Hunters
by ardavenport
Qui-Gon Jinn walked down the pedestrian way, his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi just behind him. The people around them, anticipating their passing, managed to find other places to look, reasons to step aside without glancing their way, other directions to go in. A few unwary droids and non-Tavelmi crossed their path, but most seemed to have been warned of their presence.
Qui-Gon stopped at a large, public fountain at an intersection. He looked up at the gloomy patch of gray sky above amidst the tall, urban canyons around them; cars and transports flitted by overhead. Tavelmi shuffled past, making a wide empty space around the two humans. Their thoughts flitted by, whispers in the slight breeze, everyday thoughts quickly smothered in dread as soon as they realized what was among them.
Doors slammed and windows by the street closed around the fountain, a little island of running water and green, growing plants. The miniature, flowering garden freshened the crowded air of the city. The smells of soil and water mixed with the staleness of many bodies and the fried street fare at a vendor's cart at one side of the intersection.
Qui-Gon closed his eyes, reaching far out with the Force. He sensed the nervousness, the anticipation of fear around him. High above them, there were traces, like deadly memories on the empty rooftops. There were flickers of interest, but it was intangible, with no direction, the same as the day before.
A small, incautious Tavelmi child stood up on the flat, stone edge of the fountain and stared at the pair of robed Jedi, disturbing Qui-Gon's concentration. Undeveloped and something between male and female, its slender body stood erect on two thin, clawed feet. It wore a cheery, bright yellow jumpsuit with fuchsia decoration at the borders. Its delicate, vestigial wings quivered behind it, visible over a narrow, angular head. Qui-Gon mercilessly stared back, his piercing blue eyes resentful. He openly imagined what could happen if this child got between the Jedi and their objective.
The child froze in place, suddenly terrified. As young as it was, it was as telepathic as the adults and Qui-Gon did not spare it any of his thoughts. He did not relent until an older relative rushed up, snatched the child away and disappeared into the widening edge of the crowd.
He felt his apprentice's uncertainty next to him and Qui-Gon turned his withering stare down on the younger man. Obediently, Obi-Wan cleared his discordant thoughts with an inhaled breath, squashing any empathy for the people around them. Qui-Gon had made it quite clear to his Padawan that nothing less than his complete focus on this mission would be tolerated. No one should feel safe around them. Because they weren't.
Qui-Gon led them out of the intersection, toward another passageway between the buildings. The people darted away before them. Their thoughts still lingered all around, unable to get away fast enough.
They passed the food cart and Obi-Wan reached out and took a wrapped bun without asking. The vendor ducked her head, one wing coming up, conveniently blocking her view of the taking as she suddenly fulfilled a need to count her supplies. Obi-Wan munched the filled bun silently. He did not offer any to his Master. If Qui-Gon wanted to eat, he would. They carried survival supplies on their belts, but they were only to be used if needed, if the hunt took them from any other sustenance. Obi-Wan noted the succulent, flavored filling and crispy crust with dispassion and kept his thoughts on the sky and the roofs. He saw nothing, but he sensed a flicker of dark thoughts above, but it had no substance, no place.
They kept moving. When Obi-Wan finished his bun he dropped the crumpled green paper on the black pavement. The rest of the foot traffic flowed around them, heads ducked, wings up, protectively. Voices died around them, but the volume of fear increased. When the way became too narrow, people simply disappeared into doorways or turned around and fled ahead of them until they could escape. The Tavelmi only sensed and communicated thoughts over very short distances, but no amount of distance seemed short enough around the Jedi.
The two Jedi entered a small, secluded courtyard, too small for any vendor stalls. The center of it was dominated by a large tree, its dark foliage trimmed and shaped into a dense, protective umbrella of dark green. A low wall of bushes surrounded it. Thick vines covered the walls of the buildings; shaped bushes framed every door. It looked like a private garden, and it was empty.
They felt a warning in the Force...
Alarmed, both Jedi looked about. Crowds milled behind them, beyond the narrow street they'd just come from. It was the only entrance to this place.
Qui-Gon first saw it, a balcony door carelessly left open. He ran and Force-leaped up to it, Obi-Wan right behind him. Their lightsabers snapped on as they landed. Qui-Gon reached the door just as Obi-Wan landed on the narrow metal railing.
Death, the desire for death, rushed out, straight into Qui-Gon glowing green blade. Obi-Wan had a fleeting glimpse of gray and spreading wings before its weird death-wail rose above the loud hum and crackle of the lightsaber cutting it in half. The fading, many-voiced screams of it eerily lingered their minds.
Obi-Wan shuddered and hopped down, staying clear of the charred remains. The creature had been so insubstantial that the lightsaber had destroyed most of its body, but its fragile gray wings lay partially spread out to either side. Qui-Gon only glanced down at it for a moment before going inside.
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon's voice commanded. Obi-Wan hastily complied, jumping over the body to enter the room. They were not be to be separated during this mission for any reason, not even out of sight from each other.
There were three bodies inside amidst overturned stools, tables and scattered pillows. Qui-Gon bent over one of them and it moved, moaned in a high tone, a weak sound, but the air in the room seemed to be thick with anguish and shock. Qui-Gon withdrew, stepping back, knowing that his nearness would cause more pain than he could give assistance for. He took out his comlink and notified the city Mayor of the injury and deaths. More warnings would be sent out about open windows, open doors. This apartment was only three floors above the ground, not normally high enough to be a likely target.
The Okaju had to be getting hungry. Qui-Gon closed his eyes, clearing his mind of everything but what he sensed through the Force in the area above them. They were there, scattered on different roofs. Qui-Gon saw them as hazy shapes, like afterimages on the insides of his eyelids. But even with a fresh kill nearby, they stayed away, out of reach of the Jedi that hunted them.
The two Jedi left the room, but stayed on the balcony until a police speeder had parked below them. As soon as the police and droids had gone inside they leapt down to the street below and left. An audience of half hidden faces peeking through windows followed them outside the courtyard. Qui-Gon strode out, immune to the stares, but Obi-Wan cringed under the attention from a hidden populace until his Master's disapproving glare prompted him to clear his mind of any betraying thoughts.
The crowd that had stopped and gathered at the end of the street shrank back, opening a wide path for them.
The Jedi were not welcome on this world, only accepted as necessary. There was no hostility, but they were the Okaju hunters of last resort, called only when their own had been killed. Worse than killed, her mind, and those of the other victims, had been stripped, consumed and ravished to feed the insatiable hunger of the monsters that the Jedi had been called in to hunt down.
-- Hunters - part 1