Title:
Author: Daylon Terra
Date:
General Disclaimer: Daylon Terra is MINE, but everyone else belongs to Master Lucas and his minions. "I do not make a profit off this…bla bla bla…" Really, I don't. Do you think if I did, I'd still be a small-time Internet fan fiction author? There are some vague references to the JA series,…major spoilers, (like anyone hasn't seen the movie yet!) and little hints at things that never happened in Lucas' world.
Oh, and this is one of the Daylon-Obi-Wan Adventures, for more background read my other stories. Anakin is in it, but it really isn't about him at all, so… Takes place about one or two years post-TPM. Italics without quotation marks indicate thought. **Asterisks with italics indicate force messages.**
****
Obi-Wan wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand and tried to re-connect the delicate wires of his lightsaber.
Just a little further, come on…
There was a pop and a hiss and a very large spark, and the sound of Obi-Wan cursing.
The shock hadn't been that bad, it was just that on top of everything else that had gone wrong today…
First it was the burnt breakfast, then the tiring trek through the dense forest during which he had tripped over a tree root and fallen down a hill, followed by that unexpected downpour that had shorted out his lightsaber, the animal that had attacked him that he had had to run from because his lightsaber was not operational, being late for dinner, dinner being burnt again, trying to fix the stove and getting a pretty nasty shock, trying to fix his lightsaber and getting a few more shocks…
I had been a bad day.
Hell, it had been a bad mission.
They were supposed to be watching an allegedly illegal and underhanded trade business. But they were on Malastare. Which meant that it was unbearably hot, wet, sticky and unpleasant. Obi-Wan hated the heat. He just wasn't used to it. Of course, Anakin was thriving. Being from Tatooine, his body literally craved heat.
Daylon wasn't faring too bad either. But Obi-Wan was in hell.
He jumped as the lightsaber shocked him again.
Maybe it was because everything was so wet, or maybe it was just his luck, but he was getting more than his fair share of electricity.
He decided to give it a rest, and come back to it in a few minutes. He went outside to check on Anakin. The boy was doing meditation exercises in front of the small cabin they had procured for their extended visit to Malastare.
Obi-Wan watched as Anakin used the force to pick up a small rock and make it do loops in the air. He set it back down after a minute.
"Good, Ani. You're doing a lot better." Obi-Wan said.
Anakin got up from where he was sitting and went over to where his master was standing.
"Have you fixed your lightsaber yet?" he asked. Anakin was very fond of dueling.
"No, not yet."
"Awe, man. I wanted to work on my dueling."
"I know you did. I'll have it fixed by tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure."
"It's getting late, you need your rest. Why don't you call it a day?" Obi-Wan offered, sensing the boy's tiredness.
"Good night, master." Anakin said, running inside.
"Good night, padawan." Obi-Wan replied. He lingered for a few moments, watching the last rays of sunlight fall beneath the horizon between the trees. Then he went back inside, to finish work on his lightsaber. But it was already done. The wire part anyway. Anakin was always doing that. Fixing things without anyone asking him to, quickly and quietly, so that no one would know he had. Obi-Wan smiled to himself. The kid did have a knack for mechanics.
He assembled the last parts of the lightsaber and hooked it on his belt. Then, after checking to make sure Ani was safely in bed, he left the cabin and headed North.
It took him thirty minutes to reach the large tree at the edge of the forest. From half way up, you could clearly see the hangar of the trade business, Myrtek, and watch the off loading of goods. They hoped to record evidence of Myrtek smuggling spice in from the outer rim. But they had had no luck so far.
Obi-Wan knocked three times on the tree trunk, and Daylon leapt down from one of the branches fifty or so feet up.
"Come to relieve me?" she asked. There were slight circles under her eyes. She had been watching the hangar since noon. It was just past midnight now.
"Yes, I have. Anything?"
"Nothing," she said, handing him the electrobinoculars, "Good luck."
He muttered and started to climb the tree. Daylon headed South through the woods, and in thirty minutes she was at the cabin. She didn't even bother getting anything to eat, Anakin was on a burning streak anyway. Instead she collapsed on the sleep couch.
