---

At first, Chann�u�ni had thought that the beginning of a sandstorm would be the perfect time to locate this sandy-haired boy, considering that most intelligent residents of Tatooine would be indoors during the storm. Then, Chann�u�ni had changed his mind because he realized that most intelligent residents of Tatooine would be indoors during the storm, and Chann�u�ni, after all, was a resident of Tatooine. However, one thing continued to drive Chann�u�ni in search, and no, that thing was not the bounty that seemed to hang over this boy�s head. In Chann�u�ni�s eyes, outsmarting the Hutts was one thing, but gaining an upper hand over the emperor himself was another. But, of course, Chann�u�ni had not been able to do this without the help of a few informed men with leaky mouths. Any additional information Chann�u�ni could obtain about either the boy or the emperor would be quite beneficial; after all, to know your enemy was to defeat your enemy, according to ancient Tusken proverb. And obtaining more information in exactly what Chann�u�ni did as soon as the storm had reached an unbearable point. Chann�u�ni had seen little purpose in continuing to brave the lashing of the storm when the boy himself would be trapped inside. The Tusken Raider had instead taken shelter within the first building he came across, which had, luckily, turned out to be one of Tatooine�s infamous bars.

All sorts of beings were known to cluster within these taverns; from Twi-Leks to Talzes to the occasional Jawas, but that afternoon there had been a peculiar guest seated upon one of the worn but rather hard to come across leather bar-stools. This guest didn�t attract Chann�u�ni�s eye because he stood out from the crowd, however. In fact, the reason was quite the inverse�this man blended in to the surrounding hustle and bustle so well that Chann�u�ni nearly overlooked him. Chann�u�ni was rather surprised at himself because the man was a very odd addition to the bar, one that should have immediately attracted the Tusken�s attention. This man was wearing a dark tunic that reached just below his feet, but his identity was concealed because he had the hood of the tunic pulled over his head and shoulders. Everything about this man seemed to be a mystery�in fact the figure could possibly be a woman, Chann�u�ni had little way of knowing. But he was about to find out.

Chann�u�ni eagerly strutted over to a bar-stool next to the cloaked figure.

"Vesgiff for me," he casually told the unusually large human bartender, who grunted and went to get him the drink.

When Chann�u�ni was not busy being a quiet, observant Tusken, he was a very straightforward being. The Tusken Raiders also had a reputation for being violent and even savage with other lifeforms, and the reputation was not completely undeserved. Tuskens could be rather harsh when they felt threatened, and just like other lifeforms, there were some that did evil for the sake of doing evil. So perhaps Chann�u�ni�s dislike for beating around the bush was very Tusken-like after all. Whether his manner would be strange to this figure meant little to the Tusken, however. Chann�u�ni was here to get answers, and he decided to begin with this very intriguing person. There was always something intriguing about any being that wore long cloaks and a mysterious aura.

"Are you a regular here? Are you familiar with the people?" Chann�u�ni asked the cloak man without bothering to put in a �hello� first.

The cloaked �man� turned to face the Tusken, but he did not answer.

"Your drink," the bartender said gruffly, thrusting the Vesgiff at Chann�u�ni with a massive hand.

Chann�u�ni barely noticed. He was waiting for an answer from Mr. Mysterious.

"Are you deaf?" Chann�u�ni realized he was being a bit brash by saying this, but found that he cared little about his attitude at the moment, "I asked you if you came to the bar regularly and if you were familiar with the people here."

The cloaked being, after carefully studying the Tusken Raider, let out an answer in a muffled, yet distinctly male voice, "I am not a regular. However, I do have many ties here in Tatooine. Are you looking for someone?"

Chann�u�ni wondered how much he should reveal to this man. It would not be wise to let his intentions be known by any other, lest the boy slip from his hands. If the boy no longer was an option, then

"Actually, yes. It has been bothering me for some time, though it�s not quite the most important thing. However, seeing as I am now in this bar, filled with people who are familiar with this planet, I thought I would ask. I normally reside in Mos Epsa, but our people there came across a human who wanted to get back to her son desperately, and I am trying to help her find him. She claimed that he had sandy-colored hair and was about ten years of age and resided her in Tatooine. I know this does not narrow it down very much, but if you know of anyone�"

If Chann�u�ni could have seen the eyes of this man behind his hood, he was sure that they would have narrowed at that very moment in an almost menacing glare. Instead, the man just leaned forward so that his hooded figure was just millimeters away from the Tusken. "This woman, what did she look like?" he asked, and by the gravity of his voice, Chann�u�ni felt that he should weigh his answer carefully. Perhaps the tale that he had fabricated had offended this cloaked man. Or perhaps the man was aware that the Tusken was lying to him! But how?

