Anakin and Siri hadn't been able to spar for as long as he would have liked as Siri said she had an engagement to get to. That left Anakin alone to practice his katas and then against droids as everyone else had gone to dinner. He wasn't hungry, so he'd sent a comm text to Hik'te and Coira that he wouldn't be there and to not worry about him.

Eventually, he realized that he was acting out on his frustration and anxiety about the upcoming trip to the Senate again and that he still had some classwork he had to do, so he decided to stop for the night. As he was exiting the room, though, Anakin stumbled across the last person he'd expected to – and one of the last people he'd wanted to. He'd just finished cleaning up when he felt a familiar twinge in the Force. A little surprised, he'd turned just in time to see one Ferus Olin more or less storm into a training room across the hall and down a couple of doors.

At first he found himself surprised that Obi-wan and Ferus had returned after only a week or so. Then his surprise grew when he noticed just how upset the boy looked. Part of Anakin just wanted to walk away. Vader would have wanted to know what was going on, but more to keep awareness and control of the situation than anything else. Clone Wars Anakin wouldn't have had the time, energy or self-awareness to want to do anything. But a young, fresh-from-slavery Anakin would have wanted to help, even if he had no idea how. More importantly, as a young padawan, under a new knight like Obi-wan, Anakin could have really used some help... and now Ferus was in a similar situation. If anyone knew how difficult learning under 'Knight Kenobi the Sith Killer' could be, it would be Anakin.

That, and the Force nudged him in that direction.

Also, if Siri were here, she'd have been over there in a heartbeat. She'd helped Anakin out so much recently, and this felt like something he could actually do to pay her back for following him back in time.

Didn't mean he wanted to do it.

Anakin internally groaned, but called out before the door to the other's salle had closed.

"Hey, Ferus Olin, right?"

The boy froze and slowly turned, eyes suspicious and a little red. Anakin pretended not to notice.

"Yeah," he said, defensive.

"I'm Anakin Skywaker, from the Thranta Clan, remember?" Anakin asked, holding his hand out.

Ferus blinked at him, then looked down at the appendage before glancing back up. Did he expect a trap or something? After a moment, he took Anakin's proffered hand and shook it.

"Yes," he said finally. "I... don't remember being introduced to you before."

"Well, we were only in the same combined groups for a couple of months before you became a padawan," Anakin replied with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "In any case, are you here to practice?"

The dark-haired boy (except for that one blond streak) blinked at Anakin, surprised at the question. "Yes."

"Mind if I practice with you?" the 'younger' boy asked. "My sparring partner had to leave early."

Ferus wanted to be alone, Anakin could tell, and part of him wanted to gracefully back out, but the Force was still nudging him... Perhaps Ferus needed just the opposite of what he wanted? Anakin could relate.

"Um... sure, I guess."

"Thanks!" Anakin said, turning up his grin to eleven (and his childishness too, he'd been working on that). "I've been working really hard to try and get better at lightsaber fighting."

Ferus frowned. "Why?"

Because he had a Sith Lord to battle.

Anakin shrugged. "Why not? I want to be able to protect the people around me when I become a padawan."

"Oh." Ferus didn't look convinced, but he didn't press the subject. He always had been too sharp for his own good.

"So, what form do you use?" the time-traveler asked.

"My master has been teaching me form IV."

That... was different. Obi-wan had drilled Anakin on form III when he'd been apprenticed. He'd had to ask Obi-wan to teach him form V, although the knight had capitulated fairly easily.

"Because you wanted to learn that form?" Anakin asked as he shut the door.

Ferus didn't answer, just shrugging and looking away. The initiate frowned. That... wasn't like the calm, confident Ferus he remembered, either from his memories or from the initiates' combined clans. But he also didn't seem like he was ready – or willing – to talk, so Anakin just walked to the other side of the room, stretching a bit, and then taking his lightsaber out. He was still a little tired from his own recent practice, but he was sure he could give the padawan a run for his money. Actually, if he couldn't control this entire fight, he'd give up on the lightsaber altogether and go ask Plo Koon to teach him Emerald Lightning.