Obi-Wan watched the Myrtek hangar through the electrobinoculars. Nothing was happening. He leaned up against the tree trunk, trying futilely to make himself more comfortable.
Even thought it was almost three in the morning now it was unbelievably hot. Looking out across the plain at the edge of the woods he could see a thick cloud of steam covering the ground. It was silent. There were few animals out at night, and the ones that were out were predators. They remained silent up until the point when they killed you. That was one of the reasons Obi-Wan had wanted to fix his saber before taking watch. The wild life was deadly.
Nothing was happening…There weren't even any transports in the hangar. Still, he couldn't fall asleep. So he tried to stay awake and hold out until morning. Yawning, he checked the time. Only nine hours left…
Suddenly, he jerked back into consciousness with a start. A large animal was making a strange noise, and it was only a few yards away. It started to come closer, and the odd growling noise grew in intensity. Obi-Wan ignited his saber and watched it. The thing lunged at him, screaming. It had large teeth and shaggy black fur. Before it could touch him, Obi-Wan had cut it in half. It fell to the ground, twitching.
Obi-Wan stretched out with the force to sense if there were any more of the strange creatures lurking about. There weren't. Yawning, he let himself drift into a light sleep.
The next time he awoke, the sun was rising. It was considerably cooler than the last morning, maybe it would be a nice day. But somehow, Obi-Wan doubted that. He picked up the electrobinoculars and checked on the Myrtek hangar. Nothing.
"Daylon. Daylon wake up. Master Daylon!" Ani called, shaking the Jedi's shoulders slightly in an effort to wake her up.
"Huh? Ani, what time is it?" she asked groggily.
"Eight almost. I made breakfast." Ani said eagerly. Daylon groaned. No more burnt porridge, please…
"Master Daylon?" Ani asked again. She had dozed off.
"Ah, yes, I'm up," she said, effectively jumping off the sleep couch and waking herself up.
Ani gestured to the small table he had set. Two bowls of steaming porridge stared up at Daylon and she sighed. She really didn't like porridge, but Ani was so proud of his new cooking…ability, for lack of a better word, that she didn't want to hurt his feelings. So she ate it. After breakfast and a quick shower, she was ready to start the day. First thing was meditation.
"Relax Ani, quiet your mind," Daylon said.
"I'm trying…"
"Don't try, do."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Be aware of your surroundings," Daylon said. She used the force to pick up a small wood chip, and send it flying at Ani's head. He reached up and caught it instinctively.
"Good, good. I think we've done enough for today," she said getting up, "How about some sparring practice?"
"Yeah!" Ani said enthusiastically. He ignited his training saber and waited for Daylon to do the same. The two fought for an hour. Ani was definitely getting better. He didn't quite have the strength behind his blows that he should, but tactically, he was excelling. He certainly wore Daylon out. She wasn't sure how much longer she and Obi-Wan could handle this. Surveillance at night, training during the day… at least she got to sleep a few hours in the morning, poor Obi-Wan was up all the time. He had graciously offered to take the difficult shift, and she had accepted without a second thought. Now though, the effects were starting to show on him. He was looking so tired. Maybe she would switch with him, give him a break. Or even better, she could help both of them by teaching Ani the finer points of culinary work. Then they wouldn't have to starve.
She sighed. This wasn't the greatest mission. Nothing was happening, and she was beginning to think that they were wasting their time. They had been there for almost a month now, and that damn hangar had been almost completely abandoned. Aside from Ani's training, their time here had been most unproductive. If only they could catch a glimpse, just one, of someone off loading goods… especially someone who wasn't supposed to be there, trading goods that weren't supposed to be traded… then they would be done. With this part of the mission at least. Then they would have to track the guy down and arrest him. All they had to do was get the evidence and get out. Simple, right?
Ha! Real simple: waiting around for a month
…She suddenly realized the time. She had to relieve Obi-Wan in a few minutes, and it took thirty to get there! She would be late. She told Ani that she would be going, and practically ran out the door.
"You made it." Obi-Wan said drowsily from the tree.
