Part 3: A Hostile Environment
The small starship carrying Queen Amidala and her escorts exited hyperspace over a monochromatic tan planet. Its appearance alone told Obi-Wan it was a miserable place to live. The drab yellow and brown color of its obviously sandy surface revealed no large bodies of water and only sparse, wispy clouds in its atmosphere.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"The Tatoo system, on the Outer Rim," Qui-Gon answered. He gestured at the planet. "This planet, Tatooine, is sparsely populated, but we should be able to find something to repair the ship in one of the larger settlements. Then, we can be on our way to Coruscant."
"I've heard about this place," Ruta grumbled unenthusiastically, "it's a hole. The Hutts run it. We won't find anything good on the whole blasted planet. Not saying we won't find parts, but going into business with anyone on Tatooine is tricky."
"We don't have the power to jump anywhere else," Qui-Gon reminded her, "and trying to operate the hyperdrive again in its current jury-rigged condition might just make us explode. Unfortunately, we aren't free to choose right now."
"Just thought I'd warn you," Ruta replied, "you city planet types don't always know how things work on the Outer Rim."
"We'll handle it," Obi-Wan told her.
"I don't think it's wise to put the queen in a situation where she might be discovered by the Hutts," Captain Panaka stated sternly, "they'll do almost anything for money. If the Separatists realize we've come here, they could purchase the queen from them, especially with the financial backing of the Trade Federation."
"I agree, but we don't have options anymore," Qui Gon explained, "perhaps we can search the ship, find some less conspicuous clothing for the queen and her handmaidens. We'll land the ship in the outskirts, where we're less likely to be noticed."
"Alright. I suppose that's the most we can do." The captain stood up. "I'll get on that now."
Obi-Wan watched the man leave the cockpit before turning his attention back to his master. Qui-Gon pointed at the semi-detailed planetary map displayed on one of the console's screens.
"There's a city, Mos Eisley, relatively close to our location," he said, "if we can't find the parts we need there, we can move on to the next."
Ruta shrugged.
"I guess it's as good a place to start as any."
The ship arched downward, toward the desert planet. After breaching the atmosphere, they found themselves flying over a rocky, mountainous region. Ruta directed the ship off to the right, where the rocks seemed to give way to a barren, sandy wasteland. They flew along the strip of hills that separated the mountains from the plains until locating a spot level enough to land the ship, while still having some protection provided by the cliffs and crags. Once they'd set down, Ruta turned many of the ship's systems off to retain energy.
"We should be just a few hours from the city," she announced, "do you have a plan?"
"The scanners are picking up a large mass of interference," Qui-Gon stated, "my guess is it's some sort of storm. It's going to pass us by, but we should avoid going outside for now."
"I won't say no to a little down time." The pilot unstrapped herself from her seat and stood up to stretch. "Anyway, you boys shouldn't need me until we take off again, so I'll be in the lounge." Without giving either of the Jedi a chance to deny her statement, she walked out.
Qui-Gon turned in his seat to look at Obi-Wan. He eyed the hole in his robe's sleeve.
"You should get that treated," he said, "if this planet is really as dangerous as Miss Vostana and the captain claim, you'll need to be in top condition."
Obi-Wan pulled at his robe, trying to get a look at the wound.
"Yes, of course, Master" he replied before standing up.
"I'll be in the engine room, diagnosing the damage," Qui-Gon stated, also getting to his feet. He straightened his cloak. "Hopefully, we'll have a complete list of the repairs we'll need by the time the storm passes."
Obi-Wan bowed his head and started down the hall, trying to get a look at the blaster wound on his lower bicep. It was small, nothing a little burn ointment and a medical patch wouldn't fix. He passed the doorway to the lounge as he made his way toward the medical bay. He could see Ruta rummaging around in one of the many containers inside. He imagined Captain Panaka would be in the living quarters or the cargo bay, searching for clothes more suitable for a barren rock like Tatooine. The queen and her handmaidens had probably secured themselves in the living quarters for their rough ride out of Nabooian space.
He proceeded down the hall, passing a few doors until he found the medical bay where he'd expected to find it. The ship had looked odd from the outside, but its interior was incredibly standard. He assumed its owner was more concerned with its outward appearance than anything else. He wondered if their pilot had chosen it for its paint job as well.
Obi-Wan retrieved the few supplies he needed from one of the cabinets and used a small knife to slightly widen the hole in his sleeve so he could see the wound. The small area of flesh around it was red and painful, but the heat of the blaster bolt had instantly cauterized it, preventing any bleeding. It was nothing a simple bacta patch wouldn't fix. He began to work on soothing it. He looked up when he heard someone enter the bay.
A young adolescent girl with long, dark brown hair that'd been braided and twisted up in a bun stood in the doorway. She was dressed in a plain, dull blue tunic and brown leggings with a thin belt. She smiled.
"Oh, good," Obi-Wan said, "I see the captain found some more ordinary clothes. That should help us escape notice."
"Yes, the others are still getting ready," the girl replied, "my name is Padmé. I wanted to thank you for everything you did for us, Obi-Wan." She glanced at his arm. "I'm sorry you had to get hurt in the process."