"What form do you use?" Ferus asked.

Anakin frowned again. It should be obvious from his stance. "Form V."

The other boy nodded. "I thought so. Whenever you're ready."

They sat there for another few seconds, starting to circle each other, before they shot forward, igniting their blades, Anakin just a hair faster than Ferus. It was over far faster than former Sith would have thought, ending up with the older boy on his back and Anakin's blade at his throat.

"A... purple blade?" Ferus asked, looking a little overwhelmed.

Anakin looked down at the amethyst blade emanating from his lightsaber hilt.

"I... came to the Temple a little late and had some training before I came," he said carefully.

"Oh," Ferus replied. Then he took a deep breath. "I yield," he finally said through gritted teeth.

Anakin turned his blade off and held out his hand for Ferus to take. The boy frowned at it as if it were a snake of some kind before he reached up and took it. Anakin could tell he was frustrated at having lost to a younger student, but Ferus had never been one to make allowances or excuses, especially for himself. He just pushed himself harder.

And, exactly as Anakin had expected, Ferus went into his form IV stance again.

The time-traveler felt a small grin tug at the side of his mouth. He seemed more focused this time than he had before. Good.

Their exchange lasted much longer this time, but ended when Anakin hit the back of Ferus' head with the butt of his hilt. It wouldn't be hard enough to really hurt (let alone concuss) him, but it was enough to trip him up and knock him down. When he looked up, Anakin's blade rested right next to his neck.

"I yield," he said, sounding even more frustrated. "Again!"

Anakin was fine with that. They went back into their stances, and went at it again.

Ferus never won a fight, and Anakin could tell it was really getting to him, but he refused to go too easy on the boy. He'd actually had to hold back a little to make the fight remotely fair, but doubted the other would appreciate knowing that. He wondered why the Force had nudged him over here if his sparring with the older boy would just make everything worse.

"You're getting sloppy," Anakin warned, when Ferus started getting too upset to focus.

Ferus' response was to launch himself forward again. Yeah, Anakin wasn't fighting him like that. So he turned his lightsaber off and lowered it to one side. He watched calmly as Ferus' lightsaber slowed and came to a halt inches away from his face. Well, at least the boy had managed to stop himself. Anakin just waited patiently for the other boy's expression of shock to melt away.

It did. Right back into an expression of calm solemnity that had always been Ferus Olin's default. It was a better expression than the frustrated anger just a couple of moments before.

"Are you... tired?" Ferus asked. There was the boy Anakin remembered. He still had a long way to go before he grew into the man he would eventually become, or even the padawan a younger Anakin had counted as his rival, but the foundation was there. The boy wasn't nearly as unreadable as he obviously wanted to be, it would take a while before he learned that level of calm, but his self control was still impressive for his age. The former Sith could still feel the other boy's frustration (and something deeper, but he hadn't had a chance to really look yet), but here he sat with a face that could have been carved from stone for all the emotion it showed, even if it had taken a bit to get there.

"A little," Anakin said truthfully. "But that isn't why I stopped. You... don't seem happy." He wasn't quite sure how else to say it. He wanted to ask why, when he had Obi-wan to teach him, he seemed so frustrated and angry... but then, Anakin really wasn't one to talk. Pot meet kettle and all that.

"I'm... a little frustrated," Ferus conceded, but didn't go any further.

"If I may, it doesn't seem like some temporary frustration. It seems... deeper." Why did Anakin feel so awkward?

The boy with the single blond lock in his hair finally shut off his lightsaber and looked to the side. "I... don't want to discuss it."

The Force said otherwise.

"Does it have to do with the training trip you just took with your master?" Ferus tensed up. Right on the credits.

"I said I don't want to talk about it."

"Funny, I don't think that's it at all," Anakin observed. "You don't know who to talk to about it and you don't want to admit to whatever it is."

