They’re sitting lethargically at the counter of a little cafe, it was clearly a bar at one point, refitted into a pleasant family friendly atmosphere after the neighborhood came into some wealth. It even has a nice little selection of rooms for travelers who want better accommodations than the standard lodgings found elsewhere in the city. The mission was standard and seemingly successful, investigating some small-time piracy and unsolved kidnappings plaguing the locals.
Qui-Gon is tired. All he wants is to go back to the temple and sleep, preferably for a full day. Such wistful nostalgia is not a common feeling for him. His padawan certainly needs it though. They’ll have to take a break for a couple weeks before they take another mission.
He watches Obi-Wan slump further on his stool, barely awake enough to get food in his mouth. He droops in between bites before startling awake again.
They hardly had any time to sleep, while it was a standard mission and they did arrest the pirates responsible, it seemed that something urgent happened every time they got the chance to rest.
If Qui-Gon were any less exhausted he might consider that thought a little harder.
As it is, he’s tired and Obi-Wan is tired and he really doesn’t have any patience for new developments. Unfortunately, the galaxy obviously didn’t get the message and sends him yet another thing to think about.
There’s a chime at the door of someone coming down from the lodgings upstairs. The force doesn’t warn him of any danger so he goes back to his meal without looking.
The new customer sits next to him and he glances over wearily.
It’s a small child, human or close enough in appearance, he’s too tired to parse out any guesses. Dark fluffy hair and probably too young to be left alone like this. He knows better than to dismiss a youngling’s potential as a threat but this one seems content to dig through their little bag of credits, order some surprisingly spicy-sounding stew, and swing their legs back and forth under the stool.
He goes back to his meal.
The child loses interest in watching the single waitress bustle around the kitchen and turns to him.
“You’re really tall.”
“Thank you.”
“How’d you do that?”
“Get tall?”
The child nods vigorously. Qui-Gon thinks about it for a minute, he could come up with a clever answer but that would take energy he simply does not have.
“I ate all my vegetables.”
The child gasps, “all of them!?”
“Yes, to become tall one must eat all manner of horrible things that are good for you.”
They scrunch their nose up at him. “Being tall must be awful then, I’ll just have to learn how to fight tall people better. Maybe I could get someone to teach me how to flip someone bigger than me, almost everyone’s bigger than me.” They grumble, it’s vaguely cute.
Qui-Gon wonders distantly how irresponsible it would be to fall asleep right now and leave his padawan to watch for threats. The child’s food arrives and they dig in with an enthusiasm Qui-Gon couldn’t possibly muster. At least they’re quiet.
Alas, it seems the galaxy is out to get him because as soon as the thought strikes him the youngling turns back to him and talks through their mouthful of stew.
“What’s that?” They point to his hip.
“A lightsaber.”
“That’s so cool! What color is it?”
“Green, you shouldn’t talk with your mouth open.”
“Why?”
“It’s rude.”
“No, not that, why is it green? Do they really come in different colors? Did you steal it or is it yours? How do you get one? Do you know how it works? I wish I knew how they work. Is it magic? I heard the Jetii are magic, that would be lame though. I wouldn’t be able to know how it works. My Buir says it’s really hard to get a jetii’kad and I’m not allowed to try and steal any until I’m thirty. They’re so cool though, it’s not fair." They whine. "Are you thirty? That’s really old.”
There’s so many words, not all of them are in Basic, it’s giving Qui-Gon a headache. He absentmindedly waves his hand.
“You want to be quiet and eat your food.”
“I want… no I don’t. I want to know about the jetii’kad.” They huff and cross their arms petulantly.
Obi-Wan, who has apparently finished his food and started paying attention at some point, interjects before Qui-Gon fully realizes what he’s done.
“Master, did you just try to kriffing mind trick a toddler!?”
“No!”
“Sith spit! What the kark do you think you're doing!?"
"I-"
"Don’t you kriffing try to lie to me!”
Ah, he’s swearing, in front of a child, not a good sign.
Deflect Qui-Gon, deflect.
“Padawan…”
“I’m not a toddler! I’m nine!”
That is… not helpful, kid.
“That’s not any better! I can’t believe-”
Qui-Gon just wants a nap, or a distraction, at this point he isn’t going to be picky.
He should remember to be more specific in his wishes, because the force has always had an awful sense of humor. It decides to go with a distraction.
A half dozen ruffians burst into the cafe wearing the insignia of the pirates they had supposedly already dealt with, blasters out and shouting.
The force chooses the moment of their entry to warn him which is not appreciated. He can tell they’re in danger, thank you very much, the warning is just making his headache worse.
But Qui-Gon Jinn wasn’t knighted for nothing, and Obi-Wan Kenobi isn’t his padawan without reason.
