui-Gon nodded to the fake queen, who pursed her lips.

"Alright, but won't people be wondering why there's a shiny polished ship stranded in the middle of the desert"

"She's got a point" Obi-Wan muttered under his breath.

"Perhaps Your Highness. But it is a risk we must take." Qui-Gon assured her, glancing at Una who explained:

"If we land in one of the spaceport docks there is a chance our ship might be logged into a system and if it's logged into a system we can get tracked if someone tries to come looking for us. I mean, I don't feel comfortable stranding ourselves in the desert, but we can just say we had no choice and ran out of juice to make it."

The fake queen nodded gravely as considered her one and only option. It wasn't a very reassuring plan but it was all they could come up within a short space of time. She looked up at her true queen who was still standing dutifully by Artoo-Deetoo.

Upon catching her eye, she gave her a small nod, indicating her resolve.

The fake Queen sighed softly to herself as she turned back to her captain, the two Jedi and the strange bounty hunter and said:

"Very well. We shall do as you have suggested Master Jedi."

"Thank you, your highness." The Jedi bowed, ignoring Panaka who was looking grim and unsure still.

"I still don't think if this is a good idea." He muttered darkly to himself before bowing as well "I'll go inform the pilots of our plan"

"Well, at least that's sorted out. Your Highness, ladies" Una bobbed her head respectfully to the fake queen, sparing Padme a small knowing smirk as she passed her by on the way out the door behind the two Jedi, who were already discussing plans for landing.

"You should go into the town master to get the parts. I'll stay here and help the crew repair whatever I can" Obi-Wan was quick to suggest.

"Good Idea. Besides you're better with engineering than I am. It'll help the work go faster. Perhaps you too should stay behind Una." Qui-Gon added glancing back at the bounty hunter as she jogged to catch up. "This ship will need all the security it can get"

"With all due respect Old Man but I don't follow your orders. Besides if there's anyone who should go into town to get the parts it should be me. Bounty Hunters are always dropping in and out of scrap heaps like this for spare parts, my presence wouldn't be too suspicious"

Qui-Gon frowned stroking his beard. It wasn't that he didn't trust the young woman. On the contrary she had proven a most useful ally, and her current idea made sense to him. But he had the sneaking suspicion that she was often, a magnet for trouble, even if she didn't actively seek it out. Her incident with the Trade Federation was living proof of that. The last thing he needed was her getting herself into more trouble that could come and hunt the rest of them down. But they didn't really have a choice…

"Alright. How about this. You and I both go into town with Jar-Jar but we move about separately to cover more ground. Then once the day is done we meet at a specified rendezvous point and return to the ship. Agreed?" He suggested.

Una thought for a moment. She still thought her plan was better, but he would cover more ground and be faster in the long term, and they were desperately running short on time.

"Alright. We do it your way but don't think for one second, I'll be babysitting your Gungan friend. You brought him along, so you can look after him. I'll work the backstreet dealers on my own and see what I can find."

"I suppose that is fair" Qui-Gon conceded, despite his Padawan's scowl.

"But Master-"

"And while you work the back streets you can keep in contact with Obi-Wan while he repairs the ship with the engineers. That way you can get any other spare parts they might need"

"Works for me" Una turned to snort smugly at Obi-Wan "What's the matter, Junior? This the first time you've exchanged digits with a woman?"

"No though it might be the last" Obi-Wan sighed as he did his best to reign in his exasperation with the infuriating female that stalked her way past him.

"It would appear as if she's warming up to you" Qui-Gon smirked as she turned a corner.

"If by warming up you mean she's becoming even more insufferable" Obi-Wan muttered and his mentor chuckled.

"Now, now my padawan what did I say earlier?"

"Patience is key to understanding. But master you can't expect her to follow through on this?"

"And why not? She's followed through on everything else so far." His master raised his eyebrows down at him. "She could've easily betrayed us at the palace and delivered us to the Viceroy where she could've used us to barter a new price for her services. But she didn't. She stayed true to her word, even though our offer was less than what she feels she deserves. Besides she might offer some different intel than what we can find for ourselves, like she said, a bounty hunter isn't an anomaly in this type of spaceport."

There was a silence as Obi-Wan folded his arms into his robe sleeves, unable to find any room for argument. His master was right of course but he still didn't like it.

