Episode 1: The Darkness Revived

by SammaKlaus

An ambitious project undertaken purely for the love of Star Wars, this story is a re-imagining of episode 1 (The Phantom Menace). It involves new characters, new adventures, and fewer Jar Jar Binkses. Episodes 2 and 3 will follow in time. Reviews appreciated. Enjoy!

6. Part 6: Facing the Hutt

Part 6: Facing the Hutt

Anakin rushed about his family's small hovel, collecting anything he thought would be important enough to bring with him, though he knew he had plenty of time to pack. He couldn't contain his excitement. Finally, he was going to leave Mos Eisley. Not only that, but he was going to leave the planet! He'd heard so much about the galaxy beyond Tatooine from the smugglers who frequented the planet for the unscrupulous opportunities it offered. Everything he'd learned about Coruscant fascinated him. An entire planet as one, big city? Towering buildings so tall you couldn't see the bottom? He was eager to see it all for himself.

But the sights weren't what excited him the most. He was being given an opportunity. For once in his life, he was going to be doing something worthwhile, something that would make a difference. Even if the Jedi Temple were in a sewer, he would have been excited to go.

Anakin stopped when he heard an engine sounding nearby. He heard it stop just outside their home, then looked to his step-father, who had been preparing to go out into the city.

"They can't be back already, can they?" he asked.

Cliegg shook his head.

"That doesn't sound like our landspeeder," he replied. He gestured toward the back room. "Take your mother to the next room, Anakin."

Shmi put the knife she'd been using to prepare dinner down on the counter and proceeded with her son into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. Anakin went to the door pressed his ear against it.

"Come away from there, Anakin," his mother whispered.

"I want to listen," he argued quietly.

Shmi sighed and knelt down next to him, close enough to hear if there was trouble on the other side of the door.

Anakin heard their visitors bang on the door and demand for Cliegg to open it. He couldn't tell if there was a response, but they continued to knock. The man on the other side repeated his demand in a growl.

There was a loud boom, causing the door Anakin had his ear against to quake. He jumped back into his mother, who looked just as frightened as he felt. Who would bother to blast their way into a house like theirs? They didn't have anything worth stealing!

Shmi moved him aside so she could get to her feet. Anakin watched her rush over to his step-father's bed where she stuck her hand under the thin mattress. She pulled out an old blaster pistol he'd never seen before and hurried back to him. She placed him behind herself and held the blaster in two shaking hands as she pointed it at the door. Anakin leaned to the side to peer around her. They could hear the intruders in the next room rummaging through their things. It didn't take them long. Someone knocked at the door.

"Anybody in there?" a gruff voice asked.

Neither Anakin nor his mother answered him.

"Hey, we know this guy wasn't the only one home," the man continued, "don't make us blast our way in there; we already wasted time on the front door."

"What do you want?" Shmi demanded, "what have you done to him?"

"Look, we're not here to hurt anyone," the intruder replied through the door, "we just want the kid. So, why don't you come out here and we'll get this over with, huh?"

Anakin looked up at his mother, his brow furrowed. She didn't take her eyes off the door.

"You can't have him," she stated firmly.

"What's going on?" Anakin whispered.

Shmi hushed him.

"Gardulla told us not to hurt you or your family, but that doesn't mean we won't take you back to the stronghold and lock you up so she can teach you a lesson," the man growled, "open this door. Now."

"He's my son," Shmi insisted, "Gardulla has no claim on him. You can go back and tell her that."

"Alright, boys, knock it down."

Shmi put one hand on Anakin's shoulder and moved him away from the door, placing him against the wall to her left. She stood back as well, with the blaster still trained on the door. The barrier collapsed inward with a loud, cracking boom. Shards of metal pelted the far wall, some of them hitting hard enough to lodge themselves in the plaster.

Anakin gulped when he realized he and his mother would've no doubt been seriously injured or killed if they hadn't moved. Still confused by all that was happening, he could think of nothing to do. He wished he had a blaster too, though he'd never actually used one before. He didn't need to use it to make their uninvited guests think twice about laying hands on them.

Four people barged into the room, all wearing various mismatched types of armor and carrying blasters. Shmi shouted at them to back off, but the foremost of the intruders was close enough to give her a swift, backhanded slap. She fell toward Anakin, dropping the blaster as she hit the floor.

"Don't get up," the man ordered sternly.

Anakin dropped to the floor and snatched the blaster up, crouching over his mother protectively. She wasn't moving.

"Get out!" he shrieked, "get out of here now!"

"Put the gun down before you hurt yourself, kid," the attacker told him dismissively.

Anakin cringed as he fired. The man standing behind their leader cried out and fell down after the blaster bolt struck him in the knee. The leader jumped forward and grabbed the barrel of the blaster, directing it away from himself.

"Put it down!" he yelled.

Anakin fired again, but his second shot just left a burn mark on the wall. There was little he could do to stop the man from yanking the pistol out of his hands. He tossed it aside and leaned down to grab Anakin's bicep in a firm hand. He pulled him to his feet and shoved him back at his allies so they could take hold of him.

"No! Let go!" Anakin shouted as he tried to pull his arms free of them.

The wounded intruder had managed to get back up by then. He pulled his hand back. Anakin flinched.

"Hey! No hurting the kid," their leader growled.

"He shot me!"

"You want to say that to Gardulla when she asks why her prize is damaged?"

The injured man lowered his hand and groaned to himself as he started to limp outside. The leader pointed at the door and the two holding Anakin dragged him out into the hovel's main room. He spotted his step-father on the floor, but he couldn't tell if he was unconscious or dead. He continued to scream his protests as he struggled to free himself, but they effortlessly pulled him outside. They began to pull toward the speederbikes they"d roared in on and lifted him up to sit him on one of them.

Anakin twisted his upper body and bit the closest hand within his reach. The owner of the hand hissed at him, but didn't release him as he'd hoped he would. After tossing him into the seat of the speederbike, one of them climbed on behind him, trapping him in place with his arms when he put his hands on the speederbike's grips. Before Anakin could think of a plan to slip out, the bike was moving and he no longer dared to try it; toppling over and getting his face dragged in the sand was less than appealing. After clearing the houses, the formation of bikes sped off rapidly, showing no concern for those in their way as they forced them to move or be run down. Anakin tried to call for help, but he knew no help was coming. No one would risk their own safety by defying Gardulla the Hutt.

[NEXT]

Obi-Wan slowed the landspeeder he was piloting as he started to approach Mos Eisley. His master had warned him about the narrow streets to the north side of town, so he guided the vehicle around the buildings to the east until he could find an entrance wide enough for it. Once inside the town, he slowed even more. Mos Eisley was a little more peaceful than he'd expected after his experience with bandits in the desert nearby. It wasn't entirely enjoyable, however; there was a remarkable scent in the air. After seeing how many large beasts roamed its streets, he figured he knew what the smell was and grimaced.

Obi-Wan tried not to put too much stock in his and his master's theories, but he hoped this Anakin Skywalker was who his master thought he was. Although Qui-Gon had attempted to ease his fears, he didn't think he was wrong about the conclusion he drew from his vision. If the Sith were truly returning, they could really use a "Chosen One" to counter them. No living Jedi, not even Master Yoda, had been alive at the time of the war with the Sith, but the study of history was standard in a Jedi's early education. He knew what they were capable of and how difficult it had been for the Order to stop them. The war had nearly driven both sides to extinction before the Jedi finally triumphed. If there was some sort of secret weapon in the form of a Chosen One to be had, they needed to recover it before the Sith could push them into another war.

Upon reaching the small house his master had indicated on the map he'd bought in town, he pulled up beside it and climbed out of the speeder. He walked around it to the front of the house where he spotted a young man loitering outside, an old blaster pistol in his hand. The doorframe of the hovel was charred, with bent-in bits of what used to be the door stuck to it. Someone had recently blasted it inward. He looked at the young man again, who was watching him carefully, though he made no motion to lift the blaster in his direction. Obi-Wan considered avoiding him, but he was directly in his path.

"Pardon me," he began politely, advancing very slowly and cautiously, "is this where I might find the Lars family?"

The young man scowled at him.

"Who's asking?" he demanded.

"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi," the Jedi replied patiently, "Qui-Gon Jinn told me I'd be expected."

"I remember Qui-Gon, but this is the first I've heard of it," the other grunted, "of course, things aren't really going as planned right now". He turned to face him. "I'm Owen Lars," he introduced himself flatly, "if you had business with my father, you should know he isn't here. While the other Jedi was gone, Gardulla's thugs came here."

"I'm sorry, who's Gardulla?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Gardulla the Hutt," Owen explained, "her people came and kidnapped Anakin, my step-brother. My father and step-mother are out trying to gather our neighbors for a rescue, but I don't think anyone around here is crazy enough to take that sort of risk." He grimaced. "I knew something like this would happen," he grumbled to himself, "why couldn't he just keep his head down like the rest of us?"

"Surely, there's some sort of law enforcement in town you could appeal to."

Owen sighed hopelessly and leaned against the wall of the hovel.

"Gardulla is the law enforcement in this town," he stated grimly.

Obi-Wan shook his head determinedly.

"Perhaps I can reason with this Hutt," he said.

Owen stood up straight, one eyebrow cocked at the Jedi.

"You'd have to offer her something more valuable than Anakin," he pointed out, "and you don't even know why she took him, so I don't see how you could manage that."

"Don't you know?" Obi-Wan countered.

Owen shook his head.

"Maybe he picked a fight with the wrong people," he guessed, "or, maybe she wants to improve her chances at the races. She's had him race before, but he was never exactly the best at it."

"What sort of race?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Pod racing," Owen answered.

"I thought humans lacked the reflexes for pod racing," Obi-Wan continued.

"Not that I know many humans who've tried it, but Anakin's the only one who's ever survived a race…at least, on Tatooine, that is," Owen replied.

"An impressive fact, but that alone won't improve gambling chances," the Jedi commented.

Owen nodded again.

"That's why I think he just made the wrong people angry," he explained, "it's hard for people who hate crime to live in a city run by criminals. Of course, he could've just tolerated it like the rest of us did, at least until we had the credits to relocate. But, no, Anakin always has to rile them up."

"He likes to cause trouble, does he?" Obi-Wan asked with a grimace.

