Tahl knew she hadn't much time. Her heart wrenched into knots as she lay in the cargo hold of the speeder. It was the only way she could get to the prison. Seesa had told her that the supplies would be driven out to the jungle every morning and showed her where to hide if she needed to hijack one. It had been easy to leap onto the carrier and duck into the hold. But it seemed the journey was taking forever. And with each second that passed she felt the chances of finding Qui-Gon alive dwindle. On Coruscant, she had mourned for him. While perhaps a tiny bit of her held on to the idea that he might be alive, she accepted in her heart that he was gone. This mission would be a recovery trip, simply to take his body home. But once she had reached the planet she felt hope rekindle in her soul. Maybe, somehow, there had been a mistake. But now she felt her heart leaden once again in the sickening grief of loss. And how was she to even look for him? She had no plan, no Master to fall back on, only her training.
Shifting her pack on one shoulder, she shut her eyes tightly. Tahl was scared. As much as she tried to stop them, hot tears trickled down her cheeks. She didn't think she could do this!
*But you have to.* She told her self with steely resolve. She felt the transport lurch to a stop. *This is it. No turning back now.* There were voices outside and Tahl decided it best to move while they were distracted. She very softly opened the hold and crept around the large speeder, listening.
"Here better get these supplies inside, storm's comin' over the mountains." a gruff voice; the driver.
"Yes, I see the clouds. Will you be alright getting back?"
"Fine. 'S only a storm."
Tahl then felt it. It began as a prickle down her spine, until it worked up to a tremor across her whole body. A slight disturbance, the wind shifting slightly and strengthening. The sun had felt too warm earlier, but now the air blowing around her felt cold and the sun was gone. Dark clouds could be seen erupting over the tops of the tree's like towering gray giants. She felt the spicy charge of distant lightening. She would have to move quickly.
The speeder droned off and Tahl pressed herself against the ground to avoid being seen. The lone guard was busy unloading boxes and did not notice as she crept forward. Obviously the Muh-Hadden were not concerned with security. They ruled by fear and intimidation.
*All the better for me.* Tahl thought with a grim smile. She got as close as she could and then sprung at him. The guard shrieked and pulled out a small blaster, firing rapidly at her as she tackled him. With one quick cleave of a saber, the blaster was gone, and she easily pinned the man who was screaming and yelling hysterically. She clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Silence and I won't hurt you, I promise." she whispered as he continued to whimper. "I just have a few questions." Tahl searched his eyes, looking for comprehension, but only found terror. "I'm looking for a boy, around my own age, probably dressed like me. I believe he is a prisoner being held here. Do you know if he's still..." her voice cracked, she couldn't finish the sentence. "...still...if he's here?" she cautiously removed her hand.
"AH! No! You'll murder me an' my family!" he wailed.
Tahl slapped her hand over his mouth again. "No, I'm not here to murder anyone! I'm just looking for my friend, please, can't you help me?" There was pleading in her voice.
His response was a barrage of muffled yells. Sighing, Tahl easily knocked him out with the force and dragged him under a bush. She'd have to do this the hard way then.
Slipping her hood up, she slide across the wall and to the door. Then she slipped inside, her movements fluid as water. Thunder rumbled as the door shut, sealing the darkness.
It took the young Jedi a moment to adjust her eyes. She was in a large chamber, with lots of passages leading off in different directions. The walls were stone and mossy, the floor a hard permacrete. Tahl had to be careful to be sure her steps were silent as she padded down a hallway. She stuck close to the shadows, wrapping her presence in a cloak of darkness. Now and then she heard voices from another passage way, but met no one but black empty halls. Tahl wasn't sure where to go, so she followed her instincts and trusted the force to guide her. An empty way leading down. It looked promising.
She hadn't gone but a little ways when she froze. There was danger. Tahl stood perfectly still for a few moments, listening. Then she felt the cold metal of a blaster nudging her shoulder blades.
"A Jedi? Hm, you don't see many of them in these parts. But they seem to be springing up an awful lot of late." The voice was neither threatening nor sinister, but with an unconcerned neutrality that made Tahl wonder.
"You don't want to kill me. Let me go." she whispered.
The answer was a low chuckle. "A little Jedi. I thought you might show up."
"Please. Please, let me go. I'm only looking for someone..."
"I know." his voice did not sound so amused now, in fact he sounded suddenly very young. "A boy, right? Jedi, like yourself, brownish hair-sort of tall? Yes, I know." he sighed and Tahl sensed a prick of guilt within him. A pang of sorrow. Her heart broke.
"Your friend is dead. He didn't have a hope. I am sorry. Now please, get out while you can. Enough blood has been spilt here. Fly, before the same happens to you. I won't tell anyone you've been here. No one need know." the blaster dropped and he gripped her shoulder. His blue eyes gleamed earnestly in the darkness.