"It'll be alright," Obi-Wan assured her as he finished tending to the wound. He released his sleeve and turned his full attention to her. "It's only a small burn."
"All the same, I'm still very grateful," Padmé continued, "there were a few times back there I thought we wouldn't make it. You saved our lives, perhaps even our planet."
Obi-Wan smiled and bowed his head.
"You're welcome, Padmé. I'm glad we all got out safely."
Padmé nodded and glanced at the view port, out at the sandy wasteland the ship had landed in.
"Is this planet really as dangerous as the captain says?" she asked.
Obi-Wan looked as well. Just outside, he could see a wall of fine sand and dust being driven toward them by the strong winds of the storm. With most of the ship's systems off, they could hear the wind's howl through the hull.
"I've never been here before," he answered her honestly, "but as long as we're careful I'm sure we'll make it through this."
Padmé nodded slowly. Though he could only see the profile of her face, he could tell her brow was furrowed in anxiety. He moved closer to her and gently touched her shoulder.
"Master Qui-Gon and I have trained for this," he assured her, "we won't let anything happen to you."
Padmé allowed herself a small laugh and looked up to smile at him.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I don't doubt the abilities of the Jedi. It's just been a while since I was last outside the city."
"I understand," Obi-Wan replied. He took his hand off her shoulder and clasped both of his hands together in front of him. "Being nervous is nothing to apologize for. Even the Jedi understand how natural it is. You're not a Jedi, but I believe everyone can gain from learning to keep their emotions from running their lives." He chuckled. "That's not to say emotions don't have their purpose. It's a matter of balance, above all."
Padmé grinned as she watched him. After a short pause, she spoke up, "you're very wise, Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan nodded his thanks.
"And you're very resourceful," he replied, "You and the other handmaidens—and even the queen showed impressive skills. You operated more like a squad of soldiers than a group of young girls."
Padmé grinned and leaned forward slightly.
"It's a little secret of ours," she whispered.
Obi-Wan grinned back.
"You're more than your job title suggests, I assume," he replied.
"We are her majesty's handmaidens, but 'handmaiden' means something more to us," Padmé explained, "we were hand-picked by Captain Panaka and trained alongside our queen to protect her." She folded her hands behind her back. "We may not look like much, but we can help you and your master protect the queen. I wanted to tell you so you would know you can use our skills if you need them."
Obi-Wan smiled again.
"I'm glad to hear that," he said. He gestured toward the hall with his head. "But for now, you should get some rest. It sounds like we'll be here a little while."
"Yes, you're right," Padmé replied, "but, please, if you or your master need anything done, don't hesitate to ask us."
"I certainly won't. Thank you."
Padmé bowed her head and left the room. Obi-Wan reached up to touch his arm where the medical patch had been placed. He felt no pain at the contact; the treatment was working. He proceeded out into the hall, toward the engine room. After what he'd witnessed in the cockpit on their way to Tatooine, he was sure Qui-Gon would need his help assessing the damage.
[NEXT]
Obi-Wan and the rest of the "crew" stood in the sand outside the ship. They'd each changed into the clothes they found in the living quarters. Their find had mostly consisted of clothing meant to fit adult men, so the seven girls wore belts over their loose shirts and tunics to keep the garments from flapping about too wildly in the wind. Captain Panaka had simply removed the hat and jacket that exposed his position as a Nabooian guard captain and wore a dark leatheris jacket over his undershirt. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had replaced their Jedi robes with simple shirts and their cloaks with thigh-length coats that would still easily hide the lightsabers on their belts. After observing the others, Obi-Wan was convinced any passersby would mistake them for an ordinary ship's crew and passengers.
The sandstorm had passed them by several minutes earlier and Qui-Gon was convinced a small group of them would have time to walk to town before nightfall. It was a risk, but Obi-Wan was glad they were taking it. He didn't want to frighten the others, but the Force's warning of future danger had grown stronger in the back of his mind during the storm. He could only hope they would repair their ship and escape the planet before the source of the feeling could expose itself.
Qui-Gon picked his borrowed backpack out of the dust and hoisted it over his shoulder. He turned to his apprentice.
"I should be back sometime tomorrow morning," he stated, "keep the ship safe while I'm gone." He turned to nod at Captain Panaka. "If everything goes as planned, we'll be on our way to Coruscant soon."
"Are you sure you won't need help in town?" the captain asked.
"I'd feel better with you here, Captain," Qui-Gon replied, "no one will look twice at me, but if someone were to discover this ship, the queen will need you near her."
Obi-Wan saw Padmé step forward out of the corner of his eye.
"Master Jedi," she began.
Qui-Gon turned to face her.
"Let me come with you," the girl continued, "you could use one more pair of hands. I'll follow your lead and I won't get in the way."
Panaka held one hand up.
"Wait a minute, Padmé," he interjected.
"No, he's right, Captain," she replied, "we won't attract any attention, just the two of us, and if I'm there to help him, things might go quicker." She paused and gave him a pleading look. "I just want to help."
Panaka grimaced.
"I don't think it's a good idea," he insisted.
"She has an impressive set of skills," Obi-Wan pointed out, "and anything that can make this process go faster is a good thing."
The captain let out a long sigh and folded his arms.
"I suppose I'm out of usable arguments," he admitted reluctantly.