"Not the bad kind of trouble, if that's anything," Owen replied, "I mean, he always has a good reason to do what he does; he just doesn't think about the best way to get what he wants before running off and getting in a scrap."

Obi-Wan nodded as he thought, looking out across the city.

"If it's about revenge, I doubt anything I could offer her would change her mind," he stated. He sighed and shook his head slowly. "But I can at least try. Perhaps she won't want to risk a fight with a Jedi." He turned his attention back to Owen. "Where is the Hutt's base of operations?"

"You're going to go alone?" Owen asked.

"The others are busy repairing the ship," Obi-Wan replied, nodding, "besides, it's not exactly my intention to start a battle. I'll have a peaceful meeting with her to at least find out why she took your brother. I can work out a solution from there."

"I can take you to Gardulla's compound," Owen offered, starting toward the landspeeder, "she and her thugs walled off a section of the south side."

Obi-Wan stepped aside to let him pass, then followed him to the speeder.

"It could become dangerous very quickly," he warned him, "if you tell me where to find the compound, you can stay here and wait for your father to return."

Owen climbed into the driver's seat and nodded, starting the vehicle up.

"We may not be blood relatives, but he's still my little brother," he stated resolutely, "I need to do what I can."

"In that case, I won't try to change your mind," Obi-Wan replied as he hopped into the seat beside him. Owen slowly edged the landspeeder out into the open street before speeding off. Obi-Wan turned to look at him. "If you plan on bringing that blaster of yours, you'll want to keep it hidden," he said, "there's a chance there won't be any shooting, but if they see it, it might cause an incident."

"A chance?" Owen muttered. He chuckled humorlessly. "I thought your plan was to have a peaceful meeting with her."

"In my experience, things don't often go according to plan."

"What experience? You can't be much older than I am."

The Jedi smiled.

"I've been training with my master for a little over a decade now," he pointed out, "and in that time I've seen a lot of things many people will never see in their entire lifetimes." He looked over again to see Owen huff out a frustrated breath. "Is something on your mind?" he asked.

Owen huffed again and squinted in the afternoon sunlight as they turned to face it head-on. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he began, "I'm sure it's not what I think, but people have been whispering about spotting a Jedi in town yesterday…and now, Anakin gets kidnapped. It seems a little too coincidental to me."

"You think our presence might have started something?" Obi-Wan inquired carefully.

"Jedi don't come here often, but the few times they have shown up, people got hurt," Owen replied bluntly, "then, there are the stories we get from offworld pilots and smugglers. I know it's not your fault, at least not directly, but having Jedi around makes people antsy. Gardulla included. When the Hutt gets antsy, she does drastic things. Last time, she killed her own lieutenant because she thought he betrayed her by calling the Jedi in to deal with her. In reality, the Jedi's business had nothing to do with her."

Obi-Wan sighed.

"Yes, I know our presence can make certain people, particularly criminals, nervous," he agreed, "and it's possible we may have accidentally aggravated something. But I assure you, whether we had any effect on it or not, my master and I won't let the Hutt keep your brother."

"I guess that's the best I can hope for," Owen replied, sounding less than confident.

Obi-Wan didn't blame him for doubting his chances. The Hutts were an entire race of gangsters. Some living within the Republic's bounds liked to claim they had legitimate business dealings, but he'd had yet to hear of one that was being honest about it. Those living beyond the Republic's rule were more open about their unscrupulous transactions. Obi-Wan could see why, if all Hutts had entire towns under their control.

The biggest factor Obi-Wan could see at play in Gardulla the Hutt's behavior was that there was no one in Mos Eisley to keep her in check. It was obvious she'd grown accustomed to taking whatever she pleased from those living within the city's ramshackle walls. Tatooine wasn't part of the Republic, and was therefore "legally" considered out of the Jedi Order's "jurisdiction", a term he thought undermined the purpose of the Jedi as the galaxy's guardians of peace and justice. Indeed, by the Republic Senate's standards, he really had no business in the matter, aside from recovering a potential future Jedi Knight. Still, he thought it was about time someone taught Gardulla to think twice before victimizing people who were too frightened to defend themselves. Receiving a visit from a Jedi would put things in perspective.

[NEXT]

After arriving at the entrance to Gardulla's compound just south of Eisley, Obi-Wan noted the completely repaired walls surrounding the collection of buildings that served as the Hutt's headquarters. It wasn't unusual for a Hutt to spend more time and money on her own safety over the safety of those she claimed to protect against the wilds, but the gaping holes in the rest of the city wall were practically an insult compared to how carefully-patched the compound's walls were and the fact was not lost on Obi-Wan. He wished he could do more to take the Hutt down a few notches, but he hadn't the time, nor the authority.

The entrance was an archway like many others he'd seen in the city, but had been fitted with its own heavy metal gate. Two guards were posted on either side, each one wearing various pieces of many different sets of armor. Their lack of uniformity and apparent disinterestedness told Obi-Wan they were on the lower end of the scale when it came to hired muscle. He would've expected mercenaries in a settlement to have better access to quality equipment than bandits in the wilderness, but the gang he'd encountered the day before had much better weapons, or at least took better care of them. Nonetheless, the presence of four guards on one gate told him the Hutt wasn't entirely foolish when it came to security.

"What do you want?" one of the guards, a portly human in an open-faced helmet that appeared to be made of bone, asked gruffly.

"To talk to Gardulla," Obi-Wan replied, absent his usual politeness. He hoped he was correct in assuming manners would only get him laughed at by the mercenary guards.

"Pretty accent," the guard teased him, "where're you from? You must have a lot of credits to throw around with an accent like that."

"My business, including any and all credit-throwing, is with your employer," the Jedi replied. He had to admit to himself that he'd done a poor job of masking his disappointment.

"Well, unless you're going to throw a few my way, you can just turn around now and save us all a lot of time."

"Isn't it enough that you took my brother?" Owen demanded incredulously.

Obi-Wan glanced over and raised a hand in his direction, but kept it below waist-height in a calming gesture.

"So, this is about the runt, huh?" the mercenary surmised, "well, you're not going to get anything from Gardulla. Seems to me like she plans on keeping him." He gestured at them with the tip of his blaster carbine. "So, why don't you and your pretty accent girlfriend run along home before she has us feed you to the acklays?" he concluded haughtily.

Obi-Wan calmed his emotions, ignoring the obvious jab, and made a show of folding his arms so he could discreetly wave one hand in the mercenary's direction, just in case anyone might've been watching.

"You will take us to speak with Gardulla," he commanded coolly.

The mercenary he was directly addressing repeated the order obediently, allowing his carbine to drop to his side. Two of the others only watched, completely disinterested in their companion's sudden change of heart, as was normal for those affected by the trick. The last, however, peered at the first mercenary through the darkened visor of his helmet. His gaze snapped over to Obi-Wan and the Jedi could see immediately he wasn't as weak-minded as his friends. It actually came as a shock to him; he would've expected the least foolish one to do the talking.

The unaffected mercenary reached out to stop his compatriots from opening the gate behind them. He looked back at Obi-Wan as the other three only stood around, dumbfounded, having been confused by the conflicting signals they were getting from the two men.

"So, you're a Jedi, huh?" he grunted, his voice catching a crackly quality as it filtered through the speaker in his helmet's mask.

"Yes, and I only wish to speak to your employer," Obi-Wan replied calmly. He rested the hand he'd used atop his folded arms. "I apologize for having to manipulate your partners, but this is important," he concluded.

"Yeah," the mercenary breathed, "Bengo doesn't really think before he talks."

"Then, perhaps, he shouldn't be the one talking."

"You think that was bad, try getting him to shut up." The guard paused to glance at the portly man, who was very slowly recovering from the effects of Obi-Wan's mind trick. "Well, I guess that wouldn't be very hard for you, would it?" He shoved Bengo out of the way and opened the gate. "Come on in," he said, "Gardulla will want to see you."

Obi-Wan and Owen proceeded through the opening with the mercenary guard behind them. After closing the gate, he turned back quickly to tell his comrades to sit down and wait it out. Satisfied, he led the two young men across the small clearing that seemed to act as a plaza for those dealing with the Hutt and her followers. The area wasn't packed full, but the guard found himself having to shove people out of the way here and there.

The section of Mos Eisley claimed by Gardulla the Hutt included three large buildings, one of them being one of the city's many taverns, and two smaller buildings. Both looked like average houses, though Obi-Wan figured the Hutt and her followers had given them different purposes. Knowing the nature of Hutts, he set his sights on the largest of the five, a four-story building joined to the one on its left by an un-railed bridge leading from one third story to the other.

Aside from more of the same assortment of hired guards, there were quite a few people loitering within the compound's walls. A group of three aliens dressed in high-quality armor, though it'd been battle-damaged and well-worn, were going over the details of something they'd been presented with on a datapad. Obi-Wan guessed they were bounty hunters, though he doubted they'd find any high-value targets anywhere near Mos Eisley.

Aside from the bounty hunters and drunks were a number of other characters hoping to benefit from the Hutt's influence, ranging from the shifty-eyed information brokers to the sultry dancers waiting for their next performance. Slaves skittishly hurried throughout, running errands for their mistress. A small crowd of people was gathered around something in one corner. From the squealing and from the way the people were shouting, Obi-Wan could only assume they were egging on a fight between two different kinds of small animal. He shook his head.

"Strangely, this is exactly how I expected this place to look," Owen murmured from beside him.

Obi-Wan nodded absent-mindedly as he turned his attention to the guards spaced unevenly around the compound. The coverage wasn't sparse, but it also didn't seem efficient. There were three makeshift watchtowers, which were nothing more than platforms secured to three corners on the northern side of the polyhedral enclosure, leaving four other corners untended toward the south. There were mercenary guards placed sporadically across the plaza and patrolling around the backs of the buildings, but again few of them seemed to care about the southern side. Obviously, they were more concerned about the threats from the Mos Eisley side, rather than those who dwelled in the desert.

Obi-Wan could see toward the rear of the building to their right there was a particularly blind spot. The gap between the building and the outer wall was slightly less than half a meter thick, which might've explained how disinterested the guards were in watching that area, but it was certainly wide enough for a person to inch through. He dedicated the lapse a spot in his memory.