He snaps to attention, ignites his saber, grabs the child by the collar and lightly shoves them in Obi-Wan’s direction. Obi-Wan has the youngling behind him and his own lightsaber up and ready before the child manages to process what’s happening.
They need to leave.
They need to leave now.
Neither of them are at their best and while they might be able to handle themselves, there’s a child to think about now. He can feel more bodies coming towards the cafe. They can’t afford to stay and make mistakes. He glances over at Obi-Wan and gets a nod and vague sense of agreement over their bond.
Qui-Gon focuses on deflecting blaster bolts and force shoves the crowd when the moment strikes as Obi-Wan picks the gaping but thankfully not crying child up and maneuvers them into a secure position. The waitress has long since fled out the back. There might be more people in the building but seeking them out would be far more dangerous than leaving and hoping the pirates are only out for the Jedi.
The moment Obi-Wan signals he’s ready they start their rapid retreat. As much as Qui-Gon wishes they could drop them off and run, that really isn’t realistic. He doesn’t want to get them killed.
A quick slash has the lock on the door leading outside the cafe disabled behind them. They’ll be on them in maybe thirty seconds. There’s no time.
Obi-Wan puts the child down and runs, returning with a speeder as several figures appear in the entrance to the alley, Qui-Gon doesn’t bother to ask where he got it.
Qui-Gon doesn’t waste a second, picking the youngling up and plunking them down between the two Jedi. He faces backwards in order to deflect any shots from their pursuers, not an instant too soon as more of their opponents burst through the door joining their assailants still firing from the far end of the alley. They don’t waste time, immediately opening fire.
Qui-Gon feels the speeder start up and, much to his concern, the child shake themself out of their shocked stupor. They scramble up his back and peak over his shoulder to shout at their pursuers while shaking a tiny little fist.
“USEN'YE! SHABUIR!”
Probably cursing their adversaries out, while Qui-Gon can appreciate the bravery, he’d be much more comfortable if they didn’t.
“Sit down youngling.” He grits out between blocks.
They huff but comply easily enough.
He refocuses on deflecting the blaster shots.
“I hope you know this discussion isn’t over.” Obi-Wan starts.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“I cannot believe you would do that!”
“Well, it’s not like it even worked this time.” Qui-Gon grumbles.
“Master, what the kark does that mean? Have you mind tricked other children? Why would you even need to?” He squawks.
A warning blares through the force, saving Qui-Gon from answering and Obi-Wan swerves erratically in response, throwing off the aim of their pursuers and knocking Qui-Gon off balance for a moment. It only takes a second for him to realize why.
A slugthrower. It only missed hitting him because of Obi-Wan’s driving.
“Well that’s not good.”
“What’s not good?”
“Ah, nothing to worry about I’m sure.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” Comes the sarcastic response.
These pirates are more well prepared than they should be. The Jedi were only told of a few dozen members causing trouble on the outskirts of the system and a few raiders on the surface. They should not have known where to find them and they shouldn’t have had enough time or resources to track down a slugthrower.
Or two, he thinks as Obi-Wan turns sharply down another street, narrowly avoiding yet another shot from elsewhere.
Kriff, this isn’t good.
They’ve been misled, not only that, it’s putting an innocent youngling in danger. The adrenaline is keeping him going for now but there’s no telling when he’ll slip up and make a dangerous mistake.
Obi-Wan leads them away from the center of the city and towards the farming outskirts. Qui-Gon focuses on their pursuers, there’s five speeders after them. He deflects a blaster shot and takes out the two on the left.
They dodge another slugthrower shot, it isn’t very accurate, especially at the speeds they’re traveling at but force if it isn’t nasty.
He brings his lightsaber up again, prepared to deflect another shot when there’s a triumphant sound behind him and the youngling clambers up his back again.
He can’t afford to check on them or nudge them back down. He just hopes they don’t do anything too drastic.
He hears a blaster go off next to him and the speeder closest to them explodes, taking the others out with it.
Qui-Gon takes a moment to stare incredulously at the triumphant youngling hanging off his back. Where the kriff did they get a blaster? Did they have that the whole time?
They drive in silence until they make it out of town. Obi-Wan only stops once they’ve come to a sheltered outcropping. He collapses, exhausted, flat on his back. Qui-Gon does his best to send peace and reassurance down their bond.
It’s too much for his poor padawan’s worn down state and he passes out in moments, fast asleep.
The child is in no such straits, running around and telling Qui-Gon all about how they found the blaster and shot at the pirates, as if Qui-Gon wasn’t there. He only understands half of it, some of the words clearly in another language, some of them just stumbled over in their excitement. He takes a moment to sit back against the rocks. He doesn’t close his eyes, he might not stay conscious if he does, and someone needs to keep watch, but he tries to relax and watch the youngling explore their new surroundings with glee.
