Times of the Past

Circling

     When they had returned to the hill, things were awkward, to say the least, but Obi-Wan did his best to engage Qui-Gon in conversation to avoid total silence.

     Qui-Gon explained how he had led those after them away, but how he had stumbled upon the town that also served as their base of operations. He had managed to slip away after quite some time had passed, but he had almost gotten caught. If it hadn't been for an elderly lady who provided him with shelter and helped him escape, he might not have made it out of the area.

     Obi-Wan regaled him with some details of the past few days, while conveniently omitting others, just to keep the conversation going.

     Eventually, however, their focus shifted to the much more pressing matter of leaving the area without being tracked. No one knew they were at the hill at the moment, but that could soon change. They needed to get more information on the nearest surrounding settlements to the north, which they could do if they passed back through town and kept moving.

     After a little debate, Qui-Gon suggested that they leave in the evening, so that they could purchase some goods for their journey just before the town's storefronts closed and get some information from locals before walking at nightfall.

     So, that meant they had the day to rest and get ready, though there wasn't much to do other then take apart the shelter and bag up their belongings. 

     Satine decided to try to sleep a bit longer on one of the mats a few feet away from where Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon sat, but she only ended up being wide awake. She tried to stay still and relax, but she felt like a bundle of nerves. The worse part was that she was well aware that the two Jedi could probably sense how uncomfortable and frustrated she was, but thankfully, they left her alone.

     As Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan ran out of things to talk about, Obi-Wan suggested that he take a walk to see if he could find anymore behot or other herbs that might serve them well in the journey ahead, and he was off before Qui-Gon could really have a chance to object.

     Hours passed and the day eventually slipped into the afternoon, where tensions seemed to ease just slightly as the temperature dropped. Then, it was time to go.

     With all their belongings strapped to their backs, they returned to town yet again, passing through alleys and purchasing a few necessities with their few credits until they had what they needed for a while, asking shop owners about the surrounding places occasionally.

     They soon discovered a pattern in what information they received--to stay away from the direction Qui-Gon had headed, and to head towards the north as they had thought. Apparently, the way Qui-Gon had headed was near Keldabe, which surprised Satine. 

     The last time she had been at home, she had understood that Keldabe was where many of the conflicts were currently taking place between the New Mandalorians and the traditionalists. She realized then that the people who were currently after them were likely sided with the traditionalists, and that this direction could potentially be home to others who would be glad to see her dead, and the same for anyone who helped her.

     As they were still in town though, she couldn't voice her thoughts aloud to Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon. They probably sensed her apprehension, given that Obi-Wan did look over to her a few times with worry, but she wasn't sure if she could clearly explain her thoughts to him just by thinking them like she had done once in the past.

     More time passed before they had cleared the town and were headed away on foot.

     Finally, when they were out of earshot of other travelers, Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks, making eye contact with Satine. 

     "What is it? What's wrong?"

     Qui-Gon raised a brow in interest and glanced from Obi-Wan to Satine. Apparently, he hadn't picked up on Satine's worry in the dinnertime crowd in the settlement.

     Satine sighed. "I think we're still headed in a bad direction. They say Keldabe is where the action is, yes, but from what you have said about the other town where you went," she said, looking at Qui-Gon, "it seems to me that any place in this area could be a potential hideout for the traditionalists. If I'm right, some of the New Mandalorians are far away on the other side of Keldabe at the moment, but it makes sense that these tiny outpost towns are the homes for the other side. They don't seem helpful strategically, but this could be why we have always had a hard time targeting any major base locations. I didn't know where we were before or how close we were to larger cities, but now I think we're going the wrong way."

     There was a moment's pause, then Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon. "So, what should we do? If we keep moving forward and risk it, there's a chance we'll run straight into a group that would kill us all. Yet, the only way back is around the lake where we'd have to pass right through Donix and Merida's again. If we go that way, there's a chance we could loop around to the other side of Keldabe in the next few weeks and be back to the New Mandalorian side where it could be safer."

     Qui-Gon looked down in thought, then shifted his gaze in the direction they were headed. He was silent, then he closed his eyes, focusing on the Force and the path that lay ahead.

     Satine and Obi-Wan waited, perhaps almost impatiently, but Qui-Gon soon reopened his eyes.

     "I'm getting tired of turning around so many times. Next time, we should meditate before we go anywhere."

     And with that, he began to herd them back towards the hill that they had just been staying at.

     Obi-Wan and Satine shared one last glance full of mixed emotion, but they were quickly forced to look away.

     Luckily, they would still be able to cover some ground in the cooler night air, even if that meant they might be returning the way they came.