Chann�u�ni decided to go with the safe middle ground. "I cannot say. She was wearing clothing much like yourself, so that we could only tell she was human by her speech and actions. And the fact that she was searching for a human son."

The cloaked man did not reply, in fact he became eerily silent.

Chann�u�ni cleared his throat and decide to re-initiate the conversation. "However, back to the boy�"

The cloaked man suddenly in an unexpected burst of movement stood up and grabbed the Tusken by the shoulders. "I suggest we discuss this in a more private place. Meet me behind this bar in ten minutes. There is a door directly behind this entrance that is marked �Do not Enter�. Meet me inside that door. I assure you, it is unlocked."

"All this for the location of this woman�s son?" The Tusken asked incredulously, a bit too loudly.

"Quiet!" The cloaked man hissed angrily, "There are too many ears loyal to the Hutts inside these taverns."

Chann�u�ni did not quite understand how the Hutts had anything to do with anything; in fact he was a bit confused. This is not at all what he had expected, but he decided to do as the cloaked man said. After all, what would be the harm? If this man knew the boy�s whereabouts, then in the end all this fiasco would be worthwhile. Considering Vader�s blind eagerness to find this boy, Chann�u�ni would have a very nice sum with his name written on it by this time tomorrow. And all he had to do was walk into a door that was labeled, �Do not Enter�. Simple, right?

---

Obi-Wan�s mind was reeling as he hastily exited the bar and with speed only a Jedi could muster, he slipped out of the bar and into the door that he had described to the Tusken. A large creature, whose species was unfamiliar to Obi-Wan but appeared to be vaguely humanoid, was lying on a cot inside, and instantly woke up to Obi-Wan�s entrance.

"You will go to the bar and have some drinks. You�ve never seen this place before." Obi-Wan raised his hand and used an old-fashioned Jedi mind trick to remove this creature from this room temporarily.

Luckily, the force easily manipulated the creature�s mind. "I�ll go to the bar. I�ve never seen this place," it repeated, and with that it was gone.

Obi-Wan sat down on the cot from which the creature had risen, but he did not feel any relief in his solitude. He had been watching the Tuskens ever since he felt a ripple in the Force a day ago, a ripple that he had not felt in many years. He could not believe he was truly feeling the presence again, and yet he had been expecting it. However, as easily as Obi-Wan could feel this presence, the presence would be able feel Obi-Wan. Instantly, Obi-Wan erected his strongest mental block. Not even Vader would be able to penetrate it until Obi-Wan let it slip just slightly. This had been enough proof for Vader to see what he wanted to see. Vader was still as predictable as An akin had been, just as Obi-Wan had expected. His eagerness to find his son would be his downfall. If things went according to plan.

What bothered Obi-Wan so much was that this Tusken�s presence was not a part of the plan. And his story of a �woman seeking her son� was even more bothersome. Had Obi-Wan not specifically told Amidala to stay where she was? Something did not add up. Was the Tusken Raider telling the truth? Obi-Wan had no way of knowing, because the Tusken�s minds were impossible to read, even for a Jedi. Not even Vader had been able to see the Tusken�s true intentions. The Tuskens had been paid enough to keep their little charade a secret. Obi-Wan had made sure of that, with the aide of a few friends. Or at least, he had thought he had. Obviously, this one aggravating Tusken had not been content with his pay. Or maybe he sensed the boy�s true worth. This was a problem that Obi-Wan had not anticipated, and he did not like it one bit. Because the Tusken claimed to know Amidala, he could not kill him right away. But Obi-Wan knew he would have to in the end, because he already could tell that this Tusken would not stop until he had his hands on Luke. And Obi-Wan could not allow that.