Qui-Gon looked over Padmé, a calculating expression on his face.
"Very well," he murmured. He straightened his posture. "However, once I make a decision, I don't want to spend time arguing the logic of that decision," he warned her, "there may be dangers in Mos Eisley we aren't able to foresee. If you're willing to follow instruction without complaining, I will appreciate your company."
"I am, Master Jedi," Padmé replied dutifully.
Qui-Gon smiled and the stern expression he'd had before melted away.
"Then let us be off," he suggested, starting to turn away. He stopped and looked at her again. "Oh, and while we're in town, it would be best if you called me 'Qui-Gon' instead of 'Master Jedi'."
"Of course, Qui-Gon."
The Jedi Master smiled again and nodded reassuringly at his padawan before turning away from the ship. Obi-Wan watched the pair for a few minutes before heading back into the ship after the others. He decided to do a quick survey of the ship and note everyone's whereabouts. Ruta Vostana had remained in the lounge throughout the sandstorm. As he walked by, he saw the pilot sitting in front of a small table, finishing off the last bit of a drink she'd poured herself. She looked up and raised one eyebrow.
"Thirsty?" she asked.
Obi-Wan shook his head and continued to the next room. He ran across Captain Panaka in the engine room. The man was shaking his head as he looked over the severely-charred hyperdrive.
"It's amazing we made it this far with the hyperdrive like this," he mused.
Obi-Wan nodded slowly.
"Our little droid did well," he agreed, "it's a real credit to its manufacturer."
Panaka turned away from the engine to face him.
"It's a pity we had to steal it," he grumbled.
"I'm sure the Republic will reimburse the ship's owner after all this is done." Obi-Wan gestured down the hall with his chin. "I noticed the queen and her handmaidens look very similar when she's not wearing her makeup," he said, "I'm guessing that was deliberate?"
Panaka nodded.
"It's harder to hurt the queen when you don't know which of them she is," he explained.
"Yes, I'm sure, but I feel a little awkward not knowing how to address them," Obi-Wan replied.
"For now, I think it's best that we simply call them by their names. It's not that I don't trust you, Master Jedi. I know she's done a lot for us, but I can't say I'd trust our pilot with my own life if credits were at stake."
Obi-Wan folded his arms.
"Ruta is loyal to the Republic," he argued.
"Only because the Chancellor is paying her bills," Panaka retorted, "we already know the Separatists aren't short on money. What happens if they offer more than the Republic is paying? Are you certain Miss Vostana wouldn't betray us? It would definitely be a lot easier than taking us to Coruscant, with all those people gunning for us."
Obi-Wan sighed.
"I understand why you're concerned, but please don't mention your worries in her presence. It would only cause more trouble."
"I wouldn't dream of it," the captain stated quickly, "I mean, if she hasn't thought of it yet, my mentioning it would put the idea in her head. I won't let this become some self-fulfilling prophecy."
Obi-Wan shook his head slowly, but decided against arguing the point further.
"In that case, I'll need to know all their names," he relented.
Panaka nodded.
"It might take a while, but I'll try to help." He turned his head in the direction of Mos Eisley. "The one who went with your master was Padmé."
Obi-Wan nodded.
"Yes, we chatted a little."
"Good!" Panaka pointed with his thumb toward the hallway. "Sabé is the more outspoken one. You'll sometimes see her relay orders between the queen and the other maidens. Rabé and Eirtaé are the smaller ones. They're quick and quiet, if you ever need anyone to do some snooping for you."
"I'll take note of that."
"Fé has a good head for strategy," the captain continued, "she's the tallest of the girls. Saché and Yané are the remaining two. They're remarkably good with blasters."
"Quite a diverse team," Obi-Wan breathed, "if I didn't know better, I'd expect you were training them for special forces."
Panaka shrugged.
"They'll at least be able to fill new positions once the queen's term of service is up," he offered.
"They're a little young for all that, aren't they?"
"That's funny, coming from you," the captain retorted, "as I remember it, Jedi are recruited as soon as they can walk."
Obi-Wan smiled.
"Fair enough."
He tore his attention away from the captain when the startled beeps of an R2 unit sounded from down the hall. The little droid rolled into the doorway and bleeped frantically at them.
"What is it?" the captain asked.
"There's something wrong with our scanners," Obi-Wan replied.
He started forward, prompting the droid to roll back and give him room to step into the hall. He proceeded to the cockpit and leaned over the co-pilot's seat to look at the screen. The captain soon joined him.
"We're picking up interference," the Jedi pointed out to him.
Panaka looked out the cockpit's window at the desert.
"Why? The storm has passed."
"I can only assume we're being jammed," Obi-Wan replied, "I'm going to investigate."
Panaka took his stolen blaster from the holster on his thigh.
"Take this," he said, offering it to him, "your lightsaber will draw too much attention. I'll borrow one of the others and guard the ship's entrance."
Obi-Wan nodded and took the weapon from him. He exited the cockpit with Panaka close behind him, headed for the loading bay. The captain left him when they approached the living quarters. Once he'd reached the loading ramp, he stopped and looked back. Once he could see Panaka running down the hall toward him, he activated the ramp's manual release. They nodded to each other and Obi-Wan proceeded down the ramp, stepping out onto the sand. He didn't need to go any further to see where the interference was coming from.