Ferus rounded on him, trying to look threatening, but the vulnerability there undermined his glare. "How could you possibly know that?!"

"The Force," Anakin replied, then sighed. He was not the right person for this. Siri was. But the padawan wouldn't have any reason to trust her either. Force take it. "I'm particularly attuned to it," Anakin said, rubbing the back of his neck. This would either blow up spectacularly or... well, he wasn't sure what the other option was, but Master Yaddle wanted him to trust the Force more, so he'd do his best.

Maybe he should approach it like Girth would? Ugh... did that make him an amateur therapist? Somehow that did not strike him as a good thing... Still, he didn't really have any other option he wanted to entertain at this point.

"Whatever you say, it won't leave this room, if you want to tell me what happened."

Ferus still looked like an angry, lost puppy: one of those adorable little pets that Padmé had shown him on Naboo once. Thing was, even those could be vicious when backed into a corner. Anakin knew he'd have to approach this carefully...

Or maybe he should just drag him to his therapy session tomorrow and have Girth take care of it. Yeah, that seemed like a decent idea. Ferus hadn't spoken for several seconds now. They'd be approaching measurements in minutes soon. That couldn't be a good sign.

He was just about to suggest that Ferus come to meet Girth the next day when the boy spoke.

"I... failed."

That looked like it had been painful to say... but was a little too vague for Anakin to work with.

"Failed at what?" he asked cautiously. Was that the right thing to say? Oh, he was so not a mind-healer.

"Everything!" Ferus practically exploded. Anakin blinked. He'd never known the boy to be the exploding type. Could he get angry? Certainly. Frustrated and upset, annoyed as well, but he'd always tended to get quieter when he was dealing with negative emotion. Quieter, but more dangerous, more determined, and more focused. He'd always been the exact opposite of Anakin. It was... strange to see the boy like this. Of course, Anakin hadn't known Ferus until he'd been a little older. Maybe this was how he'd reacted as a child?

Ferus threw his hands in the air angrily. "My master took me on a training mission. It was supposed to be... well different to what it was. He set me up to fail! There was no way for me to succeed. What kind of a master does that to their student? And it wasn't just that! Everything I did was just wrong! How could... how could he? And if there's no right way for me to choose, how can I even learn?!"

And Anakin went from having nothing to work with to having far too much. Where to start? Ugh... he didn't really know. He may as well go with the most obvious.

"He set you up to fail?" he asked.

Ferus, while apparently being the exploding type after all, also seemed to burn out quickly because he suddenly slumped against the nearest wall. "I was supposed to rescue some dummies with vital signs to signify their state of life. Apparently, they'd been 'dead' before my master and I even went in. I was in charge of every decision and it made getting to them take even longer and... if they would have been real people..." he cut off.

Anakin frowned. That sounded like something an older padawan would be subject to, not a younger one. Unless Obi-wan thought he was mature enough to handle it... Which sounded like something Obi-wan would do if he'd had someone with a more traditional Jedi background to work with. Oh, the irony that the boy didn't realize his master thought he was ahead of the curve if he'd given him that lesson. But would he understand that if Anakin explained it to him? He could easily see many of the lessons Obi-wan would want to teach his padawan with that situation, but would explaining them help him or hurt him? Somehow, Anakin felt like he was at a far larger loss here than Ferus.

He walked over and sat near the boy, not right next to him – they weren't that close yet, and may never be (they never had been before) – but hopefully his closer presence would help.

What would Girth do? Hmm, make it personal perhaps? Or at least give an example. An analogy? Well, why not? "I was a slave before I came to the temple, you know," he said quietly, realizing that he'd have to give some context if he wanted to explain how he knew what he was about to talk about. "I grew up on a hutt-owned world and was lucky to be gambled away only once before my first decade."

Ferus had looked over at him with undisguised horror. Well, getting his train of thought away from his own problems would definitely help, Anakin supposed. He hadn't gone into this with that goal in mind, but he'd take happy accidents.

