Hello! Thank you for all the reviews for Chapter 8! I'm very happy you're all enjoying the story so far! Here it comes- the reunion between Master and Padawan. But can I say- there is still angst to come! It's going to be a very rocky road for our Jedi.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!


Chapter 9- Downward Spiral

For a moment, all Qui-Gon could do was stare at the screen. Then he snapped into action. "How far away is this?" His mind could not forget the image of his Padawan. What was going on? Why was Obi-Wan being carried? And by whom? Qui-Gon wanted answers and he wanted them now.

This was not the time for a "patience" lecture either!

The technician checked the co-ordinates. "Not five minutes from the edge of the compound sir," he replied.

"Rogate- can a team of guards be spared?" Qui-Gon asked as the technician gave him the directions. Bewildered, the pilot nodded, immediately turning on the comm. and calling for a squad to meet him and the Jedi Master near the South east cordon.

Both men were out of the control room in the next breath.


In the jungle, all was quiet for a moment as the two scientists mourned and Tarin was lost in his own thoughts.

Eventually, Thal roused the group. "Come on. Look- It cannot be far now," he said softly. Yansan nodded, carefully rearranging Obi-Wan in his arms. The Padawan was conscious again but no amount of weak glaring would make the green Ho'Din put him down.

Slowly, the now group of four moved off again at a more composed pace than before, moods very much downcast. Tarin glanced at the Padawan. Sweat was plastered to the boy's forehead but he was still shivering in Yansan's hold, as though he was freezing. Tarin was sure he could hear Obi-Wan's teeth chattering.

Obi-Wan suddenly stiffened in Yansan's arms, drawing the gentle alien's concerned attention. "There's…something coming," Obi-Wan said through gritted teeth. He could feel something. A presence. What was it? It was in his head!

The other three exchanged looks of alarm as Obi-Wan began to struggle in Yansan's arms. "Noooo- don't- please!" he muttered, his good hand rising to clutch his head. "No! Get out!"

There were voices coming from up ahead, and the sound of feet running.

"What's happening?" Tarin hissed at Thal and Yansan who looked just as perplexed. There was nowhere to run to and Obi-Wan's struggles were becoming frantic. "Calm down!" he tried to soothe the young Jedi who was writhing in his attempt to escape. Yansan sank to the floor with the Padawan, murmuring nothingness in an attempt to calm him.

At that moment, a group of men appeared around the corner, led by a tall man, wearing a brown billowing cloak, beige tunic and pants and dark boots. The rest were all in the same grey uniform, blasters strapped to their waists. Tarin gulped. Now what?

The leader of the group was staring at Obi-Wan, his blue eyes full of conflicting emotions. Relief, joy, confusion…sorrow? Tarin could not understand or keep up.

"Padawan!" The leader of the group called out after a moment. "Step away from him," he stared directly at Yansan whose eyes widened as he stared at the man. He held a metal cylinder in his right hand.

The delegate glanced between the tall man and Obi-Wan. They were wearing the same type of robes…Padawan…Jedi… "Are you…Master Jinn?" Tarin asked tentatively.

This was the Jedi Master Obi-Wan had talked about. The man's eyes snapped from his apprentice to look at Tarin. His sharp gaze took in Tarin's ruined, once impressive robes and Tarin saw realisation dawn quickly. "Delegate Elam?" he concluded. "You are the delegate Obi-Wan was sent to bring back?"

Tarin nodded as he took a long look at the Jedi Master. The man would tower over the smaller Obi-Wan; his shoulders were broad, with long brown hair falling over them, tied back with a small clasp. His face was smooth and impassive, but Tarin saw the emotions. This man must have missed his Padawan as much as the Padawan had missed him- if not more.

"Master Jinn- Obi-Wan is very ill," Tarin managed to get out.

Worry creased the older Jedi's forehead as he knelt down beside his Padawan, giving orders for the guards to stand down and to call a med team at the same time. Not caring about the dirt, the Master crouched beside his Padawan, scooping the Padawan towards him.


Relief and joy blossomed in Qui-Gon's heart as his eyes lit upon his Padawan. Obi-Wan was clutched in the grip of a tall, green humanoid alien's arms, his skin a pasty colour, apart from the two splashes of pink in his cheeks. Fever. Qui-Gon felt the relief quickly sliding towards anxiety and concern. What was wrong with Obi-Wan?