An assortment of seven aliens and humans was positioned just outside the ship. They were dressed in dirty jackets, boots, and swoop helmets. The swoop bikes to match their helmets were littered about the clearing. Each of them carried a weapon of some sort. Some had blasters, others had vibrostaves or shock batons. One particularly burly ruffian held what looked like a heavily-modified rocket launcher. Obi-Wan guessed they weren't friendly visitors.
"Good afternoon," he greeted them in a calm, if not slightly confused tone.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," one of the smaller thugs grunted at him. His voice was muffled by the helmet that hid his face, but his short stature suggested he wasn't human. "We'll just blame it on the weather," he concluded.
"There must be some mistake," Obi-Wan replied, "I don't know you."
The small creature stepped forward, pointing a stubby finger at the Jedi.
"You don't, but anyone who sets down in our desert is going to get a visit." The leader waggled his finger. "This is what's going to happen," he declared, "you and your crew are going to surrender to us. We're going to take your ship and everything on it, get rich, and have a week-long party. If you don't like that plan, there's one alternative." He gestured at the large thug with the missile launcher. "He can blow your ship up, we sell it for scrap, and we have a slightly-less-long party. Of course, that one means you die."
Obi-Wan sighed quietly.
"I'm sure we can work this out reasonably," he said, though he doubted it. The ship they'd hijacked on Naboo lacked any offensive capabilities, so defense of the ship relied entirely on those aboard. He hoped Captain Panaka had heard everything so far. He was a clever man. Perhaps he could figure something out, if he gave him enough time.
"Yeah, yeah," the bandit growled back at him, "it's hot out here, so we're all a little bit cranky. Make a decision so we can get this over with."
Obi-Wan kept the hand holding the borrowed blaster low while he quickly gestured in the bandits' direction with the other hand.
"You don't want to destroy this ship," he stated.
The burly thug holding the rocket launcher looked at their leader.
"I don't want to destroy that ship," he told him, rather pathetically, in a surprisingly high-pitched voice.
The leader was forced to do a double-take at the larger man. He paused, then turned his whole body to face him and flung his arms out.
"What!?" he shrieked, "what's wrong with you!?"
"I don't want to blow it up," the ruffian repeated, shrugging effortlessly despite the enormous weapon on his shoulder.
"You stupid ape!" the leader screamed. He kicked the large man's shin.
The thug seemed unfazed by the blow, but lowered his head dejectedly.
"I'm sorry," he whimpered.
"Give me that!" the leader demanded, holding his arms out.
The bandit lifted the rocket launcher off his shoulder and dropped it on their leader, who grunted as he fell down in the dust. Obi-Wan rose the blaster in his hand.
"Hold it!" one of the other bandits barked at him, her voice obviously feminine. Her blaster carbine was directed at him. Obi-Wan lowered the weapon. He knew he could take most of them with his lightsaber, but the possibility of a missile destroying their only way off the planet gave him pause.
"Master Jedi," he heard Panaka whisper from behind him on the ship, "how many are there?"
"Seven," Obi-Wan muttered back.
The bandit leader recovered in seconds, managing to hoist the big weapon up onto his shoulder. He pointed it at the ship.
"Hey! No more talking," he ordered, "now, if the next words out of your mouth aren't 'I surrender', I pull this trigger and blow you and your crew into bloody goop!"
Obi-Wan clenched his teeth, but knelt slowly to set his blaster down on the ground.
"Then I surrender," he said clearly as he rose to stand again, holding his arms above his head.
"Good! Now tell your crew to come out here, one at a time!"
Obi-Wan sighed and looked back at the ship's loading ramp.
"You heard him, Captain," he said.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Panaka muttered at him as he started to descend.
[NEXT]
General Aderonn speedily scanned the scouting reports from all the nearby systems, searching desperately for anything that might've registered as their missing queen's ship. There was plenty of traffic to and from the civilized planets. Their target could be anywhere among the transports and freighters coming and going on their normal routines. It seemed an impossible task, but he knew they couldn't have gotten too far away. They hadn't disabled the ship entirely, thanks to the whiz of a pilot the Jedi seemed to have found, but he knew they'd damaged part of the engines.
"Anything?" he demanded of his subordinates, who sat at terminals adjacent to his, combing through the remaining reports.
"Nothing from sector 15, Sir," the nearest of his technicians replied.
"Sector 12 is negative, General," another added.
"Same from Sector 10; nothing that matches the ship's description."
"Blast!" the general cursed, bashing his fist against the terminal's control pad. The technicians paused to look at him. He sighed at them. "Keep looking!"
Aderonn stepped away from the terminal and wrung his hands together. Their mysterious leader was growing impatient with him. He knew it wasn't just his neck that was at risk. The hooded man wasn't a forgiving sort; he'd lay most of the blame on Aderonn himself, but his subordinates wouldn't get away unscathed. He was already pressuring him to make examples of his men in the belief that it would motivate those who remained to work harder. Yet, he knew it wasn't hard work they lacked. Some things just couldn't be done!
"Sir," Colonel Ezna called from the communications terminal, "Lord Sidious wants an update on our progress."
