Trust in the Force
Part 1
"Where are we?� Qui-Gon Jinn asked, opening his eyes from his healing trance."A planet called Otoria,� Obi-Wan Kenobi replied. �They�re more or less friendly to the Republic, but they aren�t part of it. They say that we�ll be able to buy the parts we need here, though. Don�t worry, master. I�ll get them installed and we�ll be back in hyperspace before very long.�
"Well done, padawan,� the Jedi Master nodded.
"How are you doing?�
"The healing process is a bit slower and more difficult than I had expected, but it is healing nonetheless.� Qui-Gon had managed to deflect most of the projectiles from the many weapons shooting at him, but one had got through and had left a deep graze in his thigh.
"Then you don�t want a Healer?�
"There is no need, padawan. I might well be able to sit up and help you with the repairs by the time you return with the parts.�
"You�re not planning on showing that to An-Paj at all, are you?� Obi-Wan teased, mentioning the Master Healer at the Temple with whom they had the most contact.
"Why should I show him a perfectly healed scar?�
"So that he can write it in his records as "the wound that got away�?�
Qui-Gon�s face lit up with a smile at the expression. �There�s no need to disappoint him any further.�
"What do you mean?�
"He�s expecting you to come back on a stretcher like you always do--�
"Almost always.�
"--and here you are, as able-bodied as you were at the start of the mission. Why torment him further with another example of how we didn�t need him this time?�
"You�re right, master. We must consider his feelings.�
"We must. Now go get those parts so that we can get back to the Temple.�
"Yes, master.� Still smiling, Obi-Wan went out.
Their last mission had been successful. They had found the proof that the funds sent to the planet Ramasia by the Republican Senate were being misused in the worst possible way, to fund yet another civil war. The Ramasian natives had turned on them then, intent on protecting the supply of money for their favourite pasttime by not letting that information get back to the Senate. Their cover had been blown, they�d been hunted from all sides, and they�d barely managed to get off the planet with their ship intact. However, the information was safe and so were they, except for Qui-Gon�s flesh wound. But then one of the engine components had failed, making it impossible for them to travel in hyperspace. Obi-Wan had tried to repair it with what was on board, but had soon discovered that the damaged parts simply had to be replaced. They�d limped along to the next habitable planet and were now stuck there. Hopefully, they could get the parts installed and be on their way again in a few hours.
The spaceport was a few kilometers outside the small city, and after getting directions from the information center and changing, for a huge fee, his Republic credits into the local currency, Obi-Wan walked to the omnibus stop and waited for it to arrive. Judging by the markings on the pavement in front of him, he almost expected it to be the old fashioned kind, with wheels, but when it came, it purred smoothly along on repulsors, just like in the Republic. When he tried to board, however, the driver asked to see his ticket.
"I�m a Jedi,� Obi-Wan told him, automatically pulling out his identification disc with its easily identifiable logo. Inside the Republic, Jedi were allowed to ride free on public transports.
The people nearest him had fallen silent as soon as he�d stepped onto the omnibus, no doubt staring at his pale skin and hair. All the Otorians had dark skin, ranging from bronze through reddish brown to just plain dark, and great masses of thick, bronze-coloured hair, sometimes tied back in bulging ponytails. On Coruscant, with its diverse population representing the entire galaxy, Obi-Wan had never felt as though he was the odd one out, but now he experienced the acute sensation of being terribly, horribly conspicuous. And at the word �Jedi� the driver looked at him with the same disgust he would show something soft and smelly on the underside of his shoe.
"Well...we�ll let you board, but you have to buy a ticket like everybody else,� the driver finally said.
Obi-Wan remembered that they were no longer in the Republic and sighed inwardly, then paid the ridiculously high price and walked down the aisle, looking for a seat. It was impossible to overlook the people either inching away from him so that his robe would not brush them as he went by, or hastily putting packages or coats onto the free seats next to them in an attempt to ensure that he would not sit there, and so he chose an empty row at the back and swung into it, feeling less insulted by their behaviour than simply saddened. At least they weren�t chasing after him with torches, pitchforks, and projectile blasters.
The omnibus stopped at the official city centre, which was called Market Square, although Obi-Wan could not see any trace of any market there at all, nor any sign of the store he needed to visit. He�d understood that Piniker�s Parts was at the end of the omnibus line. It seemed faintly ridiculous to have such a shop in the middle of the city, and not next to the space port where it was needed, but Obi-Wan surmised that the Otorians wanted to milk as much money from needy visitors as possible by forcing them to use the omnibus. His suspicions were confirmed as he reboarded to ask the driver where the shop was.
"Information, two dennars, cash in advance,� the driver told him, and waited until Obi-Wan had counted it out before telling him to walk across the bridge, go straight for two streets, then turn left and then right again. He spoke slowly and clearly, and also managed to convey the boredom that came from doing the same thing over and over again.
The bridge was low and wide, spanning an immense river, and Obi-Wan had to pay a toll of half a dennar to be allowed to cross. Perhaps that was the reason why there weren�t many people on it. On the other side of the river, the streets were narrow, much too narrow to allow omnibuses through, and the buildings stood side by side, without a gap between them. There were a myriad of shops here, as there had not been on the obviously richer bank, and although he followed the directions exactly, he almost overlooked Piniker�s Parts until a picture of an outdated version of Galactic Force One, the private conveyance of the Chancellor before Valorum, caught his eye and sent him back a few steps to the door. As he entered, there was a discordant jingling above his head, and he looked up to see a few metal pieces dangling from the ceiling.
The shop was tiny, and jam-packed with shelves holding spare parts of every kind, or, if the parts were too big to fit in the miniscule trays, two dimensional pictures. Everything seemed to be arranged in alphabetical order as well, by part name and then by vehicle. Obi-Wan was surprised to see everything in Aurebesh and not some obscure Otorian alphabet, then realised he�d been speaking Basic to the natives the entire time. It was unusual for a non-Republic planet to have Basic as the standard language, but then, everything about Otoria was unusual. Maybe it had been a colony founded by some greedy Republic runaway.