The View From Here

by Biku

(Pre-Episode One) Obi-wan and Qui-gon investigate a mysterious woman and an intangible enemy.

2. Part Two

*This is continued from The View From Here, Part One...*

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jedi, sir," the technician stuttered, "there's nothing we can do. The cellular matter is embedded in the plastisteel, even in the glass. It's chemically bonded to the original matter."

"Can you just remove the affected pieces?" Windu asked, doing a mind exercise to keep frustration at bay.

"No, sir, I'm sorry, sir, but it's so evenly spread among the material that you'd have to remove the entire floor," the technician replied. Windu could sense the fear emanating from him. The man was terrified. He shook his head. "I don't understand how you did it, sir," he said, meekly, flinching when Windu's gaze snapped to him.

He thinks we did it. The revelation was startling; no wonder the poor man was frightened. "I don't know how either," Windu replied truthfully. He sighed, and shrugged. "I'll have to discuss plans with the Council."

"Of course, sir," the tech said, bowing and making a hasty retreat. Qui-Gon chose that moment to appear, walking briskly towards his comrade.

"Mace Windu," he said with a nod. "We've found something, or rather, someone. A lone Bakkamiru, who was the pilot of the ship our--" he paused, looking around the room, "permanent guests were planning to take home, has been apprehended. This one is young, and apparently not able to make himself intangible."

"So we can interrogate him," Windu concluded. "Good. I'd appreciate having some answers in all of this."

"They might be useful," Qui-Gon agreed, looking around at the room.

She couldn't breathe. Something was covering her mouth, her nose. She tried to reach up to pluck the fibre from her face, but when she tried to move her arm, it hit against something hard. She couldn't see, either, or move her arms. She was completely confined in something hard, and square. For a second, she thought she was dead, and being tortured by the souls of the ones killed in the Village By The Glowing Mountain, Just Past The River.

Kavii had once been stuck in a rock slide as a child that had killed one of the other village children. She had been confined for several hours, but she survived unhurt. For years afterward, she was anxious when it came to being unable to move.

And, yet, here she was, literally buried alive, unable to move at all and suffocating, and she was strangely calm-if she bothered to stop thinking about the cave-in. She closed her eyes, stopped struggling, and willed herself free.

Her bonds disappeared, melting away from her, and she dropped to the ground. Her eyes blinking rapidly in the sudden light, she realised she was back in the--what had Ben called it? The "medibay", where she had gotten her test done. She could tell from the smell of offworlder medicines. It was a very distinctive smell.

She now lay on the cold tiled floor of the medibay, naked except for a thin covering. She staggered to her feet. Her head cleared and she looked around her in a daze. Suddenly she realised that she had just used her power, but her headache had not appeared. Perhaps the offworlder medicine worked better than her own remedies. Shivering in the cold air of this strange section of the medibay, she began to look for something to wear. There was a bank of drawers that filled the wall. Tugging one opened, she nearly died of fright. There was a corpse in it! Using the Force to slam the drawer shut again, she tried to make sense of what she had just seen.

For some reason, offworlders shut their dead into strange drawers. It was a peculiar custom, to say the least...Kavii's train of thought slammed on its brakes.

She had come from on of the drawers!

She could see the empty section in the wall where she had been, before she--what had she done? She couldn't really tell; she only knew that she had wanted out, and something had taken her out. She was a bit confused.

Leaving the cold room, she wandered into another room. This had shelves with boxes on them. The boxes all had tags. They were in the curvy, unfamiliar script of Standard, which is what the offworlders used. Kavii had only learned to write in her own alphabet, which was very straight and easy to carve into things. She had no idea what was in the boxes. An idea came to her, and she used the Force to see what was in the boxes.

They were clothes.

Letting the Force guide her, she picked up a box. Reading the label, she still had no idea what it read. She settled for using the Force to pry the lid off. She willed the lid off, as she did before in the drawer. But the lid didn't just fly off. It vanished, leaving the open box. Kavii was confused, but overjoyed to see her robes, carefully folded within the container. She put them on quickly, and replaced the box on the shelf. She had no idea where the lid had gone to, so she hoped that no one would mind much. They were her clothes, after all.