"…I should check on the mechanics down in the hold. See if I can get started on repairs" he muttered, quickly bobbing his head respectfully before making his way down the corridor, following Una's footsteps.

"That would be best yes" Qui-Gon's smirk fell slightly as he felt something shift in the air around him. It was small and barely perceptible to most normal people but thanks to years of training he felt it acutely like a tiny invisible mosquito bite.

He frowned as he searched through the force for the source of the shift. He wasn't that surprised to find it was coming from the direction Una had wandered off to.

He couldn't see what she was doing, but he could feel her thoughts, shifting around uncomfortably. She seemed to be analysing detail after detail of her current predicament.

One thought that seemed to prevail above all the rest was the idea of what to do if somehow the Trade Federation, or one of their paid goons, found them. He could sense her quickly formulating several plans, some that would save only her own skin and leave them to face the wolves, but the ones that she mulled over the most involved her getting all of them off the planet safely with the ship intact.

He had to admit he was impressed by how well she methodically organized and catalogued the information, keeping it separated from her fear, which she seemed to have put away into a corner of her mind so she could focus.

That was until he felt her jolt of recognition jar everything else.

He quickly pulled out of her thoughts, collecting himself swiftly so as to not attract suspicion as he quietly slid past a couple of the Queen's young handmaids who were talking in hushed tones on their way to prepare their mistress for the day.

This was turning out to be a more interesting mission than he first thought.

Una was already well and truly off the ship by the time Qui-Gon had gotten dressed and had picked up Jar-Jar from the hold.

She wasn't sure whether she wanted to hang around the strange old man or his snarky protégé now. That strange sensation of Qui-Gon seeming to poke into her thoughts was eerie as it stood. She'd heard from Slyde that Jedi or "force users" as he'd called them, were capable of reading and manipulating minds.

But what freaked her out wasn't the fact he'd been able to get inside her head. It was the fact that she'd been able to feel him do that and that she knew, without a doubt that it was him doing the poking around.

She'd always been a perceptive person. Slyde and her old crew had often commented on how unnervingly spot on her intuition was at times. Sometimes it even freaked herself out just how accurately she could predict a situation before it even happened.

She wiped her brow of sweat as she stood under the shade of the silver spaceship, her mind racing as she was brought back to a faint memory from barely two years ago.

She'd been in a cantina with Slyde, keeping an eye out for an informant who was supposed to help them find their bounty. They'd been relaxing over a couple of drinks, joking on who would win the Cantina's local Death-pool. She couldn't remember exactly what she'd said, but two days later she and Slyde came back to the same Cantina to celebrate a job well done, when the barkeep told them that everything she had said would happen, had happened, exactly as she said it would.

At the time she'd chalked it up to being coincidence and a fluke of fate. But now she wasn't so sure…

She looked up at the twin suns above her, relieved that she had decided to remove one of the extra thermal layers she wore underneath her bodysuit. Just her luck she was stuck on this godforsaken dust ball.

She looked up as Qui-Gon walked down the Naboo cruiser ramp. He'd switched his brown hooded robes for a rough worn out looking poncho to cover his white Jedi tunic. Close behind him trailed the small blue and silver droid Artoo-Deetoo and the clumsy form of Jar-Jar, who looked if possible even more nervous than normal. But then again, he was rather out of his element in the middle of this vast ocean of sand.

"I'll walk with you to the edges of the outskirts and then I'll split. It won't look good for me if I'm seen with you guys. The last thing I need is for the locals to think I'm a softie" She nodded at the Jedi who nodded back in understanding.

While her words seemed rather rude at first, he could see the logic in them. While half her job was secured by her physical capabilities, the other half relied heavily on image. As a human woman, she wasn't nearly as visually threatening as some of her other contemporaries in the field. If anything, if Qui-Gon had only passed her in the street when she wasn't putting on a front he might've thought her just another face in the crowd.

"Why did you do it?" she asked as they began to walk away from the ship. "prod into the back of my head?"

"How do you know it was I prodding your mind?" Qui-Gon muttered holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun on the pale sands about them.

