Book I

The Toss

III- Objectives

Hyn had taken them far into Old Patch, as they learned it was called, before feeling they had distanced themselves enough from their pursuers to find shelter for the night. Calei was chilled to the bone now, the layers of her gown and cloak damp from perspiration which wasn't helping as her body already felt leaden. It wasn't easy, keeping in step with her Master; she had pushed herself further than ever before and though she had barely pulled through, it proved just how much she had yet to learn.

As they walked down a dim corridor of the hotel, Hyn took hold of her arm and helped her the last few feet into the room. There were two sleep couches, a table and two chairs, as well as a decently sized refresher near the door. Calei went to reach up and unclasp her cloak when she felt it slide open and thanked her Master for the gesture with a faint smile. Reaching the nearest sleep couch, Hyn had taken hold of her cloak, slipping it off easily as she slunk down onto the much-awaited surface, boots and all.

"You did very well this evening, Calei. Never before have you maintained such focus for so long," he said with sincerity that only made his words that much more meaningful to her. "I'm very proud of you," he added softly, relieving her of her lightsaber and Atahns before placing all four items on the table.

Hyn rarely used the word proud. Pride lead to ego, traits neither of which were befitting a Jedi. But a few times during their five years together, he had used it, and each time she committed it to memory. What Padawan didn't want to know they had pleased their Master?

Her eyes, she found, were too heavy to keep open and her mouth seemed unable to respond either as she tried to acknowledge his words, so she did the only thing left to her as she felt herself beginning to drift off to sleep.

Thank you, Master.

The lighter than air feeling of drowsiness engulfed her, and the last sensation she had was of her Masters warm embrace through their bond as he dimmed the lights across the room.


Qui-Gon had led them back to their room at the hotel in silence, his desire to talk once they were in private having been expressed with a simple glance as they gave up pursuit. His Master turned on only one of the lamps in the room, the one on the table, as he pulled out the chair and sat, his jacket now hanging open.

"So what do you make of them?" he asked, lifting a foot and resting it on the edge of his sleep couch on his right.

Obi-Wan sighed and sat on the edge of his own sleep couch. There was no need to explain who they were; his Master was speaking of the two Force users they had sensed in the LoBue cantina. He felt it time to tell Qui-Gon about what happened in the casino.

"I think I felt them, or at least one of them, back in the casino," he said, taking off his jacket and lightsaber before shedding the offensive blue shirt. After he discarded them across the foot of his sleep couch, he reached back and scratched an itch that had been plaguing him most of the evening.

"Perhaps you were not alone. I thought I felt the lightest brush, but assumed it was only you, getting impatient again," Qui-Gon replied, a playful grin on his face, despite the seriousness of the discussion.

Obi-Wan no longer took the bait, and didn't acknowledge the jibe. "Do you think they could have been in the casino?" he asked, his nails digging in a bit deeper in their effort to relieve the itch.

"There is no way to be sure. Still, we must proceed with caution." He leaned forward and took off his jacket as he added, "If we are being followed, we must find out why and by whom."

Nodding, Obi-Wan pulled out his comlink and placed it on the nightstand. The night left would be short as dawn was fast approaching, and he knew Qui-Gon would want them fresh for the next day. Lying down, he stared up at the ceiling, his eyes tracing the yellowed circular patterns left behind by a water leak as he ran the events of the day through his mind. He needed to sort through them and store them in his memory before he could rest.

Their mission had just developed a new objective.


Waking to sunlight pouring in through a crack in the thin curtains and right onto her face, Calei smiled and stretched out her arms and legs, the blood rushing through her muscles was invigorating, as was the rest she had gotten, making her feel like her old self again. She knew she must have gone right into a deep slumber, for she hadn't moved an inch and couldn't recall a single image or dream. Normally she had dreams so vivid she could detail every sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste to her Master so clearly, he sometimes asked her to describe them just to listen to her use of language. Having been groomed for a life of diplomacy and politics before becoming a Study at thirteen gave her skills Hyn often said may be of use one day, and saw to it she practiced them.

Slowly she stood and headed to the refresher to quickly get the grimy feel of dried sweat off her skin and the salty smell from her clothes. When often on missions where refreshers were a luxury, to miss using a perfectly good one was something she wasn't even about to consider. When opportunity throws you a refresher, bathe.

Hyn lay on his sleep couch, his comlink on his chest as he breathed rhythmically. He was still asleep, yet she knew his senses were fully alert, awaiting a contact from Bonis. Perhaps he'd remain asleep for a while yet.

