Obi-Wan stood in the Jedi Council Room with his head bowed and feet planted slightly apart as he listened to Eliel recount their experiences on Tatooine. A brief stop in the Healer Hall had set his wounds well on the road to recovery, though Eliel refused to submit to treatment. Instead, she took advantage of the delay to clean up from the journey. Both were now dressed as befitted their station and the folds of a high collar once again covered her tattoos.

Ordinarily, they would be standing before the entire Council, but ten chairs sat empty, leaving only Masters Yoda and Windu to hear the tale. The others, no doubt, were busily attending to the details as war mustered in the galaxy. It was very likely that both Yoda and Windu had made time in a supremely busy schedule to grant them this audience.

"And these weapons you found," Mace Windu interrupted Eliel as she paused to collect her thoughts, "you're sure they were supplied by the Separatists?"

She nodded, producing a blaster from the depths of her robes and handing it to him. "Clearly Geonosian in design, Master Windu. How else would such a thing find its way to Tatooine?"

"Smugglers," he answered, giving the pistol a cursory glance. "Smugglers trading in arms."

"With the Tuskens, Master Windu?" She raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't seem likely."

"Perhaps the Tuskens stole the weapons," he countered. "Their presence in the village is not proof of a plot against Skywalker."

Obi-Wan could feel her mounting frustration and frowned sympathetically. "I think," he put in, "that it is too much of a coincidence that these weapons were found in the same village that Shmi Skywalker was taken to. I believe that Master Jensei is right. It seems that someone has orchestrated the death of my Padawan's mother in order to manipulate his emotions."

Mace Windu frowned openly at them. He opened his mouth to respond, but Yoda cut in smoothly.

"Good instincts you have, Jensei," he said. "Investigate this further, we should."

She bowed her head in both acknowledgement of the compliment and deference to the Master.

"There is more," Obi-Wan said, sliding the statement in before they could be dismissed.

Yoda looked up at him, huge eyes limpid with invitation, and Obi-Wan squirmed in a manner that hadn't befitted him since he was a boy. To his left, Eliel coughed lightly, sending the message that she would share the rest of the story, should he wish it. In truth, there was nothing he wanted more.

The very thought of admitting Anakin's deeds set waves of ice down his spine and swirling into his stomach. He would gladly step aside and let her relate the tale of gore and madness. But Anakin Skywalker was not her responsibility and the failures that lead to the young Jedi's actions were not Eliel's to shoulder.

"The massacre in the village" he said quickly, before his courage left him all together and he actually allowed Eliel to handle the task, "I believe it was Anakin's doing. The damage that was done was from a lightsaber. There is no question about it."

Yoda nodded, pressing his lips together in thought. "Sensed his anguish, I have. Though guessed the extent, I had not."

"Skywalker must be brought back to the temple," Mace Windu put in evenly. "We cannot allow such a transgression to go unchecked."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan bowed his head.

"Go to Naboo, you must," Yoda added. "Deal with this we will before this war progresses."

"I will leave today, Master Yoda."

"If I might?" Eliel put in softly, raising her eyes once more.

Mace Windu leveled a hard stare her way, but waved a hand to indicate that she should speak.

"I think," she said, "that it would be wise for the Council to consider any punishment to be doled out to Skywalker very carefully. He has shown that he is unstable and unable to control himself, but he seems to remain loyal to the Order. We do not want him to rebel entirely in reaction to this."

"When in these chairs you sit," Yoda answered, "advise the Council you may, Bel Eliel Jensei."

She dropped her gaze obediently, his reprimand stinging in her ears. "Yes, Master Yoda. Forgive my insolence."

Yoda nodded, then turned his eyes to Obi-Wan, who once again felt like squirming under the weight of the Master's gaze.

"It is settled, then," Mace Windu put in. "Obi-Wan will retrieve Skywalker from Naboo and Bel Eliel will continue in her investigation of the circumstances surrounding Shmi Skywalker's death."

"Yes, Master Windu," they said, echoing one another perfectly.

Eliel turned to go, her mind already spinning with thoughts on how to proceed in her search, but Yoda's voice stopped her with one foot pointing at an awkward angle on the floor.

"Expecting you, Jensei, Master Ando is," he said. "Visit him, you will."

"Yes, Master," she nodded, hoping he did not catch the grimace that was threatening to erupt on her face.

