Chapter Two

Warriors and the Orphan

As it turned out getting the materials for the pyre were easier then expected. The amount of debris and vegetation made building it exceptionally easy so it really didn't take as much time as he expected so he still had daylight to burn once he was finished assembling the pyre. Obi-Wan was still unnerved by the fact he still hadn't run into anyone save Nyax for what was quite possibly a few hours. It was kind of worrisome and unnerving. Finally the deed was done and Obi-Wan waited until the fires had sufficiently consumed the body keeping vigil for a while before moving through the urban wasteland.

As he walked he began noticing that some of the landscape plants not withstanding looked familiar. There was a long nagging sensation that he should recognize his place. While that feeling was floating another more important thought came to him. What's going to happen to Anakin now that I'm here for the foreseeable future?

Now his apprentice was nearly twenty. He was good age to advance to a Knight status but Obi-Wan felt he wasn't ready yet not nearly. He was strong and wise if more then a bit headstrong but then again he'd been foolish enough to fall into a portal so Obi-Wan had no room to talk about that then. But he still had much to learn. So who would take care of him until or rather if he got back?

This thought made him frown after all Anakin could be a handful to say the least. So it worried him the fact that someone else who had not idea how to deal with his shifting moods would have to deal with him considering he was no where near ready for the Trials as far as he was concerned. Perhaps Master Windu would...oh Force no. He had less patience for Anakin's mood swings not to mention Anakin wasn't exactly subtle on his dislike of the Council member.

Perhaps Ki-Adi Mundi or Master Plo Koon, yes those were a good choices. They were stable and stoic enough for them not to react to Anakin's mercurial swings and possibly impart more wisdom then he'd gotten from his teachings. Not that he honestly had that many angry outbursts. Contrary to some member's of the Order thought he and Anakin usually got along well save for moments in which Anakin got stubborn about a point.

A sudden piercing cry made him stop and pull himself from his thoughts. He ran over to the direction of the noise looking over the area he saw a shabbily claded blue skinned Twi'lek laying on her side bleeding profusely from a slash that went down her left side. He could swear it looked like a metal sword slash. It clearly had struck an artery and she was bleeding out.

She looked over to him and gestured him over nearly delirious with pain it was then that noticed that it wasn't her making the cries. That honor belonged to a baby that looked almost a year old of green coloration wrapped in a blanket. Obi-Wan quickly ran over to her and pulled out his meager medic pack from his belt pouch. It wasn't much but he could try to stop her bleeding out until he got to a doctor or barring that a local medicine person.

"Hold still," he ordered gently as he tried to make a tourniquet around where he assumed the bleeding was coming from. As grabbed the bandages she grabbed his arm halting his progress.

"Please," she whispered in Ryl coughing up blood as she spoke. "Take her away from me. Take my Calliope. You don't have much time. They will come. They'll kill her otherwise like they killed my... Keep..." she gasped and then gather her strength lifting the baby into his free arm which he quickly secured supporting her bottom. "Keep her safe. Please Jedi."

"I will," he promised realizing she didn't have much time left. She was on death's door now and there was honestly nothing more he could do now except comfort her much to his sorrow and guilt. It was times like this that he wished he had the training so he could help. "She'll be safe with me. That's a promise."

The woman smiled at him and nodded her thanks. She gave her girl a soft kiss and sighed passing away into the Force. The baby in his arms began to cry in earnest clinging to him hard as if he anchored her to the mortal plane. He looked at Calliope's back rocking her gently and focused on her presence making her stop crying and whimpering Mama over and over again. He could understand her pain and wished to sooth her. As he sent out calming waves to her, she suddenly stopped crying and began to stare at him inquisitively. There. There she was

Oh Force help him she was Force sensitive. That explained her mother's fear and the baby was able to sense her passing but what had happened to her family and who wanted her dead and why hadn't the Jedi taken her? So many questions...

He shook his head of the thoughts crowding his mind and began to think on what needed to be done now. He had someone to care for and that took precedence and daylight was fading now meaning he had a limited time to get supplies as well as construct a pyre for her mother. That was the least he could do for her. There surely had to be something he could grab...Then in an instant felt a disturbance in the Force. Several beings were approaching with ill intent. Strangely their signature felt anemic but it was present in the Force.

