"You will leave in twelve hours. Go, and may the Force be with you."

Jedi Master Mace Windu’s deep, mellifluous voice rang through the Council chamber, signifying the end of the audience. To the three Jedi gathered in the circle's center, the bass tones offered the phrase as both comfort and command.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, however, bowing alongside his apprentice Anakin Skywalker and fellow Knight Jak Qado, was not feeling particularly comforted. In fact, he was distinctly apprehensive. What were the Council and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine thinking? This mission was out of the question.

But currently, twelve pairs of eyes, belonging to the most powerful Jedi in the Galaxy, were focused upon him, judging him, seeing straight through him. He thus silenced his objections and dutifully exited the Council chambers, hoping a solution to this situation would present itself. Within the next twelve hours, if possible.



It took only a few minutes.

"Damn, what a boring assignment." Tall, black-haired Jak Qado, walking alongside Obi-Wan as they left the Council chambers, sighed dramatically. "Must be nice, being famous, Kenobi," he teased. "You get the exciting jobs. You’ll spend a month attached to the most beautiful woman in the Galaxy, eating fine dinners and chaperoning lavish parties.
While I, on the other hand, will spend the next thirty days with a techie, in the woods, staring at a bank of consoles.  But, we all serve the Republic as best we may." He looked back at a grinning Anakin, who followed the two down the long marble hallway. "Kid, just make sure your Master enjoys himself, if you will."

Obi-Wan snorted. He knew his friend was teasing. Despite his jocularity, Qado was one of the most dedicated Jedi in the Order, one who completed all his missions well and faithfully. Nevertheless, a tinge of real regret lay hidden beneath the man’s jesting.

A hope formed itself within Obi-Wan's breast. "Jak," he began, tentatively, "What if I didn’t want to enjoy myself?"

The other Jedi’s black brows rose questioningly. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Just suppose, if you can, that having fun is the last thing I want right now. Let’s say that thirty days in the woods is the most wonderful thing I could possibly imagine at this very moment." Here Obi-Wan turned to Anakin, who was staring at his master in horror, as if he’d never seen him before. "Padawan, would you please excuse us? Go to our chambers. I’ll meet you there shortly."

Anakin bowed obediently but sulked off, mumbling to himself.

"Boy doesn’t look too happy," Jak pointed out.

"Well. He’s actually the reason I wanted to speak with you." Obi-Wan stopped walking, abruptly. He ran a hand through his shaggy mop of hair and threw Jak an almost desperate look. "I can’t take that boy to Ruxe Court!"

"Why not? He’s a good kid."

"Those people know nothing but gossip and greed, nonstop parties and debauchery. Anakin is unfocused and distracted enough as it is."

"I thought he was making fine progress."

"Don’t mistake me, he’s made great strides in one short year. He learns very quickly," Obi-Wan stated proudly. "But I hardly have enough time to work with him. I can't spend a whole month tagging along after some frivolous rich woman who's decided she needs a Jedi to protect her.  Anakin needs my time and attention more than she does."

"But the Council has ordered it. Lady Omanna requested your presence from Supreme Chancellor Palpatine specifically," Jak pointed out reasonably. "Three attempts have been made on her life already. Her marriage to Sto of Piraan will form an important alliance with the Republic. And it’s only for one month, after all."

"Not so. This sort of situation has arisen constantly, time and again, since I assumed Anakin’s training. One month becomes two, two become three, and before you know it, a year has passed." Obi-Wan sighed. He was reluctant to admit his fears, but he needed Jak to understand the seriousness of the situation. "The month isn’t really the point.  It’s Anakin. He’s special. There’s so much raw power there-- nearly too much-- sometimes it almost frightens me. Don’t tell me you can’t feel it." He looked at Jak intently. "He’s reaching a crucial stage in his training. I don’t know where the Council’s heads were in this matter, but what they ask is foolish. I need you to help me."

"Ah. You want me to follow the frivolous rich woman around."

Obi-Wan was thankful for his friend’s intuition. "Exactly. If I take Anakin with me to the listening post, I can escape Holonet’s scrutiny and train my apprentice in peace. If I’m lucky, the galaxy will use that month to forget my existence altogether."

"Hmph. That’s doubtful. Lady Omanna certainly won’t forget your existence. She has high hopes for you, you know."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Obi-Wan asked, clueless. He shook his head and continued with his train of thought. "Anyway, you see my dilemma. And your place in its solution. If I can convince the Council, will you agree to trade places with me?"

Jak sighed. He could deny his friend nothing. "I will."

A look of distinct relief crossed Obi-Wan's face. "Thank you, my friend. You've done me a great service, and I won't forget it." He turned and strode briskly back the way he had come, trying to catch the Council before they dispersed.



****



"Specifically requested, your presence was."

