We're getting close to the end of this one. I'm thinking four or five chapters are left. The next installment will see the return of our good friend Qui-Gon! And, I believe he will be having to make some difficult choices regarding these two, so that is coming 'round the bend!
Thanks so much for the reviews and alerts from the past chapters! It always means so much!
I'd love to know what everyone thinks about this chapter and how the story is going in general, so if you could drop a few lines in the review box! : )
"I am sorry, but you will not be able to see Master Yoda. He is very busy at the moment."
"Please, this is very important. If we could just-" Obi-Wan began. They were standing outside the Council chambers, speaking with what amounted to the High Council's secretary.
"I'm sorry, younglings. What you ask is impossible. Now, please, make your way back to your quarters and prepare for your day," the Knight said, more than a little exasperated. The green Twi'lek concealed his annoyance well, but his twitching head-tails betrayed him.
Obi-Wan could not really blame the Knight. It must be difficult to be in charge of all the Council Member's movements and schedules, especially right now. But, he also knew that, if asked, Yoda would make time for anyone who sought his guidance. With a sigh, the two initiates bowed and retreated towards the turbolift.
When the door slid shut, Amber turned to him, "What do you think?"
"I think neither one of us can continue on this way. And, as much I hate to say it, if we can't get any help from Master Yoda..."
"We'll have to figure it out for ourselves," she finished, folding her arms.
This was not welcome news to Obi-Wan. He would prefer to have the elder Jedi Master's input into their predicament. Turning his thoughts to something more productive than wishful thinking, he replayed the vision in his mind, looking for details that might help them.
"Did you recognize the girl in my vision?" he asked, "I've never seen her before, have you?"
"No. Not that I can remember," she sighed, "That leaves the platform. Or room. Or whatever it was."
Obi-Wan thought for a moment, then pressed a different button on the control panel, sending the turbolift to an alternate floor.
Amber raised her eyebrows, "The archives?"
"We were both there, so that must mean we find it," Obi-Wan grinned at her, "What better place to start searching for something we don't even know what is?"
Every spare minute was spent in the Archives. Four hours had been put in before breakfast, both stopping only to sprint through the refrectory and attend their first morning lesson, barely avoiding trouble for being tardy. They had been a blur to their friends throughout the day. Obi-Wan was certain Reeft, Garen and Bant must think they were chewing the luna-weed.
He felt bad. None of their other friends knew about the visions or the nightmares. Or their bond for that matter. Master Yoda had instructed them never to reveal their link to anyone. Obi-Wan was not sure what the elder Jedi was worried about, but generally Yoda always had a good reason. Even if that logic was not completely clear to those around him.
After scarfing down a quick dinner, they had hunkered down in one of the farthest corners of the Archives, away from prying eyes and the omnipresent Madame Nu. They had spent the rest of their evening in the massive library, finding absolutely nothing. Jocasta Nu had shooed them away at sundown, gladly enforcing the new curfew.
That night had went much the same as the previous night. Obi-Wan had the same vision, but gained a few more precious details for his troubles. The most notable was a painting that was hanging on a blue wall. It depicted four Jedi Knights, but the rest was a mystery to him. It was nothing he had ever seen.
They repeated their hectic research schedule the following day, that evening finding them in the same spot as the night before. His gaze was now glued to one of the many terminals, pouring through possible sources. He had decided to concentrate on the portrait, putting in different keywords hoping to narrow down the field. Thus far, he had found that paintings of Jedi Knights existed not only in the Temple, but in the Senate, in the some one hundred art museums located on Coruscant and numerous other locations across the Galaxy.
Obi-Wan blinked hard a few times, feeling like his eyes were permanently crossed. He imagined Amber felt much the same. Obi-Wan had concentrated on searching for the key aspects he had seen, but when he glanced over at his friend, he was surprised to see Amber's head buried in their history book.
"What are you doing?" he whispered.
She shrugged without looking up, "I don't know. Just thought I should look in here."
"Any particular reason?"