Aderonn let a deep breath out through his nose and nodded. As if talking to that man once in one month wasn't enough, he'd have to face him twice within twenty four hours. The general reluctantly returned to the privacy of the Nabooian palace's communications room. Once the door slid closed behind him, he flicked a gesture at Ezna and she activated the link.
"I am growing impatient, General Aderonn."
Aderonn bowed his head. Not even a greeting this time, he noted.
"We're still combing through the scouting reports, my lord," he said matter-of-factly, "if their ship managed to get to any of the neighboring systems, we'll know about it soon."
"Do not bother wasting your time anymore than you already have," Lord Sidious replied, slowly turning his head to his left, "I will find them myself." The hologram's head turned to face him again. "Solidify control of the planet. I expect you will be able to handle that much."
Aderonn nodded.
"Of course, my Lord. Shall I have the reports sent to you?"
"If I wanted your pitiful reports, I would have asked for them!"
Aderonn nodded rapidly and cleared his throat.
"Right, right. I'm sorry; I thought you said you wanted to find the ship yourself."
"I said I will find the ship myself. It is not your place to tell me how I will do it."
Aderonn knew he would probably regret asking, but allowed his curiosity to get the better of him, "if you don't want my scouts' reports, how do you plan to find where they went? There are many populated systems. Finding a civilian-owned light transport among the rabble would be near impossible."
"You should have more faith, General," Lord Sidious replied slowly.
Aderonn took a deep breath.
"I apologize, my Lord."
The hologram's wrinkled old lips slowly spread into a smile and Aderonn worked hard to avoid reeling back at the sight. He decided he definitely preferred the frown.
"No," Lord Sidious began slyly, "no, I have a new task for you, General."
The general was almost afraid to ask, "yes, my Lord?"
"Board one of the command ships in orbit. Prepare it for travel. Soon, I will contact you again with your destination."
"It shall be done, my lord." Aderonn bowed at the waist, trying not to look too relieved.
"Good."
With that, the transmission cut out. Aderonn allowed his stance to relax slightly and groaned loudly. Ezna stepped away from the comm. terminal and stared briefly at the deactivated holoprojector.
"What kind of game does he think he's playing?" she asked, "if Jedi don't want to be found, they don't get found. Especially if you don't listen to your own scouts." She scoffed. "Honestly, why did we decide to follow him? A man who dresses like that is either an eccentric genius or a crazy hermit living in the mountains and after what I just heard, I'm reasonably sure he isn't a genius."
"We're following him because he's our best weapon against the Jedi Order," the general replied patiently, "without him, our revolution would already be doomed."
Ezna shook her head.
"How is one senile old man any match for hundreds of Jedi?" she demanded.
"Choose your words carefully when referring to Lord Sidious," Aderonn cautioned her sternly.
"Fine," Ezna grumbled, "but my question still stands."
"Do you know nothing of the Sith?"
"Never heard of it."
"Them," the general corrected her, "they're Force users like the Jedi, only much more powerful. They are the only thing that can bring the Order to its knees."
Ezna shrugged, but the arch in her eyebrows showed she was starting to come around.
"If they're so powerful, why doesn't anyone know about them?"
"They were killed off a thousand years ago."
The arch in the zabrak's brow vanished and she sighed heavily.
"So, they're dead. That doesn't do us any good at all," she muttered.
General Aderonn shook his head, placing his hands on his hips.
"Lord Sidious is a Sith of immense power," he explained, "that the Jedi don't know of his existence is proof enough of that. I don't know much about the ways of the Force, but I know they're all connected. If he has the ability to hide that connection, I'm sure he is all we need to overthrow the Republic's watch dogs."
Ezna shrugged again.
"I hope you're right."
[NEXT]
Obi-Wan sat on his knees with Captain Panaka, Ruta, and the six girls as the group of bandits picked through their belongings. Three of them were combing through the things on the ship while two others sorted the stuff they brought out. The remaining two guarded the prisoners, including the large man with the rocket launcher. Firing it at them probably would've caught many of the bandits in the blast, but Obi-Wan had no intention of finding out if the large thug was aware of that fact.
Ruta leaned toward him.
"Please tell me you have a plan," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth.
"Patience," Obi-Wan replied quietly.
"Are you going to wait for them to start shooting us?" she grumbled.
"They want us alive."
Ruta sighed.
"One time I woke up on the floor of a cantina when a guy punched me in the gut and this was still the rudest awakening I've ever had. Guy practically poked my eye out with his blaster!"
"Quiet," one of the guards barked.
Ruta groaned loudly.
"Do you mind? I already have a headache."
Obi-Wan sighed through his nose and looked over at the two digging through their possessions, the leader included. He would've been a little more disturbed if most of those things hadn't been stolen in the first place. Two of the bandits rummaging through their ship came down the ramp carrying bundles of orange cloth and tossed them in a pile on the ground. Those clothes might've gotten them a high price, if they hadn't been dropped in the sand.
The two bandits started back up the ramp and into the ship. One of them cried out in shock and jumped backward, knocking his fellow off the ramp as he tumbled down into the sand.
The small bandit leader looked up.
"What!?" he shrieked, "what happened!?"
Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile when the ship's little R2 unit appeared at the top of the ramp. It tweeted obnoxiously at the bandits. One of them jumped to his feet.
"You electrocuted me, you little can of junk!" he shouted.
"That droid is going to get itself deactivated," Ruta grumbled.
"Well, you've got to admire its spirit," Obi-Wan replied in a whisper.
"It's a droid."
"All the same."
The bandit leader stormed over to the ship and kicked his follower.
"All that noise over a stupid little astromech droid?" he demanded, "get back up there and disable it!"
"It really hurt!" the bandit complained.
The leader scoffed and whipped his blaster pistol out of his holster. He pointed it at the droid and fired, sending it flying back into the ship. Obi-Wan sighed quietly. He couldn't help feeling sorry for it, even if it was just a droid.
"There," the bandit leader grumbled, "now get the rest of the loot so we can move on."
The two thugs returned to the ship to do as they were told while the leader went back to picking through their haul with his partner. Obi-Wan straightened when one of them plucked his lightsaber hilt out of the pile of weapons they'd started collecting.
"What's this?" the leader grumbled.
"I don't know, some sort of tool? Maybe a baton or something." He took the hilt from him and shook it, then looked down its length.
"It's got a button." The leader extended a finger toward the lightsaber's ignition.
"Ah, I wouldn't do that," Obi-Wan warned them.
The bandits both looked over at him. The one holding his lightsaber scoffed through his helmet.
"Oh, really?" he asked sarcastically.
"It's an explosive," the Jedi lied, "I made it myself. You press that button and it'll be armed. The slightest bump or impact will set it off and kill us all."
The hilt slipped out of the bandit's grip and he caught it again, holding it out as far as he could.
"Why would you carry something like that around on your belt?" he asked incredulously.
Obi-Wan glanced at the large man with the rocket launcher.
"You never know when you'll need an explosion," he replied.
The leader laughed.
"You know, I kind of like this one," he said. He gestured for his friend to put the lightsaber down. "Maybe we'll keep him."
"What if we get a good offer?" the female bandit guarding them asked.
"Then we'll sell him, obviously," the leader retorted, "but I'm just saying."
Ruta fidgeted beside Obi-Wan.
"Wait, what? Sell? Oho, no, no, nobody's selling me for anything!" she exclaimed.
"Nobody is getting sold," Captain Panaka grunted from behind her.
"I'd be more inclined to believe you if one of you came up with a plan!" Ruta whispered hoarsely, "my job was flying! I did my job! Why don't you guys do yours!?"
"Calm down," Obi-Wan told her sternly.
"Shut it, all of you!" the lady guard shouted.
"Just take them back to camp and gag them!" the leader yelled impatiently.
The guard stepped forward and nudged Ruta's shoulder with her blaster.
"You heard the man," she hissed, "on your feet."
Obi-Wan and the others stood up slowly. The Jedi eyed his lightsaber as they started to be led out of the alcove.
"Can't you call your weapon to you?" Panaka whispered urgently, "isn't that what Jedi do?"
"If I start a fight now, there's a chance that rather large one will fire his weapon. If that doesn't kill us, it will at least damage the ship further," Obi-Wan replied under his breath, "we can ambush our guards once we're a distance away. Then, we'll come back and catch the others by surprise."
Obi-Wan gasped when the woman whacked the back of his head with her blaster.
"You're a chatty one, aren't you?" she growled, "don't make me hit you again."
"My apologies," he replied.
The group of prisoners walked along the ridge with their hands on the backs of their heads, the three guards who'd accompanied them watching them carefully. The desert around them was silent, aside from the howl of the wind through nearby canyons and the sound of their own footfalls. Night was falling, but the planet's two suns were still visible. The heat had diminished considerably and the wind was finally able to cool the sweat on the back of his neck. He needed to think of a way to signal the others to attack. He didn't want to open his mouth again, lest he trigger the wrath of their escorts. His thoughts halted when he heard the sound of a small rock falling off one of the cliffs, bouncing its way down to the ground with a series of clacks. The guards stopped walking.
"Tell me that was my imagination," one of them whispered.
"It wasn't," the woman who liked yelling so much replied quietly.
"Get down, all of you," the third ordered in a whisper. He gestured for the prisoners to take cover under a nearby outcropping. Once they'd done what they were told, the three guards positioned themselves nearby, blasters sweeping the landscape.
"What's happening?" one of the handmaidens whispered. Obi-Wan guessed she was the one called Fé, though he hadn't had the time to meet them all personally.
"I don't know," Panaka replied.
"Shh!" the second guard hissed. She gestured with her head at the barren plains. "Sand People. They'll kill all of us if you don't keep quiet."
"You can't be serious!" Ruta exclaimed.
"Hush!"
"N-no, wait. It could be just be Jawas," one of the other raiders stuttered.
"Please let it be Jawas," the third wished aloud.
Obi-Wan leaned forward, hoping to get a glimpse at what frightened the guards so much. By the way she spoke of them, he guessed most residents of Tatooine would immediately know what a "Sand Person" was. Having never been to the desert planet before, he could only guess. Perhaps they were creatures made of sand. Or, more likely, they were just natives of the desert. Hostile natives, obviously.