Masters Yoda and Mace Windu had remained behind, waiting in the Council chamber, almost as if they had known Obi-Wan would return.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath before replying. He'd respectfully stated his reasons for refusing the mission, but so far, their faces revealed nothing of their true thoughts in the matter. "I understand that, Master Yoda. But my skills, as well as those of my Padawan, are more suited to maintaining the forest communications array. Jedi Qado can protect
the Lady Omanna before her wedding as well as I. Perhaps even better." He decided to be more blunt. "And my usefulness as a public relations envoy is insignificant next to my need to properly train Anakin."

A long look passed between the two Jedi Masters. Obi-Wan had to force himself to stand still, to not shift his feet in nervousness, as his elders communicated silently.

At last Mace Windu spoke. "There is a possibility you could be recognized, even away from the capital. You do understand the need for secrecy in this matter? The Piraani must not discover the listening post. The existence of such technology is questionable enough. If the Piraani learn about it, they may not only refuse to join they Republic,  but could create a galaxy-wide backlash against the Senate."

Obi-Wan knew about the post. Hidden in the Piraani jungle by Chancellor Palpatine’s private corps, it would secretly monitor systemwide transmissions, looking for threats to Lady Omanna and her upcoming marriage. Quiet and secluded, it was exactly what Obi-Wan was looking for. "I understand, Master. But I can disguise myself, and Anakin and I will assume other identities. I will say he is my brother."

Yoda sighed. He’d always taken a personal interest in Obi-Wan Kenobi, but lately that young man, who had once guided Qui-Gon so sensibly, had grown disturbingly bolder. However, his plan made sense. Yoda’s own misgivings about young Skywalker warned him that Obi-Wan needed ample time to devote to the boy’s training.

But Mace Windu had more questions. "The Supreme Chancellor will not be pleased. Nor will the Ruxians. What will we tell them?"

"Tell them I’m unavailable. Tell them I’m ill, or something… Please--"

Further reply was cut off by Yoda’s quiet decision. "Deal with Chancellor Palpatine and the Ruxians, we can."

Mace Windu, unsurprised, leaned back and calmly nodded his agreement. "Yes. We can deal with them. We will do as you wish, Jedi Knight Kenobi."

Relief surged through Obi-Wan. If anyone could deal with upset politicians, it was Mace Windu. "Thank you Masters. With your permission, I'll go--"

Mace Windu cut him off. "Do not forget. If you are discovered on the planet, the Senate will be furious. Proceed with extreme caution. Send no transmissions from your location."

"Recognized, you must not be. Shave your head, perhaps." Yoda had developed an intense distaste for Obi-Wan's current, unkempt look.

"Absolutely not."

Mace Windu cocked a silent eyebrow.

The young Jedi, though sheepish, took a deep breath and barreled onwards. "If my hair is a problem, I will dye it. Anakin and I will avoid contact with outsiders as much as possible. We will not be recognized."

"Then we trust you will make good use of this time. Please ask Jedi Knight Jak Qado to return here. Go, and may the Force be with you."

"Thank you, Masters." Obi-Wan bowed out gratefully.



****



The day-long hyperspace trip to Piraan was uneventful for all three Jedi.

As the new official Senate envoy to the Ruxian court, Jak Qado had boarded the red ambassadorial shuttle to Piraan’s capital city of Riaga. He would spend the next month at the side of a miffed Lady Omanna, making sure she remained safe until her wedding took place and treaties between Ruxe and Piraan were signed.

Unlike Jak, who traveled in style, Obi-Wan and Anakin took commercial transportation to Piraan. The two disembarked at Soochee spaceport on the outskirts of Riaga, where Obi-Wan purchased a two-seat speeder to take them to their home, four and a half ground-hours away. They bore with them little luggage, carrying only a few changes of clothes and toolkits.

Obi-Wan forced their ancient speeder a bare few inches above pitted, half-paved roads. Piraan was a verdant jungle planet. The scenery was beautiful to look at, but not good for driving. The steamy atmosphere reduced visibility, and insurgent vegetation crawled over and through the roads, breaking up the permacrete. It took most of Obi-Wan’s
concentration merely to avoid the boulders and yet stay on the road.

The two Jedi had shared barely a word since leaving the spaceport. Obi-Wan was irritated by the oppressive heat and bad roads. Anakin, for his part, was still somewhat miffed over Obi-Wan’s decision to switch missions.

The boy couldn’t remain silent for long, however.

"Why couldn’t I have picked my own name? I hate An-Paj. It’s a girl’s name."

"It most certainly is not a girl’s name."

"Well, it sure sounds like one."

"No, it doesn’t." Obi-Wan was getting exasperated. "Sabe is a girl’s name. Bant is a girl’s name. But An-Paj is most definitely a boy’s name. I knew an An-Paj, once, at Temple."

"I’ll bet he was a real sissy."

"No, he was not! You’re just being argumentative." Obi-Wan threw his Padawan a cranky glare as he swerved to avoid a large rock in the middle of the road. "You’ll learn to like it. How about if I just call you ‘An?’ And don’t forget to call me Owen."