"I don't know" Una admitted through gritted teeth "I just know it felt like you"

"I was curious about the way you think," Qui-Gon said softly. "Balancing emotion and logic isn't an easy thing for most and yet you manage to do so with ease. Even Obi-Wan has trouble finding the balance sometimes and he's been trained in the Jedi Order all his life"

"Yeah well, you can't afford to let emotions rule you when you're on the job" Una snorted "Especially when lives are at stake. If I were to let my anger at the scum get in the way of a job I'd have the largest bounty on my own head by now"

There was a small pause, only punctured by Jar-Jar's complaints and groans.

"Dis sun doin' murder to misa skin"

"Wait!" a voice shouted, and the small group turned to watch as Captain Panaka strode up towards them from the ship, accompanied by the petite dainty form of Padme.

She was wearing a plain blue tunic and pants with brown boots and a brown vest. Her hair was braided back from her face letting her pale unblemished features shine in the hot sun.

She squinted around at them all in the bright sunlight as she and Panaka finally caught up with them.

"Wait. Her Highness commands you to take her handmaiden with you"

"Does she now?" Una smirked at Padme who glanced down at the ground, ears slightly pink (though not because of the suns' heat).

Qui-Gon, however, wasn't so amused.

"No more commands from her highness today Captain. This spaceport is not going to be pleasant"

"The Queen wishes it. She's curious about the planet" Panaka insisted and as he said it Padme looked up with a bright determined spark in her blue eyes.

"I still don't think this is a good idea" Qui-Gon sighed darkly into his beard as he beckoned to the younger girl to join them reluctantly "Stay close to Una or me"

Padme nodded obediently, relieved that she'd overcome that first hurdle.

"Don't worry Captain. We'll bring her back in one piece" Una assured a rather nervous looking Panaka, who nodded once in thanks before turning on his heel and striding back fast the way he came.

Once he was out of earshot, Padme was quick to blurt out.

"So how far is it to the settlement?"

"A couple of miles according to the scans" Qui-Gon pointed over the nearby dunes. "But I warn you, it probably won't be a pleasant sight"

"Yeah and speaking of pleasant," Una jerked her head to the ground and Qui-Gon paused mid-step.

She pointed to the ground just in front of where he would have stepped where a long line of humanoid footprints was embedded deep in the sand.

"A well-trodden path. Perhaps the locals use it on trips into the desert" Qui-Gon frowned as they paused to examine it.

"If by locals you mean the Sand People then yeah. They use it." Una muttered darkly.

"Sand people?" Padme looked up at her curiously.

"Indigenous tribes of Tatooine. Very secretive, very violent." Una explained, her face grim "I've only seen them from a distance when I last came here years ago, but from what I've heard at the spaceports they aren't very friendly. They hunt the desert in guerrilla groups, mainly at twilight or night, killing off any poor soul that happens to be stranded there."

"by killen' yousa mean uh…" Jar-Jar gulped, slowly sliced a line across his throat with his finger and for once Una agreed with him.

"You can say that again. And considering the depth of these indentations, there must be a lot of them nearby."

"A lot? But there's only one set of tracks?" Padme leaned over to look at the marks again.

"They travel in single file," Una explained as she stepped over the tracks, careful not to disturb them.

"That makes sense" Qui-Gon murmured stroking his beard as he and the others cautiously followed her lead "It would hide their numbers and make it easier to ambush someone. It might also make it easier to trace their footsteps if they have to backtrack through the desert."

"Do you think they'll try to attack the ship?" Padme bit her lip worriedly.

"No, we're too big a target" Una shook her head "they prefer to prey on small groups, like us. Which is why if we're going to make our way back to the ship we should do so during the day and not at night."

"Agreed" the corners of Qui-Gon's lips twitched upwards as he glanced sidelong at the young woman beside him "You seem to know a lot about tracking. I can see why people as wealthy as the Trade Federation hired you."

"What? Did you think I got the job just because of my pretty face or something?" Una snorted with a smirk.

"You worked for the Trade Federation?" Padme stopped dead in her tracks, face livid.

"Now's not the time to get your knickers in a twist kid" Una rolled her eyes as she turned back to look amusedly at the disguised queen "I ain't the enemy. I didn't work for them for kicks. I did it because just like every goddamn person in this galaxy, I needed the creds. And as hard as it might be to believe, I am sorry about what happened to your planet. I don't like getting mixed up in politics and had I known that those damn Nemoidian's end game was invading your home I might've refused. But I didn't and here we are. Now let's keep moving before we all die of heatstroke."