The guard they were following approached the largest, and most oddly shaped of the buildings and the door slid open before him. He led them inside and down a short hallway which ended in a flight of stairs. Below ground level, the building was larger than it had appeared from the outside. After heading through a few more hallways, twists and turns here and there, which Obi-Wan tried to remember, should he need to get out without the help of their guide, they arrived in a moderately-sized chamber.

The chamber was occupied by a collection of slaves, two of the Hutt's more trusted bounty hunters, and a number of Gardulla's "friends", most of which seemed to be passed out. The bland tan walls were hidden behind enormous patterned tapestries. The floor continued several meters in, until it went down a short bevel to a lowered area that'd been filled with plush cushions. Upon the cushions sat the Hutt herself, a large and repulsive slug-like creature with yellow-tan coloring on her underside, green-gray down her back, and large, slumped yellow eyes.

"What is this?" she asked in Huttese.

The mercenary who'd showed them in looked over at them.

"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi," the Jedi introduced himself, "I know you must be busy with your affairs, so I'll be brief. I am a member of the Jedi Order and I came to inquire about Anakin Skywalker."

"You don't look like a Jedi," Gardulla criticized him, squinting her large eyes at him.

"He is what he claims. I saw him use his mind trick on Bengo and the others firsthand," the mercenary said.

"I didn't ask for your opinion," the Hutt scolded him.

The guard folded his arms and nodded.

"My apologies, Mistress," he grunted.

The Hutt waved him off and looked at Obi-Wan again.

"How can I help you, Master Jedi?" she asked politely.

"I heard your followers illegally acquired this boy, Skywalker, and naturally, I felt the need to investigate the claim."

"The Republic's laws mean nothing here."

Obi-Wan nodded.

"And yet, in my experience, kidnapping is illegal everywhere," he argued, "and for the sake of the victim, I can't ignore it. I don't want to accuse you of such a crime. Perhaps your men didn't tell you the circumstances surrounding their actions. Either way, we can put this whole mess behind us if you simply release Skywalker back to his family."

"You forget, Master Jedi, that slavery isn't outlawed in Hutt space," Gardulla retorted, "and as it happens, I control the slave trade on this planet. I can't be blamed for reclaiming my property."

"He's not a slave," Owen joined in, "he doesn't belong to anyone."

Gardulla turned her head, or at least the length of her slug body that held her face, in Owen's direction.

"Your source?" She chuckled slowly. "The people in Mos Eisley would use any excuse to bring such negative attention to me," she said, "they're jealous of my position and wealth. They think I'm bad because I need to keep the order and tell them what to do. As a Jedi, you must know how that feels."

"She's lying," Owen muttered under his breath.

Obi-Wan nodded in his direction, holding up his hand again. He looked back at Gardulla.

"We can settle this now, if you're willing to prove ownership," the Jedi replied, "after all, it's not my business to question your local laws."

Gardulla closed her wide mouth and pressed her lips together, again narrowing her eyes.

"You're not much more than a boy yourself," she growled, "who are you to tell me what I can or can't do? You are no Jedi Knight. If anything, you're just an apprentice. A padawan, as your kind calls it."

"Every Jedi, regardless of his position in the Order, has a duty to the people of this galaxy," Obi-Wan replied resolutely, "we can't prevent every case of kidnapping, but I can't willfully ignore one when it's right before me."

"The Skywalker boy belongs to me," the Hutt insisted, leaning forward as her anger grew. She let a long breath out through the two slits that were her nostrils and started to lean back again. "What will it take to put this behind us?" she asked, her tone a little more controlled.

"As I said before, I can let this go once he's been released," Obi-Wan repeated.

"I have credits to spare. Republic credits."

Obi-Wan smiled.

"You seem to know a little more about the Jedi than most people. I'm sure you already know what my answer to that is."

Gardulla raised one arm and gestured with a wave. At her command, every person in the room stood up around them and produced weapons, directing them at the two young men.

"Just a little security," she said after giving them a few seconds to fully appreciate the predicament they were in, "but I don't think either of us wants the shooting to start. I have one more offer, if you're willing to hear it."

Obi-Wan allowed himself the time to take note of where each member of the armed "security" force was located. Most were on his left, blocking off the door they'd entered from. The minority of the force was on the other side of the room and just to the Hutt's right, there were two armed female slaves, a Twi'lek and a human, standing just in front of the only other exit, which appeared to lead deeper into the stronghold.

The Jedi unclasped his hands and slowly brought them up, palms outward in a show of resignation. The mercenary guard who'd brought them came forward and pushed his long jacket aside to take his lightsaber from his belt.

"It appears I have no choice," Obi-Wan said.

"You're too persistent." Gardulla grumbled and gestured at the guard. The man advanced toward her to hand Obi-Wan's lightsaber to her. The Hutt turned it over in her large hands to briefly examine it, smiling a little. "Here's my offer," she began, "I appreciate things that are hard to get. It helps other Hutts respect me. We collect things, you see. Dangerous things. The one thing I want the most in my collection is a creature with your power. I was going to settle for the child, but I am willing to take you in his place."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly.

"My own preferences aside, you must realize the kidnapping of a Jedi would cause a stir in the Order," he said.

"We would make it legal, as I planned to with the boy," Gardulla explained, "your Order won't be able to find anything wrong with how we handle it."

"All the same, I refuse," Obi-Wan replied.

The Hutt chuckled.

"I thought as much," she said. She waved a hand at them and the closest of her followers advanced to take hold of Owen and Obi-Wan. "Dispose of them in the desert," she commanded, "make it look like the wilderness killed him."

"Get down," Obi-Wan whispered to Owen.

Before the Hutt's followers could secure him, the Jedi flicked a hand at the tapestry to his left. Owen did as Obi-Wan asked and ducked, pulling his concealed blaster from its place under the folds of his tunic. The gigantic rectangle of fabric broke loose of the clasps that secured it to the wall and flopped downward, covering the bulk of the security force in darkness and confusion. Obi-Wan elbowed the man closest to him in the nose, then gestured for Owen to follow him as he dashed toward the Hutt herself. He glanced back quickly to make sure their backs weren't exposed to immediate danger. The bar that'd held the tapestry straight on the wall was cumbersome and, as he'd hoped, the guards obviously had trouble freeing themselves from under it.

Gardulla roared in frustration, but her bulk prevented her from doing anything to stop them. The guards who hadn't been incapacitated by the fallen tapestry pointed their blasters at them, but were reluctant to fire.

"Shoot them!" Gardulla ordered angrily.

But Obi-Wan and Owen were too close to her by then. None of them would risk accidentally hitting their mistress for fear of killing her—or worse, wounding her and incurring her wrath. The two slaves standing before the other exit, however, were close enough. One of them fired, narrowly missing Owen. Obi-Wan whipped an arm in their direction, knocking them both back against the wall with a wave of Force energy. He pointed at the exit and Owen rushed toward it. Obi-Wan turned to the Hutt and quickly kicked his lightsaber out of her hands, catching it as it flew through the air. Having reclaimed his property, he followed Owen out of the room.

"Get them! Stop them!" he could hear the Hutt roaring from behind them.

Obi-Wan heard the rush of footsteps behind them and knew it wouldn't take the guards long to have them in their sights. Luckily, the passage only continued on a short straight distance before curving off and leading to a stairway. The two young men rushed up the stairs to the landing above. From below them, the guards began to shoot. Obi-Wan flicked on his lightsaber and knocked the shots away from them as he retreated backward into the next hall.

Back on ground level, they found themselves in another short hallway with one door and another set of stairs at the end. Owen went to the door and pressed a button on the control panel to open it. Three people sat at two desks inside. It was a small room, with no outlets, aside from a window. They didn't have long to consider their options before two of the people inside produced blasters. Owen quickly shut the door again.

"Blast the panel," Obi-Wan told him.

Owen did as the Jedi suggested and looked back the way they'd come.

"I guess we're going up," he said.

Obi-Wan nodded and they rushed down the hall, up the second flight of stairs, their pursuers not far behind them. The second floor hall held nothing for them, aside from another set of stairs.

"This must be some sort of express route to the roof," Obi-Wan murmured, glancing back. They didn't have long to dally. Aside from cutting his way back down through the people behind them, he saw no other way of escaping. Even if he was willing to kill that many people, he couldn't put Owen into such a dangerous situation. The man had obviously had very little experience firing blasters, and even less experience having them fired at him. His decision easily made for him, he continued to the stairs with Owen on his tail.

The third floor was just a small room before the last set of stairs to the roof. A single door diverted from the upward path they were on. Obi-Wan let out a sigh and opened it. They were immediately greeted by the bright Tatooine sunlight. In front of them stretched the stone bridge that joined the two adjacent buildings. It was a narrow bridge with no railing. Below them was a three-story drop. Obi-Wan figured he'd be able to use his training to fall that far without injuring himself, but his companion had had no such training.

"Come on," he called, starting out across the bridge. He could only imagine what a nightmare it would've been to cross it in the midst of a sandstorm. Luckily, the air was still and they were able to cross quickly.

After making it inside the second building, they arrived in a room large enough to have been the entire third floor. Obi-Wan spun about to slice the door's control panel, jamming it from the inside, then turned his lightsaber off. To the right was a railed landing, signaling the location of the staircase leading downward. He rushed toward it, but stopped when he heard more people running up to intercept them.

"Blast," he hissed to himself.

He quickly turned his attention to the window, the only other way out of the room. Below, he could see a fabric canopy stretching from somewhere above the first floor to a cylindrical tower on the other side of the compound's wall.

"Here we go," he said for Owen's benefit.

Owen looked over at him.

"You're not saying you want me to jump out that window, right?"

"We're quickly running out of alternatives," Obi-Wan replied matter-of-factly.

Owen sighed stressfully and went to the window to meet him. He looked down and nodded slowly.

"Alright, just give me a minute," he muttered.

Obi-Wan rushed to the staircase to see how close the mercenaries had become as they rushed up the flights of stairs toward them. He grimaced.

"If I had a minute, I'd gladly give it to you," he said.

Owen grumbled and put his foot up on the window sill. After pausing briefly, he launched himself out the window. Obi-Wan ran to the window and jumped after him.