Not really knowing where she was or where she was going, she wandered out the door, anxious to get back to Ben and find out if he was all right.

Kenobi was sitting in the middle of Kavii's former apartment. It was still as she had left it, and he found a strange comfort in meditating here. He didn't tell Qui-Gon where he was, but his master didn't ask, intent on interrogating one of the Bakkamiru that had escaped. The Jedi rubbed his hands together. There was no pain from them any longer, the medic droid had seen to that. There was also no permanent marks, but Kavii was the one responsible in that respect. It was her immediate treatment that prevented him from losing his hands altogether.

He sighed, and tried again to meditate. His thoughts were in such turmoil and upset that clearing his mind was next to impossible. Finally, he gave up, and stood. He stretched, and wandered out onto the balcony for a little air. Leaning against the balcony, he let his mind drift. The wind ruffled his short hair, and he considered going inside when he felt something through the Force. It wasn't a big something, and it was hard to detect, like a candle in the window of a skyscraper. But it was there. He could see it, feel it.

It was Kavii.

"She's alive," he whispered, his heart pounding. He could feel it, he knew it. He rushed from the balcony.

"I nothing know," the Bakkamiru growled. It was slightly smaller than its larger comrades, and was a lighter shade of gray. That and its curious lack of teeth or claws were the only differences between it and an adult.

"You do know," Qui-Gon said, leaning towards the forcefield.

"You cannot know. Force me does not affect," the Bakkamiru snarled.

"I can tell by other ways than the Force," Qui-Gon replied dryly. "For instance, I can tell that you're scared of what we'll do to you. Do you know how your friends died?"

"Not friends they were. Crew. Fellow soldiers," the creature hissed, but the hiss was losing fury and sounding--perhaps it was Qui-Gon's imagination--just a little worried.

"Do you know?" he asked again.

"Yes. I my crew can sense. They stopped did," it hissed, almost sadly. Then it perked up: "But in battle they died. They would have been happy. The battle will continue!"

"Battle?" The Jedi continued. "What battle are you continuing? We're not at war!"

"Two ships we captured. Two crews we killed. We will you defeat. I promise," the Bakkamiru growled.

"See? You do know what I'm talking about." Qui-Gon said, quickly. "Now tell me why you attacked us!"

"They our secret found. They must die. Me he told, on Kintari. We defeat you will!" the Bakkamiru roared, charging the field, stopping short of the powerful charge.

"On Kintari?" Qui-Gon frowned, knowing that Obi-wan had said they had found the base on the planet. Perhaps that is what they meant. Before he could ask, the Bakkamiru again charged the field, this time scraping its feeble nubs against the invisible wall. Sparks crackled and fizzed, light leaping outwards.

"The Wedingu will you defeat!" it roared, "It big enough to defeat anyone is."

"The Wedingu?" Qui-Gon said curiously. His eyes narrowed. "It won't defeat us."

"It will! It will! It big, big, big is. Humans dead will be. The Way we know. The Way we follow. The Way will you defeat!" it screamed, sounding to the Jedi almost like a small child having a tantrum.

It's scared, Qui-Gon thought to himself. It's frightened because of what happened to its "crew" and it is trying to reassure itself.

The door to the detention hall opened and Mace Windu entered. The two Jedi bowed out of habit. Windu presented Qui-Gon with a computer schematic. "It's the data retrieved from the Bakkamiru's ship. It confirms everything we assumed--the Songbird, the Joquet--they are planning something big, and used the two ships as a testing ground, as experiments."

"Getting their time down," Qui-Gon said to himself. He shook his head. "Using the good intentions of those ships as a way to test their abilities."

"It gets worse," Mace Windu continued. "Something big is in the works--a full scale invasion. There's something about the "Wedingu" and a set of co-ordinates. Apparently, these people didn't think we'd have access to their computers."

"The Wedingu is a ship, I believe," Qui-Gon said. "And I think it's the focal point for their invasion."

"At least we have a clear course of action." Windu replied. "Find the Wedingu, and stop the Bakkamiru."