Several tense seconds passed in complete silence, each one feeling like an eternity, as the group waited for any sign of what might've been prowling the rocky cliffs above them. Obi-Wan was able to restrain himself from jumping visibly when he heard what sounded like a strange, nasally snarl. The guards looked at each other. Their faces were hidden, but their body language said they were terrified. Sand People it was, Obi-Wan assumed.
"Look out!" one of the guards shrieked as he bounced up and fired his blaster rifle. A creature clothed in tan robes and a freakish mask that hid all of its features toppled off the rock above their outcropping and flopped into the sand in front of them. Its weapon, some sort of spiky stick, plopped down next to it.
A cry of anger rang out from the cliffs. The creature's comrades opened fire on their hiding spot, firing projectiles rather than laser blasts. The raider guards took cover under the outcropping, peeking out to fire back. A second sand creature fell next to Obi-Wan, bringing its rifle with it. The Jedi glanced up at the guards, who were preoccupied, and crawled forward to put his hand on the rifle. He flinched back when a shot narrowly missed his wrist, then snatched the rifle out of the sand. He crawled backward to furtively hand the weapon to Captain Panaka, who took it and kept it low to the ground as he waited for his chance to use it.
Obi-Wan could hear more Sand People going down above them, but none of them fell as closely as the one with the rifle had. He eyed the weird stick, lying by its owner who had collapsed just beside one of their captors. Obi-Wan knew he had an option, but that it wasn't the cleanest. He took a breath and let it out, then looked up at the guard.
"I'm sorry about this," he whispered, mostly for his own benefit.
He flicked his hand out in the man's direction, sending him off his feet and out into the open. The bandit shrieked and scrambled to get back up again, but collapsed when several projectiles buried themselves in his back and skull. Obi-Wan pushed himself forward and grabbed the stick. He swung it to the side and knocked one of the other bandits' legs out from under her.
"Agh!" she yelped as she fell on her back. Obi-Wan whipped the stick's spiked end down in her direction, but she caught it with one of her gloved hands and pointed her blaster at his head with the other. She flopped back when a shot rang out from behind him. He looked back and saw Panaka brandishing the rifle. He quickly nodded his thanks.
"What're you doing!?" Ruta cried.
"You said you wanted us to come up with a plan!" Panaka shouted back.
"You're going to get us killed! Don't you know what Sand People are!?"
The last of the raiders ducked under the outcropping to take cover from a series of shots, then noticed his two dead comrades.
"What in the blazes!?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Ruta stated angrily.
The bandit yelped when one of the girls leapt on his back, throwing her skinny arm around his neck. He fell backward, pulling at the arm that was cutting off his air supply. Panaka leaned forward to grab the bandit's blaster before he could fire it. He yanked it out of the man's hands. One of the other handmaidens crawled forward, a rock in her hand, and whacked the bandit hard in the head. The man went limp and the girl released him. Obi-Wan raised both eyebrows.
"Good job," he murmured appreciatively.
"Yes, good job," Ruta snapped, "now we're alone in the desert, pinned down by Sand People! I didn't want to get sold, but dying is probably a little worse, right?"
Obi-Wan ducked further under the ridge when a rifle shot landed uncomfortably close to him. He waited a few seconds, then peeked back out. He was unable to see their attackers clearly, but by the number of shots ringing out in such a short time, he estimated there were at least seven left standing.
"Let's see what they think of a Jedi," he stated.
Obi-Wan waited for a chance to emerge before rushing out into the open. He faced the cliff and squared his shoulders, adopting the most confident stance he could muster. He thrust out one arm and let out an intimidating roar while reaching for the Force. He noticed one of the Sand People hiding behind a boulder and focused on it. Aided by the Force, he caused the boulder to lift itself off the ridge, levitating it high in the air. The Sand People screamed at the spectacle. Obi-Wan twisted the boulder in midair, allowing pebbles to fall off its top and rain down on the terrified creatures below. Several of them began to retreat immediately, but a brave three lingered with their rifles shakily pointed at him. With a great heave, Obi-Wan tossed the boulder in their direction. One of the Sand People was killed instantly, crushed by the rock's impact. Those who'd remained screeched another nasally cry, then vanished among the rocky hills.
Obi-Wan watched them flee before allowing his arm to collapse at his side and he let out a long breath. It'd been a while since he'd lifted something so large. His Master had always told him the size of the object didn't matter, but he couldn't help being winded, whether it was a product of his own expectations or true exhaustion. He panted for a few seconds before looking back at the others. Captain Panaka glanced at the boulder, then at him. He nodded slowly.
"Wow," Ruta blurted. She shook her head to snap herself out of her daze. "Anyway, they'll be back soon. We need to move."
"Right," Panaka began, sounding somewhat unsure, "well, I think it's time we took back our ship."
Three of the handmaidens armed themselves with the bandits' blasters while Panaka started back the way they'd come. As they trotted along, Obi-Wan worked to catch his breath. The entrance to their ship's alcove was soon within sight. Captain Panaka inched forward to peek into the valley.
"The ringleader and the one with the missile launcher are there, on the left," he murmured, "can't see the others. Might be on the ship."
"Which of them is closest?" Obi-Wan asked.