Tahl felt everything she had been holding shatter inside her. It was true then. Her body sank against the wall. It felt like an icy claw was constricting her chest, ripping at her heart, and choking her. Helpless, angry tears that she had only *just* been holding back pricked at her eyes.
"No..." Tahl's voice broke with the whispered word. "Are you...absolutely sure?"
"He was dying when I saw him yesterday. I am sure of that. You can look into someone's eyes and know. I've seen in before." his voice was low, saddened. "Besides...he could not have survived to see today, he was much too weak, and the night was far too cold." Li stared at Tahl, searching for sad acceptance but finding only violent denial. "Your friend was very brave." The man whispered. "He didn't tell us anything. Conn couldn't get a word from him. You should be proud."
Tahl's eyes grew huge. "Force!" she breathed in horror. "T-they made him...suffer?" The girl did not wait for an answer, throwing herself down the hallway with a broken cry.
Li ran after her. "Wait! You don't know where you're going!"
"To find Qui-Gon!"
"You'll be killed! Or worse...please, Jedi, get away while you can." he caught up with her and grabbed her arm.
She broke his grasp easily. "Get off me! I'm not going to leave him here."
Li was not easily deterred. He jogged to keep up. "It's no use he's dead! Listen you-"
"Tahl." she snapped irritably.
"Huh?"
"My name is Tahl!"
"Oh. Li." he nodded. "Alright then, listen Tahl-I'm coming with you!"
At this proposal, she halted. "Ho-oh, no you're not!"
"And how will you find him, hm? There are hundreds of tunnels! And guards too! And even if you do reach him, how will you get him back out again?" he crossed his arms stubbornly.
Tahl looked at the floor. Thunder rocked the compound and the stone walls shuddered. She was stuck; helpless, just as she had been helpless to save Qui-Gon. Finally she met Li's eyes. "How do I know you won't lead me into a trap?"
"I talked to your friend after...after my leader was through with him." Li's pale blue eyes were sad. "He thanked me...for something...stupid" he shrugged, shaking his head. "He was good. Much too young to be sent to this hopeless place. But good. A Jedi to the last. I wanted to help him, but I couldn't. So I'll help you instead."
Tahl was torn. She did not particularly like this Li, and she wasn't about to trust him just yet. But she had no other choice. She was hopelessly lost. The force tugged at her with an insistent voice: "Follow him, Follow him!" She gave in. "Fine. But if you try *anything*..."
He took her hand. "It's this way."
~*~
He wasn't dead. Maybe the force hated him too much to let him die. But he was alive, even if barely. A thread of life tugged him conscious, depriving him of the deep eternal sleep his body longed to slip away into. He was wrenched awake by the sound of a heavy door opening. Shadow? No, she had stayed away since he had refused her. He was vaguely aware of voices. Had they come to hurt him more? To exhausted to care, Qui-Gon tried to screen the sound of his captors out. He was sick of struggling, sick of trying to hide weakness, sick of trying to present a bold strong front. He didn't move, didn't stir as the footsteps drew nearer. He kept his eyes tightly closed.
"Oh!" a sharp exclamation echoed around the cell. The voice was feminine and clear, different from the others he had heard. He knew it from somewhere but his hazy mind couldn't place it. It was as if it were a ghost of another life, a time when he felt carefree almost; happy. *Happy..* It had been so long ago, hadn't it, that he had been happy? Or just pain-free? He'd settle for just pain-free now. Qui-Gon sensed someone kneeling beside him. He felt a gentle hand take his own pierced, bloody one. The intense pain made him want to pull away but he remained still and silent. He heard a ripping sound and then a cloth pressed against the bleeding wound.
He was confused. Why did the Muh-Hadden care if he bled to death, why was he being attended to? His head hurt to much to try to work it out. She was tightly wrapping his hand and he felt her using the force to clot his blood. A force-sensitive Muh-Hadden? Was he dreaming?
She pressed down on the wound, securing the cloth in a makeshift bandage. The pain drove tears to his eyes; he winced and tried to pull away. Her hand was gentle but firm, stilling his movements. "Shhhh, I know it hurts..." She stroked his cheek gently a moment, then called toward the door. "Throw me down a blanket from my pack Li, he's freezing!"
Warmth and clarity flared inside Qui-Gon. Suddenly he recognized the voice. He opened his eyes. "Tahl!" he whispered hoarsely. His voice was weak, roughened with pain, but his eyes spoke for him.
