(With thanks to Mose for letting me borrow Rela Quinn)
Just One of Those Things
By Jemmiah
"I have to go."
"You can't! At this time of day?"
"It's only evening, Ben!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The atmosphere at the swoop track was strangely muted and dull, darkness beginning to envelop the vast stadium with eerie shadow like fingers right along the length of the course. Evening practise runs were becoming more and more popular with the swoop jockeys, away from the prying eyes of spectators and gamblers that inevitably lined the rails during the daytime. Usually these sessions were nothing more than a chance to mix with their fellow competitors and take the measure of a few rivals, maybe put in some fast times with the pressure off their backs, but tonight
Tonight was a little bit different.
Jemmiah pulled her visor down on strode purposefully towards her beloved swoop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This isn't a practise run!"
"So?"
"It's too dark and it's too dangerous."
"How is it any more dangerous than when I usually race?"
"You won't be able to see a damned thing!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The lights came on in the stadium. They weren't the usual brightness, it was true, but then these practise sessions weren't officially supposed to be taking place. The swoop track on Coruscant turned a blind eye to itmostly because swoop racing itself was still very much in the early stages as legal sport. Oh yes, there had been a track here for many years but nothing in the way of official representation and more to the point there had been no rules.
There still wasn't.
That would all change soon. The popularity of swoop racing made it necessary for some governing body to regulate the sport, and Jemmiah's own big success in the Coruscant Grand Swoop Championship of last year had in no small way contributed to speeding up the process. All dangerous sports would no doubt come into this category and such moonlight challenges as tonight would soon be swept away
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My record time has been taken. I want it back."
"But why do it tonight?"
"I was challenged."
"It's not a fair challenge!"
"It's a matter of honor. I can't back out now. I don't want to, either. I can win this!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rela and Spider were sitting in the stadium, and Simeon, no doubt trying to work out what was going on down on the track. And Ben?
He'd relented eventually, not wanting to show lack of support for his girlfriend, all the time knowing that Qui-Gon would be furious if he found out where they were at this time of night. He'd said they had gone to the Hell's Chance cantina, but had he believed him? Lying did not come easily to Ben for which Jemmiah had both been grateful and cursed in past times. Yet as she looked up at the dark stadium with its vast rows of empty seats there was no sign of Master Jinn.
She was relieved. It was the last thing she needed.
No matter how well or badly she did, Master Jinn could never do anything but squirm at the thought of her being out there and just picturing the disapproval etched onto his face made her shudder. Well, he would never find out about tonight. So much had happened since that win last year. He'd allowed Ben and her to see each other as they wanted. There had been bad times mixed in amongst the good, that was just the way of things, but now it was all looking up. The future seemed bright at last. Levinstowe was gone for good and if those rumors about Merdan were true then for the first time she could truly enjoy the freedom she had yearned for all her days.
The freedom to live.
She knew Ben didn't approve of what she was doing right now, but she'd make it up to him after she'd won tonight's little challenge.
Arm raised in casual salute as she went to the start line, Jemmiah put all thoughts but one out of her mind as the clock ticked down the seconds to the off.
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"Listen, I know you're worried but there's no need to be. It will be just me and two others out there, all spurring each other to go faster. No rough stuff."
"It's the 'going faster' bit that's got me worried."
"BenI wish there was something I could say that would ease your fears. I have to do this. I won last year's race. I came second in this year's. I lost by a zillionth of a second, the merest fraction. Do you know how much that hurt?"
"It's just a race!"
"It's NOT just a race. This is what I do! It's me!"
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Jemmiah knew there was little point in hanging about. As soon as the buzzer sounded for off she and both her two companions went full throttle, streaking round in what seemed a suicidal fast pace. The other two acted as the prey, keeping a watchful eye on each other as they jostled for position. Liv Thadral and her lover Aezath Krane, two ultra competitive swoop riders that Jemmy had known for years, battled it out on the track to see who would be the first past the line at the half way stage. Jemmy sat in behind and waited her chance, just as they knew she would.