The two young men fell shortly before flopping unceremoniously into the hanging cloth canopy. Gravity rolled Obi-Wan toward the center, where he collided with Owen. He let out a relieved sigh and chuckled a little.

"That hurt less than I expected," he breathed.

He craned his head up to look when he felt the canopy tremble beneath them. A corner of the rectangular cloth slipped from the bolt that'd been holding it to the cylinder tower, causing Owen and Obi-Wan to fall over each other before dumping them in the sand at the base of the compound's outer wall. Owen groaned and got up on his knees. Obi-Wan rolled off his back to do the same.

"My mistake," he wheezed.

He looked up and smiled, realizing they'd been deposited on the outward side of the wall.

"Let's put some distance between this place and us," he suggested, starting off toward a nearby alleyway. Owen trailed behind him, glancing back occasionally.

"I'm guessing you wanted that to go more smoothly," he said.

"I didn't expect her to just give Anakin to us, but I honestly have never been asked to be someone's slave before," Obi-Wan replied as they speedily walked away from the compound.

"I think the weird part was when she said she'd make it legal," Owen muttered, "I mean, I don't see how anyone could make a kidnapping legal in the eyes of a Jedi."

"I'm sure the Hutts have their contacts," Obi-Wan replied. He paused briefly to look back and see if they were being followed. After seeing the guards had yet to catch up with them, he hurried on. "Still, this Gardulla apparently likes to play at knowing more about the Jedi than she actually does. Perhaps she thought the Order would let her keep me if they wanted to avoid starting a conflict between the Republic and the Hutts. Of course, no amount of forged ownership documents could ever persuade the Council to let a Hutt keep one of our own as a slave."

"But what about Anakin?" Owen continued, "I mean, I can see why she might want a Jedi, but why some ordinary kid? We never found out what she wanted with him."

Obi-Wan led the other man out into the open street, where there were plenty of people going about their business, allowing them to disappear into the crowd. They stopped a ways down the road, beside the entrance to another alley. Obi-Wan nodded quickly, allowing himself to breathe a little sigh of relief before replying.

"She said she was willing to 'settle' for him over someone like me. I think I know why she wanted him." He straightened his posture. "Anakin has an affinity for the Force," he explained, "with the right training, he could very well become a Jedi. But as it is, I don't think he'll be capable of meeting her expectations. My master said he wasn't even aware of his connection."

Owen folded his arms.

"Wait. Is that why you wanted to rescue him?" he demanded, "So you and your master could take him away again and try to make him into a Jedi?"

Obi-Wan shrugged.

"It's not really a matter of 'try'. He either becomes one or doesn't."

"That's not the point," Owen insisted incredulously, "I mean, I thought you were helping me because it was the right thing to do, not because you had something to get out of it."

"It's possible to do something for both reasons at once," Obi-Wan pointed out lightly, "besides, this isn't exactly a kidnapping of our own. My master gave him the choice between going with us to Coruscant and staying here. He chose Coruscant."

"Well, of course he'd choose Coruscant!" Owen exclaimed, "he's naïve and idealistic. He doesn't actually realize how dangerous the galaxy can be. As it is, you're just taking advantage of the childish part of him that wants to go on adventures."

"My master said he was looking forward to helping people, not just going on adventures," Obi-Wan replied. He shrugged. "Perhaps you see these things as childish, but he thought your brother had noble intentions. I know my master would not have accepted Anakin's answer without first warning him of the danger and hard work that awaits him. He would have been given the chance to make an informed decision."

Owen sighed angrily and put his hands on his hips as he glared at the sand at his feet. He looked up again and nodded.

"I know that," he grumbled, "but Anakin is like so many other teenagers. He thinks he's invincible. You could tell him over and over about the bad things that can happen to a Jedi, but he'd still think those things would never happen to him."

"He won't be thrown into any dangerous situations without first being trained to face them," Obi-Wan assured him, "you can trust me on that; I've been with the Jedi since before I can remember and I'm still alive."

Owen groaned and took his hands off his hips.

"Fine," he said, "besides, it's not like anything I could say would keep him from going with you. If he wants to go, he'll make sure he goes." He folded his arms. "But this whole argument is for nothing if we can't get Gardulla to release Anakin. There must be something we can do."

"I think it's safe to assume we don't have any peaceful options left to us," Obi-Wan replied. He looked back the way they'd come. "But I still don't plan to leave him in her hands. I have a few ideas. For now, I think it'd be best if you were to return home and wait for your father. You can tell him I'll handle this."

"So you're going to go back there, alone, and…well, do you have a plan?"

"I have part of a plan."

Owen shook his head.

"Are all Jedi crazy?" he asked.

Obi-Wan smiled, despite the situation.

"I like to call it 'confident'," he countered.

Owen looked at the ground and nodded.

"Let's say they don't kill you…and that you do manage to get Anakin out of there safely," he looked up again, "what will you do then? Take him back to your ship?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

"I thought so," Owen continued. He shrugged. "I know whatever your mission here on the Outer Rim is, it's probably more important than any one of us, but if you can, please bring him by the house before you leave. Shmi will want to know he's safe again."

"Of course," Obi-Wan promised with a bow of his head. He gestured back the way they'd come. "For now, we should retrieve your speeder before Gardulla's people find it."

Owen nodded his agreement and they began to head back to the building they'd left the vehicle beside, where it was out of the guards' lines of sight. Both were silent as they walked, deep in thought about the challenge ahead. Obi-Wan thought about the blind spot in the compound's defenses that he'd spotted earlier. It'd provide a place for him to scale the wall without being seen. From there, he could make it back to the main building, if the compound's plaza remained as poorly-guarded during the night as it'd been that day.

Owen and the Jedi made it back to the Lars' landspeeder without running into any trouble along the way. Owen checked inside to make it hadn't been tampered with before turning back around to face Obi-Wan.

"Is this where we part ways?" he asked.

Obi-Wan folded his arms, shaking his head as he did.

"Not just yet. It's occurred to me that we haven't taken the time to think about what this rescue attempt could mean for your family," he said, his brow creased in worry, "whether I'm successful or not, I'm sure the Hutt will want to retaliate. They're not forgiving creatures."

"It did cross my mind," Owen admitted. He folded his arms and looked at the speeder. "I don't know how good a plan this is, but I've been working on establishing my own homestead somewhere outside of Anchorhead. It's still in the planning stages, but I don't see why we can't move it along."

"How would your family feel about relocating with such short notice?" Obi-Wan asked.

Owen shrugged.

"At this point, we either relocate or leave Anakin in that Hutt's slimy hands," he pointed out, his frustration apparent. He sighed. "I don't think we have a choice."

"Will you all be safe out there, in the desert? It's not the most welcoming environment." Obi-Wan thought of the band of brigands he and the queen's people had had to fend off in his master's absence. Sure, the Lars family presented a less valuable target, but he'd seen for himself that bandits weren't the only danger waiting in the Tatooine wilderness.

"I know there's the Sand People and the wild animals to think about, but I still think it'd be safer than staying here, where Gardulla knows to find us." Owen nodded to himself. "And Anchorhead is probably the most independent town on the planet. It's no friend to the Hutts, and the people there are short on water because of it. They'd be glad to have another moisture farm nearby. That's something, at least."

Obi-Wan smiled slightly.

"Yes, it certainly is," he agreed, "and it's a better plan than I was expecting. You should return home and inform the others. I don't plan on moving just yet, with the guards still on alert, so you'll have some time to pack and make other preparations. Once I've freed your brother, I'll stop by to let you know it's time to leave Mos Eisley behind." He paused and held out his hand. "Good luck, Owen."

Owen took his hand and shook it sincerely.

"The same to you, Obi-Wan."

[NEXT]

Having waited several hours until dusk, Obi-Wan made his way along Mos Eisley's outer wall in the direction of Gardulla's compound. He'd stayed out of sight ever since escaping earlier that day, so the mercenary guards would've relaxed a little by then. Even if they hadn't, he couldn't afford to wait much longer; the repairs to their ship would be nearly completed and his master would have expected him to return hours ago. It occurred to him, then, that he should have checked in via comlink. He put the thought aside; it was too late to go back and do it over.

Obi-Wan knew he'd reached the compound when the walls started to show signs of repair. He looked up as he silently sidled by, searching for the two-story building that marked the location of the small, half-meter gap between the two walls. He could hear things had quieted down on the other side since he was last there. The Hutt's visitors had no doubt gone home by then, or gone inside to enjoy an evening meal with her followers. He could see a little light emanating from the plaza on the other side of the wall, but it wasn't much in the way of security lighting. Gardulla had certainly grown comfortable in her position, too comfortable to worry about things like a nighttime infiltration.

After reaching the building he'd been looking for, Obi-Wan took his back off the wall to face it, then took a few steps away from it. He ran forward to close the distance between himself and the wall before leaping up. Aided by the Force, he landed on top of the wall. He briefly lost his balance on the narrow edge, but leaned forward to put his hands against the building in front of him. Below himself, he could see the narrow gap. He knelt down to slide through, landing in the sand at the base of the building.

Once he'd sidled out into the open, Obi-Wan could see the plaza before him. As he'd thought, the compound's visitors were gone. Aside from the few guards patrolling the darkened area, there was no one to report his presence. The Jedi stuck to the shadows as he made his way across the plaza to the main building. To its right was the three-story building he and Owen had jumped out of hours earlier. The canopy they'd used to break their fall was still sagging, with one corner detached from its place on the adjacent tower.

Obi-Wan went up the three short steps leading to the main building's entrance and reached out for the door's control panel when it didn't open before him. He froze when he heard footsteps on the other side of the door and leapt away to swing himself around the corner. The door slid open and three people rushed out into the open.

"Get someone to lock the gate," the foremost of the guards ordered as he marched toward the three story building adjacent to the one he'd emerged from, "and put six people around the perimeter to watch the walls."

"Got it," one of the others replied. He broke off from the group and ran across the plaza toward one of the smaller buildings.

"I don't understand," the last of the three grumbled, "how did he get out? I know we locked the cell."

"We'll figure that out once we get him back," the leader replied. He pointed ahead. "If we're lucky, he's still inside."

"Don't you mean if we get him back? We have no idea what he's capable of!"

"He's a kid. We can handle him."