Mace Windu watched their departure with a measured eye. He'd be lying, were he not to admit his marked interest in the pair. From their early days of friendship, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bel Eliel Jensei had stood out among their classmates. Both were curious, talented, quick to learn, and in possession of just enough reckless abandon to make them interesting. Many, many well trained, disciplined, powerful Jedi Knights came through the Academy on Coruscant--those two among them--but the combination of personality and wit between them had promised something from the start. Both, he knew, had a role to play in the future of the galaxy.

He'd even considered taking Jensei as his own Padawan at one point. Her grin was infectious and she would surely have proven a challenge, even for a Jedi of his accomplishments and stature. But, headstrong to a fault as a child, Jensei had denied herself the chance to be trained by such a prominent Jedi. In fact, she had almost guaranteed a position in the agri-corps, using her considerable talents to tend the plants and crops that fed the Jedi Order. Had it been up to him at the time, she would not be wearing the Jedi Robes now.

She'd shown much curiosity about and attachment to her origins in the galaxy from an early age, despite the fact that she'd been taken from her family a mere six solar months after her birth. As one of her instructors, Windu himself had held countless conversations with the girl, imploring her to let go of what she had never known and focus on the family that was being built for her at the Academy. Eliel, though dutifully respectful to him, simply refused to comply.

And, at the very tender yet incomparably determined age of eleven, Bel Eliel Jensei had broken into the databanks that housed information on the children who had been chosen to train to become Jedi. It was a near impossible task and surely she'd had a good deal of help from someone who was more comfortable with the technology than she was. But Jensei had accomplished it, discovering in the process that she was removed from her family on Cuan--a watery planet on the far edge of the Republic. From there, she'd stolen--"borrowed", in her own words, for aren't all the possessions of the Order to be shared, Master Windu?--a ship and navigated her way to her home world.

It took them close to three days to discover that she was missing and then another three to track her down on Cuan. By then, Jensei had learned the fate of her family--all slaughtered in a tribal war--and had participated in the Rite of Mourning in her culture. Thirty-two whorls were tattooed on her neck, one for each member of her lost tribe. An extra, spun in the opposite direction, was added at the base of her spine to mark her as the lone survivor. In the abstract, the markings were actually quite beautiful in their shades of blue and green that so closely resembled the oceans of Cuan. In the reality of the Jedi Order, though, such attachments were forbidden. Jensei was not of Cuan. She was not of a lost tribe. She was Jedi and such transgressions threatened the very fiber of the Order.

To her credit, she'd stood tall in the Council Chamber when brought before them for her punishment. She'd argued passionately against the rules of detachment, theorizing that a sense of self could only enhance a Jedi's ability to work with the Force. And she had refused to reveal the identity of her accomplice, even under telepathic probing.

He had his own theory of who that assistant had been, of course. Prior to her left turn into felonious actions, she and Obi-Wan Kenobi had been practically inseparable. It seemed only logical that the boy, who was, after all, far more skilled at manipulating the Jedi computers than she, had helped his friend in her disobedient quest. But there was no proof and, without it, he could not be punished.

Windu was stunned, as were several other members of the Council, when Yoda hadn't banished her outright. Instead, the great Master ordered Jensei to cover her markings and continue with her studies until such a time as a Master agreed to take her as Padawan. Should she reach the age of thirteen before that happened she would, as all others, be dismissed of her duties as an apprentice and given a lesser role in the Order. Shortly after that, Jorus C'baoth had chosen the girl. A few months later, Qui-Gon Jinn had saved Kenobi from a similar, though unrelated, fate in the agri-corps.

He'd always suspected that Yoda himself had been involved with the pairings, but it was not his place to question such things.

"Well placed, those two were," Yoda said, interrupting Windu's thoughts. "As younglings, a hazardous pair they made. As Jedi, work well together, they do."

He glanced down at his friend and mentor. "She fears for Skywalker, yet the loss of her own Padawan has made her unstable. Perhaps the pairing is once again risky."

Yoda pursed his lips together, his eyes heavily lidded in thought. After a moment, he clacked his cane on the floor, moving toward his chair. "Mindful of her duties, Jensei is," he said. "She walks a slippery path, but he will keep her from falling."

"He is conflicted, too," Mace countered, following Yoda to his own seat. "He is torn between his duty to the Republic, his responsibilities to Skywalker, and his promise to Qui-Gon."

Yoda nodded, offering a show of teeth that Mace recognized as a smile. "Balance she has always brought to his perspective and balance will she continue to provide, even as her own falters."

