When she came to, the girl was lying on the bed in the sleeping
chamber. Obi-Wan was bent over her, finishing up a bandage to her side.
"You know, you shouldn't be throwing people across rooms after you have and injury," he said.
"Thanks for warning me," replied the girl as she tried to sit up.
"No, stay down," he ordered.
"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth. Then the pain overruled her. She lay back down. "No I'm not."
"Some people might have died after loosing that much blood," said Obi- Wan. "You've got some will to live."
"Thanks, Jedi-boy. I think."
"Obi-Wan."
"What?" she looked at him, confused.
"My name's Obi-Wan."
"Oh. I'm Alanae."
"Get some rest, Alanae," he said, putting a blanket over her "I'll put the sensors on for ships. If anything comes up, I'll wake you."
"Sleep sounds good," she said, and snuggled into the covers.
Obi-Wan turned off the lights and left the room. He went to the cockpit and put on the sensors, then sat down and mulled over things. He knew Qui-Gon would have said something about keeping his focus on the present had he been there but now, the part of Obi-Wan's brain that was programmed with his master's teachings chided him instead. The Jedi padawan sighed and looked out at the canyon walls, tracing with his eyes the lines that had been formed by many years of wind and water running over the rock. He wondered where this adventure would lead, when he would see his master again, and what there was to this hard-as-nails girl, Alanae.
* * *
Obi-Wan woke Alanae once night had fallen.
"We'd better get out of here," he said "We can't hide forever."
Once in the cockpit, Alanae turned on a strange device.
"What's that?" Obi-wan asked.
"It's a machine that helps me tap into different comlink or other transmission signals."
"Let me guess, that's not legal either."
"No, it is. For law-enforcement personnel at least."
She tuned the signal until they got what seemed to be a law- enforcement signal.
"The ship's nowhere to be found, sir."
"Then check again. I want Tibbar dead."
"Yes, sir."
"You're sure the ship he was on is the Crimson Storm."
"Yes, sir. That's what G-404 reported. He and G-403 saw them lift off."
"Good. Remember, he's to be killed. That wretch doesn't deserve any mercy. Riuck Tibbar can't escape justice any longer. Captain out."
Alanae, shocked, turned the volume down.
"Who's Riuck Tibbar?" asked Obi-Wan.
Alanae stared at him.
"You've never heard of Tibbar the Tyrant?"
"No."
"He's only the most infamous crime lord on this planet!"
"Why do they think he's on your ship?" asked Obi-Wan as he looked around suspiciously "I didn't sense any other lifeforms here"
Alanae looked at him, putting the pieces together.
"They think you-- they think you're Riuck!" she laughed out loud.
"I don't see what's so funny. Didn't you hear him say that they want me-- I mean, him dead?"
"I did, actually. We're going to have a heck of a time getting you out of here."
"Well, then let's stop wasting time and get to it."
Alanae started up the engines and lifted off. As soon as they were in the air, Obi-Wan went to the back. He went into the sleeping chamber. Something about Alanae gave him an idea. It was strange, but not impossible. He took one of the swabs he had used to clean out her wound and set to work.
* * *
Alanae flew the ship out over the barren land at a low altitude. After listening a bit more to the tapped signal, she found out that fighters were flying around the planet, waiting for any ship that might try to make it into space. After a while, she began to figure out that they were mostly flying over the cities. So, she purposely turned Crimson towards the middle of nowhere.
Once she was done with that, she let her mind go to other things. This Obi-Wan was interesting. She had a strange gut feeling about him. He was different from anyone she had met before. She could tell that he disapproved of the fact that she was not extremely law-abiding but he also didn't judge her. He respected her. After spending most of her life fending for herself and scraping together a living amongst bandits and their ilk, she'd almost forgotten what compassion was. She sighed and shook her head.
"Forget him," she told herself "you're being stupid."
* * *
In the back, Obi-Wan had finally figured it out. He had hooked his broken comlink to the ship's power systems and then inserted a sample of Alanae's blood that he had extracted from the swab. The scanning section jumped to life and began to survey the blood sample. Soon enough, a reading popped onto the screen and Obi-Wan's suspicion was confirmed.
"Qui-Gon was right," he said "these buggers show up in the most unexpected places. Her midichlorian concentration is as high as mine. That means--"
He looked towards the cockpit.