They continued to keep moving, and after a moment of quiet deliberation Padme followed, her eyes narrowed on Una's taller back. Whatever respect or faint admiration for this enigmatic and roguish older female had diminished with that one sentence from the old Jedi, who glanced at Una apologetically.

She just shrugged and continued her way over the dunes, ignoring the blue orbs glaring holes into her back as she walked in the lead. As she strode she kept her eyes peeled for danger while one hand hovered constantly over her side where a blaster was kept at the ready in its holster.

She should've expected this response. Once people other than the Jedi knew of her affiliation with the Trade Federation there'd be suspicious mutterings and lots of cautious side-eyes flung at her direction. And besides, Padme was young and idealistic. At age fourteen she still saw much of the world through black and white, whereas Una saw everything in varying shades of grey with very blurred if small boundaries in-between to separate the tones.

I need a drink. Preferably on my own in a corner somewhere where I can just think without magic Jedi prodding my brain.

She sighed as she and the group finally crossed over the crest of another small dune and saw the wall of sandy pale buildings rising from the ground less than half a mile away.

Once they were halfway there, Una looked back at Qui-Gon.

"I'll split here and search the alleyways. You stay on the main thoroughfare and search the main shops. We'll meet back here next to that beacon" She pointed to the small beacon just resting at the edge next to the outermost building closest to them.

"Good idea. And remember to keep in contact with Obi-Wan and the ship and keep me updated as well" Qui-Gon reminded her but already she was walking away, waving her hand dismissively.

"Yeah-yeah old man I got it"

"Are you sure we can trust her?" Padme whispered softly to the Jedi, her eyes darting around the dirty, rough buildings they approached.

"She hasn't given us any reason not to" Qui-Gon's eyebrows rose calmly. "If anything, she has just as much reason to hate the Trade Federation as you do"

"What why?" Padme frowned puzzled.

"They tried to illegally enslave her and kill her, instead of honouring their agreement. That's all I can really say on the matter." Qui-Gon explained, his voice gentle but firm as he ended the discussion. After all, it was not his story to tell.

Padme, seeing he wasn't going to budge instead decided to ask:

"What are the other inhabitants of this planet?"

"Moisture farmers, for the most part. Some indigenous tribes and scavengers, like Una, said. The few spaceports like this one are havens for those that don't wish to be found"

"like us" Padme murmured as she looked around the spaceport with intrigue, Artoo-Deetoo whistling and whirring excitedly behind her.

Jar-Jar, however, was not impressed at all.

"Dissen berry, berry bad. OH! Icky icky goo!" he cried out as his large webbed foot landed in some animal dung that was hot, gooey and smelly.

Despite his attempts at composure, Qui-Gon rolled his eyes a little. He was starting to see why Una hated the clumsy Gungan with a vengeance.

"We'll try one of the smaller dealers first" he suggested as he led the way towards a small shop in the corner of the large marketplace they'd wandered into.

A small shop from which he felt a great pull from the Force. And Qui-Gon Jinn always trusted the will of the Force.

It didn't take long for Una to get into the heart of the small scrappy city. She got in from the outskirts through the slaves' quarters, keeping her head down as she slid and slunk through back alleys and side streets.

The natives didn't pay much attention to her. Bounty Hunters were commonplace all over Mos Espa, and if the slaves paid her any attention, they kept it to themselves. It wouldn't do them or their masters any good to pick a fight with a highly trained killer.

She was quick to find a small but very popular cantina, recommended to her by the few shopkeepers she'd spoken to for directions.

She stepped in, ignoring the lecherous eyes roaming over her shapely form as she strode up to the bar and ordered a Bellorian Ale.

She had just paid the barkeep for his service and taken a spot next to a hooded figure at the end of the bar corner when she felt hot breath down the back of her neck.

"Now what's a gorgeous dame like you doin' in a dive like this?"

She turned around, face blank as she eyed her admirer. He was a large and bulky cyborg-human, more muscles and wires than brains.

"I don't know. What's a dumb thug like you doin' at a dive like this?" she snorted as she took a swig of her ale.