Several minutes later she emerged, clean and feeling like she could easily tackle another long day at her Master's side. Crossing the room, she straightened the blanket on her sleep couch and then peeked out the curtains to see a market across the canal, racks and storefronts of various familiar and exotic foods from one end of the block to the next.

Grinning, she clipped her lightsaber on under her surcoat, then looked at her Atahn and cloak. It was a warm day out, she could tell by the attire of the people outside, and she was just heading across the canal. Unless they were on Aaeton, where their position was widely know and the sight of armed Paladin was common place in the capital, she never got to rid herself of the heavy woolen cloak. However much she wished she could leave it behind as if she were in Aaeta, she knew better and quickly hooked the thin metallic sticks to her hip, grabbed her cloak, and headed out of the room. Pulling it over her shoulders, she made her way through the hotel corridors in order to find them something for morning meal.

The sun felt good, she thought, exiting the hotel and crossing a bridge to get to the market. There were a good number of people out, but not enough to make navigating the walkway difficult. Starting at a shop with fruits in the window, Calei bought two small red specimens that were highly recommended by the shopkeeper. Though he seemed to have an overabundance of them, which might explain the recommendation, she smiled and took them any ways. A few credits lighter and her pockets a little heavier, she was soon walking further down the block, heading towards a bread stand whose yeasty smell was wafting all the way back to her on the breeze, causing a smile to spread on her face.


With Qui-Gon in a shop inquiring about parts to fix his comlink, Obi-Wan headed out to explore the city some on his own. Having asked the hotel owner to recommend a shop, they had crossed the city into Old Patch to reach the establishment. Curious and hoping to track down something to eat more palatable than the offerings at their hotel, Qui-Gon had agreed to his little excursion.

It was four blocks west of the shop that he picked up the scent of freshly baked bread and with his mouth watering with fond memories of the loaves at the Temple, Obi-Wan smiled and turned towards the smell. The walkway was bustling but not overly crowded, and he easily and quickly weaved his way through. Up ahead he spotted the bread stand and his pace quickened when that wasn't the only thing he picked up on, but also the familiar ripple in the Force.

Calei was standing at the far end of the stand, examining various loaves and debating over which to take back to Hyn. She had already picked out a small round loaf of tylek rye for herself, one that fit in the palm of her hand. Its greenish crust was hard and shiny, perfect for dipping in some warm broth. With a flat square of donnic in her left hand and the rye in her right, she stood looking over a nice thin loaf of yellow nuyo'. It was then that she suddenly she felt a ripple in the Force, and was startled, dropping the square donnic in the process.

Reaching the stand, Obi-Wan's brows knit for a moment as he tried to determine the source of the disturbance. His concentration was broken momentarily as a young lady at the end of the stand dropped a loaf on the ground, earning her the stern attention of the stand owner as she disappeared from sight as she ducked down behind the stand to pick it up.

"You drop it, you bought it!" the owner barked, as she stood back up, loaf in hand, while several other shoppers watched the exchange. The wind picked up that instant and changing direction, blew the opening of her cloak back to reveal her clothing beneath.

"Of course, here," she said, hurriedly reaching into the depths of her surcoat to produce enough credits to buy the two loaves, which she then shoved into her pockets. As the owner grunted and took the credits, she looked over at him and paled.

The ripple...

Quickly, Calei bent down and picked up the square donnic loaf. It was soft and took the impact well, but did have a few grains of dirt imbedded in one corner. Her Master would cut that off without complaint. Standing, she quickly paid the stand owner, who had been more congenial only a moment before and pocketed the loaves. Best not to make more of a scene than necessary, particularly when she now had other, more pressing concerns. With the bread secure, she looked up and found herself staring straight into the blue-gray eyes of the Jedi Padawan she had seen the night before.

We're Jedi.

The words came suddenly and almost cost her her concentration as she felt him reach out through the Force and she slammed the shield around herself so quickly the jolt of being boxed in jarred her own senses. She turned on her heel, ducked behind a herglic beside her, and slipped into the alley just past him. Knowing he would follow, she ran down a few feet until she spotted an open doorway and dashed inside.

I have to go.

It was the second time those words came to Obi-Wan's mind and it caused him to pause when he knew he should have done otherwise. She was the one he had felt. No sooner than he realized this, the now familiar emptiness descended as she turned and disappeared down the alley. Dashing down the length of the stand, he turned the corner and began to make his way down the alley after her. He almost reached the end when he stopped suddenly, back tracked a few feet, and saw an open door. That's where she had gone. Somehow, he knew. Slowly he stepped inside; not being able to sense if she was awaiting him he proceeded cautiously.