"Yes, sorry I'm late." Daylon said, climbing up to the branch he was on and sitting next to him.
"It's all right."
"Did you have some trouble last night?" she asked, noticing the severed animal on the ground.
"No, not too much." Obi-Wan said.
God, Kenobi, you look like hell.
Daylon thought, looking at him."Thanks," he muttered.
"You just need some sleep, that's all," she explained, "Listen, I've been thinking. Maybe you and I should switch shifts."
"Why?"
"Well, I watch from noon till midnight, and get to sleep until morning, but you watch from midnight to noon, and then you have to watch Ani the rest of the day. It hardly seems fair." Daylon said.
"It's okay, I don't mind." He said.
"No, I think you really need some sleep. I'll take this shift, and the next one, and then at noon tomorrow, you can start in. Okay?"
Sleep did sound good to him. "Okay," he agreed, "But at least let me keep watch until tonight, so that you don't have to stay here for twenty-four hours."
Daylon looked at him for a moment. She didn't want him out here if he was going to be too tired to defend himself from any attacking animals. She saw that he would be fine though, and she nodded.
"Come back at ten?" he asked.
"Ten it is," she said jumping down from their perch, "Oh, and Obi-Wan?"
"Yes?"
"Be careful."
The hours slogged by for Obi-Wan, and when Daylon came back at ten, he was quite relieved. He was too tired to say anything much to Daylon, other than the report of no activity, which had become standard.
"Go home and sleep Obi-Wan." She said.
"You don't have to tell me." Sleep had never sounded so enticing. He trudged home, his whole being exhausted. Ani was asleep. Being careful to be quiet, Obi-Wan crawled onto the sleep couch and allowed himself to relax. It had been a long day. He inhaled deeply. The sheets smelled sweet, like lavender flowers. He recognized the scent instantly. Daylon. Since only one of them used it at a time, they shared the spare bed. And she had slept in it the morning before. The last thing Obi-Wan remembered before falling asleep was the faint smell of lavender and the sound of the breeze outside.
Daylon leaned back against the trunk of the tree and looked out at the hangar. It was so desolate. It didn't seem as if anyone had ever been there. Maybe that's what made it so suspicious. A brand new hangar, in the middle of nowhere, almost completely abandoned. It didn't make sense.
She thought about what Master Yoda had said at the beginning of the mission, before they had left Corascant: "See what others do not, you should. Mindful of your surroundings, you must be. Forget this, you should not."
Daylon sighed. It was too dark, she couldn't see anything. She closed her eyes and looked with the force. Doing this was like seeing with night vision, or more like an infrared camera. She could sense other life forces this way, they appeared to her like auras of energy on a radar. She stretched out around her, sensing a few animals, birds, and large plants, but nothing out of the ordinary.
"See what others do not…" the words repeated in her head.
What others do not,…I can already see what others do not with the force, what more can I see?
The answer came to her almost instantly. It wasn't about sight at all. It was about touch. Solidity. More specifically, the solidity of what appeared to be an empty hangar.
Daylon grabbed her cloak from where she had flung it over a branch, and jumped to the ground. A field of high grass separated the forest from the building, which would make for good cover. She crouched low, and started towards the hangar. Halfway across the field she stopped dead in her tracks. There were detectors situated all around the compound, they would go off if disturbed. Daylon gathered the force and used it to lift her body a foot in the air, just high enough to clear the detectors, but not high enough to lose the security of the tall grass. She floated slowly towards the hangar bay. Once she was sure that there were no more detectors, she lowered herself to the ground. There were voices now, coming from inside, though the hangar appeared empty. Appeared being the operative word, Daylon thought. She moved closer. The voices became more clear.
"Over here, put that one near the door, that one goes to the capitol. Don't drop that! I oughtta blast you right here, you clod! Outta my way! Move it!"
They seem friendly enough,
she thought. If only I could see…She reached out her hand to touch the wall, and to her surprise, her fingers went right through. It must be a projection. Where her skin met the projection a shimmering grid could be seen, and the surrounding area became transparent. She could see through that little space that there was a pile of crates in front of where she was. They were out of the way, in shadow, affording her a good viewpoint from which to observe, and also shielding her from anyone else's view.