"You got a mouth on you. I like that. But I'd like it better if you used it on something other than sucking that bottle"

"I bet you would. But I'm not interested. Now run along and go play with your little friends in the alleyway" she shooed him off, turning back to the bar, only to be stopped by a rough hand on her hip.

"I'd much rather play with you"

"And I'd much rather kiss an angry rancor bull. But hey we can't always get what we want, so get lost" she growled as she felt his hands start to trail over her behind and something hard press into her hip.

"Come on Doll, you don't have to act tough with me-"

"The woman said no" a smooth polished accent cut across the thugs.

You've got to be kidding me

It took all Una had in her not to groan out loud as she caught sight of the blue eyes and auburn braid peeking out from beneath the brown hood of the figure that sat on the barstool next to her.

"You say something you little punk?" the thuggish cyborg snarled rounding on him.

"He said nothing" Una glowered at the hooded figure warningly before he could even open his mouth. "except that which was already said. Now beat it. I'm not interested"

"Yeah right, sure you aren't dollface, sure" the thug turned to press himself up even further onto her.

Through the corner of her eye, Una could see the hooded figure, raise a hand to a belt under the brown robes, but her focus was distracted by the clattering of her ale spilling onto the table top as the man made a grab at her arm.

There was a cry of shock and pain, and the snap of bone and many people quickly wheeled around to hear the source of the noise. Even the Cantina band paused to watch the cyborg stumble away from the young woman, clutching at his human arm which was twisted in a very unnatural direction.

"Bastard spilt my drink" Una shrugged nonchalantly, though her eyes were burning furnaces of fury that made everyone who saw them quickly turn back to their own business very quickly indeed.

Once the music started playing she glared down at the whimpering man, lip curling.

"Beat it. Before I break your skull"

"Y-y-you bitch-" the thug spluttered looking between her and the figure beside her who raised a placating hand.

"I believe the lady asked you to leave." he flicked his wrist.

"I…I will leave" the thug spluttered, his eyes oddly misty even as he scrambled out of the bar, clutching his mangled arm to his chest.

"Was it really necessary to break his arm?" Obi-Wan Kenobi rolled his eyes as he lowered his brown hood from his face.

"If you hadn't tried to be chivalrous I might not have needed to break anything but his ego" Una growled as she turned back to order a new drink from the barkeep.

"Well, I'm sorry for trying to help you" Obi-Wan snorted sardonically as he sipped a small glass of water.

"I don't need your help" Una muttered darkly under her breath.

"Yeah right" Obi-Wan smirked as he saw her cheeks turn red.

"Why are you even here? I thought your old man asked you to stay on the ship?"

"I figured it would be safer travelling in numbers" Obi-Wan mumbled, not meeting her eye.

"Bullshit! You just don't trust me" she took a swig of her ale.

"You're right I don't." he snapped waspishly. "And for good reason"

"Oh really what reason is that?" she took another swig "Because I have done everything, and I mean everything asked of me so far. I helped you two get the asset out, I've not betrayed you to our enemies and I'm doing what I can to help get our bloody ship repaired"

"Because drinking really fixes a ship right away" Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

"No, but it does help fix my mood" she drained the last of her bottle and passed it over the top of the counter to the barkeep who gruffly disposed of it.

"Now are you going to sit there and criticise me or are you finally going to make yourself useful junior?" she glared sidelong at him and was derisively amused to see him return the expression with interest as he downed the last of his drink.

They were quick to leave the Cantina, or rather Una was quick and Obi-Wan sauntered after her.

Once they were outside she silently led them to a nearby knickknacks stall in an alleyway just around the corner.

"Don't you have a ship to repair?" she muttered as she watched the Jedi scan the table beside her.

"the mechanics and I examined the ship, and while there are some things we can cover easily we still need some standard pieces to replace before we can even think about replacing that hyperdrive," Obi-Wan grumbled as he examined a few pieces of wiring on a small circuit board.

"Alright." Una sighed heavily rolling her eyes to face him. "If it's small and standard we need then I guess we can get that done in an hour. Most places here should have enough for you and the boys to keep busy with. One hour. And then you get your ass back to the ship. Are we clear?"

"You have my word" Obi-Wan promised her, though he seemed reluctant to do so.