"All right, Master ‘Owen,’ I’ll shut up about the name." But Anakin wasn’t done quite yet. He threw a sly look at his master’s shaggy, white-blonde mane. "By the way, did you know you look horrible? If you want a disguise, you should just shave your head like Master Windu. You’d look a lot better."

"I will do no such thing." Obi-Wan pushed a stray, sweaty lock away from his eyes so he could see to drive. He'd bleached it to disguise himself, but had gotten a little carried away. The ends had fried up something nasty. Privately, he knew it looked terrible, but wasn't about to admit that to anyone. "I swore that when I became a Knight, I wouldn’t cut my hair for at least three years. I have two left, and I don’t care who hates it. So you can just drop that subject as well."

"Aww. Let me have a little fun. It was you, not me, who had us banished to the middle of nowhere."

"Of course it was me. I am the master, after all. Or have you forgotten that?"

"No, Master Owen, I haven’t."

"Just Owen."

"Oh, OK. Owen." Anakin decided to give it a rest. He could tell Obi-Wan wasn't really in the mood to hear complaints-- his master was positively testy. Anakin closed his eyes and breathed deeply of the hot, humid air. He seemed to absorb the stifling moisture through his pores, as if he couldn't get enough. "At least this planet has good weather."

"You, my young apprentice, are insane. The weather is the only bad thing about it." Obi-Wan again pushed his damp, nose-length bangs from his eyes with an impatient gesture. His hair was at an awkward length-- too long to keep out of his eyes, but too short to pull back. And so sticky, even the wind wouldn’t budge it. "The humidity is frightful. I thought that coming from a desert planet like Tatooine, you'd prefer dryer air."

"Not a chance. I hated the desert. I thank the gods every day that Qui-Gon-- and you-- took me away from there."  Anakin turned a contrite look upon his overheated master. "I know I don’t always act like it. Like I’m thankful. Just sometimes I miss…" A sad look passed over his small face for an instant, quickly smothered. A Jedi didn’t miss his mommy. "And I know I'm being argumentative. I'm sorry."

Obi-Wan nodded, accepting his apprentice's apology. "Ana--, I hope that you realize I made the right decision here. Despite what you may think, you would have hated Lady Omanna's court." His face took on a look of distinct distaste. "It's full of nothing but desperate, deceitful people, with too much money and too much time on their hands.  For all that they are important members of the Republic, you would have found yourself as disgusted as I by their excesses."

"Oh. Well, you're probably right."

"I am always right. You should know that by now." Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin. "Now, we can spend more time together." And now for a reward. "Also…I've decided to begin your lightsaber training. With a real lightsaber."

Anakin's eyes widened in glee. "Wow! Really?"

"Yes, really. Though I may regret it when you slice me in half."

Obi-Wan’s dry humor was lost on Anakin. "Finally! I've already built one, you know."

"I know."

"Oh. Hope you're not too mad."

"No, not really."

"Thanks." Anakin's face clouded momentarily. "Will we have time, what with watching and fixing the communications array and all?"

"Of course. We’ll have time for lots of things."



****



Four and a half hours later, sweaty and dusty, the two incognito Jedi followed the long, twisting driveway to their temporary home. Their first sight of it was not promising. While it was situated in a beautiful, grassy area with a verdant jungle-like wood behind it, it appeared somewhat primitive. The outer walls were made of rough bark, and the windows appeared to be real glass.

No one, thought Obi-Wan, used glass in buildings anymore-- it was transparisteel all the way. Obi-Wan pulled up the speeder near the ancient-looking door. The place had sure looked different on the blueprints they’d been given.  With trepidation, the two got out and ascended a rickety-looking wooden porch.

Obi-Wan hesitantly reached out to touch the door lock panel. It was surrounded by…metal? Examining the walls closely, he could see that the wood exterior was only a façade. Underneath a thin layer of paneling, the building was composed of molded steel. As modern as could be. He looked down at Anakin, to see if his apprentice had noticed as well.

Anakin gave his master a grin. "It looks like one of those vacation cabins you see on the Holonet." He lowered his voice comically. "For the galactic traveler who wants to leave everything behind but comfort."

"Exactly what I was thinking." Returning Anakin’s smile, Obi-Wan entered a code into the pad.

The front door slid open with a whoosh, and they entered a small, blue-walled hallway. Through open doors on either side of them, they could see a sparsely but pleasantly-furnished living room and a small study. Walking down the hall,  they found a tidy kitchen, a refresher room, and a door which opened onto another, green-walled hallway, with several closed doors.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan turned on his booted heel and strode, past a startled Anakin, back to the living room. He stood in its center, hands on hips, a disgusted look on his reddening face.

He couldn’t believe it. Despite its outwardly rustic appearance, the place was clean, comfortable, and modern. There was only one problem.

It wasn’t cooled.

He searched the walls and floors for vents, hoping against hope. "This is insane. How could anyone live on this planet without central cooling in every building?"