/ Obi-Wan! You're safe- I am here now Padawan/ Qui-Gon called out mentally. The void at the back of his mind where the bond he shared with the boy was slowly brightening as he moved closer. /Obi-Wan? /

However hard he tried, his Padawan was not responding. Was there something blocking them? The boy did not even look up at him. Dismay rising, Qui-Gon looked to the tall green alien; whom he absentmindedly noted was a Ho'Din.

"Step away from him," he directed at the alien, watching the black eyes widen. The whisperings of the Force told telling Qui-Gon the unknown aliens were not dangerous, but he was not taking any chances with his Padawan. Slowly, the green alien unwound his arms from around the boy, all the time looking at the Jedi Master…with understanding? Qui-Gon did not dwell long on that.

"Are you…Master Jinn?" the human asked.

Qui-Gon's eyes darted to look at the human. How did he know his name? Unless… "Delegate Elam?" So this was the man Obi-Wan had been sent to fetch. The young man nodded quickly, realising wisely this was not the time for formal introductions.

"Master Jinn- Obi-Wan is very ill."

The Jedi Master's heart sank like a stone at the very serious tone. Nodding, he dropped down beside his Padawan. Qui-Gon's eyes widened at the state of the boy. Dirty, dishevelled, Obi-Wan looked like he had been forced through a hedge backwards, multiple times. With his muted sense of the Force, Qui-Gon sent soothing waves to the boy, brows furrowing as Obi-Wan continued to shiver and moaned in pain at Qui-Gon's touch, trying to move away.

"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon said softly, brushing back the boy's gingery-brown, damp sweaty hair. Qui-Gon sensed something…wrong. There was something in Obi-Wan's bloodstream that wasn't meant to be there. He glanced down and saw the bandaged right arm, eyes widening at the black lines marring Obi-Wan's skin where the tunic sleeves had been ripped open. "Padawan can you hear me? You're safe."

"No…leave me!" Obi-Wan cried out weakly, pushing one hand at Qui-Gon's chest and trying to distance himself from his Master. Qui-Gon looked on in bewilderment, his heart sinking. "Get out…my head! You…you're not…my…Master!" the last part was hissed, and Obi-Wan's good arm waved weakly through the air, as though trying to dispel a fog.

Qui-Gon felt a sharp stab of fear slice through his gut. There was something seriously wrong. "Obi-Wan? Please Padawan, come back to me," Qui-Gon laced his voice with as my calm and soothing as he possibly could, trying to coax the confused young boy towards him. Seeing Obi-Wan as he was- it cut the Jedi Master right to the core.

Obi-Wan had rolled out of Qui-Gon's reach and was shaking his head slowly, eyes unfocussed. "Y-yes…I failed M-Master…I…I know…" he croaked.

Qui-Gon was beyond confused as he reached out for his Padawan. "Obi-Wan what's wrong? You haven't failed. Obi-Wan!" To the Master's horror, tears were now trailing down the flushed cheeks of the younger Jedi, more appearing in the glistening blue eyes as they were forcefully dashed away with his left fist. The sight made Qui-Gon's gut clench. What was wrong? What was his Padawan talking about? "Obi-Wan…"

"M-Master please…j-just…go. N-not worth…it…Go!" Obi-Wan choked out.

Qui-Gon shook his head. "Obi-Wan you are coming with me," he said firmly, amazed that his voice was so steady. "You are ill, but you are going to get better."

There was a pause. And then:

"Y…you…don't love… me…."

It was spoken so softly, so tragically and each word felt like a sharp lance through Qui-Gon's heart. Such pain, grief, sorrow echoed through Obi-Wan's tone, the boy had given up all hope and was lost to everything. More tears fell; leaving dirty tear trails down his fevered cheeks.

For a moment, Qui-Gon was stunned into silence. "No…! Obi-Wan that's not true!" Qui-Gon vehemently protested, his own voice tight, shaking his head in denial. How could it possibly be true?

As though Qui-Gon's words had been the catalyst, Obi-Wan jerked, his body going into spasms as his eyes rolled back in his head. With Jedi reflexes, Qui-Gon lurched forward, catching his apprentice tenderly in his arms, worry and concern skyrocketing as the Padawan continue to seize.