He put back the piece of wiring back on the stall table, much to the disgruntlement of the stall keeper, an alien with a bug like face and six arm like appendages with three-fingered hands and two short legs.

"[Stupid pretty boy. Speaks fancy but no manners. Tossing my fine merchandise like junk, sleemo]" he muttered in a guttural rough tongue, which Una responded to swiftly and with a small smirk as she leaned over to examine a sniper's scope.

"[Yeah well, what else can you expect from a softly handed off-worlder, huh?]"

The alien behind the stall looked surprised at her for a second before chortling softly.

"[Now what's this? A human speaking Huttese?! Nal-Huttan dialect to boot]"

"[Grew up on that garbage tip. Still can't get the smell out completely]" Una snorted as she compared the scope to the blaster she held. "[You look like a smart guy. You know where a girl can get a decent rifle for a decent price around here?]"

The alien quickly looked around the three of them, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially.

"[There is a trandoshan who trades in the alley behind the large Cantina on the edge of the slave's quarters. Calls himself Scud. Blasters, military grade firearms, he's got everything a hunter like you could want. But you didn't hear it from me.]"

"[Of course. Thank you, my multi-armed friend. You have been most helpful]" Una smiled as she straightened up and grabbed Obi-Wan by his robe sleeve "Come on Junior. Let's get you your parts"

The going was swift, and Obi-Wan had to admit it was faster with Una leading the way through the back alleys. Though she admitted didn't know the derelict city, she was quick to find the right seedy stores and stalls, and talk price with their less than savoury owners, sometimes at the point of a blaster. While Obi-Wan didn't like this rather violent means of haggling, it proved to be very effective, and surprisingly did not attract as much attention as he thought it would.

It would seem this backwater is used to hosting rather violent people.

He mused, his disgust quickly turning into interest as he took the chance to observe people under the hood of his cloak. Una had bidden him to wear his robes to cover his appearance, muttering something about him looking 'too posh' to be seen in such a locale.

"I don't know what your master was thinking when he decided to change into that poncho," she said as they finally exited a small hole in the wall with a few new and working power couplings shoved into a small pouch.

"Your robes are actually perfect for the desert as they are. And you don't stand out as much when you keep the hood up if anything it makes you look more like a local"

"My master was trying not to be recognized as a Jedi Knight" Obi-Wan murmured quietly so that only she could hear and she rolled her eyes.

"He needn't have bothered. Not many Jedi come this far into the Outer Rim. I doubt anybody here even knows what a Jedi is supposed to look like. Besides if you keep your robes together no one can see your real clothes."

"I suppose that's true" Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, for she was right. No one had paid him the slightest attention while he had kept his robes tight around him with the hood up. If anything people practically ignored him as he followed Una back to the edge of the town where she had entered only three hours ago with his Master.

"Alright junior, this is where we split."

"You're not coming back to the ship?" Obi-Wan frowned and she shook her head.

"No, I promised to meet with the Old Man back here when he was done on his rounds in the main square. Besides, you and the boys need to get a start on fixing that ship."

"What if you don't make it back before sundown?" Obi-Wan frowned as she dumped all their shopping that was in their large satchel, into his arms.

"I'll figure something out. Why? Is the Jedi apprentice worried about little old me? How sweet."

"Not in the slightest. You can obviously take care of yourself quite well." Obi-Wan bristled uncomfortably as she punched his shoulder.

"Aww, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Now come on, at this rate, you won't reach the ship till it's past your bedtime"

"You do know I am five years older than you." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes back at her.

"I know. It's just fun watching you squirm. Now be a good boy and run along back to the ship, before the sand people get you. I'm seriously not kidding about that last one" she added, her voice dropping back to its normal serious tones "You don't want to cross them, especially at night on your own. You really will be chopped up and served to the dogs if you don't make it back to the ship before the suns start setting"

"This truly is quite an incredible dustball of a planet" Obi-Wan muttered dryly as he looked over the desolate landscape with a mixture of awe and disgust.

"You talk smack now, but who knows, maybe you'll spend your last dying days on this dustball" Una slapped his behind "Now get a move on, and when you reach the ship, give us a call to let us know you're okay"

"Now you're the one sounding worried" Obi-Wan smirked only to quickly start walking away into the desert as she shot him a very deadly glare.