Re-entering the room, Anakin shrugged at his master’s incredulity. "I dunno. I don’t think it’s so bad."

Obi-Wan’s only reply was a grunt. It wasn’t bad, it was a travesty. If only Piraan had a slightly more hospitable environment, he could deal with it. Jedi were taught to use their powers to equalize their bodies, to be able to survive in the harshest environments for short periods of time. But they would be stuck here a whole month. Amid such oppressive heat as this, there wasn’t much any Jedi could do.

"I’m beginning to think, An," Obi-Wan said, wiping his brow, "that I’ll give you one final task before I let you begin using a lightsaber. You, my young apprentice, will build your master a cooling unit."

Anakin waved it off. "No problem. I can do that in a flash."

"I wasn’t serious." But he looked at Anakin speculatively. "Uh…Could you?"

"Sure. I’ll need parts, though."

"All right. Once we get settled in here, we can drive back to that town we passed half an hour ago." We’ll need food and supplies, anyway, he told himself guiltily. "There aren’t any big spaceports around, but a even a town that small ought to have a parts shop."

"If there is, I’ll find it. I can spot a parts shop a lightyear away. I spent most of my life in one."

"Well, let’s see how well you memorized the layout of this building, first. Take me to the communications room. We won’t activate it until 0800 hours tomorrow, but I think we should get a look at it now."

"All right." Anakin was just glad Obi-Wan was normally such a calm person. He’d looked almost apoplectic for a moment, there. Followed by his master, he walked back to the green hallway, where he stopped at the next-to-last door on the left. It was a matte, grey, steel door with "STORAGE" painted on it in peeling white letters. It looked quite
nondescript. "Want me to open it?"

At Obi-Wan’s nod, Anakin entered a code into a lockpad hidden in a wall recess, and the door slid open, releasing a blast of arctic air.

Obi-Wan grinned a grin of pure ecstasy as they crossed the threshold. He should have realized at least one room in this building had to be kept cool. Sensitive equipment like they were guarding required temperature and humidity control to function at optimum levels. "Ah. Looks like I’ll be spending a lot of time in this room." He closed his eyes and leaned against the doorframe, savoring the chilly environment. "I think I’ll set up my bed in here as well."

Anakin looked skeptical. "Good luck. There’s not a lot of room."

"I’ll make room."

But the boy was right. The white-walled chamber was only about fifteen feet square, and almost all of that space was taken up with equipment and viewscreens. He recognized some of the technology as standard communications equipment, but other items he’d seen only in schematic form, in their mission data.

Anakin, examining the equipment, seemed disgusted by its simplicity. "This stuff is no big deal. There’s even a program to monitor and filter transmissions, so we don’t have to." He looked a question at Obi-Wan. "Why do they even need a Jedi to run this thing? A techie could do it, no problem."

"Hmmm. You’re right about that. In fact, I turned down the offer to bring a technician with us, because I knew we  wouldn’t need help." He looked at Anakin seriously. "I don’t know if you realize this, but some of this technology is…legally questionable. And morally. I believe the Jedi Council wanted someone they could trust to look after it."

"Do you think someone might attack us to get to it?" Anakin looked excited at the possibility. "Wow! We might have to fight! That’s why they let us come here. Because you’re the best there is at fighting!" Here Anakin put on his meanest face and swung his arms through the air, making battle noises and destroying imaginary attackers.

Obi-Wan was alarmed. "Absolutely not! There’s no threat of fighting whatsoever." He kneeled and grabbed Anakin’s shoulders, stilling the boy’s wild motions. "Their reasons involved diplomacy, not danger. I had us sent here so we could relax, and accelerate your training."

"No fighting? Not even to protect the equipment?" Anakin looked seriously upset.

"No. Virtually nobody knows it’s here." Obi-Wan tried to joke the boy out of his unusual disappointment. "Starting tomorrow, the only person I’ll swing a lightsaber at is you. You’d better be ready."

Anakin still looked somewhat displeased, but he hadn’t expected much in the first place. "Oh, all right. Just when this was looking exciting."

"Don’t worry. I’ll keep you so busy, you’ll never notice the lack of excitement. Now, let’s change and go get some food and parts, shall we?"



****



After a refreshing shower, Obi-Wan and Anakin boarded the speeder and drove back into town. Despite their clean state, things were again somewhat tense between the two. All because Obi-Wan wouldn’t let Anakin drive.

They were nearly to town when Anakin finally broke the silence. Arms crossed and face mutinous, he glared at Obi-Wan. "Why do I need the cap? It’s stupid-looking."

"Because of your braid. I won’t let you cut it off, and someone might recognize you as a Jedi Padawan." Obi-Wan looked over at his apprentice’s gray, knit head-garment. It was pretty bad. But necessary. "You didn’t hate it when we drove over here, so what’s the problem now? Besides, it’s only for contact with other people."

"We could just use Jedi Mind Trick, make them forget they ever saw it…"

"The cap is much easier. And less damaging to your soul."