"We need to get him to the citadel now!" Qui-Gon said, clearing his muddled emotions. Scooping the boy easily into his arms, Qui-Gon pushed as much of the limited Force as he could into the boy's body, determined to start the healing process. The thing in Obi-Wan's blood…it was affecting his mind…there was no way that Obi-Wan thought that of him…was there?

Deciding now was not the time for self-doubt, Qui-Gon rose smoothly- carefully holding his Padawan as the boy's head limply fell against his shoulder. "Delegate Elam, please follow me." Qui-Gon looked to the two other aliens.

"We must come too," the Bith said firmly. "Myself and Yansan here are knowledgeable about the plants and toxins of this world. You will need our help."

Qui-Gon nodded curtly. "Very well. Come quickly."


Qui-Gon strode through the medical bay doors, which flew open at his mental command. Obi-Wan had gone utterly still in his arms now, sending icy tendrils of fear clawing at the Master's insides. His Padawan would be alright. He had to be alright.

"Put him on the bed Master Jinn," the only healer present said quickly, guiding them to one of the beds in the centre of the ward room. The citadel was well equipped but was lacking the staff.

Tenderly, Qui-Gon placed his Padawan on the bed, smoothing out the damp hair from Obi-Wan's forehead with a gentle hand. "Please…what's wrong Padawan?" he murmured so only the boy could hear. "What do you see that frightens you so much?"

"He's been infected by a toxin Master Jedi," the Ho'Din, Yansan explained, moving to the other side of the bed. "It is producing hallucinations and is poisoning him. We need to find an antidote fast."

Qui-Gon's jaw clenched. "Can you find one?" he asked. If he had to, he would sit by his Padawan's bedside, using the Force to purge the young boy's body of the toxin. But an antidote will help.

"I believe we know enough of his symptoms to narrow the search down," the Bith said gently. "We will start right away."

The healer hurried into the room, and began to remove Obi-Wan's outer tunic, placing all sorts of electrodes on the boy's chest and wirelessly hooking him up to various monitors. Qui-Gon watched all of this with a stony face. The boy was injected with a sedative to prevent seizures and keep him asleep and away from the pain. Apart from that, the healer could do very little until the two scientists worked out what antidote would cure the boy. The situation was worse than he had first thought…

"Master Jinn?"

It was the delegate's voice. Qui-Gon turned to face the ashen looking young man. "Delegate Elam- I must thank you for helping my Padawan," Qui-Gon gratefully inclined his head towards the delegate.

The man's face blushed profusely and he shook his head. "No Master Jinn…I…I should thank Obi-Wan," he muttered quietly. "He has…saved me. In more ways than one." Tarin dared to glance at the Jedi Master. In the man's blue eyes he saw pride as the Jedi squeezed his unresponsive Padawan's shoulder gently.

"I am most indebted that you helped to get him back here to me," the Master said. "You both must have faced danger in the jungle."

Tarin felt guilt flooding through him. How could he be praised when things had been…his fault? "I…I believe it was partly my fault we crashed. And then with the cliff…"

Qui-Gon frowned. "Cliff?" The Jedi Master did not know how much more his heart could take. What sort of dangers had the two young men faced? Why hadn't he been there to help his Padawan? Guilt rose up in Qui-Gon. He had failed his Padawan.

Qui-Gon looked from his Padawan back to the delegate. "Tell me everything," he said simply.


Two hours later and Yansan and Thal were still hard at work, searching through all their files meticulously trying to find the plant whose toxin was flowing through Obi-Wan. They were going as fast as they dared, but it was imperative to check thoroughly each data log on all known plants there were catalogued. And there were quite a few.

Tarin sighed as he stood restlessly in the doorway to Obi-Wan's room. He had changed his robes, into simpler, plainer garments. Much as it was expected for him to join the other delegates he could not bring himself to. So instead he had come back to the med ward.

The sight inside the young Jedi's room made an odd, aching feeling rise in the delegate's chest. He watched as the Jedi Master sat beside the Padawan's bed, gently sponging his apprentice's face and arms with damp cloths to keep him cool as his temperature continued to dangerously rise. Murmuring nothingness and comfort to his unconscious Padawan as the boy shifted in pain, the Master tenderly pushed back the sweaty spiky hair from Obi-Wan's forehead, all the while talking in a low, soothing voice. Tarin felt quite content just to stand and watch.

