AN: Insert romantic song here, if only to lessen the smell of the mush. And while you're being generous, ignore my faux scientific savviness.


Thera felt out of her element. Granted that she had been aboard other star cruisers before, but none quite as cold and regal as delegate Adavar's. It was the second day within the service of the ship's crew, and Acova had rather needlessly thanked her for her presence as well as the Jedi escort that was to accompany them on the return back to the Oberon system.

Looking down at her plain flight jumpsuit, and she tugged at the sleeves and the high collar. At least it's not red, Thera thought grimly as she perused the communications databank. She knew she could never covertly pass herself off as the part of the existing crew, and the council had managed to convince Acova to parade Thera as a new security measure required by the senate. Quickly she had taken to the routine of maintenance shifts servicing the ship as Obi-wan had instructed.

"But what are we looking for?" she had asked in a shaded alcove of the landing bay as they first surveyed the ship.

"Hopefully nothing," Obi-wan supplied. "Let the Force speak to you should something arise, it never fails to make things clear."

She bunked with a few female healers that were stationed to return to Oberon. Human by first glance, Thera concluded that there was something cat-like about their features. Large golden eyes, long thin fingers, and a tendency to stretch a lot… Thera mused that they had lightning quick reflexes and licked their wounds.

Her security clearance wasn't as high as she had expected, something Thera had learned quickly as she tried to access a small branch of the mediward in the left wing of the ship. The slight pull of the Force added an interesting element as she tried her access code again. Thera was staring at the unmoving panel when healer Devandra approached.

"In need of medical attention?" she replied in a voice that mysteriously bordered between mocking and good humor.

"Not personally," Thera replied, her amicable tone reminiscent of Obi-wan in her mind. "I received your stock list. I suppose I was curious of your 'cellular positron inhibitor'. I was surprised of hearing a consulate transport carrying such equipment."

Thera watched for the healer's reaction carefully, but Devandra didn't flinch. On the contrary, she looked bored by the veiled implication; "A lot of good faith is passed between the systems by means of shared knowledge. Due to the wide range of sub-species, the most revered is medical knowledge. Antibodies don't do too well in hyperspace." She cocked her head at the door, "Besides, more often than not, it's just some primordial concoction that they're bringing back as a treat for their peko-peko."

Thera gave a small smile, "Sounds interesting, regardless…"

"I don't have the access, but I can refer the request to healer Nefura." Devandra looked like she was enjoying a private joke; "That is, if the organism can be exposed to artificial gravity."

Thera nodded in thanks, leaving the odd healer to the datapads stacked in her arms. Referral. Right, Thera snorted inwardly. It would be 20 standard hours to reach the Oberon system. More than enough time to examine the medi-ward. Armed with an objective, Thera ducked into a control room and pulled up the ships' schematics.


It was moments like this that Obi-wan was glad he had so few personal possessions. He watched as the procession of cargo trailed along towards the loading dock. Despite the distance, he could see the grim expression on Thera's face, and did not envy her the time it would take to check the luggage.

This starter mission was comforting in its banality, and was a testament to the lifestyle that normally occurred for the Jedi. Too many times Obi-wan had met others outside of the temple who viewed the Jedi as graceful, noble, eternal. In his padawan days, families would arrive in droves, bringing their younglings to be tested at the temple for the only reason to justify to themselves that their children were talented, special.

Even if a high midi-chloral count was detected, it was the personal integrity that was the real value of the Jedi. Obi-wan saw this value when Thera stood before the council, brazenly calling them out on the poor choice of keeping her in the dark.

I could have been dangerous.

Obi-wan recalled the sad note in her voice as well. It was plain to him that she had put some form of trust in them, but more so disappointed that they would risk danger to her and to others. That's what Yoda had been waiting for, and it was surely why she was now his Padawan.

It was an odd sight to see Thera by herself and not be near her. Apart only a day and the gravity between them was already pulling back towards normalicy. A trickle of the Force spoke to him as well; they would be heading back to the Oberon system. Her first mission coupled with returning to the area of her captivity. Obi-wan was wary and heeded the warning.