Obi-Wan guessed the other building was Gardulla's "dungeon" and decided to follow the two at a distance, keeping his footsteps quiet in the sand and his head low. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, thereby doing what he master had told him over and over not to do, but he was almost certain they were referring to the boy he was there to rescue. If that were the case, Skywalker had put himself in more danger by giving the guards cause to hunt him. Obi-Wan wasn't about to blame him for it, though. He had no way of knowing help was on its way.

The guards quickly proceeded inside and the door closed behind them. Obi-Wan stopped at the door and waited a few seconds to give them time to get out of earshot. Then, he took a chance and took a step forward so the door would slide open before him. Beyond the threshold, there was a short empty hallway that ended when another hall intersected it. The guards must have disappeared around one of the corners.

Obi-Wan crept down the hallway until he could peer into the next one. The guards had truly been in a hurry, for they were nowhere to be found. The Jedi sighed. Without the information he needed to make an educated guess when it came to which direction to proceed in, he had to put his faith solely in the Force to guide him. He chose quickly, before his own thoughts and prejudices could get in the way. He hoped he wasn't making a mistake as he turned left, walking quickly in the hopes of finding Skywalker before the guards could.

The hallway ended when it reached another hall, this one lined with metal doors at even intervals. The doors each had narrow, barred windows at the head-height of an average human. Obi-Wan crouched to avoid being seen. Those contained within the cells were making a racket, having obviously been stirred up by the guards' searching. Most had sentient voices, but amid the excited yells were the growls and roars of large animals.

Staying low as he walked, Obi-Wan crossed the hallway to the side with the doors and stayed close to it as he made his way toward the door at the end. He hoped none of the prisoners had spotted him. The last door lacked the window the other doors had, so he assumed it was an exit rather than another cell. When it opened as he drew near, he knew he was right. Once he was out of sight of the cells, he stood up straight again.

The next hallway was short and barren and led directly toward a second door. The door was larger than the others. It slid up, revealing a small garage. Speederbikes and swoops were contained within. Most appeared to be in working order, but there were three against the far wall with pieces of their paneling missing, with a tool chest nearby. Obi-Wan hurried past the bikes to a stairway that took him to the second floor, the only other way out of the garage if he didn't want to head back outside.

After he stepped into the second floor hallway, the stairs were sealed off by a thick blast door that slammed down behind him. It had to be a coincidence, he thought; he knew no one had spotted him yet. Surely, they would have confronted him.

"This is Vex Hurleon speaking," a male voice echoed out around him. He recognized it as that of the guard leader he'd followed out of the plaza. He could hear it on the other side of the blast door as well. "The building is going into lockdown. There's no escape now, kid. Stay put and someone will find you."

Obi-Wan grimaced; he needed to move faster if he wanted to find Skywalker first. He ran down the hall and around the corner at its end. As he hurried deeper into the building, he kept his eyes open for any unconventional exits they could use once he found the boy. The lockdown would have sealed off the larger windows and any of the doors that might lead outside. He knew he could cut his way through a blast door, if the need arose, but he didn't want to keep his lightsaber occupied with door slicing if they came under fire.

Obi-Wan ran past several hallways full of cell doors, ignoring the excited hoots and hollers of the people inside them when they saw him dash past. He slipped under another blast door as it started to close and found himself in a room. The air was stale and stuffy, causing Obi-Wan to consider removing the jacket that hid his lightsaber. He resisted the urge. There was a table in the center, with several chairs surrounding it. A sabacc card deck was sprawled out over its surface. Stacks of crates and storage trunks sat along all four walls. There was only one other obvious exit. He could see above the doorframe that there was a second blast door that had yet to close. Perhaps the guards were starting to narrow down the search area. If that were the case, he could only assume Skywalker was headed his way.

Through the open door, Obi-Wan saw a guard run around a corner in the next hall. He raised his weapon when he spotted him. He took two steps toward the room in which the Jedi stood.

"Who're you?" he demanded, "what're you doing in here?"

Obi-Wan held one hand up defensively, while discreetly slipping his other under his jacket toward where his lightsaber rested on his belt.

"I believe I'm lost," he said.

The guard squinted at him through the slit in his helmet, then raised the weapon higher, to look down the rifle's sights.

"No, I remember you, Jedi," he growled, "Gardulla wants you dead."

"That's too bad," Obi-Wan replied, taking the hilt out from under his jacket.

The guard fired and Obi-Wan shifted to his left. The bolt sizzled past him and smacked into the blast door behind him. It left a small black mark on the durasteel plating, but otherwise had no effect on it. Obi-Wan placed his finger over his lightsaber's switch.

Before the guard could fire a second time, the open blast door slammed shut in front of Obi-Wan. The Jedi took a step back and looked up at it. He hadn't seen the guard use his comlink. How had they known to close the door? Obi-Wan looked around for any other way out of the room he found himself trapped in. He stopped when his attention was drawn to the corner of the room. There was nothing there that might warrant it, but he headed toward the corner anyway, feeling a faint influence from the Force. He grabbed hold of the single crate in the corner and pulled it away from the wall. A gust of fresh air greeted him and he let out a quiet sigh of relief. Behind the crate was a metal grate with hinges at the top. He reached for the panel's bottom, but stopped when he heard scratching on the other side. He remained in a crouching position as he backed up slightly, then took hold of the grate to lift it.

Obi-Wan peered into the dark metal tunnel that extended deep into the building's wall. It was a ventilation shaft, something vital for such a large building in a hot environment like Tatooine. It hadn't been wise of the Hutt's people to block it with a crate.

The Jedi squinted when he spotted something moving in the darkness. He saw a head of light-colored hair emerge from the black, just before a hand. Someone was crawling toward him on all fours. Obi-Wan watched as the head looked up, revealing the shadowy form of a young face. A fist shot out from the darkness and struck him in the nose. It wasn't a hard hit, but Obi-Wan backed away to give the new arrival room. The boy inside the tunnel shot out into the open and turned to face him.

"Are yo—"

Obi-Wan's question was interrupted when the boy kicked him in the mouth. He turned around to run, but the Jedi stuck his hand out to catch him by the ankle. The boy fell on the ground and looked back to kick at him.

"Wait!" Obi-Wan shouted.

A crude sandal smacked his hand away from the boy's ankle. He started to get back to his feet.

"Stop!" Obi-Wan cried.

The boy started toward the door that would lead back into the garage, but halted when he saw the closed blast door. He spun about and held his fists up in a clumsy fighting stance.

"Qui-Gon Jinn sent me," Obi-Wan told him calmly before he could resume throwing blows, "I'm here to rescue you."

The boy's fists dropped.

"What?"

"Are you Anakin Skywalker?" the Jedi asked.

The boy nodded.

"Qui-Gon really sent you?" he asked.

"I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, his apprentice."

Anakin smirked.

"Why didn't you say so?"

"It's hard to talk with another person's shoe in your mouth," Obi-Wan quipped, touching the spot he'd been kicked with three fingers. He could tell his lip would be swelling up soon, but smiled anyway. "You're stronger than you look."

Anakin grimaced.

"Well, you did sneak up on me," he replied.

"We can settle this later," Obi-Wan muttered with a shrug. He gestured toward the door. "For now, I think it's time we left." He drew his lightsaber and ignited it.

Anakin grinned at the sight of the glowing blade. The smile vanished when the door behind them cracked open.

"I don't suppose you have a weapon," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin shook his head, but ran over to the wall to start pushing crates toward the compromised blast door. Obi-Wan nodded, aware of what the boy was thinking. It wouldn't keep the door from being opened further, but at least it would delay anyone from crawling through. He smiled at the boy's quick thinking as he jabbed the blade of his lightsaber into the other door.

As Obi-Wan worked to open their way back into the garage, he could hear the guards trying to get at them behind him. The door continued to inch open further, but he could tell by their frustrated grunts that Anakin's efforts to keep them out were working, at least temporarily. He heard a blaster fire and the bolt hit the wall next to him. He glanced back quickly to see Anakin run over and stomp on the blaster barrel protruding into the room from between two of the crates he'd moved.

"Be careful," he warned him.

"It's not going to hold them long," the boy told him urgently.

"We're almost through," Obi-Wan replied.

Anakin yelped and Obi-Wan heard him flop to the ground. He whipped his lightsaber out of the blast door and spun around to slice the wrist of a gloved hand that'd grabbed Anakin's leg from below the other door. The guard on the other side screamed in pain. Anakin crawled away from the door and pried the severed hand off his leg. He looked up, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Be careful," Obi-Wan repeated, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Anakin sighed and nodded, getting back to his feet. Satisfied, the Jedi went back to cutting an oval out of the blast door. Once he was finished, he pulled one leg up and kicked the piece he'd cut out. It fell backward and clanged down on the other side before tumbling down the stairs into the garage. Anakin ran to him with a huge grin as he looked over the melted edges left around the oval cut.

"Let's go," Obi-Wan said.

He ducked through the hole with Anakin close on his tail and hurried down the stairs, careful to avoid tripping over the slab of metal resting at their base. He pointed at the garage door's control panel.

"Try and get that door open," he suggested, "I'll start one of these bikes up."

Obi-Wan started toward the closest of the speederbikes. Anakin cleared his throat. The Jedi looked back.

"Not that one," the boy said.

Obi-Wan looked at the bike, then back at him.

"Why not?" he asked.

Anakin pointed across the room.

"That one's faster," he said, "it's got a customized engine with a eighth of the power of a starship. You can tell from the larger exhaust pipes and extended drag panels. None of these other speeders will be able to catch us once we're moving."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at him.

"How would you know that sort of thing?"

"I used to work for a junk dealer in town, before Gardulla had him killed for dealing with another Hutt. I learned a lot about engines from him."

Obi-Wan sighed and shrugged.

"Then perhaps I should be the one to open the door," he proposed.

Anakin hurried over to the designated speederbike while Obi-Wan went to the control panel beside the garage door. He manipulated the controls, attempting to work past the override the lockdown had forced it into. The light on its surface continued to flash red.

"This may be the one time in my life I'll regret not becoming a slicer," he said.

An awful grating sound emanated from the stairway, as well as the shouts of the guards barging their way through the crates Anakin had placed. Obi-Wan made a face as he took the lightsaber from his belt. He doubted he'd have the time to cut them another exit with the guards so close to getting through, but they were out of options.