"Hmmphh." Anakin wasn’t impressed by his master’s logic. "Is that why you picked those ugly clothes? No one’ll want to come within ten yards of us. Not if they have any taste, anyway."

"What?" Obi-Wan spared a glance from the road to his baggy, puce-colored tunic and grey pants. Anakin was right. They were pretty revolting. "Well, it is a disguise, after all. I certainly couldn’t dress as my usual dashing self. I’d attract too much attention."

Anakin let a small laugh escape at that. Obi-Wan almost never joked. "Right. As if you could ever be dashing."

Obi-Wan gave him a look of mock hurt. "I can. You just don’t see it because I don’t have to impress you."

"Yeah, right. Hey, up there, on the left. With the dirty window. That’s a parts dealer."

"You’re the expert." Obi-Wan pulled the speeder up in front of the shop, avoiding the rusty tools piled out front.

"Yeah, I am an expert." Anakin cast his master a stern look as they climbed out. "And you’re no good at shopping.  Let me do the talking."

Obi-Wan couldn’t argue. Anakin was right, he was terrible at shopping. Extending his arm, he invited his apprentice to precede him into the shop.



****



The door monitor beeped. Kettie Selva looked up in surprise from a transmitter she’d been repairing at the counter.  Surely she didn’t have a customer, this late in the day.

It was not just a customer, but two. Human, from the look of them. She peered at the pair through the fading light filtering through her grimy storefront window.

One appeared to be a teenager, with stringy, overbleached hair covering the upper half of his face, and several days’  growth of beard covering the lower half. He was accompanied by a cute kid in a weird cap. She didn’t recognize either of them. She called out to them, warily. "Can I help you with something?"

To her surprise, the teenager ignored her, turning to examine a pile of oilcans. The boy bounced up to the counter and grinned at her.

"Yeah. We need some parts for a cooling unit." He held up a small hand and began ticking off items on his fingers.  "Freon coils, parafilm tubing, a twelve-two-vee generator, plasteel casing--"

Kettie interrupted him. "Sounds like you’re trying to build one from scratch."

"Yep, I sure am." He gave her a smirk that would have been flirtatious if it weren’t coming from a kid so small. "I can build anything."

"Can you?" She found herself smiling at his diminutive charm. "You could just buy a whole new one, you know."

"Nah. I could build one better than any that’re sold." He turned and called to the badly-dressed older kid, who was roaming the back of the store. "Isn’t that right, Owen?"

The kid called Owen mumbled an affirmative, without looking up.

"Owen’s my brother. I’m Ani. Oh, and I’ll also need some extra spanner heads, for my toolkit, and some oil for our speeder, and…" He proceeded to enumerate an entire machine shop’s worth of needs.

Kettie wondered how they were going to pay for all of this. She hesitated for a moment, thinking. She didn’t know them, and she rarely had customers she didn’t know. But there was little chance of a robbery. She could take care of herself. If they couldn’t pay, they wouldn’t get the parts-- it was that simple.

Making a decision, she began retrieving some of the items. She had to ask the kid to slow down, once or twice, so she could keep up. He certainly knew his stuff.

Before long, the counter was piled full with bits of machinery. She decided it was time to say something. "Hold on for a second. How are you going to pay for all of this, Ani?"

Finally, the kid called Owen approached the front of the store. He put his hand in the pocket of his muddy grey pants.  She tensed, waiting for trouble…

But he only pulled out a credit chip. "This ought to cover it," he said, in surprisingly cultured tones.

Taking the chip, she peered over the piles on the counter, trying to get a better look at him. He reached up to brush the hair from his face, exposing blue eyes. Suddenly, she could see he wasn’t a teenager at all, but a young man,  perhaps her own age. And not bad looking, except for the hair. And clothes. She studied him curiously as she scanned the chip. "Anonymous credit source. But it’s good. All right, Ani, keep buying."

The man grinned at her then, a beautiful smile, which transformed his scruffy visage into something transcendent, elusive. Kettie felt her knees go weak.

He spoke, again, in that lovely voice. "Don’t go overboard, An. We still need to buy some food. We don’t want to starve over the next few weeks."

The boy wasn’t concerned. "No problem. I’m almost done."

"So, you’re new here?" Kettie somehow got the words out. Her tongue had become suspiciously tied.

Ani answered, coming up to the counter with another armload of tools and parts. "Yep. We live out on Road Five--"

"An…." Owen shot the kid a look. "She probably wouldn’t know it. It’s pretty far from here."

Kettie waved it off. "That’s all right. Everyone knows that place. It’s pretty nice. Been deserted for a while." She wondered at the man’s hesitation. Everyone in town knew somebody had moved in there--just not who. "So what are you doing out there?"

The man cut the kid off before he could answer. "Comm systems repair. Family business."