-
The Mandalorian glares at the destruction and bodies before him. Glass crunches under his boots and the flickering of the cafe sign above him illuminates the violent scene. His hands twitch at his sides.
Two pirates stir from their places on the floor. He has them dispatched before they can even think to move for their blasters.
He rushes upstairs, slamming open the door to his room, hoping to find some sign of...
He finds nothing.
Perhaps he shouldn’t have killed them so quickly.
Obi-Wan wakes irritably and blinks his eyes open rapidly only to startle back at the face mere inches from his own.
The youngling is leaning over him, a foot on each side of his body, hands on their hips and staring intently into his face.
It’s mildly upsetting.
“Hello there little one,” the child seems to gaze into his soul and find it wanting. “Is there something I can do for you?” He gives them a strained smile.
There is so much they need to do. Get the youngling back to their guardian without getting murdered by the criminal organization that is clearly larger and better equipped than they were led to believe, apologize for accidentally kidnapping the poor thing, finish their mission to deal with said dangerous criminal organization, work on his astronavigation homework, meditate. Force, he’s exhausted just thinking about it all.
There’s so much that could go wrong too. Could they just have one normal, surprise-free mission. Obi-Wan isn’t picky, just one mission that doesn’t go off the rails!
“Your Buir fell asleep.”
Buir? Obi-Wan takes a second to desperately place the word. ”Ah, there seems to be a misunderstanding. If I’m remembering my language modules right, he’s my teacher, not my parent.”
“Fine, your Cabur fell asleep.”
Obi-Wan tries to parse out which language they’re speaking to no avail. He knows vaguely what some of the words mean but he can’t for the life of him place the language. He’ll worry about it later, they can communicate well enough as it is.
He turns his head and sees that, yes, his Master is slumped over against a large rock and fast asleep. Not safe at all considering their pursuers are no doubt still looking for them but Obi-Wan can hardly blame him. After all, he did collapse as soon as they were safe and left him to watch by himself.
He sighs and gestures for the child to move so he can sit up. Once he’s up he checks their surroundings, still empty and quiet for as far as he can see.
A quick examination of the speeder he acquired finds a small leak that, over the course of his nap, has thoroughly ruined any chance of getting out of here anytime soon.
“Why is your hair like that?” He dodges a curious hand grabbing at his poor braid, the youngling may be old enough to know not to pull but he’d rather not have it grabbed at or examined.
“Ah, well, it’s a padawan braid, to signify my journey to become a knight.”
“Oh, what’s a padawan? Are you a Jetii?”
“A padawan is a student and I am a Jedi, Qui-Gon is my Master.”
“A Jet’ika,” the child nods wisely, crossing their arms. Obi-Wan scrunches his nose, he’s not little, thank you very much. “I’m going to be a beroya someday.”
“I’m sure you’ll do a wonderful job little one.” Whatever a beroya is, Obi-Wan has no idea.
“Now,” he clears his throat and refocuses. “Introductions, my name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, I’m a Jedi Padawan as I mentioned.” He makes a gesture in his Master’s direction, “That’s Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn. It’s lovely to meet you.” The youngling sloppily copies his proper Jedi bow and giggles, apparently finding his formality greatly amusing.
“Su’cuy Obi-Wan. I am Solan, of Clan Rook and House Kast.” They do an adorable little salute to match his bow and reach out to grasp his forearm in greeting.
“I’m sorry you’ve gotten caught up in all this Solan, although I’m afraid you may have to stay with us until it’s safe enough to find your guardian. Do you have any way to contact them, a comm code perhaps?”
“Nayc, Buir tried to get me to memorize it but it’s hard to remember so much.”
“That’s alright, we’ll figure it out somehow. Could you tell me what your buir looks like?”
“Lek, his beskar’gam is very orange and there’s some green and black too.” Beskar’gam, now Obi-Wan can place which language it is, he must be really tired to have missed it before. The youngling is speaking Mando’a, the youngling is Mandalorian. “There is a little purple for my ori’vod and yellow for me because it’s my favorite. You can’t tell him I said so but I think he’s a little color-blind.” He nods faintly in agreement.
They’re going to die.
They accidentally kidnapped a Mandalorian child.
He is going to be murdered for a crime he didn’t even commit!
Of all the children they could grab, it just had to be this one. If he gets murdered by a vengeful Mandalorian he is going to haunt Qui-Gon Jinn so hard.
“Hey, Solan, are you sure you don’t remember your buir’s comm code?”
They shake their head and shrug, no such luck.
“Alright, well, don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll find him soon enough.” Or he’ll find us and rip us limb from limb Obi-Wan stubbornly doesn’t add. “In the meantime, why don’t we try and find some shelter. There’s no telling if we’ll be staying the night.”