He was good; not that she didn't anticipate a Jedi Padawan to be so. Being one herself, she knew all to well how good the Jedi were.

Calei had found herself in the bakery's kitchen, the droids working the equipment seemingly ignoring her as she entered without disturbing any of the machinery. Anyone else would have easily knocked over a rack or two the space was so tight.

Spotting a tall shelf stacked with containers full of various grain flours on her right, she quickly went around to stand behind it, prepared for him to enter. As she saw his gray jacket slip in the door, she Force pushed the unit over, its top ramming a support column on the other side of the pathway leading in from the door, the containers of flour popping open with the impact and spilling over the young man's head. As the scene unfolded, she quickly ran past the mess, several droids she passed beeping and whistling in anger as she escaped through the front of the bakery. Surprised shoppers watched has she dashed down the walkway and over the nearest bridge, her cloak billowing behind her.

Through the cloud of air born flour, Obi-Wan saw a blur of green dash past him, and he went to follow but one last container picked that moment to fall directly in front of him, causing his nose to hit the side of it with a painful crack. He reached up and rubbed it as his eyes watered; it hurt but wasn't broken.

Tempted to curse under his breath, he kicked the container out of his way and found that her escape path was now blocked by droids whistling and whining, trying to detain him until the owner came back to see what all the noise was about. Not having the time, he Force pushed them aside and ran out the front of the bakery, a cloud of flour billowing out from his clothing on all sides, much to the delight of several shoppers.

She was gone.


Hyn was at the window, the curtains drawn back as he stared out over the walkways below as she entered their hotel room. Calei knew he must have seen the whole thing, she could feel his concern through their bond. Somehow she rarely managed to keep things quiet on her own. She often wondered if she'd ever get the knack of getting out of a tight spot with little fanfare, as her Master seemed to always do.

"Sorry, Master, there was a bit of trouble finding morning meal," she said meekly as she closed the door behind her.

He sighed and gestured for her to sit at the table. Pulling out a chair, she sat, reaching into her pockets and pulling out the bruised fruit and ripped bread. Her Master cracked a wry smile as he looked over the bounty.

"So this is the cause of that spectacle?"

"Well, not exactly. I had them before he came along," she corrected, pointing out that getting their meager meal hadn't directly been the reason.

Shaking his head, Hyn said, "Calei, your heart is generous and your motives pure. Yet you still need to put more thought into your decisions before you act. You must have trailed flour behind you for a block."

"I have come a long way since I was thirteen," she pointed out, ripping a piece off the round loaf of tylek rye. It was a poor attempt at an excuse and she knew it, yet she still felt the words pour out of her mouth.

"Indeed," he conceded with a sigh. He picked up the loaf she had bought for him and cocked an eyebrow at the injured corner before he added, "Five years ago, you would have leapt over the stand, over the man in plain sight, and left a trail of bread behind you for the hungry to follow in merriment."

Gnawing on the piece of bread, her eyes down cast, she knew this wasn't that much better as she noted the flour dusting her lower half. Pity they didn't wear a lighter color.


"Do I even want to know?"

Obi-Wan had felt the shopkeeper's eyes on him ever since he walked in. Shoppers were either looking over their shoulders trying to be discreet, or openly staring at him. From head to toe, he was covered in various layers of flour, from tylek rye on his shoulder, to bluish lirr in his hair. If Jedi were measured by their ability to not draw attention to themselves, he'd be on the bottom end of the lightsaber.

"Probably not," he said between his teeth, wishing the shop was empty. His Master had an amused grin on his face that wasn't helping matters.

"Seventy-four credits, I believe you said?" his Master turned and asked the shopkeeper, drawing the man's gaze off of Obi-Wan and back to the credits in Qui-Gon's hand. With a nod the man took the payment and headed towards the back of the shop, most of the shoppers now ignoring their presence.

Obi-Wan waited until his Master was beside him and they were heading back towards their hotel before he spoke. "It was a girl," he began.

Turning to face him, Qui-Gon cocked an eyebrow, telling him his Master was already finding this story interesting.

"A young woman," he quickly corrected. The image of a smaller, younger version of the young lady doing this to him came to mind and it made him thankful it was nothing more than an image. He shouldn't let pride cloud his thoughts, but that would have been hard to swallow down.

Sighing, he went on, shaking some more flour out of his jacket as he spoke. "Maybe seventeen, eighteen. At a bread stand I felt a ripple in the Force, like at the cantina yesterday. When I looked over I saw her and for a moment I could sense her Force but then it was gone," he paused in case Qui-Gon wanted to say anything, but his Master remained quiet, so he continued. "She ran off and I went after her, but as I couldn't sense her, she surprised me with a distraction."