The landing and storage bay of the senate was something of a colossus. It covered several acres and its catwalks cobwebbed to the upper levels with a few executive hangars for visiting dignitaries. Because of the current involvement of the Oberon system with the separatist uprising, Obi-wan had heard of Adavar's impassioned request for security- only an executive hangar would suffice. He had seen a few eyes roll, a few pursed lips, but the senate division allowed it. He later had to agree; it afforded the Jedi an excuse for private surveillance, which seemed to be shaping up in an interesting turnout that Thera was relaying back to him.

He could picture her in the unused upper catwalks, gazing at her favorite skyline while giving a report through the secured comlink.

"Cellular positron inhibitor?" he echoed back, brow furrowing. "Could it be something they intend to sell on one of the checkpoints?"

"It looks new, and a permanent edition to the lab. Do you happen to know of any regulations on transporting medical substances before setting into hyperspace? They claim that it's antibodies, a standard trade that all senators receive at one point during trade federations." Her voice came out low and thoughtful, and Obi-wan found himself holding the comlink close to pick up the faintest nuances in her voice.

"The senatorial region is under diplomatic immunity from the trade regulations of Coruscant," he paused, letting a smile form on the corners of his eyes. "Thera, have you considered just asking Acova?"

"I don't like him, Obi-wan." The admittance at first sounded childish, but her undercurrent of tone stopped his tease. "I can't read him. He has no aura, no presence within the Force. It's disturbing."

"How long has it been since you noticed this?"

"Since the consulates' dinner."

He was quiet for a few moments as he milled the information around. The memory of the dinner had echoed in his mind. Her red dress, the blaze of the Force as it warned him, and the whispered promise from Asajj. Behind him, he could hear the closing of the Senate and the growing volume of jumbled languages that filtered through the halls.

"Are you near a window?" her voice reached his ears again, but this time it was hushed.

"No, why?"

"When you have the chance, come up to bay 159." There was a strange crackle of static from the comlink.

Acova was already approaching him, closely followed by a pair of rather stiff assistants. It would only take him a half hour at the most to debrief the senator. "I'll be there as soon as I can."


The hangars were nearly empty, as only a few delegates chose to beat the rush of the Senate recess the next day. Obi-wan stepped onto a droid hover lift to reach the higher levels, where the air felt thin and cool. He could hear the makings of a famous Coruscanti storm echoing in the dark corners of the garage. The lights of the upper hangars were off and as the gentle hum of the droid lift rose. The light fell behind him and he freely passed open levels of piping, wiring, and catwalks. A shower of sparks in the distance showed droids performing maintenance on ships, other than that, there was no signs of life.

The walls of the docking bays eventually faded into open framework of metal. As he approached the skeleton of the bay, it was so silent that he heard his cloak rustle and flap in the wind. The ceiling was close enough to distinguish the sound of rain on the roof.

These bays were for the excess amounts of attendees that sometimes flooded the Senate. Even then, they only acted as a storage hold for the ships once the passengers disembarked.

"Over here, Obi-wan."

He had stepped onto the main catwalk; the droid lift obediently puttering back to the lower levels. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. Near the edge of the building, Thera's outline was perched on a stout crossbeam that spanned the length of the bay. Behind her, the city skyline sprawled on endlessly.

The main element that immediately caught his eye was the enormous purple clouds in the fading twilight. They curled and billowed across the frame of the bay in a fantastic way that no holovid could record. Obi-wan gingerly sat down next to Thera, the sensation of them relaxing into each other's presence was strong.

"Hello," she murmured. In the faint grey of twilight, he saw her grin. She sat with her legs dangling over the edge, her hanging lightsaber clicking rhythmically against the beam.

"Took a chance that you weren't afraid of heights."

Obi-wan peered over the edge of the crossbeam, seeing the tunnel that spiraled back down to the Senate. "You know me too well."

He could sense rather than see Thera reach out and brush her fingers across his forehead. The gesture was simple, then suddenly hesitant, "Did you cut your hair?"

He only nodded, knowing that she could distinguish the movement in the shadow. A pause, and as her hand fell away, a bubble of laughter surprised him.