****

Down at street level in Coco town, a good distance from the Jedi temple, a small building stood dwarfed by the towering permacrete and transparisteel structures surrounding it. Its windows, as usual, were steamed from a mixture of body heat and condensation from the kitchen and the bright paint decorating the outside was beginning to fade; victim of the pollution that filled the skies of Coruscant. A sign hung above the door. It was printed in a script that few could read, but that seemed to make little difference. Dex's diner was almost always full.

It was here, among the worn booths and circular tables, that Obi-Wan found Eliel. She was sitting at the counter, sandwiched between a hulking freighter pilot and a positively obese individual of race that he didn't recognize. Perhaps, he mused, the man was actually considered svelte among his own kind.

Both of her elbows were firmly planted on the cool surface of the counter and her legs were neatly crossed at the ankles, tucked up against the rung of her stool. The remnants of a sizeable meal sat on a plate in front of her and she was, for all he could see, staring off blankly into the space above the specials board.

He crossed the small space in a few easy strides and tapped her lightly on the shoulder, smiling broadly when she turned to face him. "Come here often?"

She snorted in response, gesturing to an empty booth near the window. "I'm going to start. He's added Alderaanian piska fish to the menu."

He motioned for her to take a seat before sliding in across from her. "Looks like you're a fan of his preparation techniques, judging by the pile of bones on your plate."

Eliel nodded. "No one can cook like Dex."

"And no one," he added, "can put together the pieces of a puzzle like Dex, either."

"Exactly," she grinned.

"And?"

Her grin fell into the beginnings of a frown and Eliel shook her head. "He's just as perplexed as we are. Suggested that we start digging through the manifests of the transport ships that were on runs that go near Tatooine."

"You don't really think whomever did it would be foolish enough to use registered transport, do you?"

She shook her head again. "Smugglers, I'm sure."

Obi-Wan frowned. "That'll be like finding a chip of silica on a beach."

"More or less," she admitted. "There has to be a trail. It's just a matter of finding it."

"My money's on Dooku," he said, bending low and pitching his voice so as to be lost in the din of the restaurant.

"Risky bet," she countered. "Dooku's only contact with Anakin has been on Geonosis, right? How could he possibly hope to recruit the boy after an introduction like that?"

He pursed his lips together in thought, staring up at the ceiling for a moment. She did have a point. "Someone closer, then? Someone that Anakin knows already? Who? How?"

"If I knew that, we wouldn't be sitting here," she answered with a small sigh.

"Your check, Jedi," the waitress droid appeared suddenly at the table. "Dex says the fish is on the house, but you still gotta pay for the Juma."

Obi-Wan swallowed a smile as Eliel reached into her robes for the credits to pay her bill. Whomever it was that was manufacturing droids these days was leaning heavy on the personality chips. When she had settled, they got to their feet in silent agreement, heading for the door.

"Aren't you supposed to be on Naboo?" Eliel asked as they stepped out into the bustle of the street.

"Yes," he nodded. "But I wanted to talk to you first. Do you have a ride back?"

"I took the Public," she answered.

He shuddered, imagining the filth and noise of the public transport speeders. Dozens of bodies, crammed into ancient and decrepit technology, weaving through the traffic lanes at rickety speed...the mere thought of it was disturbing. "I've got a speeder. I'll give you a lift."

She shrugged in assent and they struck off down the sidewalk, sticking out, he knew, like a couple of sore thumbs amidst the other pedestrian traffic. As they rounded the corner, Eliel shocked him by looping her arm through his elbow and leaning in close.

"We've got a tail," she said, speaking almost directly into his ear.

"Been with us since Dex's door," he answered. "You up for being the bait?"

She flashed him a somewhat mischievous smile in response, steering for a dank alley on the left. "Up and away with you, Kenobi," she said, jerking her chin upwards.

He scanned above their heads, taking in the network of fire escapes above, then nodded and leapt, using the Force to propel himself upwards onto the nearest platform. Below, Eliel continued on down the alley, strolling in an almost nonchalant manner with her hands stuffed deeply into the pockets of her pants. He watched as their follower rounded into the narrow space, a pulse pistol poised and ready to fire. She could sense the danger, he knew, but Obi-Wan still wanted to call out a warning.

The assailant looked up suddenly, as if alerted to the Jedi's presence and Obi-Wan ducked behind a pile of refuse. He quelled his nerves forcibly, focusing on the scene as it played out below him. She could certainly handle herself.

