Qui-Gon left late in the evening, intending to go straight home to Coruscant. Sold to a man on Tatooine, he thought bitterly. Even if I wanted to help him, he could be anywhere by now.

He didn't want to give up on the boy, especially since he could still feel him through their training bond, but Jango spoke the truth. He was certain of it. The boy's mind had been wiped. Obi-Wan was a strong young man, but even Qui-Gon would have a difficult time surviving such an aggressive memory purge.

Even if he managed to save Obi-Wan, there was no future for him with the Jedi. He wasn't sure there was a normal future for him at all. As heavy as it made Qui-Gon's heart, he decided to leave the boy wherever he was.

-I'm sorry this happened,- he said through their bond, unsure if it would reach Obi-Wan. Unsure if Obi-Wan would even be able to comprehend the words. -I will never take another Padawan. I will never forget you, and I will never forget the night we shared under the stars. Goodbye, Obi-Wan. I love you. May the Force be with you.-

))((

Jango had only seen the Jedi so painfully distraught one other time in his life, and that had been when they were teenagers playing ball in the small park near the Jedi Temple that some of the younger padawans and initiates would be allowed to visit on occasion.

His Master had come out and chided him for spending so much time away from his studies, and as he'd been dragged back to the temple he'd glanced back at Jango. He looked as emotionally broken then as he had while sitting on the Mandalorian's couch.

He'd almost expected his old friend to start crying. He'd never seen the man cry, but it was clear that Obi-Wan Kenobi had been quite dear to him and the way he'd sat on the sofa and stared into the void had been rather frightening for Jango. He didn't know what to expect.

After the Jedi Master left, the bounty hunter paced his flat for hours as he tried to decide what he should do next.

It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that he finally managed to convince himself of what he needed to do.

He was going back to Tatooine. He'd steal the boy back. The least Qui-Gon deserved was to know that the boy had a good life now that he was no longer Jedi-special.

And the least Jango deserved was the fee for the job he'd performed. He'd never promised Mut that he'd be able to keep the boy.

))((

Obi-Wan couldn't begin to understand what had just happened to him, but he knew that it was painful and not enjoyable in any capacity. Mut had laughed in his face as he'd squirmed and tried to get away.

And now he had to sleep outside, on the ground. There was a tiny, thin blanket for him to curl up with, but it did nothing against the frigid cold that fell upon the desert landscape as the suns disappeared beyond the horizon.

The dry, dusty sand was no help to his bruised and lacerated flesh. Every time he'd tried to pull away from Mut he'd earned a whipping. As a result, his back and sides were scored with small but deep cuts that oozed pus and stung when he tried to reposition himself on the cold, hard ground.

It was then that something quite strange happened. He heard a voice in his head that was not his own, not that he was particularly sure of what his own voice might actually sound like. All he'd managed to do since the man in the armor had dropped him off with Mut was gurgle and whine uncomfortably.

He suspected that, at one time, he had been able to speak. He couldn't remember what it was like, however. Couldn't even figure out quite how to get the Basic he heard in his head to come out of his mouth. The words fell flat somewhere between his mind and his tongue.

-I'm sorry this happened,- a man's voice said, deep inside his head. It was gruff but kind and so familiar that Obi-Wan could've cried for the fact that he actually managed to make a connection.

Master, he thought. He had belonged to someone before!

-I will never take another Padawan. I will never forget you, and I will never forget the night we shared under the stars. Goodbye, Obi-Wan. I love you. May the Force be with you,- the voice continued. Obi-Wan's heart sank. There was such a tremendous finality to the man's words.

He shivered under his thin blanket as the distant sound of Tusken Raiders on the move lulled him to sleep.

He woke to a sharp kick to his face and the blinding pain that accompanied it. Every muscle in his body was sore, but that was nothing compared to the way the soles of his feet and the lacerations on his back burned with his every movement.

"Aren't you a lucky one?" Mut asked as he forced the boy to his feet. "I've already arranged a buyer for you. I knew smuggling Jedi would pay off."

He dragged Obi-Wan inside to clean him up. Couldn't very well deliver damaged goods, not when the money was that good. Mut wouldn't have to work another day in his life if he stayed on Tatooine, but with that kind of money, who would stay on Tatooine?

))((

Bant waited anxiously near the landing pads at the Temple. She'd kept a near-constant vigil as she waited for Qui-Gon to return with Obi-Wan. Every time a ship had neared she held her breath, exhaling only when they passed by.

When finally Qui-Gon's ship landed, it was all she could do to keep from sprinting to it. When Qui-Gon exited the craft alone, she felt her heart sink into her feet. The Master looked positively defeated.

His expression did not do his feelings justice. It was but for the grace of his connection with the Living Force that he did not project every facet of the pain and rage and sadness he felt on everyone currently in the Temple.

When Bant approached him, his confident stride faltered and he slowed, shaking his head sadly. Bant looked down at the floor. Qui-Gon continued on, knowing he had to tell the Council what had happened to his Padawan and what had likely happened to the others that had been taken.

))((

"You're too late, Jango," Mut said as the bounty hunter entered his shop. "I've sold him already."

"Already?" Jango couldn't hide the shock in his voice, though he was thankful that his helmet hid his expression. "I thought—"

"The money was too good to pass up. What did you think would happen, you could return the money I paid you and get the boy back?"

It was then Jango drew one of his blasters.

"No, I figured I'd kill you and take the boy," he replied. "Who bought him?"

"That's classified information, pally. If I gave out the names of people I've had dealings with to any old fool who's come in here and pointed a blaster in my face, I'd be out of business."

Jango took a long step forward and aimed at the man's shoulder. When he fired, a blue ray of energy shot forth from his blaster and pierced a burning hole through the Corellian's shoulder. The man hissed and grabbed his injured shoulder. "Tell me, Mut, and your next words might not be your last."

Mut thought for a long moment before caving. "All right, all right," he said. "Put your blaster away, I've got the name right here."

He reached under the counter he stood behind and withdrew a datapad. Jango did not holster his weapon.