She pushed through the holo-wall and crouched behind the crates. Peering over, she could see dozens of people working cranes and lifts. They were removing the cargo of a large transport ship. The ship was unmarked and looked to be a normal transport. Past the loading ramp she could see panels being lifted off the floor, and more crates being brought up. It must be a smuggler's ship. And pretty fast too, if Obi-Wan and I missed it docking.
Daylon heard a man calling out numbers, and another directing the lifts. They were putting the crates on three different ground transports. One was going to the capitol, that much she knew. The other two were smaller, probably going to the next largest cities on the planet.
"Hey, get that pile over there, put it on transport three, to go to Darogo." One man yelled. Dylon watched as the crane came closer to where she was. They were going to load her cover! She had to get out of there, fast. But she couldn't leave without something to prove the council's suspicions. She noticed a door at the far end of the hangar. If she could get there…
She grabbed on to the edge of the crate, and flattened herself against it, using the force to blend into the background of cargo. The pile lifted up, swung over the hangar floor, and lowered onto transport three.
Transport three, to go to Darago, I've got to remember that.
Before the pile was secured, she jumped off the platform and behind the transport. She was close to the door now, only a few meters away. In a flicker, she was there. The door led to a large room that looked like an office of some sort. Computers lined the walls, and desks crowded the center.
There's got to be a record somewhere in here,
Daylon thought. She went straight to the desks in the middle of the room. There were papers scattered on top, and books and files in the drawers, but not much else. She tried the computers. Security computers, communication consoles, monitors, readouts…Nothing.
A thought struck her. She went back to the security monitors. There was a view of the hangar, the room she was in, and one other room. She hadn't seen any other doors in the hangar, so the way to that other room had to be through this one. But there was only one door, the one she came in by. Computers blocked up the walls everywhere else, except one spot, where there was a shelf. She went there. Using the force, she tested to see if there was anything behind it. There was. Another room. She grabbed the edges and pulled. The shelf swung open to the left, revealing another office. This one only contained a desk. She closed the shelf door behind her and rummaged through the desk contents. Finally, she found what she was looking for. A data chip marked transactions.
She grinned. Obi-Wan will be glad to get off this planet, she thought, putting the chip into her belt.
Shouts from the other room brought her thoughts back to the present. She had to get out. Luckily, there was a window in the room, so exiting would be relatively simple. She opened the window and hopped out right before the voices entered the room. Daylon ran towards the woods, and then started back to the cabin. She backtracked and looped her trail to throw off any pursuers, and finally, sometime around two, she made it home.
Obi-Wan and Ani were asleep, so she made an effort to be silent. She tossed her cloak over the back of a chair and removed her muddied boots. Taking the data chip out of her belt, she looked at it. A whole month for this, she thought, turning it over in her hand. It hardly seemed worth it. She returned it to her belt and leaned back in the chair. Tomorrow they would leave Malastare. The thought appealed to her, and she smiled as she drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, she awoke to the smell of breakfast. It smelled good, so she knew it was Obi-Wan. He wasn't the greatest cook, but it sure smelled better than what Ani made. She noticed that she was no longer slumped in a chair, she was on the sleep couch. Obi-Wan must have moved her.
"I couldn't very well have you sleeping on a chair now, could I?" he called from the kitchen.
He was listening again. It was getting a bit annoying. She got up and went to the source of the problem.
"Obi-Wan," she started, but stopped mid-sentence. It would do no good anyway.
"What?" he asked.
"What's for breakfast?"
"Porridge."
"Really,' she remarked. She never knew porridge could smell like anything but burnt bantha. But this porridge smelt good. Ani skipped into the kitchen.
"Good morning Obi-Wan. Good morning Daylon," he said and then asked, "wait, why are you both here?"
"That's what I want to know," Obi-Wan said glancing at Daylon.