“Alright!” Solan takes the permission and runs off to explore, Obi-Wan following wearily behind him.
“Don’t go too far!”
-
Obi-Wan has done creche duty, he’s gone on the occasional trip to Illum, he knows kids. He may have forgotten exactly how exhausting they are.
They don’t travel too far, still close enough to safely regroup with Qui-Gon if need be. But Solan wants to drag Obi-Wan into every nook and cranny they can find. They show him all the cool bugs they catch, they ask countless questions about what cool Jedi tricks he can do, they tell him his braid looks kind of dumb.
Obi-Wan is starting to miss the creche, at least Jedi younglings know how to appreciate a good padawan braid.
The bedrock they’ve been exploring isn’t very tall, certainly not tall enough to be of any particular note. However, there are plenty of defensible positions and some small caves.
The one Solan shows him has a slightly small entrance that widens and expands out the further on they go. He can feel a slight breeze from deeper in the cave, they probably won’t run out of safe air then.
All in all it’s as good a place as any to spend a night on the run. Obi-Wan’s had worse beds and definitely worse companions. Solan, for all their endless energy, and probably terrifying parent, seems a pleasant child. Eager to explore and learn the way younglings tend to be, Obi-Wan itches to teach them creche games they won’t actually be able to play.
Satisfied with their likely lodgings for now, he locates Solan and helps them down from their place climbing one of the cave walls and heads back over to where Qui-Gon still sleeps, trying not to think about what a disastrous mission this has been.
Here and now, he reminds himself. Here and now.
-
The Mandalorian stalks over to the last place the tracker showed before it went silent.
He examines the remains of a speeder bike, lost in a small explosion.
A careful search finds his prize, lying innocently under a twisted piece of metal. A little necklace with a hanging charm. The chain is cleanly broken and the tracker embedded in the charm is dead. It’s an easy enough fix at least, which is more than he can say for some of the other mangled rubble.
He leans down and picks it up between careful fingers.
Standing up he tucks it into one of his belt pouches and returns to his own borrowed speeder.
He takes careful note of the emblem still identifiable on one of the corpse’s clothes.
This is only a minor setback.
There is nothing that could keep him from finding his child.
The sun is high in the sky when Qui-Gon startles awake to a large bird picking at his robes. He attempts to shoo it away to little success before sighing and attempting to locate his padawan.
He hisses as he shifts, pulling on a blaster burn he hadn’t noticed before.
That’s going to be a problem.
He examines the wound. Thankfully it seems to have only grazed his side, there’s another light graze on his arm.
If only they hadn't left the bacta patches behind.
The bird starts pulling on his hair.
Qui-Gon sighs, maybe Obi-Wan will have more success, he could probably pass it off as beast control training. That might work. The bird thankfully stops its incessant pecking but doesn’t leave, merely settling down on his leg.
Speaking of Obi-Wan, he doesn’t see his wayward padawan or the youngling they picked up anywhere.
He pulls himself up to look around just as Obi-Wan and the child round the corner. They both seem fine, which is good, he really should get a name for the child though… and maybe apologize for dragging them out here.
Obi-Wan takes one look at the bird and works hard to stifle a grin.
“Found yourself another friend, Master?”
“It would appear so, how are you getting along with yours?” He tips his head towards the child.
“Ah, this is Solan of Clan Rook and House Kast. We don’t seem to have any means of contacting their guardian. Although, if you happen to have any unfortunate encounters with a particularly angry Mandalorian…” He tips his head towards their new companion meaningfully.
Ah, that explains the language and, perhaps, the blaster. A shame, that might make returning them without getting shot slightly difficult.
“Well, we have the Force. If that is its will we will no doubt see you returned to your family soon.” He tries a reassuring smile that only works out slightly pained, Obi-Wan narrows his eyes, Qui-Gon makes a peaceful gesture.
“What’s the Force got to do with anything?” The child demands. “Is it alive? I thought you just did Jetii magic?”
“I suppose you could say it’s alive, it’s an energy all around us. It’s everywhere and in everything. It is what gives the Jedi their abilities but it is much more than that. The Force has many qualities the least of which-”
They scrunch up their nose at him.
“You sound like my Buir when he talks about the Manda, can I go climb more rocks Obi-Wan?”
“Oh, um, I suppose, please don’t go too far.”
Solan looks incredibly offended for such a small thing.
Obi-Wan watches them for a moment before whipping around to glare at Qui-Gon.
“You’re injured.”
“I’m fine, really. It was only a graze.”
Obi-Wan seems pacified for the moment and tucks his arms in his sleeves in a nervous gesture. Qui-Gon can feel his stress rising as he allows himself to process now that they're relatively alone. Qui-Gon is stubbornly ignoring the bird trying to eat his boot.