She liked Liv and Aezath. They went well together, happy in each others company and taking each day as it came. She'd never seen them argue with each other in all the time she'd known them and had frequently envied them their relationship, wishing that she and Ben could have been more like thatand yet she knew at the back of her mind that she HAD changed to a certain extent. Ever since Levinstowe and presumably Merdan had been removed from the picture she'd felt so relaxed, even with Ben. Suddenly, everything seemed to be sliding into place
//Concentrate// she scolded herself. //This is no time to get sentimental.//
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I know how much it means to youbut do you realize how much you mean to me?"
"Yes. Yes I do. And you mean the same, more so lately. I don't understand why but it's true."
"You promise me you will be careful!"
"Ben, nothing will happen. Except that I will be buying you dinner tomorrow evening."
"Promise?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obi-Wan sat beside Rela, hand pressed over his eyes as if to focus them on the action below or at least what he could make out of it. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to be back in Jemmy's new apartment. He wanted to spend the entire evening wrapped in her arms. It was now 11.15 at night standard time and he was stuck in a virtually deserted stadium on a freezing cold evening, next to Simeon who was shovelling crunchy corn snacks into his mouth almost mechanically, the sound of munching right next to his ear. Rela sat beside her boyfriend with a deathlike grip on his arm, intent only on the contest infront of them.
The front couple were good. Very good. Even so, Obi-Wan got the impression that Jemmiah was merely biding her time, waiting behind them but somewhat higher than the other two so not to be in their slipstream. It certainly appeared as if Jemmy had it all under control.
"She's doing good." Simeon commented through a mouthful of corn puffs.
"They're going a bit too fast for my taste." Obi-Wan let his eyes follow Jemmy as they made past the circuit marker and prepared to start again.
"All swoops look like they are going too fast." Rela answered, frowning as the swoop in the lead gave a small sideways lurch, allowing its companion through on the inside.
"That was a mistake." Obi-Wan scrunched up his face as the other swoop began to pull away. Jemmy spotted the move and started to respond in kind.
Simeon was about to make some comment to the affect that it looked like a deliberate ploy to throw his opponent off his stride when Rela's sharp eyes spotted something was very much wrong with the first swoop.
"Looks a bit strange to me." She tensed. "All that weaving about the place like he was drunk."
"Perhaps he IS drunk." Spider grimaced.
All of a sudden the swoop in question seemed to rear up violently into the air and then just as quickly it plunged towards the ground, burying itself and it's rider into the dirt surface.
"Kriff!" Spider yelled as the swoop disintegrated into flying fragments. "Look at that!"
A huge section of sheet metal flew off the broken swoop and spun backwards through the air like a circular blade into the face of the second rider, knocking them clean off their machine with the impact, whilst the swoop collided with a marker and burst into flames. A few seconds back Jemmiah desperately tried to avoid the remains of the second swoop, managing to dodge the searing wall of heat, the smell of burning fuel recognizable even through her helmet. She swerved round, missing the fiery wreck only to hit the trail of debris that was still winging its way back from the first accident.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What can go wrong? I'll have my friends supporting me. You'll be thereyou will be, won't you?"
"When haven't I been?"
"For which I am eternally grateful."
"Are you?"
"What makes you think I'm not?"
"I don't knowsometimes you seem to want more than just me."
"Ben, I love you. But I can't change what I am."
"I don't want you to."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obi-Wan wasn't aware of the fact he had stood up, surveying the devastation in utter disbelief and horror as Jemmiah's swoop continued out of control, not round the barrier but straight through it, like an arrow intent on its target. It seemed to pick up speed as it hit the first post and then slammed straight into the wall, showering the side area with fragments of metal. Following the impact there was the most surreal stillness he had ever experienced, with Rela struck dumb beside him. Even when Simeon spurred himself to act, rushing past him to get to the stairs Obi-Wan felt as if time had slowed to nothing.