"That's right junior, start walking. Start walking and don't look back!"

He didn't.

Qui-Gon Jinn watched quietly as his apprentice quickly dashed out into the desert, the young bounty hunter chuckling as he left her earshot.

He should've supposed Obi-Wan wouldn't be so quick to trust her, but even so, Qui-Gon was disappointed he had left the ship, even if it was briefly.

"Stay right here and take a rest." He urged Padme and Jar Jar into the shade of a building, Artoo bumbling behind him on his wheels, glinting in the harsh sunlight.

He coughed as he approached Una, who didn't look at all surprised to see him.

"He needed more parts to repair the ship. Don't worry, I've just sent him back. With all we managed to find, he should be kept busy for a long time."

"That may be, but he still disobeyed orders." Qui-Gon clipped calmly but she could hear the heavy disappointment in his tones as he reached into his utility belt to grab his communicator.

"Don't call him now." Una pulled his communicator down "He'll need his wits about him while he's out there. If he's careful and quick, he'll reach the ship within the hour and call us. You can lecture him once he gets there."

"For one so young, you sure are forceful in your ways." Qui-Gon sighed irritably. It was one thing to call the shots, but he too was getting a little tired of her bossy nature, especially when he had to deal with it in this heat.

"Yeah well, I don't get criminals in carbonite by asking them politely now do I?" she scowled, almost as if guessing his thoughts, though not caring for them in the slightest as she asked quietly:

"So, did you find the hyperdrive?"

"We've found one in a junk shop nearby. But we've yet to look at a couple of other shops to see if they have one before we start haggling. And You?"

"No hyperdrives on the back alleys." She sighed "most of them are all too busy selling merchandise and booze for the Boonta Eve holiday. Those that are selling parts are selling the small stuff, so the big cartels don't raid and squash them"

"I see" Qui-Gon looked back towards the spot the disguised queen and the Gungan were resting in the shade.

"You should get back to them and start the search again soon" Una murmured eyeing their surroundings warily "without any blaster on her that poor girl's gonna be eaten for breakfast."

And even as she said this she spotted several seedy looking men leering towards the teenage queen's spot with greedy, licentious eyes.

Qui-Gon followed her gaze and nodded grimly.

"Agreed. But where will you go?"

"I will go refuel and rearm myself. These Naboo blasters are nice looking and all but not that powerful. There's a shop close to the slave's quarters that sells weapons. Hopefully, I can find what I need, and maybe scope out some more possible shops for you to look through"

"Very well then. We'll call you if any complications arise. May the Force be with you." Qui-Gon gave her a bob of the head as she nodded back and began walking down the main road.

As she made her way through the market she allowed herself a small smile. This was the first time since her escape from Naboo that she had truly been alone, and she was really enjoying her isolation.

"Now Scud, just where are you hiding-oh! Hey!" she scowled as someone small bumped into her, only to fall backwards onto the sand.

"S-sorry!" the young boy spluttered apologetically. He was a small boy, thin, barely nine or ten years old, with a mop of straw-coloured hair and shrewd blue eyes that were now widened in slight fear, a fear that only heightened as he noticed the blasters she'd strapped to her thigh holsters.

Noticing his gaze on her blasters, she sighed and reached down to pull him back up to his feet.

"Come on boy, up you get. Use your feet."

"yes mam" he looked down at his feet, ashamedly.

"Mam? Just how old do you think I am kid? Wait don't answer that" she quickly shook out her head as he raised his head to look at her.

"You aren't mad?" he blinked up at her hopefully and she shook her head.

"Have you committed a crime?" she smirked as the boy shook his head vigorously. "then you don't have to worry. I won't be freezing you in carbonite any time soon"

The boy cracked a small grin at that.

"What's your name kid?" she asked him gently and the boy mumbled.

"Anakin Skywalker."

"Nice to meet you Anakin, I'm Una. Next time just look where you're going okay" she reached out and ruffled his head of blonde hair "Now run along, your parents must be worried sick."

The boy, Anakin nodded and quickly dashed away, though not before chancing her a glance back as he reached the end of the street.

For some reason he could not shake, he had a funny feeling this wouldn't be the first time he met the strange bounty hunter.

Little did he know just how right that feeling was.