"Our mission here is over," she said, going over to her belt and producing the chip, "I found this. I think it has all the information we need." She got the data pad and placed the chip in the receiver end. The data pad sparked to life, displaying in holographic form pages and pages of information; the documentation of the importation of the illegal spice.
"It's all here." She said proudly. Obi-Wan read the pages as they displayed in the air.
"It comes from Yavin, imported here on the Millennium Falcon, arranged by… Maks Telo, one of the Malastare Senators," Obi-Wan read.
"But who authorized it? A senator cannot authorize an import, the order had to come from someone else, higher ranking." Daylon said, reading the output over Obi-Wan's shoulder.
"It doesn't say. But you're right, it has to be someone else. Though we do have enough information to arrest Telo, maybe we can get him to talk."
"No, as soon as Telo is arrested, the higher power will disappear. We'll never find out who it is."
"Then what do you suggest we do, Daylon? Wait for a few more thousand kilo's of this stuff to be imported, a thousand more people to die? There's no time for us to observe further, we have to arrest him." Obi-Wan said.
"Sure, we can arrest Telo. But Telo is just a middle man. If we just be patient, we can get the head of the organization and stop this permanently." Daylon said.
She had a point. Why settle for the fruit when you could have the whole tree? He nodded. But then a thought occurred to him.
"Daylon, where did you get this data chip?"
"I told you, I found it." She said. If Obi-Wan found out that she had snuck into the hangar and stole it, he would be… upset.
Obi-Wan said nothing in return, he just gave her a look that said "we'll talk about this later."
"So what do we do now?" Ani asked.
"We aren't sure yet, Ani. We will be leaving the jungle though." Daylon said.
"When?" he asked.
"Maybe in a day or so. Why don't you go outside, and get ready for a training session," Obi-Wan said. Ani rose and left the cabin, eager to start the day.
Obi-Wan glared at Daylon, and she glared back. He knew she had done something dangerous to get the chip, and he didn't like that. Daylon didn't like the fact that Obi-Wan still treated her like she was fifteen.
She held her ground and kept glaring, and Obi-Wan left to train Anakin.
After a while Daylon followed. Obi-Wan was trying to show Anakin the different types of combat, unsuccessfully. Daylon saw her chance.
"Here, let me help," she offered. "Ani, this is hand-to-hand combat, watch closely."
She removed her boots and readied herself. Facing Obi-Wan, she put her hands up and then bowed in a respectful gesture. He made the first move, a punch to the upper shoulder, which she blocked with little difficulty. He was now facing the wrong way, and she tried to kick his legs out from under him. He jumped and kicked at her in one fluid motion. Daylon grabbed his foot and pushed him backwards, but he didn't fall. She tried to get a solid kick in, but he dodged and returned with an equally powerful kick of his own, that barely missed her. She hung back and waited for him to make a move. Obi-Wan stepped forward and launched a series of quick upper body attacks. She managed to block most of them, but on the last hit, he moved forward again, grabbed her arm and shoulder and flipped her over his back. She saw the move coming and had a second to prepare her body for the impact, but she hit the ground hard nonetheless. It took her an instant to jump back to her feet. Obi-Wan was coming in fast again, this time with a kick. She jumped high into the air and flipped over his head. As soon as she landed she kicked at him. It hit his side, hard. Obi-Wan turned and tried to kick her again. She dodged. This time it was Obi-wan who waited. He backed up and smirked. Daylon hated to be the first to make a move. She saw it as giving the opponent time to react. She liked being in control. He was still smirking when she ran at him full force sending a strong blow to his shoulder. He pushed her back and tried another fast upper body attack. She blocked the first few, and seconds before the next one hit, she ducked low and put her shoulder into Obi-Wan's chest. This time he went flying over her shoulder.
"Ha!" she cried. Taking advantage of Obi-Wan being on the ground, she prepared for her next attack. Fast kicks. She had always been able to defeat him with a series of tight, rapid fire, high kicks. He never could defend against them, and he couldn't do them himself, so he was at a serious disadvantage. She kicked once to his right, once to his left, another low to the left, and while he was in the air jumping from the low kick, she hit him high from the right. The momentum of her kick threw him to the ground.