He cried out in alarm when a shower of sparks erupted from something behind him and to his left. He threw an arm up to shield his face. He lowered it when the sparks stopped and looked back to see a small hole had been blasted out of the garage door. He looked over to see Anakin fire again, using the heavy blasters mounted on the front of the speederbike. He threw his arm up again and hunched over as he ran toward the bike. Flying sparks and shrapnel struck his leatheris boots.

"Ha ha!" Anakin exclaimed triumphantly, "I didn't know that would work!"

Obi-Wan hopped onto the bike behind him.

"You're lucky that wasn't a blast door," he grumbled, "you could've gotten us both killed with that much firepower."

"But I didn't," Anakin retorted.

Obi-Wan reached around him to take the controls and started the bike forward. The bike shot out of the hole in the door at incredible speed, threatening to throw them both from the seat. Anakin let out an excited "woo!" as he clung to the bike's front panel. Obi-Wan's jacket flapped about wildly behind them as they sped out into the open desert to Mos Eisley's south. The Jedi turned the bike slightly so they flew parallel to the city's outer wall. It wasn't long before he could hear the roar of heavily modified speederbike engines behind them. He glanced back quickly to see four bikes on their tail, though they were hardly gaining on them.

The distance between the bike and its pursuers wasn't enough to dissuade their riders from firing at them. One of them had blasters on his bike, but the others used their sidearms while precariously maintaining control of their vehicles.

"Speed up!" Anakin shouted over the roar of the custom engine and the wind rushing past them.

Obi-Wan ducked quickly and a bolt rushed over his head before slamming into the sand, kicking it up in front of them. They rushed through the cloud of dust and Obi-Wan grunted to clear the sand out of his throat. He took one hand off the bike's handles.

"I heard you're a racer," he shouted, "think you can take the controls?"

"You bet I can!" Anakin yelled back, taking hold of the handles.

"Just don't throw me off."

Obi-Wan released the handles and grabbed the base of the seat to stabilize himself as he twisted back. He pulled out his lightsaber, switching it on as he did, and knocked away a blaster bolt that'd gotten uncomfortably close to them. He continued to keep their shots away from them as Anakin sped the bike up. The boy veered off into the foothills where they had some cover.

"We need to lose them," Obi-Wan cried.

"I'm trying," Anakin shouted back. He yelped when a bolt landed just to his right. "We just need to make it to the north part of town."

Obi-Wan took his eyes off their pursuers briefly to look down at the boy incredulously.

"The streets are too narrow," he argued, "you'll slam us into the side of a building!"

"I've flown in pod races before; I can handle it!"

Obi-Wan was prompted to look back again when the Force warned him of incoming danger. He deflected a heavy blaster bolt with his lightsaber, causing reverberations from the impact to run down his arm. Anakin didn't need to be told to speed up again. Obi-Wan's grip on the seat tightened when one of his feet slipped from the bike's stirrup.

"We're almost there!" Anakin yelled.

The speederbike shout out into the open as they left the foothills behind and headed back toward the city. The Hutt's mercenaries opened fire, but none of the shots could make it past the Jedi's defense. Obi-Wan looked ahead and felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw how quickly they were about to enter the narrow streets of the north side. They whipped past the city wall's gate and turned fast and hard to clear a turn. He felt the bike slow down slightly to round another corner. He heard a crash when one of the bikes chasing them rammed into a building behind them, having failed to slow in time.

Anakin swung the bike left and right to speed around a circular tower. The sound of the bikes chasing them began to fade out. Obi-Wan looked back to see that if they were still chasing them, they were far behind after being forced to slowly navigate the streets. He had to admit he hadn't expected much from the boy, but Anakin had blown those expectations out of the water.

"I think we're in the clear," he said, "head back home. We need to warn your family."

"Warn them?" Anakin asked.

"Gardulla won't be pleased you've escaped," Obi-Wan explained, "your family will be in danger."

Anakin looked back at him in alarm.

"What will they do!?"

Obi-Wan's eyes widened.

"Please! Look where we're going!"

Anakin turned forward again.

"Don't worry," Obi-Wan told him once he felt a little safer, "your brother has a plan to relocate the family."

"The moisture farm thing?"

"I can explain later. We don't have much time before those thugs go to your house to look for you."

Anakin nodded and quickly sped them through the tricky twists and turns of northern Mos Eisley. After clearing the cluttered sector of the city, they sped up in the direction of the Lars family hovel.

[NEXT]

Anakin stopped the speederbike next to the family's landspeeder. He and Obi-Wan dismounted as his mother ran toward them. Tears of joy were streaming down her face when she hugged him. He groaned.

"Mom, I'm fine," he muttered.

"Are you sure?" Shmi asked, brushing his hair out of his face, "did they hurt you?"

Cliegg and Owen came to greet them as well.

"No, they didn't hurt me," Anakin replied, "they were too afraid they'd get in trouble with Gardulla."

"Thank the Force," Shmi breathed, hugging him again.

Anakin tried to look reluctant when he hugged her back. He didn't want to look too childish in front of the Jedi standing behind him, but he'd honestly started to believe he wouldn't see his mother again before Obi-Wan found him in that prison. Her embrace tightened and he felt her tears soaking through his shirt. Finally, she released him and kissed his head.

Cliegg offered his hand to Obi-Wan.

"Kenobi, right?"

The Jedi nodded and took it. Cliegg shook his hand firmly, smiling.

"When Owen told me you went alone, I thought I'd never get the chance to meet you," he said. He chuckled. "You pulled off a miracle in our eyes. I hope you realize how grateful we are."

"A Jedi requires no thanks," Obi-Wan replied, "I'm just glad I was able to help."

"We're incredibly thankful, all the same."

Obi-Wan nodded.

"I hate to cut this reunion short, but Gardulla's thugs will come here looking for Anakin soon."

"Yes, Owen told us about that." Cliegg gestured toward the landspeeder. "We've packed what we can."

"Then you should be on your way."

Cliegg nodded and shook his hand again.

"You can let your master know that if either of you find yourself in the Outer Rim again, you have friends in the Lars family."

Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan.

"I'll get my things," he said.

He ran through the charred doorway of the hut and to the far wall where he'd placed his small pack of belongings. He slung it over his shoulder and proceeded back outside. He looked at his mother, who advanced to kiss him a second time.

"Make us proud, Anakin," she said quietly.

Anakin didn't care if he seemed childish in front of Obi-Wan as he went to hug his mother one last time, squeezing her tightly as he forced himself not to tear up. Finally, he let go of her and turned away quickly before his fear and anxiety about leaving her could change his mind. Obi-Wan smiled and walked him back to the speederbike they'd stolen from the Hutt.

The bike started out into the city. Anakin didn't want to, but he had to look back one more time. Shmi and the others were climbing into their landspeeder. He looked ahead again and tried to think of all the amazing things that awaited him in the galaxy. Surely, with so many adventures in his future, he wouldn't have time to miss his mother. And yet, at that moment, he found himself having trouble thinking of anything or anyone else.

[NEXT]

Obi-Wan piloted the stolen speederbike as they crossed the open desert back in the direction of the ship. He took one hand off the steering to activate the comlink built into the control panel. The channel clicked on, but he only heard static.

"Master? Ruta?" he asked, "is anyone there?"

The static fluctuated slightly before dying out.

"Obi-Wan, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied, "is everything alright? The comm. sounds unstable."

"There was a slight hiccup while we were conducting the repairs," Qui-Gon explained, "but it's been resolved."

"Master, I'm sorry I didn't contact you earlier, but there were some complications on my end as well."

"Complications?"

"Skywalker had been kidnapped by the Hutt that runs the city. I've recovered him, so there's nothing to worry about now, but I realized I forgot to inform you."

"That's…unexpected," Qui-Gon replied. There was a pause. "Obi-Wan, did you harm the Hutt? Relations between the Republic and the Hutts are strained enough as it is. The Senate would blame the Order if you stirred up a conflict."

"No, no. I was careful."

"Is there anything else I should know about? What about the family?"

"They're safe. They're moving t—"

The speederbike shook when something struck the rear panel. Obi-Wan fought to regain control of the bike before looking back. There was a vehicle close on their tail. He wondered how it could have gotten so close without his hearing the engine, although even then he couldn't hear anything from it. It was a black speeder, unlike any he'd seen before. The person piloting it was also dressed in black, from head-to-toe. He was forced to look ahead again to make sure they wouldn't hit any of the boulders in their path, but he had to wonder. He thought of the vision he'd had only hours earlier, the one starring a man dressed totally in black. He'd thought the event he witnessed in the vision was far in the future, on a planet of red sands rather than brown. Perhaps he'd been thinking too literally. Perhaps the darkness he'd felt then was chasing him once again.

"Anakin, I need you to take control again," he said.

"Obi-Wan? What's going on?" his master asked through the comlink.

"We're being pursued by another speeder," Obi-Wan replied.

"Is it the Hutt's people?"

"No. I'm not sure who it is, but the speeder is incredibly fast and almost silent. It could be an assassin. I'll try to lose him before we get to the ship."

"No, you have a child with you. Bring him back to the ship and I'll deal with the one chasing you."

"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan closed the comm. channel.

"Child?" Anakin muttered in a disappointed tone.

"Take the controls and keep us on course," Obi-Wan told him, ignoring the complaint.

Anakin did as he was told and Obi-Wan twisted back to watch their pursuer. The layers of black cloth he wore billowed wildly in the wind. His speeder was gaining on them, despite the speederbike's modified engine. The man didn't fire on them again, though the flat valley they were negotiating provided him plenty of opportunity.

"Speed up," he said.

"The throttle's at full," Anakin replied, "we can't go any faster." The boy glanced back quickly. "Who is it?" he asked. Obi-Wan could hear the fear in his voice.

"I don't know yet," the Jedi replied, trying to convey a sense of calm through his voice, though the answer was far from comforting. He patted the boy's shoulder with his free hand, clinging to the seat with the other. "Don't worry," he said, "I won't let anything happen to you."

Anakin nodded his acknowledgment, but Obi-Wan could feel how tense his muscles were under his tunic. He took his hand off his shoulder and reached down to take out his lightsaber. The speeder was nearly upon them by then. Obi-Wan looked ahead again. He could see the sun glinting off something metal and knew they had to be close to the ship. He looked back in time to see the man on the black speeder pull something from his cloak.