"Flour?" Qui-Gon questioned with a playful tone.

Obi-Wan frowned and rubbed his hands through his hair, a bluish cloud rising into the air.

"An apparently effective maneuver," his Master noted with an underlying humorous tone.

"Yes, Master," he bit out as they crossed a bridge.

For several minutes they walked in silence, an occasional stare following Obi-Wan as they walked. Reaching out with the Force, he couldn't detect anything, not even the empty feeling he now associated with the dark auburn haired lady.

"Well," Qui-Gon finally broke the silence, "I do not think we are being followed by this young woman, which would most likely mean she is not interested in our where abouts. And yet, the fact this is the third time we have crossed paths remains. Tell me, what was her appearance?"

They reached the hotel and now entered their room.

"Long, dark auburn hair, blue eyes, pale skin. She wore a green gown under her cloak; it had several layers in various shades of green and an outer dress with sleeves slashed to the elbows." His Master was listening intently as he sat at the table. "And on her right shoulder she wore a silver sash."

Qui-Gon's gaze snapped up to his at that. "Silver sash? Did she have a blaster?"

"No," Obi-Wan replied, shacking his head, wondering how Qui-Gon would have gone from a sash to a blaster so quickly.

"Do you recall anyone looking similar as we headed to our last meeting with the Supreme Chancellor?" he asked, setting the newly acquired parts on the table along with his comlink.

Nodding, Obi-Wan sat on the edge of his sleep couch, the only place left in the room to do so. "The group we walked past on our way to his office."

He thought back to the meeting several weeks before. He found his gaze staring off into the distance as his mind searched for the memory. Finally, it came to him.

"Senator Denall, wasn't it?" Qui-Gon nodded and he continued. "Along with two men, one about my age, the other much older. They both wore red shirts under burgundy tunics, the sleeves of which were slashed up to the shoulder," he looked at Qui-Gon with understanding, his Master's nod encouraging him to continue. "The elder wore a gold sash on his right shoulder, the younger a silver sash."

Smiling, Qui-Gon sat back in the chair and crossed his arms in front of him. "Which means?"


They ate several bites of their bread before Calei told him about her discovery the night before. "Last night, at the cantina," she began, drawing her Master's gaze; "I lost my focus on my shield because I saw the shorter of the two men following us had a Jedi Padawan's braid."

Hyn quickly swallowed the drink he took from a small glass of water. "Better they're Jedi than not. Was that him just now, the Padawan?" She nodded. "That makes three times."

He needn't repeat the words anymore; she had them committed to memory. There are no accidents. There was a reason they kept running into these Jedi, but that did little to put her truly at ease.

"But I didn't sense his Master," she interjected before grabbing one of the small fruits and eating half of it in one bite.

Hyn frowned. "Which may mean they have split up in order to broaden their search, if they are in fact looking for us."

"Do you think they would have cause to do so?" she asked.

"There is no way to be certain, so we must plan for all possibilities."

Swallowing hard, she watched as her Master quickly ate his fruit in one bite and pocketed the small square of donnic bread. Following his cue, she finished her fruit and stuffed the cracking tylek rye into her pocket. Hyn flung his cloak over his shoulders as she reached for a glass of water and quickly downed it.

"We have to leave immediately. They'll know we must be close by if you were caught unawares. If we must stay another night, we'll find new shelter." He headed towards the door, Calei close behind. "Are you ready?"

She adjusted her cloak. "Yes."

"We'll find an exit leading into an alley. I'd rather not be out in the open just yet. I'd rather we not use Qey'Tek unless absolutely necessary. There's no telling how long we might have to employ it later." With a glance to Calei, she knew he was referring to her limited ability to sustain it.

"I know one," she said, pushing aside her feeling of ineptitude. "I didn't think it wise to run straight back into the hotel, so I went around the back and found a service entrance."

Hyn smiled approvingly. "Very well, Padawan." Then he gestured for her to take the lead.


Now he saw the connection Qui-Gon had made. "Aaetinian Royal Paladin," he answered, and then promptly frowned. The Paladin carried blasters, the Royal Paladin's plated in Dallorian alloy. "But she wore green and was unarmed."

"Are you sure she was unarmed?" Qui-Gon prompted.

"I'm sure she didn't carry a blaster, Master, as I've said."

"Yes, but was there anything else?" he urged, leaning forward a bit.