On the street, Eliel ducked suddenly, flattening herself against the filthy pavement of the alley as two blaster pulses whizzed by at what would have been chest level. She rolled and came to her feet in a fluid motion, lightsaber extended and deflecting more energy bolts as they came at her. He couldn't be sure from his vantage point in the dim light, but Obi-Wan thought she might actually be smiling as she charged the assailant head-long. Eliel, he recalled, had always enjoyed a good fight. She wasn't aware, though, of the second man easing out from behind a pile of trash and leveling a blaster at her unprotected back.

He dropped to the ground, ignited his weapon, and blocked three shots. The last, well aimed but expertly reflected, hit the shooter squarely in the gut, sending him to the ground with an anguished cry.

"He can't talk if he's dead, you know," Eliel called, risking a glance over her shoulder.

Obi-Wan scowled at her, then dodged to the right instinctively as a shot from the blaster whizzed by her blade, narrowly missing him. "Neither can I!"

She gave a small laugh and extended her right hand, reaching into the Force and using it to slam the would-be assassin into the permacrete wall of the alley with a sickening thud. Her lightsaber retracted and vanished into the folds of her robes in one fluid motion and before he could think to do the same, Eliel extended both hands, using the Force to pull each of the blaster pistols neatly into her palms.

He trotted over to the wounded man and bent to examine him, rising quickly. "He's no good to us."

"Funny thing about a gut wound," she answered, tossing the blasters aside.

"You know, Eliel, you can let him down now," Obi-Wan gestured to the wall where the first man was still pinned.

She frowned suddenly, genuinely confused. "I'm not keeping him there."

He crossed the alley and peered upwards, then groaned and crooked a finger, using the Force to pull the aggressor toward him. A nauseating sound accompanied the motion as the body was released from the exhaust pipe it was impaled upon. The bounty hunter, for he certainly was that by the look of his body armor, slumped to the ground at their feet, gasping out his last breaths.

Eliel swore loudly and delivered a vicious kick to the permacrete.

"Funny thing about a chest wound," he said, smirking.

She shot him a glare and bent at the waist, grabbing the man by his breastplate with one hand and yanking off his helmet with the other. "Who," she asked, leveling the weight of the Force against him, "hired you?"

It was plain by the look in his agony filled eyes that the man would talk, were he capable of it. But his lungs were filling with blood rapidly, drowning him from within.

"Who?!" She repeated, adding a brutal shake for emphasis.

Obi-Wan lay a restraining hand on her shoulder. "He's dead."

She swore again and flung the body down, thoroughly disgusted by how things had played out.

"It stands to reason," he mused, looking down at the corpse, "that whomever hired these two was the same person who traded weapons to the Tuskens."

"Well, people don't just randomly mug Jedi in alleys now, do they?" She snapped.

He sent a scowl her way that would have cowed most people--even his unruly Padawan--and folded both arms across his chest. "Yelling at me isn't going to accomplish anything, Eliel."

A wall of unchecked anger hit him squarely in the chest and Obi-Wan struggled to keep it from igniting his own emotions. He watched, mouth slightly slack, as she visibly wrestled herself under control.

After several moments of concerted effort, Eliel slumped forward slightly and drew a deep breath "You didn't deserve that," she said.

He waved a hand, dismissing the harsh words.

"Come on," she spun on a heel and stalked toward the street, robes flaring out behind her. "We'd better go report this."

He frowned, more worried than angry, and made a mental note to speak with Master Yoda about his friend. Anakin Skywalker was not the only one who appeared to be walking a fine line at the moment.

Anakin. This latest development would only further impede his rush to get to Naboo. Who knows what the boy had been up to, unsupervised with the Senator and unmindful of his oaths to control his emotional attachments.

Obi-Wan heaved a heavy sigh.

There were two bodies lying in the alley behind Dex's Diner that should be dealt with, but he had absolutely no desire to handle the task himself. There were people--employees of the Jedi Order--that would come and remove them, whisking the dead men off to a room buried in the depths of the temple. There, they would be examined for any clues that might lead back to the trail they'd been following since Tatooine. Maybe luck would prevail. Maybe one of the men would have something on him that would help determine who had hired him.

Maybe, he realized suddenly, he'd better make tracks for the speeder before Eliel left him to take the Public back.

[End Part 4]

Elismor
July 2002