Amber glanced at him, "Well, it's not as if we have a starfighter or a transport. Both of us were in your vision, so the place we're looking for must be at the Temple, or at the very least, on Coruscant. That's what were learning about, so it seemed like as good a place as any to look."
He nodded in agreement and a hush fell over their brief conversation. Another hour passed with no luck. Obi-Wan had moved onto a stack of art history holobooks when Amber grabbed his arm.
"Obi-Wan! Look," she murmured, excitement in her voice.
He pulled the enormous book towards him and studied the drawing on the open page. It looked so much like his vision. A square platform with rough designs running along the surface. There appeared to be no sides to the stage and the illustration did not show what was above or below. The only thing that was missing was the corner pillars.
"What is it?"
"Remember when Master Ordona talked about the history of the Temple? This," she said, tapping the page, "was part of the meditation enclave that the ancient Jedi built on Coruscant's sacred mountain. I think this is what we're looking for."
"It's possible, but it existed thousands of years ago. I'm not sure it would still be standing."
"Yeah," she said as a little of her enthusiasm dimmed.
Obi-Wan sat back in his chair thinking. He tried to remember everything Ordona had said about the origins of the Temple. Closing his eyes, he ran though all he could recall. The Jedi Master had told the class that this building was constructed over a mountain that was actually a hub of naturally occurring Force energy, he had called a Force-nexus. Over the years the middle spire was constructed around the mountain. After the Old Sith Wars, the High Council ordered the creation of the rest of the Temple. A task that was delegated to...
"The Four Masters!"
"Hm?" Amber asked in distraction. She had returned to reading the page, not really hearing what he had said.
Two padawans passed by and Obi-Wan leaned in closer to Amber, his voice a whisper, "The Four Masters built the Temple around the original spire. The spire that grew around the mediation enclave."
She nodded slowly, and as the information sank in, her eyes met his, "Four Masters, four pillars and the four Knights in your painting. Well masters, not knights. We have to be on the right track. Try putting that in your search."
Amber watched as he tried the new key terms. Three possibilities popped up. There was one portrait of the Masters in the Archives. The other was a reference to the statues that stood outside the formal entrance to the Jedi Temple. And the last was another painting located in the middle and oldest spire of the Temple.
"There. Tranquility Spire," he read a little further down the article, "More specifically in the Hall of Knighthood."
Every Jedi knew the basic layout of the storied tower, though most only stepped foot in it once or twice their entire lifetimes. At the top of Tranquility Spire was the Pinnacle chamber, which held the most sacred and oldest of documents. Below that was the Hall of Knighthood, the room where almost every padawan ended their apprenticeship.
"I think we've found our location," Amber said, letting out a breath.
Something bothered Obi-Wan, "But, we still do not know who the girl is."
"Does it matter? She was obviously in distress. If she's there, we have to help her. We have some information now, we'll just have to demand to see Master Yoda. You can tell him what you saw and we can show him what we found. Or maybe we can see Master Windu, if he'll believe us."
Obi-Wan nodded, "I'll pack all this up and we'll go."
He put away all his borrowed materials in the designated bin and logged off of his workstation. When he returned to Amber, he found her still looking at something on her terminal.
"Ready?"
"In a minute. I'm checking the HoloNet," she smiled at him, shrugging, "It's become a habit."
Grabbing her book for her, Obi-Wan put it back in her bag and packed up any leftover odds and ends Amber had left on the table.
"The memorial services for the Berilen family members was held today. They are still reporting all four children murdered," she announced quietly.
Throwing a stylus and some flimsy in the bag, he replied, "Makes sense if they still don't know where she is."
"Obi-Wan..."
He looked over at his friend, her face pale. "What's wrong," he asked, concerned.
"Look," she said weakly, pointing at the screen.
There was a picture of the Berilen family. It was the first time Obi-Wan had seen the wife or the children. They all looked happy, dressed in formal clothing. He saw nothing untoward about the holo as he studied each smiling individual. Then, he reached the last face. A small girl who was a few years younger than him. The youngest child in her family. Her face was chubby and healthy, unlike the two other times he had seen it...
"It's her. The girl from my vision."