Obi-Wan focused his mind on her image. He could recall the silver stitching on the edge of her surcoat, the delicate chain hanging from her waist... the thin metallic sticks on her left hip.

"Yes," he replied, pulling himself out of the memory. "Two metallic sticks on her left hip, about one-sixth of a meter long each with a thumb pad on one end."

"Atahn," Qui-Gon replied.

He noticed the confused look on Obi-Wan's face. It wasn't exactly common study material, the Aaetinian Paladin; they only received a basic overview at the Temple. It was only due to a mission to Aaeton as a Padawan and his subsequent interest in learning as much as possible about the culture before they got there that led him to be so knowledgeable now.

"The Atahn are the ancient weapon of the Paladin, made of phrik and a few other alloys. They appear small, but are just under a meter long when activated. They pressurize, extending tapered nested layers outward ending in a pointed tip," his Master illustrated the concept with his hands. "They became a purely ceremonial weapon once blasters become the standard throughout the galaxy."

With sudden dawning, Obi-Wan rushed in. "But they would be nearly as effective as lightsabers in deflecting blaster fire in the hands of a Force sensitive."

Shaking his head, Qui-Gon said, "Only if they had been trained in using the Force, my young Padawan."

"But Master, if she only carried the Atahns, couldn't it be possible she has had training?"

The look on his Master's face had become grim. "Perhaps... and if so, by whom?"


Calei and Hyn made their way through one alley and then the next, only ducking out of them long enough to cross bridges as it became necessary. The hoods of their cloaks blocked out the warm sun, yet adsorbed the heat, causing the back of Calei's neck to perspire. Her Master had yet to decide on a place to rest as they awaited a message from Rel Bonis.

"Master," she said, her footsteps in sync with his, "do you think the Jedi may have been sent to investigate the Dallorian shipment?"

His gaze sweeping over their surroundings as they headed out towards another bridge, he replied, "I doubt it. Emperor Nekalos went to your father with this mission; I can't see him bringing the Jedi into this when he wants to keep it from the Senate."

"But then who would have involved the Jedi?" Thoughts of someone else having already exposed their homeworlds' dilemma came to mind but just as quickly vanished. Her father would have surely contacted them if that were the case. But then another possibility remained. "Could they be after Xeng as well?"

Hyn led her into the shaded alcove of a building. "Whether they are or not, we will cross paths with them soon enough, and we must remain alert. Our true identity must not be revealed to them."

There are no accidents.

Her Master's words echoed in her mind, and though she didn't directly question them, she did begin to question their order's secrecy. "Master," she began nervously. In the past year she had been thinking about how they hid, disguising themselves in their role of the Paladin and Qey'Tek meditations, and now she felt she had to speak up. "Why don't we approach the Jedi, see if they are after Xeng. It would make more sense to work together if they are than to divide our efforts between our mission and keeping our distance from them."

Hyn cast her a look that drove her further into the wall behind her. "We will not involve the Jedi. Interaction is forbidden, you know this."

"Yes, but even you've mentioned at times how you believe they're not as misguided as the Council fears, perhaps it is time for reunion."

Her Master's voice cut deep as his displeasure at her questioning him filtered through their bond, "My beliefs are just that, mine. It will be for the Council to decide if our order returns to the Republic, not us. It is not your place to question the Council. As for the 'reunion', its no more than a vision from a DoQua long gone and known for his disobedience to the Council." He turned to press his back against the wall beside her. "I should never have told you of that," he said to himself, but Calei heard it any ways.

"But Master, we could work with the Jedi without revealing who we really are! If they sense our Force, it's not like we..."

"Enough!" he snapped, making her bit her lip. "This is not a discussion. You will remember your place, Padawan."

Calei nodded with a swallow. "Yes, Master," she managed weakly.


Obi-Wan thought back to the young woman's attire and asked, "Master, if she was wearing green, she wasn't a Royal Paladine, was she?"

"You're correct, Obi-Wan. If she was wearing green, she's most likely a Ducal Paladine, sworn to a particular House. Common territorial Paladin wear gray, symbolizing their neutrality." Qui-Gon sighed and ran his fingers along the edge of the table before he added, "She is just one of our concerns. The silver sash marks her a Paladine Study; much like your braid identifies you as a Padawan Learner."

"Then she must be here with a Paladine Master, which would mean there are two of them," Obi-Wan said, following his Master's deduction.

"Such as the two cloaked figures from last night," Qui-Gon added, concern etching lines in the aging man's face. "So two questions remain. What are two Ducal Paladin doing on Abregado-rae, and to which House are they sworn?"