“What are we going to do? We can’t just leave them alone and it’s not like we can take them with us to fight pirates.”
“Why, we’ll follow the will of the force of course.” He allows a small smirk at Obi-Wan’s annoyed glare. “The force provides, and if nothing else, our little companion does seem to know their way around a blaster. Perhaps we could even convince their parent to deal with our little pirate problem for us.” He tugs on his Padawan's braid lightly and smiles. “I have a good feeling Obi-Wan.”
“At least one of us does.” He grumbles.
Qui-Gon chuckles lightly.
“Hey, Obi-Wan!”
“Yes Solan?”
“Are those guys supposed to be over there?”
“What?”
They both rush to Solan’s perch to see what they’ve found.
That… is a concerning number of pirates. They’re spread out, searching the area closer to the city.
The bird, now resting quietly on his shoulder, squawks and directs his attention to one small group in particular. They’re busy conversing next to some speeders and an upsetting selection of large weapons. In the middle is a large man issuing orders, perhaps the leader.
How could their intel be this bad? He never would have accepted this mission if he had known it would turn into such a mess.
He registers a warning in the force and drags Obi-Wan and Solan down behind a boulder.
“Well, that is certainly not good. We may have to lie low for a while. My apologies for dragging you into all of this Solan.”
“It’s ok, it wasn’t your fault, they tried to kill you.”
Obi-Wan gives him a meaningful glare for the youngling's other side.
“And I’m truly sorry for attempting to mind trick you, I promise it was unintentional.”
“What’s a mind trick? Is it-”
“Nothing you need to worry about,” he hurries to explain, “it’s just a little… rude to use on someone without permission.”
“Oh, well, I guess you should remember to ask next time then.”
Qui-Gon smiles at them, oh to have the simple logic and easy forgiveness of a child. They are decidedly less forgiving when he ruffles their hair, genuinely hissing at him.
The bird hisses loudly back at them which startles poor Obi-Wan and nearly devolves further.
They gather up their things and do their best to erase their presence, Solan giving updates on their pursuers progress from a somewhat safe hiding spot.
Qui-Gon makes sure to compliment the cave they found to Solan’s obvious pride and Obi-Wan’s exasperation.
Now, there’s nothing to do but wait.
-
The Mandalorian stares impassively at the scum before him.
“There was a child in the building you shot up earlier today. Where are they?”
“I-I don’t know! I didn’t hear about any kids! Only heard about the Jedi!”
“Jedi?”
“Y-yeah, we heard they were in the system, th-they got some of our guys arrested s-so the boss had us wearing ‘em down. We tried to hit ‘em this morning. Why do you even care? D-didn’t the boss hire you for something?”
“Deal’s off.”
“You can’t-”
“You’ll find I can, I did. Now, focus, you were trying to kill Jedi, I assume based on the trail of destruction you weren’t very successful. So, where did the Jedi go?”
Obi-Wan is drawn out of his light meditation by the sound of quiet sniffling and growing distress.
He blinks to adjust his eyes and peers around the dark cave they’ve set themselves up in for the night, Qui-Gon is sleeping soundly in a corner. The bird is nowhere to be seen but Obi-Wan is sure he’s still around somewhere.
Solan is in another corner desperately wiping away their tears as soon as they fall. They aren’t having much success and gasp out a desperate breath. Obi-Wan can’t let this continue.
“Oh Solan,” he opens his arms in invitation and soon has a lap full of upset child. He rests his chin on their head and waits, murmuring comfort quietly. Solan doesn’t seem force sensitive but habit has Obi-Wan sending soothing waves in the force anyway.
“What’s wrong?” He whispers once the tears and stifled sobs have turned into occasional hiccups.
“I want my Buir. I don’t want to be here anymore, it’s cold and damp and-and I," they choke on a small sob "I have to say my remembrances but I can't if I'm c-crying and what if he can’t f-find me? I don’t want to be alone again.” They sniffle miserably.
He murmurs again, “tamah uu nev valrael keel, im nev xariel.”
“What’s that?”
“Oh, it’s, um, it’s something that my Crechemaster used to tell us. It means something like ‘you are in the dark, but not the darkness’ in basic. It’s a comfort. We say it to each other sometimes when we’re scared or upset. You may be afraid but this is not the end, Qui-Gon and I will do our best to get you back to your Buir and even if we can’t find him I’m sure he’s looking for you.” He takes a moment to squeeze them lightly.
“What language is it?” They perk up a little and Obi-Wan is glad for the distraction.
“It’s Dai Bendu, our language.”
“The Jetii have a language?”
“Yes, we are a people all our own after all.” He smiles and wiggles his fingers dramatically. “We don’t just meet up and do Jetii magic sometimes. Being a Jedi is a sacred calling. We have traditions and history, we grow up and live together.”