"Death was a very real part of my life... and believe me when I say that sometimes, you start out to save someone and they're already gone. It happens. But the point is to still try. If you don't, then you let the darkness win. I... learned that the hard way." He took his lightsaber off of his belt and held it in his hand. With its purple crystals symbolizing that he walked the fine line between the light and the dark.

"I think your master wanted you to learn that now, in a controlled environment so you wouldn't have to some time in the future in the field where such a distraction can kill you. In his own way, he was trying to protect you. And he wouldn't have given you such a hard lesson to learn if he didn't think you could handle it. From what I understand, most padawans don't get similar lessons until they're almost ready to become a senior padawan."

"But... I couldn't handle it! Every decision... I couldn't seem to make a right choice! Nothing I did was remotely useful to us or the mission! He only had criticism for every single thing I did."

Anakin took a deep breath. "That's... well, that's on him." Because Obi-wan had acted very similarly towards Anakin until later on in his apprenticeship as well. The new knight been determined to make the 'Chosen One' into the best Jedi he could be, and would constantly point out what his padawan needed to work on. If he didn't say anything about a subject, then it was acceptable – or even good. Anakin had rarely gotten an outright, genuine 'good job', let alone any other praise for the first few years of his Jedi training.

"Your master is the Jedi who found me and brought me back to the Temple. Well, him and his master. Obi-wan... isn't very good at pointing out what someone did right. But, you have to realize that that's because so few people pointed out what he did right to him when he was a padawan. I... think that might be all he knows."

Ferus was staring at him with a similar expression to the horror he'd had before. Anakin could see the realization in his wide eyes just before he slumped back against the wall. They sat like that for several seconds before the dark-haired boy finally spoke.

"That doesn't make it right," he muttered.

"No, it doesn't," Anakin agreed. "But, he isn't some perfect person because he's a Jedi Knight. He's still human. Merely sapient, and he makes mistakes." Many, many mistakes. "So... maybe we could point it out to him. He might listen, he might not, but knowing where his intentions lie can help. Also, when you become a Jedi Knight and take on a padawan of your own, you can know what not to do – you can break the cycle."

There, that sounded like the something that Girth would say.

"That still doesn't change the fact that I did almost everything wrong."

Anakin shrugged. "You're a padawan. A new padawan. You're there to learn from your master. You're not there because you're perfect. You'll fail at times, just like every other padawan out there."

Feruse grumbled, a little petulant now. "I didn't used to fail."

It was Anakin's turn to stare at him. Was that what this was about? His pride? It took every ounce of will for him not to burst into laughter right then and there. Anakin and Ferus were more alike than he'd like to admit in that case.

"That's part of becoming a padawan," he finally answered when he could trust himself to speak. "The real world isn't like the pretty, sheltered life here at the Temple. You have a solid foundation and know what it's like to succeed. That's a lot more than far too many other sapients get. Now you need to learn that you can't succeed at everything." Even if he'd been introduced to that a little too early for Anakin's taste.

"It... hurts."

Anakin's mirth faded at that. "Yeah, it does. It never stops hurting. You just get used to it and learn to deal with it better."

Ferus turned to look at him again, this time studying Anakin with a furrowed brow. "You know, you don't seem like you're my age. You seem a lot... older."

Anakin wanted to kick himself, but instead he shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. "I told you, I was a slave. Had to grow up a lot faster than other kids. Most slave kids do." He hoped that would cover it. Apparently, it did, because Ferus nodded a little sadly. No pity though. That was one thing he could count on and appreciate about Ferus.

They sat in silence for several seconds before Anakin decided that enough was enough.

"Come on. We'll go find your master and explain things to him." And if Obi-wan didn't know he'd done something wrong already, Anakin was going to give him a piece of his mind. He may not like Ferus all that much, but he identified with the boy too much to not try and help him out.

Huh. He never thought he'd say that about Ferus Olin.