"Do-ro'ik vong pratte!" A cry called his attention over as a group of two beings approached him. Well more so like marched towards him holding what looked. The ones clearly of a warrior class charged at him with a sword? Well no matter the fact was that he needed to counter this or be skewered and he had no intentions on dying in that sort of manner thank you.

He pulled out his lightsaber and activated it. Once done he settled into a Soresu guard position and maneuvering Calliope closer to himself so he could better protect her. To her credit she stayed still and didn't squirm against him making herself smaller and easier to hold. She probably sensed something was awry. The first warrior rushed forward at him only to be cut down with a side step and a slash.

His compatriot attack with a whip that struck him in the arm holding Calliope making hiss with pain. The being stepped up his attack with the whip impossibility becoming a sword and trying to stab him. Obi-Wan side stepped him and jabbed his center. The being let out a hiss and then collapsed. Now they'd been slayed he quickly deactivated his blade and looked over his fallen foes hoping to get an idea of who they were. They were dressed in armor but unlike armor he was familiar with like say the Mandalorians these had spikes on the back that lent them a sinister look. They were pale and sickly looking from his point of view. What was odd was one seemed to have a prosthetic limb but it was unlike any design he'd seen before.

As Obi-Wan stood over his beaten foes taking what little information he could glean from his looking about a whole horde of questions were flooding his mind. Why did they attack him? Were these the beings that worried Calliope's mother? Did he trespass on their land or sacred place? He hoped because he wasn't keen on killing a people just protecting their own. Also where was he? And as for the armor what was it? Was it local variant perhaps? Oh this was so frustrating! Obi-Wan signed as he rubbed his chin deep in thought. Calliope let out a soft cry of fear as she noticed his cut that quickly reminded that while important anymore answers he needed would have to wait for now.

"Well youngling," Obi-Wan whispered gently to the young babe rocking her as she began to sniffled again at the sight of her mother's dead body and the combatants as well. "I'll get your mother and those men on their way back and we'll be on ours. They're are one with the Force and the Force is with them."

Calliope stared him uncomprehendingly but snuggled closer to him sniffling as he went about gather materials for another series pyre. While he looked for plant life he fastened a makeshift shoulder carrier for Calliope so he could keep his arms free. It too sometime and lost him a couple of hours of daytime but once he was done he quickly finished the pyre and began the burning progress.

After finishing his task of building a pyre and attending to his minor wounds he began to walk forward this time not only looking for familiar landmarks but also for food as he was sure that Calliope would need far more food then his emergency rations could provide. As he walked he began to notice that the landmarks surrounding him looked infuriatingly familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on why that was the case. As he walked he noticed a plethora of creatures he was unfamiliar with. Perhaps the native creatures of the planet? If so then he'd best avoid them until he had a better understanding of what was going on here. Also he needed shelter since it was getting dark.

Finally he reached a cave that he should've be all rights been fine with after all it was innocuous and fairly unremarkable except it reeked of the Dark Side. The Force was warning him of something within the cave or possibly around it. He paused at a distance from entrance of the cave leaning forward so he could look in.

On his chest he heard Calliope whimpered with fear. Deciding to trust his feelings on the matter he slowly backed away giving the cave a wide birth. He continued walking away nearly running into another creature that he avoided narrowly by ducking into nearby alleyway. Good Force what'd happened here and what were those things?

As he looked around in the cooling evening he spotted a evacuated store that hadn't been looted yet. He smiled at Calliope and walked into the store. The script was Basic thank the Force for small favors and soon he had enough to fill satchel that he'd found on the ground. Perhaps a looter came by? Well no matter at least he something to carry his supplies with.

"Looks like I found us a home for a while or at the very least the night," Obi-Wan commented as he placed Calliope into a clear section of the floor. He began to gather materials for a small fire. Hopefully the fire suppression system is deactivated or otherwise this will be awkward to say the least.