"Ah. That explains the parts." She finished debiting the chip and handed it back. She tried, nervously, to make conversation. "Yeah, that place isn’t too bad, for an old vacation house. Lots of room. There’s a nice little cold spring out back, but of course you know that..." Damn, she thought, but I sound stupid.

Owen looked interested. "Really? I hadn’t seen it." He started picking up parts from the counter, and motioned for the kid to do the same. Arms laden, he began to walk for the door. "We shall have to check that out, soon. Thank you for your help, Miss…?"

"Selva. Kettie Selva."

"Ah. Goodbye, Miss Selva."

Ani gave her a grin as he headed out the door, burdened with purchases. "Bye, Kettie. It was nice to meet you. And thanks!"

Then they were gone.

She watched them through the window, all the way down the street, before closing her shop.



****



Later, Obi-Wan and Anakin sat in their small kitchen, eating their cold dinner. It was so damnably hot, Obi-Wan hadn’t been able to bring himself to turn on the stove to cook anything. But the fruit and cold cuts they’d purchased were delicious.

Anakin was happy, beginning to realize the two of them would have plenty of things to do out here. He’d talked nonstop since they’d left town.

"I think Kettie was very pretty," Anakin announced between mouthfuls. "Don’t you think so?"

"Mmm. I suppose." Obi-Wan hadn’t thought she was anything out of the common way. Short, pleasant female, shirt and pants, shoulder-length dark hair, dark eyes. But he could see no harm in encouraging Anakin. "I take it you prefer those petite, dark-haired beauties, then?"

Anakin grinned almost evilly. "Yeah. Like Padme. The Queen, I mean." Then a thoughtful look came over his young face. "But I like other kinds of girls too, you know. I’m not picky."

Obi-Wan almost choked. "I guess not. You seem to have an unusually strong interest in females, especially older females, for someone your age."

"Nah, not really. Why? Didn’t you used to like girls?"

"Sure. I still do. But when I was your age, all the girls I knew were potential Jedi. Off-limits." Obi-Wan waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "But I don’t meet very many, nowadays. You do realize, Ana--" he caught himself, "An, that the life of a Jedi Knight is a very lonely one? You’ll have a reputation to uphold. You can’t form many attachments,  and you can’t just run about the galaxy, sowing the seeds of destruction. You have to be circumspect."

"Circum-what?" Anakin looked confused. "And what do you mean, ‘sowing the seeds of destruction?’"

"Umm. Never mind about that." If Anakin didn’t know, then now was not the time for that conversation. "And circumspect means being careful about what you do. How you behave, and treat other people."

"Oh. You mean, like uphold the honor of the Jedi, don’t break anybody’s heart, stuff like that."

"Yes, something like that." Time for a change of subject. "Now that we’re done eating, why don’t we go and check the perimeter alarm? I gathered from your Kettie that people are already interested in our presence here. We’ll need to make sure no curious locals come peeping around."

"She’s not my Kettie. And can’t we just use the Force to feel if anyone comes by?"

"Of course. But we have to sleep sometime. We need to be up early to activate the comm system."

"Oh, OK. I guess you’re right." But Anakin wanted to continue their earlier interesting conversation. "But first tell me what you meant, about seeds of destruction. I wanna know," he persisted.

"Later." Obi-Wan’s voice was final. "Now is not the time. Don’t you want to explore?"

"Yeah, sure. Let’s go," he sighed. Anakin had been with Obi-Wan long enough to know that tone of voice.



****



Master and apprentice tromped through the grass, heat and humidity, surveying the perimeter of their temporary property. It wasn’t large, perhaps a few acres. They were thankfully quite alone out here-- all that surrounded them were miles upon miles of jungle and farmland.

Every dozen yards or so, they stopped to inspect the small, wood-camouflaged posts that composed the electronic fence of their perimeter alarm. All the posts they’d checked so far appeared to be in good working order. Obi-Wan hadn’t really been concerned-- after all, they’d been set up to protect very sensitive equipment-- but he found it never hurt to make sure. He was tired and sweaty, though, and ready to go back inside. He planned on paying a brief visit to the communications room when they were done. Just to check on things, of course.

They had made it almost all the way around the edge of their property when they encountered a small stream. Unlike the rest of the murky, swampy water they’d passed on their sweaty trek, this stream ran sparkling clear in the light of Piraan’s two purple moons. Obi-Wan bent to dip a hand in it, testing its temperature. Anakin was astonished when his
master began splashing himself with it, laughing.

"What are you doing? Didn’t you already have a shower tonight?"

Obi-Wan, grinning, ignored Anakin’s disdainful tone. "Feel this. It’s amazing." He cupped a hand in the water,  catching just enough to splash Anakin in the face with it.

"Aggh! It’s freezing!"

"Exactly. This must be from the cold spring your Kettie told us about." He stood up excitedly and began pushing through the vines and undergrowth, following the stream. "Come on. It should be this way. Must come from an
underground water source."