A quick pang from the Force prompted him to ignite his lightsaber. As soon as he did, he heard the sound he knew so well: another lightsaber being switched on. A sinister red blade appeared, attached to a dark metal lightsaber hilt in the other man's hand. Obi-Wan didn't have time to be shocked before the glowing red weapon slashed down at him. He whipped his own upward to block the attack. The other speeder was briefly forced away by the impact. Their pursuer soon recovered and brought his speeder close enough to slash at him again. He knocked the other blade back, but the speeder stayed with them, allowing their attacker to strike a third time. This time, he meant to decapitate Anakin. The boy shrieked when Obi-Wan blocked it, the blades colliding with a loud crash only centimeters from him.

The Jedi looked onward. He could clearly see the shape of the ship, then. Their attacker looked as well. Obi-Wan heard him growl, then he brought his lightsaber down on the rear of their speederbike, slicing through the engine. Obi-Wan extinguished his lightsaber and threw an arm around Anakin just before the bike's jets exploded behind them. The bike lurched, throwing them both into the soft sand of the dunes. Obi-Wan landed back-first with Anakin on top of him, both dazed by the fall.

Obi-Wan managed to look up and see the black speeder rush past them, then make a wide turn toward them. He rolled Anakin off of his chest and tried to get up as quickly as he could, but was still in a kneeling position when the speeder came upon him. The man swung his lightsaber down at him. Obi-Wan leaned down again so both speeder and lightsaber blade passed over him. He looked over at Anakin, who was on his hands and knees.

"Stay down!" he shouted.

Anakin ducked low in the sand. Obi-Wan jumped to his feet and slid into a fighting stance, his lightsaber at the ready. The black speeder came about again. Obi-Wan blocked the man's attack, but failed to see his boot coming before it struck him in the jaw. The Jedi fell back in the sand, grunting painfully as his back hit the ground a second time. The man leapt off his speeder and began to storm toward him, holding his weapon out to his side. The blade dragged in the sand, searing it as he walked. He jumped toward Obi-Wan, bringing his lightsaber down over his head. The blade halted a short distance from Obi-Wan's face when Qui-Gon blocked it with his own. His master grunted as he pushed the man back several steps.

"Get Anakin back to the ship," Qui-Gon commanded him. He glanced back. "Go!"

Obi-Wan scrambled back to his feet and took hold of Anakin's bicep to pull him up.

"Run!" he yelled.

Obi-Wan ran with him back toward the ship. Despite the boy's obvious fear, he caught him looking back several times. He understood the desire; he'd never seen anything like their attacker either. Obi-Wan rushed Anakin up into the ship before stopping on the ramp to look back at his master.

The man with the red lightsaber struck hard and fast, but Qui-Gon was able to match him, deflecting blow after blow while occasionally striking back, though killing his enemy was obviously not his highest priority. Obi-Wan ran up the ramp and into the cockpit where Ruta sat. Captain Panaka stood behind her. They both looked back when he entered, alarm written across their faces.

"What in the blazes is going on!?" she cried.

"No time," Obi-Wan replied. He pointed toward the battle. "Fly low."

Ruta nodded.

"Gotcha."

The ship lifted out of the sand and proceeded slowly, hovering low over the desert. Obi-Wan saw his master look back and was comforted to know he saw them coming for him. He rushed back down to the loading ramp where he saw them start to pass over the fighting. Qui-Gon shoved the attacker backward before disengaging to turn and leap up onto the moving ramp.

"Go!" Obi-Wan cried into the comlink.

Immediately, the ship angled upward and pulled away from the planet's surface. Qui-Gon closed the ramp and turned around to face his apprentice. He was breathing hard from the effort of fighting and sweating from the heat.

"Who do you think he was, Master?" Obi-Wan asked.

Qui-Gon shook his head.

"I think you might've been right," he replied.

Anakin appeared in the loading bay's doorway.

"Are we safe?" he asked.

Qui-Gon looked over and smiled at him. He walked to him and plopped a hand on his shoulder.

"We are," he answered, "you don't need to be afraid while you're with us, Anakin."

The boy nodded.

"You should rest after all that excitement. I'll show you to the lounge."

Obi-Wan watched his master lead the boy further into the ship before heading back up to the cockpit.

"How are we doing?" he asked as he climbed into the co-pilot's seat beside Ruta.

"Looks like we're free and clear," the pilot replied, "but it'll be a little while before we can make the jump to lightspeed."

Obi-Wan's brow wrinkled.

"I thought the repairs were complete," he said.

"They are," Panaka explained. He gestured toward the diagnostic screen. "But the only parts we could get our hands on were from junk dealers. They're old."

"The hyperdrive's system just needs a few minutes to adjust, that's all," Ruta added. She glanced back at the hallway. "If our astromech droid didn't get blasted, I bet it could've sped it up a little, but what can you do, right?"

Obi-Wan nodded. Ruta grimaced at him.

"What's with the fat lip? Did the evil Jedi do that?"

The Jedi smiled a little and shook his head.

"It was a small misunderstanding."

Panaka moved to his side of the cockpit.

"Do you know anything about that man? What did he want?" he asked.

"He didn't say anything to me and it looked like he was too busy trying to kill my master to reveal his intentions to us," Obi-Wan replied dejectedly. He sighed. "I'm afraid he'll have to remain a mystery for now."

"Do we at least know what he is?" Ruta asked.

Obi-Wan looked over at her, but quickly put his gaze back on the open space on the other side of the cockpit's dome. Would someone like Ruta know what a Sith was? Would it be wise to bring up something that might induce panic in the occupants of the ship? He didn't want to risk it, but surely they needed to know what they might be up against. He cleared his throat.

"We're not sure yet," he replied after a brief pause, "it's something my master will need to discuss with the Jedi Council. For now, I suggest we just do our best to avoid him."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Ruta agreed with a short, humorless laugh.

"Was there any sign he might've been a Separatist agent?" Panaka asked.

"Nothing obvious, but it would be a strange coincidence if he wasn't. I doubt he's a local."

Panaka let out an anxious groan.

"How much longer before the hyperdrive is ready?" he asked, "we need to get the queen away from here."

"Like I said, it needs a few minutes," Ruta answered. Obi-Wan noticed she didn't bother to look at the diagnostic screen. By Panaka's expression, he was sure the guard captain noticed as well.

"How many minutes?" he asked slowly and impatiently.

"You act like I've patched up a perfectly good ship with garbage before," Ruta grumbled at him, "I really have no idea how long it'll take, but until that hyperdrive indicator turns blue, we aren't going anywhere." She smirked and leaned back to put her feet up on the console. "Unless you want me to land on one of the moons. I mean, there're three, so just take your pick."

"Ruta, we really don't need to start fighting each other at a time like this," Obi-Wan broke in before Panaka had the chance to continue the exchange of jabs. The captain sighed angrily and looked down at the diagnostics.

"Hold on," he began when something caught his eye. He pointed a finger at the scanners. "What's that? It's coming up awfully fast."

Ruta took her feet off the console and leaned forward to get a better look.

"Yeah, you're right," she muttered, "too fast to be anything other than another ship. Looks like it's too big to be one of those vulture droids. I'd say it's a starfighter."

"Let's hope they aren't here for us," Obi-Wan commented, looking down at the screen as well.

"I wish I could tell you they weren't, but it's heading straight for us," Ruta said urgently. She reached over to press the button that would activate the ship's intercom. "Hey, Master Qui-Gon," she announced, "you might want to get up here."

Captain Panaka sat in the empty seat behind Obi-Wan's, but didn't fasten the belt. He leaned forward to keep an eye on the console. Ruta shook her head.

"I guess I can try hailing them," she murmured as she pressed another button.

"Keep the communications screen switched off," Obi-Wan suggested, "we don't need them peering into our ship". Ruta nodded.

"This is Captain Vostana of the transport Dawnstar," she said into the console, "we see you on our scanners and have to wonder why you're speeding toward us like that. You're making our passengers nervous."

"You couldn't be more professional?" Panaka asked.

"Nope," Ruta chirped, "this is the Outer Rim, remember?"

There was a moment of static as they waited for a response. Qui-Gon arrived in the cockpit and stood behind the pilot's chair.

"An enemy?" he asked.

"We're waiting for a response to our hail," Ruta informed him.

"If you can call that a hail," the guard captain grumbled to himself.

Finally, the static ceased and a deep, chilling voice entered the cockpit, "surrender the queen and her Jedi escorts to me and I will allow you to leave this system alive."

Ruta glanced over at Obi-Wan.

"Ahh, we don't have any royalty aboard," she replied to the other ship, "we're just a small transport on our way to-"

The comm. screen flicked on of its own accord and Ruta jumped back in her seat. A man in a pitch black hood appeared on the console. The darkness of the starfighter's cockpit kept them from identifying him, but it was easy to see he was the same man they'd encountered in the desert.

Ruta shook her head.

"How did he…?"

"He has knowledge of the Force," Qui-Gon mumbled quietly.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking I'm a fool," the man on the screen growled, "if you test me, I'll see to it that you're granted a slow death." His head angled upward slightly and the light from the fighter's console glinted off the eyes hidden under the hood, revealing an unnatural yellow. "Tell me, Jedi," he continued, "are you willing to let these people die for you?"

"We don't have any Jedi on—"

"Silence, idiot" the man interrupted Ruta, his tone unconcerned, "I am addressing the Jedi who ran from me in the desert. The Order is weak, but I never expected such cowardice from a supposed master."

Qui-Gon stepped out from behind Ruta's chair, putting himself in view.

"You have my attention," he said, "who are you?"

"If you need some way to refer to me, you may call me 'my lord'," the man replied haughtily.

"Oof," Ruta grumbled quietly, "you know, I don't see that happening."

Obi-Wan nodded his agreement.

"We have no intention of surrendering to you, creature, nor of killing you" Qui-Gon stated, his tone calm and professional, "but if you continue to hinder us in our mission, we will use whatever force is required."

"I would like to see that," the starfighter pilot hissed at him. The comm. channel and the screen attached to it clicked off, ending the conversation.

"That's not good," Captain Panaka commented tensely.