Though he knew the Jedi Master was Obi-Wan's teacher, Tarin saw more than that. He could see the love flowing from the elder to the younger, almost as if it was cocooning itself around Obi-Wan, keeping him devotion to which the elder Jedi was caring for the younger, the way Qui-Gon knew how to instinctively react to calm his Padawan, the way he spoke to the unconscious boy…it was parental love- like father to son.

Tarin suddenly felt as though he was intruding on a very personal, private moment between the two Jedi.

"Delegate Elam, please come in."

Tarin jumped. The Jedi Master was looking directly at him. Ducking his head and feeling chastised, Tarin entered, walking over to stand at the foot of the bed. "How is he?"

Worry shone in the older man's eyes. "He is not good. Nothing I do is helping." There was frustration in his tone. "I cannot heal him…my efforts are rebuffed by the toxin in his bloodstream. It is as though it works against the Force itself."

"He will get better though," Tarin said, eyes glancing to the restless Padawan as he shifted, a hoarse moan slipping past Obi-Wan's cracked lips. The Master immediately was there to calm his apprentice, easing him back into sleep.

"He will," the Jedi's voice rang with the conviction. "He has so much to live for- so much to do. He will be a great Jedi." Sincerity and love radiated in those words.

Tarin blinked. A similar conversation, the one he had had with Obi-Wan came back to him. "Wait till you meet my Master at the Citadel. He's the best Jedi there is." Tarin smiled slightly. "He thinks very highly of you."

The Master blinked in surprise and then the corner of his lips twitched. "And I of him. He is the best Padawan I could wish for"

"N-no…M-Master…p-please!" Obi-Wan was reaching consciousness again, even as Qui-Gon hurriedly turned his attention to his Padawan, rocking him slowly.

"Did this happen often in the jungle?" Qui-Gon asked sombrely, looking at Tarin.

The delegate nodded. "He saw things. They must have been…terrible." Tarin did not want to relive Obi-Wan's screams. He barely suppressed a shudder. "I couldn't help him. I just had to watch…"

Qui-Gon's jaw tightened at the look on Tarin's face, as though he understood what Tarin had lived through. He gently rearranged his Padawan's braid as Obi-Wan began to fight against him again, weak fists pushing away from his Master's hold. "P-please….no! Y-you can't!" broken sobs left the rest of the sentence unintelligible as the older Jedi and delegate watched grimly.

"Shh, Obi-Wan- you're alright, you're safe," Qui-Gon said softly, rubbing soothing circles on the boy's back.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "D-d-don't hurt….him please!" the last part was a drawn out shriek that made Tarin pale and Qui-Gon frown in concern. More heart wrenching sobs passed the Padawan's lips as the monitors began to beep more loudly beside them.

Tarin looked to the monitors. From what the healer had pointed out, it seemed Obi-Wan's heart rate was rapidly climbing as his temperature stepped up another degree. This was not looking good.

"Master Jinn- please I need to check Obi-Wan," the healer was back in the room, a look of concern plastered on her face. For a moment, Tarin though the Jedi was going to refuse, there was no way he was going to let up his hold on the Padawan.

Then the man nodded swiftly and allowed the healer the space to do her work.

Suddenly, a piercing scream ripped from Obi-Wan's throat as his back arched wildly and his whole body shook with the stress as the monitors beside the Padawan's bed erupted into a chorus of alarms. Qui-Gon- heart in his mouth- moved forward quickly, only to have the boy fall back into his arms, head lolling limply to the side as a shuddered gasp left his body.

Then all was still.

"OBI-WAN!"


Oops?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter- and it wasn't too heartbreaking at the beginning. Poor Qui-Gon and poor Obi-Wan!

Now- a little bit of bad news- I'm going on holiday for 2 weeks- and am not going to be able to post the next chapter until April 6th at least. I'm so sorry! So I'm afraid (unless I churn out a chapter in a day- which would be amazing as I'm packing up to go home from college today- so a 6 hour car journey tomorrow- joy!) I shall not be able to update and relieve you from this cliffhanger...my apologies. But we shall see what my muse can do about it!

Please review? I would love to read them when I come back from my tour of Asia :D

Love to you all!

AldabaranFox