"Not so you can splash me again. I told you, I hate the cold." Anakin wiped his face with his sleeve, but followed Obi-Wan curiously. "And she’s not my Kettie."

"Mmm-hmm." Breaking into a clearing, Obi-Wan spotted the pool. It was small, a few yards in diameter, and so clear he could see its bottom in the moonlight. He stopped up short and stood, gazing at it in simple awe. He thought he might weep tears of joy.

Anakin caught up, bumping into Obi-Wan’s stationary backside. He strained to see what had his master so enrapt. It was just a pretty little pond, with a grass bank and trees surrounding it. No big deal. But in the distance…

"Hey, Mast--, I mean, Owen, look. You can see our house through the trees." He pointed a finger through the haze at the lights. "Pretty weird, huh? We could’ve looked out our window and seen this. Hey, what are you doing?"

Obi-Wan had wordlessly begun to remove his clothes. Shirtless, he sat down and pulled off his boots, tossing them into the underbrush carelessly.

Anakin was appalled. "You’re not actually going in there, are you?

"I sure am."

"You’re nutsen."

"Ugh. What did I tell you about talking like Jar Jar?" Obi-Wan didn’t wait for an answer, but vaulted into the pond. He let out a sharp yell as he slammed into the icy water, quickly smothered as he submerged.

He didn’t come up. Anakin, standing on the bank and looking down through the pond’s clear surface, began to wonder if his insane master hadn’t succumbed to the freezing water and drowned. After a moment, however, Obi-Wan broke the surface, gasping.

Anakin wasn’t impressed. "You’re turning blue."

Obi-Wan stuck an arm out of the water and examined it. "No, I’m not. That’s just the moonlight."

"Yeah, well, I’m going inside. You can freeze if you want. See you." The boy stomped off through the viney underbrush, towards the house.

Obi-Wan ignored him. He submerged himself in the blessedly cold, clear water again, thinking that maybe he could just spend the whole month here. Let everyone else fry in the heat, and be damned.



****



"Are you ready?"

"Ready."

"Then push the button."

Anakin depressed the black button on the wall of the small, secret communications chamber. He then joined his master at a terminal, where Obi-Wan monitored the computerized start-up procedure. Screens came to life and lights began to blink, all according to plan. Then the buzzing started.

"What’s that horrendous noise? Is something broken?" Obi-Wan’s face looked distinctly alarmed as the humming became a roaring, filling the chamber.

Anakin looked down at his datapad, then back at the older Jedi. He had to yell to make himself heard. "No. That’s normal. That’s the cloaking distortion field."

"Are you sure? That can’t be normal!" Obi-Wan yelled back. "It sounds like the death throes of a sandcrawler!  Something’s broken!"

Anakin got up and walked to the door, motioning impatiently for Obi-Wan to follow him. Once they were outside, he depressed a notch on a panel. The door slid shut, abruptly cutting off the dreadful noise.

Anakin slapped a palm against the door approvingly. "Soundproofed."

Obi-Wan stared at the closed door, incredulously. "That’s what a distortion field sounds like?"

Anakin shrugged and gave Obi-Wan a look that said, duh. "Well, yeah. That’s the frequency they had to use to cloak the transmission signature. It works just like a comm jammer. The bad guys’ll never know we’re listening in."

Obi-Wan still looked dubious. "I’ve spent a lot of time around machinery, but I’d never realized…"

"That’s cause you’ve always been inside the ship. I used to have to repair things like this. For smugglers, and other slame-o’s"

Obi-Wan gazed at Anakin, impressed despite himself. The boy had been through a lot in his short life. At Anakin’s age, Obi-Wan hadn’t even left the security of the Jedi Temple. "Well, it’s a good thing I brought you here then, isn’t it? I probably would have shut the whole thing off in a panic."

Anakin waved it off. "Awww. You never panic."

"You’re right. I don’t." He sighed. "Looks like I won’t be sleeping here again."

"So that’s where you were."

"Of course. A Jedi uses not only the Force, but what is provided him, to aid him in all endeavors."

Anakin snorted. "I slept fine. In my room. Why are you so hot all the time?"

"I really don’t know." Obi-Wan brushed a stray, white-blonde lock from his eyes impatiently. His hair was grimy and sweaty already. "But a Jedi also uses the Force for strength, to overcome adversity. Let’s go exercise."

"Ummm. I thought maybe I could go into town, first. Just for a bit. I wanted to pick up some more parts for that cooling unit I promised you."

"Absolutely not. We have plenty of supplies." Obi-Wan shot Anakin a sly glance. "I appreciate the thought, but I’ll survive. You can wait a few more days to see your girlfriend."

"Oooh! She’s not my girlfriend. She’s too old."

"You think so?" Obi-Wan teased. Then he relented. He didn’t want to get Anakin too worked up, before they even had a chance to work on Jedi exercises. "Well, in any case, women are no excuse to miss training. Bring your muscles. You’ll need them."