Speak of the devil, Obi-Wan thought as the �Do not Enter� door suddenly swung open, signaling the end of Obi-Wan�s �ten minutes� to make a decision�

---

When Vader finally emerged from the room, still a bit shaken from his vision but ready to get back to his mission, he found that D�Tall had lowered the ship onto a large comet (or small moon, Vader was not yet sure which), and so he stormed over to where the bounty hunter was busy pushing buttons into the main panel.

"D�Tall Kah!" Vader bellowed, but instead of jumping, D�Tall calmly continued continued to enter sequences.

"Vader, you are not very good at sneaking up on people," D�Tall simply pointed out matter-of-factly, brushing a bit of dust off of one of the consoles.

Wanna bet? Vader thought, but instead he tried to retain his building anger. "Miss Kah," Vader began, his voice now dripping with sarcasm. "Would you kindly explain to me what we are doing sitting on this barren chunk of rock rather than pursuing our intended targets?" Vader�s voice erupted in anger at the words �intended targets�. Master Palpatine is not going to be happy if I don�t bring the boy back to him soon, Vader thought with more than a little annoyance.

"Vader, what do you take me for? I am a bounty hunter! I have the situation under control!" D�Tall replied, with haughty sarcasm all her own.

Vader, clenching his fists, could only think how nice it would feel to send the Twi�Lek flying into the nearest console. "And what do you think you are accomplishing by setting us down while our targets merrily coast along?" Vader once again asked with quite a bit of sarcasm.

"Ah, I was wondering when you get around to that," D�Tall replied with an almost amused smirk. It took all Vader�s control to stop him from reacting. Use her for the boy, and then give her her just reward, Vader reminded himself in order to suppress his anger. "You see, while you were enjoying a little quiet time, I was busy recalibrating the sensors like I had suggested so that I could locate the actual energy trail from this boy�s ship. However, the readings began to go astray, and I had a sneaking suspicion that this Obi-Wan was trying to use our own ingenuity against us. So I powered down and landed here, leading the ship to believe that they had lost us. They continued forward for a while, but eventually, thinking themselves out of harm�s way but still being cautious, they hid themselves among another of this planet�s moons. It also appears that they are low on fuel, and I believe that they will remain stationed on the moon for at least a day, for according to this database that moon, called Trenor, is supposed to be rich with the carbons necessary to power these ships. An ambush would probably be the best course of action." Finished with all she had to say, D�Tall looked expectantly up at Vader, who had been thinking all the while D�Tall had been speaking, how like Obi-Wan. He always thought he was so clever.

"Well done, D�Tall. I�m glad to see you�re finally doing something right." (D�Tall shot Vader a look of indigence.) Something continued to nag at the back of Vader�s mind, though, so he once again ran what the Twi�Lek had said through his mind. "D�Tall, Trenor appears to be rather close to the planet for a moon. Are you sure that it is possible that Obi-Wan�s ship could have set down on that moon with being pulled in at a tremendous speed by the planet�s gravitational field?"

An unreadable expression crossed the Twi-Lek�s face. "I considered that as well. But the moon must be out of range, I mean the sensors speak for themselves, take a look," D�Tall gestured towards the console.

With D�Tall guiding the controls since Vader was not familiar with them, Vader confirmed what D�Tall had said. "Very well. I suppose if they are running low on fuel then they have a bought us enough time to get a bit of rest and then ambush them. We�ll plan the attack in a few hours. Until then, let�s get a bit of rest."

D�Tall nodded, visibly holding back a yawn. "I could use a small nap," she admitted.

"We�re very close, D�Tall," Vader�s voice seemed brimming with excitement. "Soon I�ll have the boy and you will have your reward."

D�Tall grinned. "A successful mission is always the best kind." She turned and walked to the back of the ship, very grateful for her success thus far. She was very close indeed.

---

Vader made it seem as though he was going to rest as well, but after fifteen minutes or so, when Vader was sure that D�Tall was asleep, he returned to the front of the ship. He had been watching the way D�Tall used the ship�s controls very closely ever since they had entered the ship, more closely than D�Tall Kah had realized. It took a good amount of time and effort, of trial and error, but finally Vader was able to pinpoint exactly what D�Tall had been entering into the control panel and then transmitting to another location.

What Vader found was clearly a message that read: Put your guard back up. You gave him the image too soon. We are not yet near Trenor, but I am headed there now. Wait for my signal. �Kah.

---

Go to Part V

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