The dark-haired boy looked at Anakin's hand, contemplating again. Well, at least he wasn't looking at it like it would bite him this time. Then reached out and grabbed it, pulling himself to his feet with Anakin's help.

"Yeah. Um... thanks." He said it awkwardly, like he wasn't used to voicing such things. Anakin just grinned at him.

"No problem."

And surprisingly, really it wasn't.

xXx

They'd just turned down the hall to Ferus' and Obi-wan's apartment when they ran into none other than Obi-wan and Siri. Anakin frowned, wondering if those two had spent so much time around each other the first time around or if that was a new development. Was it a good thing? He wasn't entirely sure...

Obi-wan didn't have eyes for anyone other than his padawan, though.

"Ferus," he said, blinking and taking a step back. Then he breathed out, relieved. "There you are. I'm glad we found you. I..." he glanced over at Siri, who raised an eyebrow at him and nodded, motioning him on. "I... well, I owe you an apology."

Ferus seemed taken back and Anakin felt his own eyebrows approach his hairline. This was new.

"I've been talking to Siri who helped me realize that the lesson I was trying to help you learn... it wasn't appropriate for your skill and mental development right now. You're so mature I thought that it... would be a good lesson for you. I was obviously wrong and I am sorry."

Anakin looked away from them for a moment. Obi-wan had apologized to him, but rarely. And, despite knowing that he needed to move past it, he still felt resentment towards the fact that no one had butted in for him like this when he didn't understand something.

Still, seeing Ferus relax and perk up as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders did feel... good. It still hurt because it was Ferus there, and not Anakin, but knowing that he'd helped Obi-wan by helping his padawan seemed to lift some of Anakin's own emotional burden. Not all of it – not even close – but he'd take what he could get at this point.

"I... have been talking with Initiate Skywalker, too. He... helped me understand some of your... perspective. I know you were just trying to help me. But, Master," he paused and took a deep breath, then said quickly, as if trying to get it all out, "that doesn't make it right."

Another pause. Then a soft sigh. "No, no it doesn't. I am going to be going over some of my training methods with Siri, here, and likely Master Yoda or another Master. I... would also like to prepare for a real training outing – one that's more traditional and focused on us learning each other's styles and fighting abilities. It won't be for a little while so we can prepare for it, but we'll only go if that is alright with you."

Ferus had stiffened at the idea of the training outing, but he relaxed again when Obi-wan explained.

"I... I think I would like that," the dark-haired boy said softly. "I'm... sorry I'm not strong enough for your more advanced lessons yet."

"That isn't it at all!" Obi-wan protested at the same time Siri said: "You are strong!"

They exchanged glances and Siri backed away, looking apologetic. Obi-wan just looked grateful for the reinforcement. Then he turned back to Ferus.

"It isn't that you aren't strong, Ferus, but that you're a learner and it is unreasonable – unhealthy even – to expect more." Anakin would bet credits that he'd gotten that from Siri who had gotten that from Master Xio (who would never admit that she'd likely gotten it from Girth). "Your life is like a building, and the stability of the higher, more advanced floors are dependent on the lower, more basic floors. I tried to have you build a level 70 floor, when you're only on level 50 or so. It was entirely my fault, not yours."

Funny, Obi-wan hadn't used metaphors like that with Anakin. Maybe because Anakin liked to take those metaphors and pick them apart to try and prove the original point wrong. He didn't do well with allegories and such, being a more hands-on person who had to learn by experience.

"You're actually very advanced for your age," Obi-wan said with a growing smile on his face.

Ferus scoffed and glanced at Anakin. "Then why can't I win a lightsaber fight against an initiate?"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "You also don't spend every free moment you can practicing with a lightsaber. And likely for good reason. You don't want to be as paranoid as I am."