****



The next fortnight passed peacefully. Obi-Wan and Anakin developed a daily routine of training and meditation,  breaking once every two hours to check the communications array. Chancellor Palpatine had made it clear he wanted to be informed of any transmissions that threatened the Republic in the slightest, but the Jedi Council had agreed to accept the station only for the purpose of protecting Lady Omanna. And only if a Jedi staffed it.

But so far, no suspicious or disturbing transmissions had come through. They received a daily coded message from Jak Qado, informing them of the situation at Court. Lady Omanna had been somewhat miffed when Obi-Wan didn’t show up to protect her, but Jak had quickly calmed her and gained her trust. The treaty conferences between the Ruxians and Piraani were proceeding well, and no further attempts had been made on Lady Omanna’s life.

The perimeter alert had gone off numerous times, but never because of any threat. It was always some animal or another, jumping directly into the electronic beam. Anakin had assumed the task of fine-tuning the system, once or twice a day, to detect progressively larger and larger disturbances.

Overall, Obi-Wan was extremely pleased with their situation. The boy was doing better than ever at his exercises. He was learning to fine-tune his skills with the Force, finding the patience and inner peace he needed to practice control. The rustic and laid-back atmosphere of the country had calmed Anakin considerably.

Not to mention calming Obi-Wan as well. Despite his impatience with the heat and humidity, which hadn’t abated one whit, he was learning to appreciate the solitude of their rural life. Their property had plenty of room to practice running and leaps, and privacy enough to work on lightsaber skills. They hadn’t returned to town, so he hadn’t yet gotten his cooling unit, but he took swims every night and lay on the banks of their pond, reveling in the cool air surrounding the little spring.

After a couple of weeks, however, they began to run out of food. And Anakin began to get antsy, wanting to visit the town again.

He also said he wanted a real meal. Obi-Wan’s limited culinary skills had forced them to survive on the simplest fare. So to reward the boy for his good behavior, Obi-Wan agreed to eat dinner one night in a local restaurant, provided it wasn’t crowded.

That night had come.



****



"Watch that broken permacrete! This thing can only travel so far above the ground."

"I see it! Calm down." As an extra reward, Anakin had been allowed to drive. "I raced pods, for crying out loud. I can handle one little road."

"Nasty little jungle trail, is more like it." Obi-Wan forced himself to relax. He rarely let Anakin drive—he’d become too used to being the one in control. Even when he’d traveled the galaxy with Qui-Gon, his Master had been content to let Obi-Wan take care of any driving or piloting that was required.

"No, it’s not. It’s pretty." Anakin’s voice was solemn. "Spend a few long years in the desert, and almost anything green looks pretty."

"You’re right. It is pretty. As are all living things. Without life, we wouldn’t have the Force." Obi-Wan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I’m sorry, An, that I’m so testy. I dislike the heat."

"I know. You’ve said it enough."

"Hmmm. You’re right. You’re teaching me a valuable lesson, you know. Qui-Gon never complained. I didn’t used to, either. I don’t know what’s come over me."

Keeping his eyes on the road, Anakin asked, somewhat sadly, "What was he like? As a Master, I mean."

"Calm. Caring. Strict but unconventional." Obi-Wan wondered if he should admit it, then decided he should. "Much different than I am with you. But our relationship was not similar. He was already a lot older than I, when I became his Padawan. And you are different from me at that age."

"Yeah. You already had all that Temple training and stuff." Anakin sounded almost despondent.

"Yes, I did. But you are special. And a good learner. Don’t forget that."

Obi-Wan realized he was treading a dangerous path with this conversation. He wasn’t sure where to take it. Ironically, he decided Qui-Gon would have known. But Qui-Gon wasn’t here to help.

Barely a Knight, Obi-Wan had been handed a nine-year-old Padawan with an astronomical midichlorian count. Almost any Jedi would feel trepidation in that situation, but Obi-Wan knew he couldn’t let Anakin see any hint of his inner fears. He had to remain confident, for his apprentice’s sake. Without that confidence and control from his master, the boy could become fearful, vulnerable.

The thought of Qui-Gon gave him strength. Obi-Wan decided to display a little firmness now, to defuse this awkward conversation. "I was a Padawan long enough that I know how to treat one. And to train a good one. Don’t forget that either, my young apprentice."

"I won’t. How could I? Hey, we’re here. And there’s a restaurant."

Obi-Wan was thankful for the distraction. "World’s End Inn. Doesn’t sound too promising. But there’s probably not much else, around here."

"It’s deserted. You wanted deserted."

"That I did. I’m trying to avoid the locals."

"Welp, not many locals here. And with what you’re wearing, no one will talk to us anyway." Anakin pulled up in a small, overgrown lot next to the low, unpretentiously-steel-grey building. "Can I order anything I want?"

"Provided it’s non-alcoholic. I don’t care how heavily you drank on Tatooine, I won’t put up with it."

Anakin giggled boyishly. His earlier pensiveness had vanished completely. "Darn."


On to Part 2