"That might be easier said than done. But we must mobilise the Fleet," Qui-Gon agreed.

He knew Master Qui-Gon would be in the detention area, so that is the first place he headed. However, when he got there, he found that he had missed him by several minutes.

Kenobi didn't know where to turn to next. The guard posted had no idea where Qui-Gon went, only that he did. His heart hammering from his barely contained excitement, he started back towards the apartments when he heard footsteps from around the corner. He paused, thinking that it was perhaps Qui-Gon, returning for some reason, but as the person turned the corner, he had a more pleasant surprise.

"Kavii!" he yelled, overjoyed.

"Ben!" she replied, just as happy. They ran together, and Kenobi had to resist the urge to toss her into the air. He hugged her tightly instead. She did one better, and kissed him. Kenobi was a bit surprised at first, but didn't resist and let the moment happen. When they finally had enough of their reunion, he asked:

"What happened? They said you were dead."

Kavii looked surprised. "I've been hearing that a lot lately," she said dryly. She shook her head, her rainbow curls brushing Kenobi's nose and tickling him. "I don't know. I woke up in a tight dark place--a place full of corpses!"

"Full of corpses? What do you--Kavii, you were in the morgue!" Kenobi exclaimed.

"The what?" she asked.

"The morgue--where they store dead people before burial," he replied. "I don't understand--you were supposedly dead, and in the morgue, surely someone must have noticed that you weren't actually dead."

"I don't know," she replied, shrugging.

"Well, what's important is that you're alive," he said, giving her a squeeze. "We have to tell Qui-Gon."

"Of course. If the entire Jedi Council is agreed on this, I will recommend it to the Senate," Chancellor Valorum said, bowing deeply in the image to Mace Windu, Yoda and Qui-Gon. "We will have to discuss the matter, obviously, but I hope that the issue can be resolved quickly."

"It must be resolved with all due haste," Qui-Gon replied. "The Bakkamiru are massing for an attack. They are unstoppable if they chose the time and place. We must hit them before they are prepared to hit us."

"I understand, Master Qui-Gon. But if they are so unstoppable, how did the Jedi repel them when they first attacked?" The Chancellor seemed confused and curious. Qui-Gon paused.

"That is something of a sensitive nature, Chancellor, and something not to be discussed on such an insecure line," Mace Windu interjected, stepping beside Qui-Gon and casting the other a look. "We will debrief you when there is time."

The Chancellor did not seem to impressed by the answer, but knew it was all he was going to get out of the Jedi. "Very well. I shall take my leave of you, then, and set up an emergency meeting of the Senate."

The image flickered out.

The commsystem beeped. Mace Windu pressed his thumb to the button. "Yes?" he asked.

"There is an Obi-wan Kenobi here to see Master Qui-Gon," said the guard posted outside the room. "He says it's urgent."

Windu glanced at Qui-Gon, who nodded. "Send him in," the Jedi replied to the guard.

The doors whooshed open, and Kenobi came in, holding someone by the hand. It was Kavii, hale and hearty and looking none worse for wear.

"What...?" Mace Windu was stunned. Qui-Gon was speechless. Even Yoda seemed mildly surprised.

Kavii smiled.

"How can this be?" Mace Windu replied. "You were dead!"

Kavii shrugged. "I have heard that several times in the past two weeks. It's getting a bit cliched, now."

"Kavii!" Kenobi whispered, shocked at her audacity. She squeezed his hand, but didn't say anything further.

"This is impossible," Qui-Gon exclaimed.

"Nothing is impossible in the Force," Yoda replied smoothly. "Kavii, can you this explain?"

"No, Master Yoda," she answered. "I have nothing to explain, only that I have been accused of being dead many times, by several different people, and yet have lived through all the experiences. I'm just as confused as everybody else, really."

Qui-Gon, never taking his eyes from conundrum in front of him, took out a small pad from inside his outer robe.

"I never did read your medical report," he said. "I didn't see the need. Now, perhaps, I will, and maybe it will shed some light on the subject."