He was vaguely aware of Spider pushing his side to get him to move but his legs seemed not able to move by themselves. The same thought kept going round and round in his head.
//I could have stopped this. I know I could havewhy didn't I try harder?//
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Qui-Gon is going to be angry that we've been dishonest."
"I know, but it's for the best."
"I don't like lying to my master."
"Yeah. I'm sorrylook, if you don't want to come I'll understand."
"No. I've made my decision. Once I give my word I stick to it."
"Are you surewe'd better not get caught out then."
"He'll kill both of us if he does find out."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obi-Wan had no memory of how he got down to the track, only that he was there with the others and the few spectators that had turned out. Some of the mere handful that were sitting in the stands had actually fled as soon as the accident had happened, causing Obi-Wan to blink back hot tears of outrage that anyone could just abandon helpless and injured people to their fate like that. Simeon had stopped briefly at the first victim, a young male who was being attended by a member of the public but was waved away.
"Nothing you can do for him, son. Neck's broken."
One glance at the second rider told an even grislier tale and Spider had to divert her eyes to the ground, looking as if she might be sick at any moment. Rela heard Simeon say the word 'decapitated' and didn't even bother to go any further along. Obi-Wan didn't want to move but dragged himself after Simeon down to the barrier.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Do you ever wonder why we are here?"
"It's so you can make my poor master's life a misery, isn't it?"
"I'm being seriousI mean life is so precarious. One moment you're here and the next you're gone."
"Then we have to make the most of the time we have."
"Hmmmwhat are you doing after the race?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Don't take her helmet off, don't move her!" Simeon instructed Rela, who withdrew her hands quickly as if she had been burned. Simeon rummaged in his pockets and searched for his comlink, tossing it with one sharp movement at Obi-Wan. "Call the infirmary, get someone to come over."
Obi-Wan stared dazedly at the com, shaking hands struggling to pick the device up, trying to find his voice as he heard Leona answer at the other end. The words didn't even make it past his shocked larynx, not even so much as a squeak. Rela grabbed the com from his hands and took charge, leaving him to stare numbly at the carnage that lay strewn about the ground. Simeon tried gently placed his hands on Jemmiah's stomach area and was rewarded by a moan of pain.
"Good." Obi-Wan heard Simeon mutter.
"Good?" Spider asked in a hushed voice. "It's good that she feels pain?"
"You have to be alive to feel pain." Simeon retorted, ordering her to look out for the emergency craft from the infirmary.
Rela looked up at Obi-Wan and grabbed his hand.
"Don't worry. Frizzy knows what he's doing, he can help her. Leona's on her way as well, she won't be long."
"This is my fault." Obi-Wan mumbled.
"Garbage, SB. It's just one of those things." Rela shook the tears away and composed herself. "Look, we'll have her back on her feet in no time and you'll both be dancing at Sula's wedding."
"Could have been our own." Obi-Wan said through lips that didn't seem to move. He wanted to hold Jemmy's hand but fear had a grip on him, as if touching her might cause her to break.
"Someone should tell Qui-Gon." Rela looked at Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Don't you get worried, padawan?"
"Yes master. I worry every time she sits on that blasted swoop."
"Then why do you let her?"
"Because it's not my choice to make."
"Not even if it's in her best interest?"
"She would only hate me for it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I could have stopped her." He swallowed. "Why didn't I?"
"It takes a herd of wild Banthas to stop Jemmy." Simeon replied gently. "You know that."
Obi-Wan looked at his own shaking hands.
"She wanted me to tell her not to goI could see it. Wanted me to beg her. I wouldn't let myself be taken in by her game. Didn't want to let her get the upper hand." He stopped as he saw Rela looking at him uncertainly, the sound of warning sirens heralding the arrival of the emergency services.
"Relawhat have I done?"