"Besides, he usually fights against me," Siri said, looking more amused than anything, although Anakin could tell (likely through their bond) that all of her worry hadn't been alleviated. "And, even though he's an initiate, he's on a Senior Padawan level at least." Actually, it was probably much closer to senior knight level... but that would be his instincts and reflexes finally adjusting to Anakin's new body. He hadn't ever really lost his battle senses, even if they'd gotten rusty, and it did give him an edge over the other initiates and padawans.

"A lot of that is due to my background and the fact that I used to have to fight to survive," the former slave pointed out.

"In any case," Obi-wan said, a little annoyed that they'd gotten off topic, "I promise you're advanced for your age. And even if you weren't you need to grow at your own speed. I thought I was pushing you, but I was rushing you. I will try to not be so harsh in the future."

"You also can't just tell him what's wrong," Anakin heard himself speak up and had to force himself to not cringe when all the attention turned to him again. "I mean, I get that he has to know what's wrong to work on it and improve, but you also have to tell him what he did right, because that's just as important."

He wanted to take it all back with how much Ferus seemed to be blushing in embarrassment and how Siri had put her face in her hand. Yeah... Anakin should have kept his mouth shut. Blast it. He never had been good at tact.

Still, Obi-wan – being Obi-wan – took the criticism with grace and nodded. "I'll... keep that in mind."

He looked between Anakin and Ferus as if he'd just realized something, one eyebrow raised in surprise. "I didn't know the two of you knew each other."

"Our clans had common time together for the last couple of months before he became a padawan," Anakin answered truthfully.

"I... see," Obi-wan said. Ferus just nodded in agreement, still looking embarrassed, but far more relaxed than he had earlier.

"Well, I'll take Anakin back to his clan now. Good night, Obi-wan. Ferus," Siri cut in, bustling forward and ushering the initiate down the hall.

"Oh, yes. Good night Siri, Anakin," Obi-wan called after them, sounding a bit surprised (and was that disappointment?).

"Good night," Ferus repeated.

"Come on," Siri said as she set a brisk pace down the hall.

Anakin looked back at Obi-wan, who was talking with Ferus some more. Then he looked up at Siri. "Wait, was that why you left practice? To go and meet him?"

Was it just him, or was there a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Hurry up," was all she said.

Anakin looked back at Obi-wan one final time before they turned the corner. Then a particularly large grin found its way onto his face. Oh, that was priceless. So she and Obi-wan were more or less an item? Very hush-hush, of course, but still. He decided not to press it right now, no... he'd have to wait for the perfect moment. But somehow, that knowledge lifted his own heart just a little.

He didn't say anything until he bid her goodnight when she dropped him off.

xXx

Jango Fett ignored the sweat dripping down his back as he looked through his binoculars at the farm in the distance. Yes, it looked like the family was coming in for the night. Now was the perfect time to implement his plan.

Turning, he quickly hurried down the rocky slope towards the crash at the bottom. That had been fun, sending the hunk of junk he'd bought specifically for this into a large, fairly sheer rock. It was even smoking a bit. Now he just needed to send up some flares. If he attracted some Tuskans, all the better for his story.

He pointed the gun towards the darkening sky and pulled the trigger. The flare shot into the sky and exploded in a show of lights. He'd wait ten or so minutes and send up another one. He also activated his distress beacon.

Then he set to keeping a lookout for the locals.

None of the Tuskans came, unfortunately, but he'd deal.

About half an hour later, he heard the sound of an engine and smiled. Then he got down behind the wreck with his guns out. Three people in an old speeder came over the ledge and, once they spotted him, slowed to a stop several feet away. The youngest, a boy, hopped out of the speeder first, looking towards him warily. The other two got out more slowly. The woman joined the boy as the man stepped forward cautiously. Not cautiously enough. If Jango had wanted to, he could have shot the guy dead at least three times by now. At least the farmer was armed.

"Hello?" he called out in basic.

Jango peeked over the top of the crash. "Who are you?" he asked.

The guy held up his hands in a show of peace. Were all farmers like this? "My name is Cleigg Lars," he said. "Were you the one who shot the flares?"

"So what if I am?" Jango asked.