“Huh,” Solan seems to contemplate that, still hiccuping quietly.
“Would you like to hear a story? A distraction might help.”
“What kind of story?”
“It’s a fun one I promise.”
“Alright.”
“Wonderful,” Obi-Wan settles back against the cave wall and thinks about how to begin. Solan squirms to get more comfortable but doesn’t make any indication they want to move. He clears his throat and finds his storyteller’s cadence. “Once, not long ago, there was a little Jedi, a Jet’ika I suppose one could say.” He smiles a little.
“This little Jedi’s name was Quinlan Vos and he had a very unfortunate tendency to get into trouble.”
“Now, it’s important to note that this wasn’t on purpose… most of the time. However, sometimes even the most well behaved little Jedi get into mischief.”
“Quinlan had some very dear friends, as most Jedi do, but for this story we’ll discuss only one of them. His name was Obi-Wan.”
Solan perks up at the familiar name.
“Now, on the occasion of this tale little Quinlan was dearly missing a particular baked snack from his homeworld and was upset it wasn’t in the current rotation of temple food. He was disappointed to find that none of his friends had ever tried it. It was his dear wish to share something that brought him such joy with those he cared so much for. Now, what do you think his solution to this was?”
“Asking someone to make it?” Obi-Wan is glad to see they seem so interested.
“A logical idea, but not what our hero settled on. He decided to enlist his good friend, Obi-Wan and sneak into the temple kitchens so he could make his favorite snack himself and share it with his crechemates.”
“This was quite the endeavor because, you see, not only are little Jedi supervised most of the time, they aren’t allowed anywhere near dangerous kitchen equipment.”
He gestures for emphasis as best he can while still holding them.
“So, Quinlan enlisted help! From his friend Obi-Wan and they set out on a journey! They snuck out late at night away from their crechemates and crechemaster. The trouble with little Jedi you see, is that, if they try hard enough, they can learn to hide themselves in the force. This can be very inconvenient for anyone trying to keep track of them.”
“They hid behind pillars and dodged Master-Padawan pairs returning late from missions. Once, they almost thought they’d been caught. Master Tholme turned to look in their direction, Obi-Wan could have sworn he stared right into his eyes and they were in trouble for sure but he turned away again and Quinlan proudly said the shadows must have been deep enough and their hiding skilled enough they weren’t spotted.”
“Finally, they made it to the kitchens undetected. The only problem was, neither of them knew how to make anything! Much less a specific dessert only one of them had ever tried!”
“However, Quinlan was never one to be defeated by such small details and he was certain that together, they could overcome any setback!”
“He devised a plan to create several different recipes, surely one of them would be right!”
Solan giggles, it’s still a little wet but it’s progress.
“Obi-Wan was certain that baked snacks have flour in them but Quinlan had great confidence in his theory of the importance of baking soda. Both of them, being very little Jedi still, did not have a very good sense of how to clean up after themselves and were rather clumsy, as little beings of all varieties tend to be. Soon the entire kitchen was covered in a thin dusting of white, although neither of them could have said whether it was flour or baking soda or sugar.”
“However, even covered in various ingredients they could not be deterred from their righteous mission. Soon, their creations were ready to bake.”
“This led to their next problem… Their Crechemaster had always been careful to impart upon them a healthy respect for things that get very hot. Ovens are something that get very hot and Obi-Wan did not want to get in trouble. Quinlan assured his friend that surely, if they were careful, it would all work out.”
“Unfortunately for Quinlan’s good faith attempts at safety, he was but a little Jedi and had no concept of what counts as hot. Obi-Wan nervously placed the sheet in the oven and Quinlan turned it on.”
“Then what?”
“No one is quite sure what went wrong but suddenly a loud BANG! Was heard across the nearly empty kitchen frightening the two little Jedi terribly.”
“Now, upon hearing a sudden loud noise and two very small presences spike with fear several Jedi raced to the kitchen as fast as they could. Whatever they were expecting I don’t think it was two crying younglings hiding from a burning oven covered in fine white powder.”
“Suffice it to say both little Jedi had quite the stern talking to from their frantic Crechemaster. They were thoroughly scared off from trying to bake anything else without supervision. Although Quinlan swore that Master Tholme was hiding a little smile as he helped clean up the mess.”
Solan giggles a little, sounding much better, “thank you,” they whisper.
"Of course, do you think you can say your remembrances now?"
They nod and sit up straight, Obi-Wan does his best not to listen in on their whispers, it's not his place.
Finally, they yawn and snuggle in closer, their presence far more peaceful and content.
Obi-Wan hopes they can get them back home soon but he finds he doesn’t mind their little companion. He relaxes as much as he can and hugs them a little tighter.
-
He should be asleep.