He clicked the computer display to on, and began to quickly skim through it. His eyes narrowed, then widened in shock. "This can't be right," he murmured.

"What? What is it?" asked Kenobi, concerned. Kavii, for her part, looked only mildly interested.

"It says here, that Kavii was dead when the medical exam was performed. They took the readings and then analyzed them." Qui-Gon said quietly. He looked up at her. "It was only later that they realised anything was wrong."

"I don't understand," Windu interrupted. "She's dead? How can she be?"

"I don't know--all the report says is that she had no brain activity, and yet some how all her automatic functions--heart, lungs, etc. are working perfectly. However, according to this, she is not truly conscious, or even alive." the Jedi finished. Kenobi looked at Kavii. She had gone completely white, paler than a ghost.

"Manna was right," she whispered, horror in her voice. "I am a demon."

"No, you're not," Kenobi interrupted, but she wasn't even looking at him, she was staring off into the distance. She started to sway slightly, and he grabbed her around the shoulders in case she fainted. "Kavii? Kavii!"

"I'm a demon, the walking dead!" she began to sob. He put an arm around her, and she leaned against him, her tearless face on his shoulder.

"I think that perhaps she needs to rest," Kenobi told his Masters.

"Good idea, young apprentice. Rest will make us all feel better." Yoda agreed. Of all the people in the room, he looked the least affected by the news that Kavii was dead. "Time we have to solve this problem. Let us all sleep, and be better in the morning."

Nodding, Kenobi started towards the door when Qui-Gon called out after him: "Remember what I said to you earlier, Obi-wan." Kenobi didn't say anything, but turned and left with an arm around the distraught Kintari. Qui-Gon frowned as he watched them leave, but didn't say anything to his fellow Jedi. Finally, one of them felt the need to break the awkward silence.

"So, let me sum this up: we have untouchable opponents, and our one hope is a woman who is capable of doing things that are not possible, who also just happens to be dead. Have I got everything?" Mace Windu said dryly.

"Believe so, I do." Yoda replied. "But trust in the Force. In the Force lie the answers to everything."

"Actually, it may not, this time." Qui-Gon said, noticing something as he turned his attention back to the computer. He was worried about Kenobi's current decisions and lack of objectivity, and had to consciously force himself back to the topic at hand.

"Another question that needs to be answered, Qui-Gon?" asked Windu with a sigh. "What is this one? That she has a medichlorin that's too high for any living being?"

"Quite the opposite actually," Qui-Gon replied, his mouth going dry. "According to this reading, she has no medichlorins at all."

"That is impossible," Windu stated flatly. "All living sentients do."

"Another question," Qui-Gon said with a sigh. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Another question. And a battle to prepare for. It's going to be a long night."

"No," Yoda said firmly. "Follow my earlier advice, Qui-Gon. Sleep you must. In the morning, young Obi-wan and young Kavii will we meet. We will discuss it then. Sleep."

The door opened with a swish and Kenobi led Kavii through. She had stopped crying, but he couldn't get a word out of her.

"The Jedi Council will find out what is behind all of this," he said, trying to cheer her up. She flopped down onto the sofa.

"There's no point," she said gloomily. "Manna was right. I am a demon--three healers cannot all be wrong. That's why I could hear the villagers in my head--it was because I, too, was dead."

"Stop talking like that!" Kenobi said, sternly. Or tried to sound stern, but it came out more worried than he would have liked. He sat down beside her. "You're not a demon, you have the power of the Force. Somehow, the Force is affecting your scans."

She was silent. He could barely see her in the twilight that filtered in through the windows. "I'll put the lights on, get you something to eat," he started, but she shook her head no. She looked up at him, and he realised he could see her eyes perfectly in the dim light, even though she had her back to the windows. They seemed to glow with a radiance all their own.

"Somehow, I don't think it is the Force," she whispered. "I think I am dead, and something took me over, to help me live. That is why they said I was a demon."

"Kavii," he said, taking her by the shoulders, "you are not a demon."

She smiled thinly. "I supposed that depends on your definition."

"By any definition," he said firmly.

She laughed. "You are so...I don't know how to say it...no matter what, you always make me feel better."

