I apologize for the extremely long delay in updating; my computer was being a brat.

Chapter 4 – Dilemmas, Dilemmas

Slowly, the speaker edged out from his hiding spot, a narrow sliver of a space between two duracrete walls. His skin was a smooth blue-gray, his overly large, nervously twitching eyes colored a deep gold. His humanoid figure was slender and supple, garbed in a woven purple and mahogany robe, with long, arching neck and fingers. A ridge extended from the bridge of a wide, flaring nose and swept upward to peak in a high crest that adorned his bald head. High cheekbones in a narrow face protruded over a thin lipped mouth, and his slim ears tapered to small points.

"Fugitive?" Obi-Wan echoed, not removing his tensed hand. "What do you mean?"

"We've been alerted that a Republic fugitive is on the loose," the Bhar-Nithloan continued in Basic. "All our cities have guards and lookouts posted."

"Is that what this war is about?"

"War?" The other looked confused. "We haven't had a war for over fifty standard years. In fact, we hadn't seen one of you humans for a longer while yet, until about one year ago. That was when the Separatists took over."

"This is a Separatist-controlled world?" Obi-Wan breathed.

"Of course. It's been in the power of the Trade Federation for decades now."

Obi-Wan felt as though he had been hit over the head with a stun ray gun. All his information was inaccurate, leaving him totally unprepared, and suspiciously, no had bothered to update any files that even mentioned Bhar-Nithlo. It looked as though Kamino was not the only file in the Temple Archives that Count Dooku had tampered with before leaving the Order. He groaned softly. He was in deep water now, and it was going to be very difficult to wade out.

"You must be the fugitive," the Bhar-Nithloan went on calmly, "if you have no idea what's been going on here."

"And now you're going to turn me in, is that it?" Obi-Wan snapped back. He was not pleased with this turn of events.

"Good galaxy, no!" The other's large eyes widened even further in apparent horror. "Some would, of course," he amended hastily, when the Jedi Master looked decidedly skeptical, "but a few of us are still strongly opposed to the Separatists' domination. But we are not a warlike people, and having virtually no contact with the Republic, I fear we are resigned to their rule."

"I'm not sure I completely understand," the Jedi Master replied slowly, pondering the other's words. "How could the Separatists have taken this world without the Republic's knowledge? We've been monitoring their movements ever since the war began." He fell silent, cursing the inadvertent "we" that had escaped his lips.

"I'm afraid they are several steps ahead of the Republic," the Bhar-Nithloan revealed mournfully. "It was very swift. We had no warning of their coming; they took the capital in only a few standard hours, with surprisingly little bloodshed. Since then, they've been maintaining that they are only freeing and protecting our world from the Republic's grip of injustice and tyranny, not that we were actually oppressed before," he added in disgust. "But having little knowledge of the real Republic, many of my people are beginning to be swayed and see things their way. In any case, the Separatists have said that the Republic would soon learn of what happened and send someone to investigate. That's when we were all ordered back to our dwellings until this potential 'fugitive', as they called it, was brought to justice."

Wonderful, Obi-Wan thought sarcastically. Warily, he inquired, "Have you noticed any – unusual – activity?"

"Well, there are several places – camps, if you will – that we aren't allowed near. Anyone caught roaming in these areas is severely punished." The alien shuddered. "Most of these are near the poles, or so I've heard."

Suspicious and confused, Obi-Wan queried, "Why are you so readily supplying me with this information?"

For a moment, the other did not answer, busy as he was gazing up at the gathering clouds. "Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere more… secluded," he offered uneasily.

"I'm not so sure. I've had a few too many surprises this trip to trust anyone I meet this soon. You could be leading me into another little trap."

"But my people could never trap you," the Bhar-Nithloan protested. "We would not have the cunning for such a snare, nor the resources."

"Then it was the Separatists who were behind this scheme?"

"Perhaps, Master Jedi, if you explained more thoroughly…."

Obi-Wan nearly choked at being addressed this way. "How did you - ?"

"Please," the other said plaintively. "I said we were incapable of large-scale deceit, not unintelligent."

"How long have you known?" The Jedi Master asked tensely.

"That you yourself were a Jedi, about a minute. That a Jedi was coming here, over a week. I didn't want to mention it, but –"

"Blast," Obi-Wan whispered, more to himself. "At least they don't know I'm here yet –"

"Actually, they do. At least, most probably." The other sighed. "All incoming crafts are scanned. They'll have detected you on board your vessel."

"Do you have communications I can use?" The distance was far too great for his little commlink.

"All access is restricted or denied."

"Transports?"

"The same."

Obi-Wan muttered some choice words under his breath. He had never been one to panic, but this situation was rapidly declining into dire circumstances he could not have anticipated.

I am alone, he found himself thinking, feeling the Bhar-Nithloan's unblinking gaze fixed upon him. I am alone.

Unwillingly, Obi-Wan's mind flashed back, skimming all those incidents that Anakin had unwittingly brought up in the heat of anger. Naboo, where he had lost his beloved mentor to the Sith. Ord Cestus, a complete disaster that had ended in failure for their cause. Azure, when his best friend and Padawanhood love had died in his arms, nearly turning him to the Dark Side. But through all those tragedies, someone had always been there to pull him back on track.

Anakin, he thought sadly, you've always joked about our near escapes.

But I may not be coming out of this one.

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