Qui-Gon leaned closer to Ruta.

"Time for some fancy flying," he told her.

"You guys are really making me earn my paycheck." She activated the ship's intercom again. "Everybody strap in. We're going for a ride."

Qui-Gon sat down in the chair behind Ruta's. Captain Panaka fastened his seat's restraints and sighed. Obi-Wan looked back toward the cockpit's entrance when he heard someone's feet on the threshold. Anakin stood near the doorway, stretching his neck upward to get a look at the console. Qui-Gon looked back as well.

"Go back to the lounge," he said, "there are safety restraints."

Anakin moved forward to grab onto the back of Panaka's chair.

"I want to see," he replied.

"Do as I say, Anakin."

The ship shook violently and the boy was thrown to his left. Qui-Gon stretched out an arm to catch him before he could hit his head on the chair's armrest. He pulled Anakin closer to himself and secured his arm around his midsection protectively.

"What was that?" Panaka asked, "I thought we were trying to evade him."

"Do you want to fly the ship?" Ruta demanded through clenched teeth.

"Yes!" Anakin exclaimed.

"I wasn't talking to you, Shorty." She turned the ship hard. "Blast!" The vessel shook again. "This guy's good. It's like he knows where I'm going to go before I go! That's impossible, right?"

"His training in the Force has given him the reflexes of a Jedi," Qui-Gon replied.

Ruta groaned.

"Normally, I'd love a challenge, but this is ridiculous. I can't shake him!"

Obi-Wan pointed at the scanners and looked back at Qui-Gon.

"Master, he only shoots when we try to turn away. I think he's directing us toward that moon ahead."

Qui-Gon shifted Anakin to his other arm so he could better see the screen. He looked up through the cockpit's dome at the bland ball of grey rock they were approaching. It wasn't the largest of the three moons orbiting Tatooine, but it was plenty large enough to hide an outpost or docked ship.

"Do a concentrated scan," he said, "find out what's on that moon."

Obi-Wan did as he was told while Ruta continued attempting to escape the fighter corralling them toward it. The ship shook again.

"Blast!" the pilot shrieked, "if we keep this up, he'll knock out the hyperdrive again.

"That fighter is too small to have its own hyperdrive," Qui-Gon noted, "how much longer until we can make the jump to lightspeed?"

"Like I told naggy over here," she gestured at Panaka with her thumb, "I have no damned clue. The parts we got are old. I don't know how long it'll take for the systems to compensate."

Anakin grabbed hold of Ruta's chair to look at the diagnostic screen.

"How long ago did you install them?" he asked.

Ruta glanced back at him.

"What're you still doing in here?" she asked.

"How long ago was it?"

"An hour and maybe ten minutes," Captain Panaka answered for her.

"Alright, so you have about ten minutes left," Anakin continued, "the ship just needs time to blow all the sand out and lubricate the parts, then stabilize the connections to its systems. People used to complain about this all the time at the junk shop."

"In ten minutes, we'll be at that moon and probably blown into space junk," Ruta grumbled, "we don't have enough time." She roared in frustration when another attempt to escape the starfighter behind them failed. "Listen, guys, I'm open to any suggestions! Someone here has to have an idea!"

"Let me fly the ship," Anakin offered.

"It was funny the first time, Shorty."

"Master," Obi-Wan spoke up, "the scan found nothing on the moon, but there's a large mass behind it." He looked ahead. "At the rate we're going, we should be able to see it soon."

As the ship was chased around the small moon, the side paneling of another ship came into view. Seconds later, they could see it was a cruiser with the Separatist's emblem painted on the side of its bridge.

"Son of a bantha," Ruta breathed as she took in the full scale of their predicament.

They were being forced toward the Separatists' command ship. The cruiser wasn't as large as a battleship, but it was easy to see how many guns were mounted to its hull. The docking bay door was open, ready to receive them.

"Fly away," Panaka insisted, "get us out of here. We can't allow them to recapture the queen."

"We're almost in range of their tractor beam," Obi-Wan warned Ruta.

"It's no use, alright!?" the pilot hissed through clenched teeth, "every turn I make, he's there first. I dive, he's already there to catch us. I've done everything I can!"

"I thought you were good at this," Panaka growled.

"I am!"

Anakin pulled out of Qui-Gon's grasp and ran up next to the pilot's seat.

"Let me fly the ship," he repeated.

"Shorty, have you even set foot in a cockpit before?"

"Not one that was flying, but I can do this. I race speederbikes all the time and I almost always win. I've even survived pod races."

"Now you're just lying," Ruta grumbled at him.

Obi-Wan leaned over to look at her.

"He pilots a speederbike better than I can, if that means anything," he contributed.

"It means he can pilot a speederbike," Ruta argued, "starships and speederbikes aren't the same thing."

"No, it means I can fly around things at high speeds without crashing," Anakin retorted. He shrugged. "Isn't that what we need right now?"

Ruta sighed in resignation.

"Alright," she murmured.

Ruta started to get out of her seat. Captain Panaka clicked his restraints off and got to his feet.

"What?" he demanded, "are you crazy?"

Ruta turned to face him.

"When you run out of good ideas, you have to go with a bad one," she stated.

Anakin eagerly hopped into the pilot's seat and secured the restraints before putting his hands on the controls.

"No," Panaka insisted, "no, I can't leave the queen's safety in the hands of some kid!"

Qui-Gon stood up beside him.

"Have patience, Captain," he whispered, "the Force is with this boy."

"There's a thin line between Jedi wisdom and lunatic's ramblings," Panaka whispered back.

Obi-Wan glanced back at them. He tried not to feel insulted, but it wasn't easy. His rising anger was extinguished when he saw how well his master kept his calm.

"People are quick to judge things they don't understand," Qui-Gon replied, "but this is just a matter of faith. I have faith in this boy. Do you have faith in me?"

Panaka sighed.

"Of course I do, Master Jedi, but we don't know him."

"The Force knows him. It will guide him."

Panaka slowly sat back down and put his hand to his forehead.

"I hope you're right."

Anakin looked back.

"So…are we good?" he asked.

Ruta leaned over the pilot's chair.

"Just go, Shorty. We'll be in the Separatists' tractor beam if we wait any longer."

Anakin grinned and put his hand on the throttle, then pulled it down hard. The ship slowed to crawl.

"Woah, wait a minute, we want to make it harder for him to catch us, not easier!" Ruta exclaimed.

"Just wait," Anakin replied confidently.

The blip on the scanners that was the enemy starfighter gained on them quickly.

"Anytime, kid," Panaka groaned.

"Almost," Anakin muttered. He was focused on the scanners with one hand on the throttle and the other on the steering yoke.

Obi-Wan would have protested, if he couldn't feel the strong concentration of Force energy surrounding their young friend. The boy didn't know it, but he was communing with the Force like a trained padawan. And yet, it was stronger in him than anything he'd felt in anyone else. With, of course, the exception of Yoda, Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. He looked back at his master, his eyes wide. Qui-Gon nodded knowingly at him. He understood, then, why he'd been so keen on bringing the boy back to Coruscant.

Obi-Wan turned his attention back to the console. The blip drew steadily closer to the one that represented their ship. It was nearly on top of them before Anakin rammed the throttle to full and angled the ship down hard into a high-speed dive. Obi-Wan watched the enemy fighter's blip scramble to get back on their tail. He smiled when he realized what the boy did.

"Oh, I see," Ruta whispered. By her tone, Obi-Wan could tell she was mildly impressed. "When you got him that close, he couldn't react quickly enough."

Anakin nodded.

"You said it was like he could predict what you were going to do, right? You just have to become unpredictable. That's something you need to learn fast when you're in the middle of a pod race."

Obi-Wan smiled at him.

"Alright, that was a neat trick, but we're not out of it yet," Ruta pointed out, "he's already coming back. We need him off our back until the hyperdrive is online."

"I have an idea," Anakin assured her.

The ship whipped around and flew straight for the grey moon to their left. The starfighter chasing them fired wildly, attempting to regain control of them, but Anakin threw the ship into a sharp twist. With the transport rolling the way it was, the fighter would need to aim at their center to hit them. Of course, that ran the risk of destroying them altogether and they knew he wanted them alive. Obi-Wan closed his eyes to avoid getting dizzy.

"Careful, you'll need to slow us down if you want to make it into that crater without crushing us," Ruta told him.

Anakin nodded.

The ship stopped rolling and slowed down as they approached a large crater in the moon's surface. Anakin angled the ship up again so they flew parallel with the crater's bottom. The starfighter followed them. The transport powered on toward a narrow canyon that led out of the crater. The fighter began to shoot again. The ship quaked when a blast hit their deflector shield hard. Everyone in the cockpit stayed silent, most holding their breath as the ship turned vertical to enter the canyon. Grey shards of sharp rock reached out at them from the canyon walls as they flew past, navigating sharp turns and sudden drops. The fighter chasing them was able to follow, but couldn't get a clear shot at them with such a complicated rock maze between them.

"He's locking onto us," Obi-Wan warned him, "he's going to fire a homing missile."

Anakin glanced down at the scanners.

"Uh oh," he murmured.

The missile fired and was soon gaining on them, despite the difficult twists and turns of the canyon's path.

"So, I can fly, but I have no idea what to do about missiles," Anakin stated for the others.

Obi-Wan watched the missile approach on the scanners. Ruta moved to his side of the cockpit and pointed at the console.

"Garbage dump," she said.

Obi-Wan grinned and pressed the button to purge their trash chutes. Scrap metal and pieces of all manner of refuse flew out of a hole in the rear of the transport's bulk. The missile collided with the mass of trash.

"Agh!" Anakin exclaimed when the ship was flung forward by the explosion behind them. He fought to maintain control of the ship. "Is the ship alright?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Obi-Wan checked the diagnostic screen.

"We got a little cooked, but we'll survive," he answered. He smiled when the hyperdrive indicator switched from orange to blue. "And the hyperdrive's online." He began plotting the course for Coruscant.

"Get us out of here, Shorty," Ruta said triumphantly.

Anakin shot the ship upward and out of the moon's canyon. Once they were clear, Obi-Wan punched the button that would bring the hyperdrive to life. The ship rocketed off into hyperspace, leaving the dusty ball of sand that was Tatooine far behind.