"She should've been a Jedi."
"You know, you shouldn't be throwing people across rooms after you have and injury," he said.
"Thanks for warning me," replied the girl as she tried to sit up.
"No, stay down," he ordered.
"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth. Then the pain overruled her. She lay back down. "No I'm not."
"Some people might have died after loosing that much blood," said Obi- Wan. "You've got some will to live."
"Thanks, Jedi-boy. I think."
"Obi-Wan."
"What?" she looked at him, confused.
"My name's Obi-Wan."
"Oh. I'm Alanae."
"Get some rest, Alanae," he said, putting a blanket over her "I'll put the sensors on for ships. If anything comes up, I'll wake you."
"Sleep sounds good," she said, and snuggled into the covers.
Obi-Wan turned off the lights and left the room. He went to the cockpit and put on the sensors, then sat down and mulled over things. He knew Qui-Gon would have said something about keeping his focus on the present had he been there but now, the part of Obi-Wan's brain that was programmed with his master's teachings chided him instead. The Jedi padawan sighed and looked out at the canyon walls, tracing with his eyes the lines that had been formed by many years of wind and water running over the rock. He wondered where this adventure would lead, when he would see his master again, and what there was to this hard-as-nails girl, Alanae.
* * *
Obi-Wan woke Alanae once night had fallen.
"We'd better get out of here," he said "We can't hide forever."
Once in the cockpit, Alanae turned on a strange device.
"What's that?" Obi-wan asked.
"It's a machine that helps me tap into different comlink or other transmission signals."
"Let me guess, that's not legal either."
"No, it is. For law-enforcement personnel at least."
She tuned the signal until they got what seemed to be a law- enforcement signal.
"The ship's nowhere to be found, sir."
"Then check again. I want Tibbar dead."
"Yes, sir."
"You're sure the ship he was on is the Crimson Storm."
"Yes, sir. That's what G-404 reported. He and G-403 saw them lift off."
"Good. Remember, he's to be killed. That wretch doesn't deserve any mercy. Riuck Tibbar can't escape justice any longer. Captain out."
Alanae, shocked, turned the volume down.
"Who's Riuck Tibbar?" asked Obi-Wan.
Alanae stared at him.
"You've never heard of Tibbar the Tyrant?"
"No."
"He's only the most infamous crime lord on this planet!"
"Why do they think he's on your ship?" asked Obi-Wan as he looked around suspiciously "I didn't sense any other lifeforms here"
Alanae looked at him, putting the pieces together.
"They think you-- they think you're Riuck!" she laughed out loud.
"I don't see what's so funny. Didn't you hear him say that they want me-- I mean, him dead?"
"I did, actually. We're going to have a heck of a time getting you out of here."
"Well, then let's stop wasting time and get to it."
Alanae started up the engines and lifted off. As soon as they were in the air, Obi-Wan went to the back. He went into the sleeping chamber. Something about Alanae gave him an idea. It was strange, but not impossible. He took one of the swabs he had used to clean out her wound and set to work.
* * *
Alanae flew the ship out over the barren land at a low altitude. After listening a bit more to the tapped signal, she found out that fighters were flying around the planet, waiting for any ship that might try to make it into space. After a while, she began to figure out that they were mostly flying over the cities. So, she purposely turned Crimson towards the middle of nowhere.
Once she was done with that, she let her mind go to other things. This Obi-Wan was interesting. She had a strange gut feeling about him. He was different from anyone she had met before. She could tell that he disapproved of the fact that she was not extremely law-abiding but he also didn't judge her. He respected her. After spending most of her life fending for herself and scraping together a living amongst bandits and their ilk, she'd almost forgotten what compassion was. She sighed and shook her head.
"Forget him," she told herself "you're being stupid."
* * *
In the back, Obi-Wan had finally figured it out. He had hooked his broken comlink to the ship's power systems and then inserted a sample of Alanae's blood that he had extracted from the swab. The scanning section jumped to life and began to survey the blood sample. Soon enough, a reading popped onto the screen and Obi-Wan's suspicion was confirmed.
"Qui-Gon was right," he said "these buggers show up in the most unexpected places. Her midichlorian concentration is as high as mine. That means--"
He looked towards the cockpit.
"She should've been a Jedi."