He smiled, glad she was feeling happier. "I try," he said with mock modesty. She smiled again, and kissed him. He pulled back. "I have to be going," he said, awkwardly.

"Don't. I don't want to be alone," she replied softly. She kissed him again, and this time he definitely did not pull back or resist. His first thought was what would happen if Qui-Gon found out. The second thought was that he had no idea what Qui-Gon would do if he found out. And his third thought told the other two to shut up.

He woke up pleasantly, and yawned, and stretched. As he did so, his arm bumped Kavii's head, and she mumbled something. Gingerly stretching some more without jarring her, he got up, and got changed as quietly as he could. It was only when he was finished that he noticed her watching him.

"Do you always do that?" Kenobi asked, a bit irritably.

"Do what?" she yawned.

"Watch me when I think you aren't."

"Ben, I do think you have a huge streak of paranoid in you," she said pleasantly. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"I'll get it," he said, putting on his boots. "I know a great little bakery a few blocks from here--" He looked up at the door. She followed his gaze.

The door opened to reveal Qui-Gon, standing with his arms crossed and an annoyed expression on his face. "I thought I might find you here," he said, an under tone of anger in his voice.

"Master, I--"

Qui-Gon held up his hand. He looked perfectly calm, which Kenobi knew was only a front. His Master didn't even look in Kavii's direction. "Apprentice, come with me. I want to have a word with you." He turned and left without a further word or glance.

Kenobi took a deep breath, and followed. He stopped before the door and started to say something to Kavii, but closed his mouth and went out silently.

Qui-Gon did not turn from the window. "I am disappointed in you, my apprentice. You deliberately disobeyed me."

"Master, you did not order me to stay away from Kavii--"

It was then that Qui-Gon turned, and the first signs of real anger showed in his eyes and was heard in his voice. "I thought you could think and see for yourself! That you didn't need to be ordered around like a child!" His voice dropped lower, and quieter. "Don't you understand? Already she is clouding your judgement. You don't have an objectivity, and personal involvement is a Jedi's worst fault. It makes you blind. You have no clear judgement, and we are faced with a huge battle and a huge mystery! A mystery that you will not be able to solve because it's too close to your heart."

"It is close to my heart, you don't understand--" Kenobi blurted, biting off the rest of the sentence, already horrified at the remark. Qui-Gon, if at all possible, straightened further.

"I don't understand? I don't understand? Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps you are not as ready for the Trials as I thought you were." Qui-Gon turned back to the window. "I did not want it to have to come to this. I had hoped you were capable of making the rational decision on your own. But this is what it has come to, and so be it. I forbid you to have any contact with that Kintari woman. I will intervene on the behalf of the council, and only me. Is that understood, Apprentice?" he asked, his voice calm and steady and all the more damning for it.

"I understand, Master," Kenobi answered, his mouth dry and a heavy weight on his heart. "I understand."

"Good. You will now proceed to your apartment. I want you to meditate and reflect on what has happened here. I will accompany Kavii to the council, where we will attempt to figure out what has gone on here."

He turned and walked back to Kavii's apartment, and left Kenobi alone in the hallway.

Kavii was unsure what had happened in the hallway, but she had a fairly good idea that it was because of her that Kenobi was not accompanying her and his Master. She could feel waves of resentment coming from Qui-Gon, although he hid it extremely well under his usual cloak of pleasant civility. He couldn't hid it from Kavii. Her Force senses were more acute than they had ever been.

The lift door opened and he motioned for her to step in first. She did so with a slight nod of acknowledgement and waited patiently for him to enter after. The lift doors closed and the elevator sped upwards.

The two faced the back wall of the lift, as it was transparent and offered a panoramic view of the cityscape. Kavii closed her eyes, and for a second, she was aware of all the people that were in front of her, all the people in ships, in the buildings, on the street, everyone. The sensation lasted only a second, as it was slightly unnerving for her, but her apprehension soon passed.

"Your powers are growing," Qui-Gon said suddenly, his voice loud in the silence. He turned to face her. She smiled.