"The big one," the captain replied, "the leader's waiting by the ramp."
"Which way are they facing?" Fé asked from behind Obi-Wan. He glanced back at her curiously.
Captain Panaka took another look, then looked back at her to answer, "one toward the ship, one toward the swoops."
"If we can distract them, we might be able to sneak up and silence them before they can alert the ones on the ship," Fé pointed out. "Then, once we have our weapons back, we can use one of them to draw them out and ambush them."
"Good thinking," Panaka muttered appreciatively.
Obi-Wan crawled forward, next to Panaka to get a look at the ship. He peered at the two bandits in the clearing. The ringleader was sitting atop one of the crates they'd pulled off the ship, watching the loading ramp. The largest of the thugs was pacing back and forth impatiently, carrying the launcher in his arms as opposed to on his shoulder. He wasn't faced directly toward them, but he'd have no trouble seeing them out of the corner of his eye if they moved too suddenly.
"Let's borrow one of the Sand People's tricks," Obi-Wan whispered.
He flicked three of his fingers out. The sound of a falling rock echoed out among the cliffs on the other side of the clearing. The two bandits turned to look in the direction of the sound. The ringleader leapt off the crate and ran around it to duck behind it while the large one knelt down on one knee as he lifted the missile launcher back to his shoulder. Obi-Wan glanced back at the others quickly.
"Whichever of you is the quickest, follow me," he ordered under his breath.
Without waiting to see who they'd choose, he dashed out into the open, keeping his footfalls light. He peeked back and gestured at the leader with one hand as he made his way across the sand between himself and the bigger thug. The girl following him nodded and adjusted her trajectory toward the small alien crouched behind the crate.
Obi-Wan waited until he was directly behind the missile-carrying ruffian before whipping his lightsaber up from the nearby pile of weapons and tools. He ignited its green blade and cut the man down before he could turn to see what'd created the noise behind him. He glanced to his left to see the girl jump onto the short alien's back and wrap her arm around his neck. The leader choked out a surprised gasp before the girl's added weight forced him face-down into the sand. She pressed the blaster she'd taken from one of the bandit guards to the back of the leader's helmet.
"Say anything and you're dead," she warned him.
The rogue let out a growl that was muffled by the helmet and the sand, but didn't try to say anything. It wasn't long before they were joined in the clearing by the rest of the entourage.
Obi-Wan smiled at the girl.
"Good work, …uhm."
"Eirtaé," the girl answered.
"There should only be two left now," Captain Panaka stated, looking over at the open loading ramp.
"Then let's get to work," Obi-Wan replied. Ruta and the handmaidens snatched up blasters from the pile of weapons the raiders had created. Obi-Wan walked over to the loading ramp and stood beside it while the others put themselves out of sight.
Eirtaé took hold of the leader's helmet and pulled it out of the sand.
"Call them out of the ship," she ordered.
"Go to hell."
"Do it!" she repeated, tapping the gun's barrel against the swoop helmet.
"Jet! Dezik! Get down here," the ringleader shouted.
Obi-Wan allowed the remaining two bandits to descend the loading ramp before stepping onto the ramp behind them to cut them off. Eirtaé kept her blaster trained on the leader while the others emerged from their hiding spots to confront his underlings.
"Blast," one of them grunted.
"Weapons down," Panaka ordered.
The bandits complied reluctantly and straightened to hold their hands up defensively. Panaka gestured away from the ship with his rifle, prompting them to move forward. He advanced to force them onto their knees, then backed away.
"Fire on my mark," he declared.
"No!" one of the bandits cried, "no, please! We'll go, we promise!"
"We'll never come back," the other assured him.
"Right, right!" the ringleader agreed, "I don't have anything against Jedi, I swear!"
"Jedi!?" the first exclaimed.
"You wouldn't have hesitated to kill us," Captain Panaka reminded them.
Obi-Wan stepped forward.
"Captain!" he called.
The captain kept his rifle pointed at their prisoners, but turned his head to look at the Jedi.
"This can't be about revenge," Obi-Wan continued.
"I'm sorry, Master Jedi, but it'd be too dangerous to leave them alive," Panaka pointed out.
The first of the bandits laughed incredulously.
"Seriously, a Jedi!?"
"That's not my point," Obi-Wan argued, ignoring the interruption, "whether or not this needs to be done, what's in your heart at the moment you do it separates justice and necessity from vengeance."
"Fire."
After a short moment of hesitation, the handmaidens did as they were told and the three bandits fells lifeless into the sand at their feet. Captain Panaka dropped the crude rifle he held and retrieved a blaster pistol from the pile of their belongings to put it in his thigh holster. The handmaidens began taking their things back aboard the ship. Panaka walked over to Obi-Wan and stood before him, his arms crossed.
"Why did you question my judgment?" he demanded in a hushed tone, "we didn't have a better option."
Obi-Wan clasped his hands in front of his abdomen.
"I didn't say what you did was wrong, but when you end a life, your motivation behind it matters."
"The end result is the same."
The captain turned away and started to help the girls. Obi-Wan looked back when he heard Ruta let out a low whistle from just behind him.
"That was intense," she muttered.
Obi-Wan sighed at her and walked away. Ruta walked after him.
"What?"