"Are you ready to give up yet?" she asked. He jumped up.
"Never," he said, coming at her. She backed away towards a large tree, leading him. Obi-wan could see what she was trying to do. She was going to get close enough to the tree to use it as a vault. She would wait until he moved to attack, and she would jump up and rebound off the tree, landing behind him and getting the advantage. Obi-wan decided to beat her at her own game. Just before she was in position to jump, he feigned an attack and jumped over her head. Now his back was to the tree. Daylon tried to attack him and get her position back, but he used the tree and jumped over her head again at the last minute. Her back was to him, and he was in position to attack. I stole your move, he thought with a grin. The way to win a hand to hand combat match was to strike your opponent in the head or neck. Or course, in a practice match, you would stop short of actually hitting the person, but that would be a "Killing Blow", and the match would end. Obi-Wan kicked at Daylon's head, preparing to stop before he hit her, but he didn't have to. She ducked and spun to kick him in the back of the leg. He fell face down, and she got up, putting her foot over the back of his neck.
"I win, Kenobi. Match over." Daylon said, grinning.
Obi-Wan grumbled something and she let him up.
"That's how hand to hand combat is fought, Anakin," she said, "Isn't that right, Obi-Wan?"
"So you beat me. You don't have to rub it in my face," he said, not without a slight hint of amusement in his voice. Fighting like that could be fun. They used to fight all the time when they were padawans. Qui-Gon used to watch them, giving advise and tips as they went.
"What other types of combat is there?" Ani asked.
"Not today, Ani. I think your master has had enough for one day." Daylon said.
"Don't pay any attention to her, she gets a bit cocky when she wins. It has an odd effect on her," Obi-Wan quipped.
"It does not. By the way, you didn't 'steal my move'. That was the move." She said walking away.
She planned the whole thing, he saw it now. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist taking the opportunity to get her like that, and he fell for it. Damn.
That evening, after Ani had gone to bed, Obi-Wan decided to have a talk with Daylon about where she had gotten that data chip. But he couldn't find her. She's probably outside, watching the moon rise. She likes to do that, he thought. He was right. Daylon was meditating in a small clearing behind the cabin. It reminded him of the temple gardens. There were always flower petals on the floor, and Daylon would use the force to make them fly around her while she meditated. She was doing the same thing now. Obi-Wan hated to disturb her, but he had to know where the chip had come from.
'Daylon," he said. She didn't hear him. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Daylon?" he said, this time louder.
"Yes, Obi-Wan?" She let the petals float to the ground and got up. "What is it?"
"It's about the data chip. I want to know where you 'found' it." He said, trying his best to keep his composure. She was glaring at him again.
"What does it matter? We've got it now, that's all you need to know."
"No, it isn't." he said, more insistent.
She sighed.
"Okay, Obi-Wan. Fine. I figured out that the empty hanger we were observing was just a holo-projection, covering up the real hangar. I went to get a closer look, I saw the spice being off loaded, and I figured that the information we needed had to be in there somewhere, so…"
"You went inside?" Obi-Wan interrupted, his tone slightly angry.
"Yes. I snuck past the guards, entered the back office, and found the chip. Then I escaped."
"Daylon, I can't believe you did that. I mean, you would be the one to do something like that, but still… You put yourself in danger, and by doing that, you put the mission in danger. If you had just waited-"
"If I had just waited, we would have been here forever, watching an empty hangar." She said.
Obi-Wan sighed. She was right.
"So what do we do now?" he asked.
"We go to Rentilla, Malastare's capital." Daylon said. She had obviously been thinking about it, because it seemed like she had a plan.
"To arrest Telo?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No, not yet. First we get the name of his boss."
"That shouldn't be hard."
"Then, we get the evidence to indict him." She said.
"Ah, that could prove a challenge."
"Maybe, maybe not." Daylon said. Obi-Wan didn't like her tone. She was up to something, he knew it. Daylon started back for the cabin. "It's getting late, Obi-Wan. We should get some rest. I want to start for Rentilla early." She called.
Obi-Wan sighed and followed her.
To be continued….
Reviews please!