He knows he should rest, if he is going to get them back and safe he needs to be at his best.
He doesn’t, for every time his eyes close he sees his beloved Ad’ika, in pain and fear. Alone and undefended.
He reaches into his belt and thumbs at Solan's charm with care.
They will do great things one day, they will be courageous and good, but now? Now, they are so small, so precious.
He will rest later, with his child in his arms.
Qui-Gon startles awake, his eyes flying open. Something is wrong. He sits up and takes a moment to seek clarity in the force.
Solan pokes at Obi-Wan to get his attention
“What’s wrong?” They whisper.
Qui-Gon is up and moving, shaking out his limbs and stretching his muscles.
“Someone’s coming.” Comes the whispered answer.
“Someone bad?”
Obi-Wan makes a slightly hysterical noise. Qui-Gon should probably try to be more reassuring.
“I don’t think they’re very interested in negotiating, Master?”
Qui-Gon makes a humming sound of consideration, probably not. The Force is clear that these are not friendly visitors.
“You said the speeder is broken?”
“Yes,” Obi-Wan’s face is very tight, the Force is still blaring a warning in the background.
“Is there another exit?” Obi-Wan wouldn’t have picked it if there wasn’t.
“Very small, it’s in the ceiling, we would need to widen it and force jump through.”
“Alright, I’ll follow you but we need to make sure that Solan is safe.”
Obi-Wan wants to argue. Qui-Gon can see it in his eyes, feel it stewing behind his shields. He doesn’t want to leave Qui-Gon alone, wants to face them together, but he looks down at Solan and shuts his mouth, quiets his mind.
They have a mandate to help, even if they didn’t his Padawan wouldn’t put a youngling in danger like that. He watches him gather Solan securely in his arms and start to head to the sliver of light that indicates the exit.
“Eno Dai veshah keelel mellu im tamah foh veshah keelel”
Qui-Gon smiles a little and returns the saying. His Padawan has always been a sentimental one.
-
Obi-Wan focuses on running, Solan on his back. He’ll have to put them down to fight effectively, hopefully it doesn’t come to that.
His saber is in one hand, he does his best to dodge rocks and stones. It’s dark and nearly impossible to see but Obi-Wan has the Force. It gives him just enough of an edge not to trip over the obstacles in his path.
The only problem is that while the force might warn him, his body is not guaranteed to cooperate in time.
He can hear shuffling in the distance, talking and shouting. He can see lights up ahead. He changes directions and hopes for the best.
A particularly odd stone has him nearly sprawling. He makes a shocked noise and Solan, despite their best efforts to be quiet, lets out a surprised yelp of their own.
The shouting gets louder and closer by the second.
Obi–Wan staggers back to his feet, setting the youngling down and pushing them behind him. He asks the Force for guidance and comes up empty. His search for a place to hide gets him nothing but a boulder, too small for himself but large enough to hide a child behind.
At least it will give them some semblance of cover.
The shouting has changed and lights are coming closer, he can tell they’ve been found. He doesn’t turn his lightsaber on, let them stumble in the dark for even a second longer. Let them pass them by without seeing their marks.
A blaster bolt flies by his head and he prepares a defensive stance. The blue of his lightsaber lights up his face and illuminates his immediate surroundings.
He centers himself and whispers a quiet mantra, it’s a comfort and a guide.
-
The Jedi is small, clearly a student, easy pickings. Must have split from their minder in an attempt to escape his trap.
Fool, can’t they see it’s hopeless.
Who would come up with such a plan other than the great pirate Yorbunil Fah? Bribing an official to falsify the call for help, ensuring that the Jedi would be unprepared? Hiding their numbers? Wearing the Jedi down before striking? None could have come up with such a great plan but him!
An idle thought of why? pops into his head, why does he do this? Surely, some quiet part of his mind suggests, this will only bring destruction in the long run. If you kill a little Jedi, one of their most treasured ones, they will never let you rest. They will see you ruined and your bandits scattered.
He dismisses the thought with a shake of his head. They will go down in history as powerful Jedi-killers, as undefeated pirates who rule the sector. He will be a king!
If only it would all go to plan.
If they can only kill them and get that stupid Mando off their backs things will be so much simpler. It will all work out.
“I don’t suppose we could talk this out?” The little Jedi obviously knows what a stupid question it is, adjusting their grip and stance even as they ask.
Yorbunil shouts an order and his men open fire.
Qui-Gon wishes he were reassured by the relatively small number of pirates in front of him. But how can he be when he can see them heading in the direction his padawan fled?
He can’t afford to get distracted so he focuses on drawing as much attention as possible. Each pirate that can’t find an opening to leave is another that can’t regroup to harass his padawan and their temporary charge.
He draws on the force and asks for its help.