"We're farmers who live near here, friend, and it looks like you might need a little help."

Jango didn't answer. This was too easy.

"What happened?" Cleigg asked, obviously wanting to keep him talking.

"I'm a bounty hunter," he finally said, because the best lies had a lot of truth in them. "I heard about some... bounty out this way, but ran into some of the locals. They damaged my speeder, but I managed to get away. Lost control of it when it over-heated."

"And then you decided to send up flares?"

Jango shrugged, even though Cliegg could barely see him. "If I gotta go out, I'd rather go out fighting. But I figured someone might see the emergency signal. Then I'd at least have a fighting chance."

"I see. Who... was your bounty?"

So he wasn't stupid. Of course, one didn't survive on a planet like Tatooine for long if they were stupid.

"Another bounty hunter named Tam. Doesn't really matter. They're probably long gone by now." He injected as much annoyance and frustration into his voice as he could. It should sell the lie.

"I see. Well, our farm is near here. I can offer you a ride in the morning. Can take you as far as Anchorhead if you would like. Can't go tonight unless we want to run into more Tuskan Raiders."

Jango paused. "You... would trust me?" He didn't have to fake his skepticism.

"Well, we can offer you dinner and a place to sleep, but it's in one of our sheds. And we'll have to lock you in for the night. For your own safety as well as ours. I can guarantee you that it'll be better than staying out here all night."

Psh, if Jango really wanted, he could escape anything these back-water people could cook up. But he appreciated their hospitality, and the fact that they weren't being stupid about it.

"All... right," he said, slowly standing up and raising his own hands to either side. Then he walked around the crash cautiously.

"I'd have your name, friend," Cleigg said as he came forward.

"Jango Fett."

"Jango. You're lucky you crashed around here. Another league in either direction, and we wouldn't have seen you."

The bounty hunter snorted. "I just went through one of the most unlucky sequences in my life, and you call it lucky?"

"Well," Cleigg said with a shrug, "you'll live through it."

A pause. "Point," he said, making a show of putting his blaster away and holding his hand out. Cleigg took it and shook it firmly. So he knew some Republic traditions. Although Jango would bet he was just as well versed in Hutt-space traditions too.

"We'd best get inside. Once first sunset passes, the Tuskans will be out in full force. If there are any near here..." he faded off.

"Right," Jango said with a nod. "Lead the way."

"This is my wife, Shmi, and my son, Owen," Cleigg introduced as they strode back to the car. "Why don't you sit up front?" So the other two could keep an eye on him. Jango could get to like this man.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," Jango said with a nod of his head.

"Shmi, Owen, this is Jango Fett."

"Pleasure," they both returned with nods of their own. He noted the blasters in holsters on each of their hips.

Funny, of the three of them, the woman seemed the most wary. She also happened to be his target. How interesting.

"Well, we should get going. Is there anything in the crash you need?"

Jango shook his head. "No. I already got everything. If you want to look it over for scrap, it's all yours."

Well, if they managed to get to it before the Jawas did.

"Thank you, friend," Cliegg said with a smile that was just a little too bright. He knew that they didn't have time now and that if other scavengers got here first, there wouldn't be much left. Well, Jango was planning on paying them a bit anyway. Just in case he had to come back, he wanted to be on good terms with them.

They all got into the speeder and immediately started off over the desert, back the way the speeder had come. Good, maybe now Jango would get some answers.

xXx

A note about Shmi since a lot of people were asking: She isn't an actual bounty, more of a personal project. Jango wants to know how she's connected to Luke Lars and the Jedi (since he knows there's a connection) and he's bound and determined to find out. He's not the type to just leave well enough alone if he isn't forced to. If you want more information or a refresher, check out the beginning scene of Chapter 3. Basically, he wants his answers and since he now has the Clone project he's technically a part of, and the children are too young to really train, he has the time to follow those answers.

Oh, and thanks again to Khalthar and Carradee! You guys are always so helpful!