"You may not know it, but one of the first things I said to you was that short hair suited you better."

Obi-wan smiled as he recalled her pointing to his old profile image; her language in a playful lilt. He stifled a laugh, "Why am I not surprised?"

They passed a few moments in amicable silence, in the distance the grumble of thunder echoed and the temperature from their outlook noticeably dropped.

"It's back," Thera whispered as she sat up straight and narrowed her eyes at the horizon.

"Back?" he asked, suddenly on alert.

"I thought maybe you missed it while in the Senate."

As if to illustrate on cue, the wind whipped a misty rain back at them and a roar of thunder crackled. The city lights dimmed at the threatening storm; Obi-wan knew them all too well from his youngling years. The electrical storms of Coruscant were famous for downing power reserves, destroying ships, and creating sustainable energy for days afterwards if the lightning was harvested correctly.

Flashes of purple and green lit the horizon, but the storms were known to be deceiving in location. Obi-wan signaled for the lift again from his comlink, then turned to Thera. "We can't stay here."

"Obi-wan, it's kilometers away-"

The explosive boom simultaneously illuminated her awestruck face; they were bathed in magenta and took on a surreal look as the sheen of rain covering their skin and clothes made them shine. The framework of the bay rattled in the aftershock.

"Okay, okay," she sighed as she allowed herself to be helped up. They picked their way to one of the main honeycombed platforms, the lightning still flashing brilliantly. Thera's tone was thoughtful as she stole more glances at the oncoming storm.

"Tell me, does Force lightning look anything like this?" she asked, gesturing to the storm then curling her arms over her chest.

Obi-wan dredged up the memory, and was quick to be rid of it. "In appearance yes, but the feeling of it through the Force… it's not something I'd wish upon anyone," he replied as he drew out her cape from the depths of his robe.

She stared at him, the storm chill now beginning to chatter her teeth. "How did you…?"

"I think I know you too well," he countered, his grin shadowed in the dark as he wrapped the cloak around her shoulders. As he glanced at her, he found her face close, her expression a surprising mixture of confusion and apprehension. It was a feeling that he understood the root cause of immediately. Next to the landing, Obi-wan heard the droid platform arrive. Taking her hand, they stepped onto the hovering lift, the machine dipping slightly under their weight as they began to descend.

The lift was small, made mostly for maintenance droids. Thera stood close again, her hand still intertwined in his. As the levels slowly passed by, Obi-wan returned the gaze, openly searching her expression for some form of clarity as to what she was thinking.

Over the months of her time as his Padawan, she had become an element in his immediate Force that would not fade, no matter what the distance. He had realized the connection long before the symptoms had shown, long before Thera had made the connection herself. It was happening now; he felt it roll off her in waves and she was staggered by the powerful realization. All of the implications it held, all of her feelings were like a hushed whisper of an on looking crowd compared to the emotion at the front of her mind, and it spoke to him as clearly as her own voice.

"Obi-wan?" her tone was hushed. The pinks and greens of the lightning allowing him to see the question in her eyes.

Raising a free hand to the side of her face, he asked the same question to himself. He had looked into the will of the Force countless times, and before the sensation was foreign in his solitude, but now they mirrored each other. Now as the wash of emotion flooded from Thera, it blended with his own, complimenting it and strengthening his resolve.

"Yes, I feel the same," he said quietly.

Although it was a statement, it felt more like an agreement between them. As the lift descended, flashes of lightning illuminated their intimate storyboard. So close there was no space between them. The tilt of the head. The closing flutter of eyes. The feel of damp hair and the taste of rainwater. The soft skin of lips and fingertips. The protective curl of arms and the collective sigh that said each had found their gravity. It was quite chaste, the kiss. More of a tentative test that in the end felt to have leaden amounts of meaning. Their heartbeats already ran together, as their bond had fused months before. Flushed cheeks and the swirling of cloaks took shape in the growing light of the lower levels.

A whisper found its way through the dark before it illuminated who had spoken, "No matter what happens, I will always feel the same."

The planet had found the star.