Tahl smiled through glistening eyes. She wanted her first words to him to be strong, confident. But it was hard to sound confident when her heart was breaking into a thousand tiny pieces. "You *are* awake." She caught the blanket Li tossed her and pulled it around her friends shoulders securely. Feeling him shiver even still, she wrapped an arm around his shoulder and leaned down closer to him. "You look awful friend..." she whispered. "Li tells me you're in pretty bad shape..." Tahl continued stroking his cheek softly with the back of her hand as she spoke. "But it's going to be alright Qui-Gon, I'm going to get you out of this awful place. It will all turn out, you'll see." He nodded, his expression almost that of sleepy contention now that she was here. He believed the nice things she said, hope seemed so much better then dying. Everything turning out seemed so impossible only moments ago, but now Tahl was with him...he'd be alright. Alright...
Tahl watched as his eyes drifted shut, touched by his unfaltering reliance on her. This young man was so different than the confident Jedi she'd known before this disaster, Qui-Gon seemed younger than his 17 years and more vulnerable. She hugged him closer to her. "It's alright, just sleep now." she murmured.
"Hate to ruin the moment Tahl but we've got to get out of here!" Li's panicked voice could be heard from the hall.
Tahl swore under her breath. Quickly she tugged at his other hand, only to find it tightly tied with a sticky white binding. With a gasp she recognized it as the web of a spider that lived in the bowels of Coruscant, rare but unmistakable. It was force void. Qui-Gon couldn't touch the force. That would explain why he was so painfully weak. He couldn't heal himself, he couldn't feel her, and he couldn't relieve the torment of his wounds. Her heart broke as she untied it. "Li, can you carry him?!"
The blond guard strode into the cell, wincing as he saw the boy's condition. "Oh Tahl...He doesn't look too good..."
"Quit pretending you care, your people did this to him." Tahl snapped, rare anger flushing her cheeks. She lifted her now-unconscious friend and cradled him against her chest. "If you're going to sit there making dumb remarks just leave!"
Li looked affronted. "Calm down! I'm on your side!" He knelt next to her. "Look I'm sorry about what happened to your little friend, I really am! If I could've stopped it I would have. But what's been done has been done. You can't change the past, but you can affect the future. *His* future." He motioned toward Qui-Gon. "Your future. I can help you." He touched her arm.
Tahl sighed. "I'm sorry Li. I know this isn't your fault." she looked helplessly down at Qui-Gon. Her fingers stroked his hair tenderly, tears stinging her eyes. "He's so sick. Can you get him out of here?"
Li easily lifted the limp Jedi in his arms. "I can get you both out of here," he grinned. "Follow me, there's a swoop out back." Tahl nodded and followed him out into the hallway.
They moved swiftly and silently along the corridor. Tahl could tell they were headed upward but to another part of the prison it seemed. A few guards passed but no one questioned them. Thunder rumbled above them and she shivered. It had gotten colder.
Li turned his head to address her. "We're almost out. Its just a little bit further." The hallway spilled out into another passage, this one lighter than the previous. "We've got to be careful now, there are more guards up this way."
As if to answer him a tall, willowy man blocked his path. He glared at Tahl and then Qui-Gon's limp form before finally shifting his gaze to Li. "Where are you taking this prisoner?" he demanded motioning at the Jedi. "I was not informed of any authorized release!"
Tahl stepped forward smoothly. "You don't need to worry about it. We're free to go." she gave a casual flick with her hand. The man and Li stared at her.
"What are you talking about?! I'm the head guard of this part of the prison! Of course I need to worry about it!" He spat.
Under any other circumstances the situation would have been funny. Tahl waved her hand a little harder this time, and her voice was a little more urgent. "You *will* let us pass!" she concentrated harder on the Force but the man was unmoved.
"Oh, I will?! Enough of your games, let me see your I.D.!"
Li sighed heavily and pushed past Tahl. "Look Corel, she's new, cut her some slack!" He elbowed the girl hard. "New and really *stupid!* She, uh, doesn't understand just how important your position is." Corel stared at Tahl as if he couldn't quite comprehend someone who didn't respect his authority. Li continued on. "We aren't releasing the Jedi kid, he's..um..dead. I was just showing her where we chuck the bodies."
Corel stared at Qui-Gon in disgust. "I thought those Jedi were supposed to be tougher than that. Huh."
Tahl's face reddened at his remark but Li positioned himself in front of her. "Yeah, me too. Oh well, good riddance, I say."
The other nodded. Perhaps the little ruse would of worked had Qui-Gon not chosen that moment to stir and moan. Everyone stared at him. There was a shocked silence.
Li looked around frantically. "Um, yes, well he's really heavy so can't stay here chatting-bye Corel!" he started off toward the exit, Tahl hurrying after him. Corel stared after them in utter disbelief.