Many thanks for the reviews, everyone! I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter. This will be about a 20 or so chapter story. As I said before it is completely written, but I always review each chapter and make changes before posting.

Hope you all enjoy this next chapter. I will try to respond to each review by PM response. I really appreciate your feedback! :)

Ch. 2 Keep Your Mind On The Here And Now

Master Adi Gallia finally stood and stretched. Her body felt taut and restless after two days waiting and meditating. She wandered out to the mouth of the cave, wrapped her robe more tightly against the cold chill of the night and gazed up at the starlit sky. She breathed deeply the frosty air and glanced over at the Gorgodons. She had come to appreciate the presence of the sleeping creatures; their bodies provided a measure of warmth that kept her from freezing.

She reached into her robe and pulled out a protein bar. She tried not to think about how long Siri had been in the cave. Some padawans had been known to take many more than two days to accomplish their journey. Adi was prepared to wait it out and had plenty of nutrition bars to keep her going.

As much as she tried not to think about it, she couldn't help but look forward to a hot bath, a hot meal and a nice warm bed. Yes, anything warm sounded really good right now.

"Keep your mind in the present," she admonished herself ruefully. She thought about her friend, Qui-Gon Jinn and about how he was forever going on about staying in the "here and now".

Well he didn't have to sit in a freezing cold cave for two days waiting for his padawan. As she recalled, Obi-Wan had found his crystals and completed his journey within 24 hours. Siri won't like hearing that she took longer than he. "They are so competitive," she thought to herself. "But in spite of all their bickering and striving against each other, they really are very close," Adi mused. "If they weren't Jedi, one would wonder if they weren't destined to marry."

She grinned to herself at that very unlikely thought, then stretched again and prepared to walk back inside and sit down when she heard a rustling sound coming from the mouth of the cave. She turned to find Siri, face white in the pale moonlight, emerging from the cave. With satisfaction, she held her newly completed lightsaber out to her master. Adi noticed her eyes had a happy, but slightly haunted look in them. She wondered what Siri had seen.

Later in the transport heading back to Coruscant, Adi waited until the ship jumped to hyperspace, then went back to sit with her Padawan, who had been unusually silent during the trip home.

Adi took Siri's hand and gently prodded. "Do you want to talk about it? Can you tell me what you saw?"

Siri glanced at her master, her confused eyes evidence of the turmoil roiling inside her. After what seemed like a long while she answered hesitantly.

"Mainly what I saw was Obi-Wan!"

Startled, Adi wondered at that. "Why did you see Obi-Wan in your visions?"

"I don't know, really. A voice in the cave said that we are connected in the future, but I don't understand how. I - I..." she finally shrugged her shoulders, her eyebrows knitted on a young face marked by a troubled scowl.

"I saw my own death."

Adi gasped. "Oh Siri.".

But Siri shook her head in protest.

"No, it's ok, Master. That's not what's bothering me. It's just that this voice kept telling me I will have a part in Obi-Wan's future, but how can I if I'm dead?"

She studied her master's face as though looking for the answers that eluded her.

Adi didn't say anything for a long while. She didn't know what to say. This was just as much a puzzle to her as it was to Siri.

She was grateful however that Siri didn't seem overly alarmed about seeing her own death. Although it was unusual for a padawan, especially as young as Siri to see a vision of how they die, it was not unheard of, and young Jedi from birth are taught as part of the code that there is no death, there is the force. That they have nothing to fear in death, and part of a Jedi's life is knowing any mission could prove their last. They were taught to be prepared and accept it. Siri was no exception.

Finally Adi took a deep breath, and after blowing it out slowly, said gently, "You do understand that the future is always in motion. How many times have you heard Yoda say that? These things you saw may not necessarily happen." She made herself relax and grinned at Siri, hoping to see Siri's bright smile in return.

But Siri only glanced away and shrugged matter of factly. "I'm not sure about my death part, but the rest the voice said was going to happen, that it cannot be stopped."

Adi couldn't help but be a bit skeptical. She had seen many Knights and Padawans be convinced of something they had seen only to find out it wasn't what it seemed.

"I don't really know about that. What did you see exactly?"

Siri sighed. She looked at her master tiredly. "If you don't mind Master, may I tell you later, with Master Yoda?"

"Certainly! And forgive me, my dear, I should have realized how tired you must be. You rest now, we'll be home soon."

Sitting on cushions in Master Yoda's chambers, Siri had just finished telling Master Yoda and Adi everything she had seen in her visions. Adi and Yoda had looked at each other at the mention of a future connection with Obi-Wan.

"Sounds suspiciously like an attachment, but that can't be, can it?" Adi asked, shaking her head.

"I know!" Siri said, "That's what I said to the voice; that attachments are forbidden. It only said, "Nontheless, connected you are!""

"Argued with the voice, did you, young one?" Yoda said, and grunted his amusement.

"Change the will of the force, you will? Hmmm?"

"But surely the force can't be telling Siri to have an attachment with Obi-Wan...can it?"

"Know much, we do, about the force. But know everything, we do not. Sense I do that there is a purpose in this, but revealed to me, the force has not."

Yoda leaned toward Siri, his large eyes focused on her. He lightly tapped her with his gimer stick. "Reveal to you, the force will, when time it is."

Siri nodded. "That's what the voice said to me, Master Yoda, that when I am older, understanding will come."

"Yes, understanding," nodded Yoda. "In the meantime, about it worry not, young one. Your mind on the here and now keep, as fond of saying our good friend Qui-Gon Jinn is." Yoda's eyes gleamed in light affection and amusement at his little joke. Adi smiled.

Then Yoda leaned back seriously. "Special to the force, young Obi-Wan is, although he is not more than any other Jedi. But glimpses I have seen: Much he has to do, much suffering will he endure. Much darkness I see in the future, and to the future of the Jedi, connected Obi-wan is. Chosen by the force, he is."

Adi gasped. "You're not saying he's the chosen one, are you?"

"Say that I did not!" Yoda stamped the floor with this gimer stick. "What know I of chosen one? A mystery that is still. But chosen, nontheless Obi-Wan is. Understand it I do not. Sense it I do."

After a moment, Yoda continued softly. "Your vision of the burning temple, troubles me it does, young one. Meditate on it, I will."

He rose from his cushion, motioning to them. Adi understood that they were being dismissed. Adi and Siri bowed to Yoda. They thanked him and said good night then retreated to their quarters.

Yoda sighed. Yes, the future is always in motion, but darkness lay ahead. Much darkness, and somehow Obi-Wan stood in the center of it. A steady light that remains to stand against the darkness. But clouded the future is, hard to see, to discern. He clasped the gimer stick tightly, pulling it in to himself as his head bent in troubled thought. Then he grunted softly, turned toward his bedroom, and retired to meditate.

TBC