-
Obi-Wan can’t retreat any farther. He’s standing his ground the best he can and Solan is certainly helping, taking pot shots with their blaster whenever they get the chance.
Their chances are becoming more and more common as Obi-Wan’s stamina runs out and he makes more and more mistakes.
The distraction of Solan’s shots on top of the deflected bolts Obi-Wan is sending back are probably the only reason they’re still standing and unharmed.
There’s a moment of anticipation. It’s too quick to parse out further and Obi-Wan can only hope that it’s good.
Suddenly the man shouting orders falls, face first, a blaster bolt clean through his head.
No one moves.
Obi-Wan struggles to keep his guard up.
He pushes a curious Solan back behind cover and waits.
-
The Jedi… a young one, a Padawan he thinks they’re called, falters, catching their breath and nearly stumbling.
It must have been a difficult battle.
He strides forward and continues to eliminate the pirates that dared come near his child.
It’s too dark and he’s not close enough for the Padawan to see him. It must be frightening to see their enemies eliminated without knowing the intentions of their savior.
He tilts his head and watches them blow out a long breath and steady themself. He approves, such a brave thing, this one.
“Hello?”
He holsters his blaster and steps forward.
“Hello-”
“BUIR!”
The Padawan reaches a hand to try and stop them from running but isn’t quite quick enough to stop Solan from darting out from their hiding place. He feels the tension of the last hours drain out as his child jumps into his arms, nearly knocking him over.
“You’re getting too big for that, Sol’ika.” He says fondly and tips his buy'ce to meet their forehead gently. He revels in the feeling for a moment before turning back to the Padawan. “I must thank you for protecting them.”
“Oh, well, we could not allow a child to be hurt if we could help it.”
He nods in acknowledgement, any being with honor would.
“Still, you have done me a great service-”
“Obi-Wan!”
They’re interrupted by what must be the Padawan’s teacher? Master? Probably Master rushing over from his own battle. There’s also a large bird? Jedi certainly are strange creatures.
“Master!”
He allows them a moment to reunite and check one another over before continuing.
“As I said, you have done me a great service by protecting my child when I could not.”
The Master nods in acknowledgement, knowing he isn’t finished.
“I do not wish to have debt between us, so, I found the one who lied to you in my search for Solan.” He adjusts his grip and squeezes them tighter. “It was the mayor and his deputy, they won’t bother you anymore.” He tosses a datachip of evidence to the older Jedi. “That scum is the leader of the pirates.” He points at a body behind him.
The padawan looks like they might protest but a quick glance from their master has them slightly chastened.
“...Thank you for your assistance.”
He nods, quick and decisive.
His debt is paid and his child is safe, he has no reason or desire to stay on this cursed planet any longer.
He dips his head towards where Solan is burying themself in his shoulder.
“Do you want to say goodbye?”
-
Obi-Wan is grateful for the sunrise finally allowing him to see.
Solan clings to their buir’s hand and glances up at them from behind fluffy locks.
They hardly knew each other but Obi-Wan will be missing them. For all the danger and close calls of the past, has it really only been a day? He enjoyed spending time with them.
“Ret'urcye mhi… Maybe we’ll meet again.”
It’s a nice sentiment, perhaps they will. The galaxy is massive but the Force is mysterious, it brought them together in the first place after all. Obi-Wan likes the idea of meeting again, he just hopes if they do it’s under better circumstances. He would rather not repeat this adventure any time soon.
“Ret'urcye mhi Solan and, Eno Dai veshah keelel mellu im tamah foh veshah keelel, may the Force be with you.”
They scrunch up their nose and valiantly attempt to repeat the Dai Bendu before scowling and changing course. “May the Force be with you too.”
He hardly notices Qui-Gon and the Mandalorian’s continued discussion as Solan darts forward and gives him a tight hug. Almost as soon as he returns it they run back to their buir and are back to clinging.
Qui-Gon doesn’t get a hug but rather a very professional salute and goodbye, almost like a business partner. Obi-Wan doesn’t know much about Mandalorians but he suspects from the tilt of his helmet their buir is very amused.
Qui-Gon plays along and returns their goodbye with his own bow and farewell, specifically the one usually reserved for Jedi of equal standing who want to keep things professional. Obi-Wan has to stop from rolling his eyes at his Master’s indulgent smirk.
Once they’ve left his Master turns to him and smiles. “What did I tell you, Padawan? All is as the force wills.”
Obi-Wan refrains from kicking him, or making a comment about how it isn't the Jedi way to rely on vengeful Mandalorian parents to solve your problems by murdering local government officials. “As you say Master.”
“Now, have you done any beast control training yet?”
Obi-Wan eyes the bird they’ve been steadfastly ignoring with trepidation and sighs.
“No, Master, I have not.”