"My powers have always been the same," she said mystically, with a small smile. "it is only my ability to control them that is growing."

Qui-Gon did not answer. He stared back out the glass wall.

"You are frightened of me," she said suddenly.

He whipped around, eyes narrowing. "I am not. Fear is a Jedi's enemy. It leads to the Dark Side."

"You are," she said, softly. "I can feel it. You are worried about my powers and lack of restraint, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Qui-Gon admitted. "But that is natural--"

"That is not as far as it goes," she interrupted, still in the soft tone, a half whisper. "You are frightened that I have the abilities that even you do not. You are frightened for Ben."

"Obi-wan can not make rational decisions if he is under emotional duress," Qui-Gon continued, calmly.

"Stop throwing your platitudes at me!" she snapped, eyes blazing. The lift lurched to a halt. Qui-Gon looked at the controls, puzzled, but they indicated that the lift was in perfect working order.

"How--?" he murmured, then as he turned back, he knew. Kavii stood in the corner, arms folded, mysterious smile back, watching every expression on his face. He quickly calmed his emotions, centered himself. She was not going to over power him. He would fight.

The two stared at each other, glaring, neither blinking. It was as he stared at her, that he got a peculiar feeling that something was seriously, seriously wrong with Kavii. She would not have behaved like this earlier, he was sure of it. The meek Kintari who had followed at his heels would not have dared him so openly. Her moods he had noticed had been changing by leaps and bounds, and he had a sinking feeling that he knew what was responsible.

"I will not fight you," he said, breaking the silence, and adopting a neutral pose in the opposite corner of the lift. She smiled slyly.

Abruptly the lift started again.

It was at the Jedi Council floor in a few short moments. The door opened and he motioned for Kavii to leave. She nodded, and exited, he following behind her a few paces. The guard at the door let them into the Council.

"Ah, Qui-Gon," Mace Windu began, standing from his chair, "and Kavii--"

It was then that Qui-Gon leapt forward, lightsaber igniting in a green glow. Kavii screamed and ducked, trying to dodge his blows. They were for some reason very easy to duck and avoid, Kavii only realising the fact when she was manoeuvred into a corner, the lightsaber at her throat. She could feel the heat from the blade on her skin.

"Qui-Gon!" Mace Windu exclaimed, his own lightsaber drawn. "What is going on here?"

"I am certain," Qui-Gon began, never taking his eye from Kavii or his lightsaber, the tip never wavering, "that Kavii has been consumed by the Dark Side."

"See what you mean, do I," Yoda answered, shaking his head. "And fear I that there is more to this puzzle. But no time do we have for this. The Fleet is waiting, ready to leave. On it, we must be."

"What can we do for Kavii in the mean-time?" asked Qui-Gon. "She must not be allowed be free."

"No, no." Yoda shook his head. He looked up at Mace Windu. "A Force shield, will her contain."

"A Force shield." Windu nodded. "That should do it."

He turned to another of the Council. "Get some Knights together who aren't on the mission. We will use them to control Kavii."

The member nodded, and hurried off.

Kenobi was summoned by his Master to the hangers in preparation for the Fleet departure.

He said nothing the entire time, but kept his head bowed and his eyes down. He was humiliated at the dressing-down he had received, and on a deeper level that he was afraid to admit to, furious at Qui-Gon for splitting Kavii and him apart. But those feelings were well buried, and he was not truly conscious of them.

"Greetings, young apprentice," Mace Windu said suddenly. Kenobi looked up, ashamed again at being caught off guard by the Master's approach.

Windu smiled slightly. "Don't fret, so, Obi-wan. Everyone is distracted at the moment. It is nothing to be embarrassed about."

Kenobi smiled slightly at the kind words, but didn't reply.

"His mind is on other things," Qui-Gon said, with a look towards his apprentice. "But he will be ready for battle."

"Glad to hear it," Windu said, before heading off. He had, however, only made it a few steps away before he turned.

"Qui-Gon, do you have the schematics for the Bakkamiru ships? The ones we down-loaded from their computer?"

"No," Qui-Gon replied, shaking his mane of hair. "I do not--the last place I saw them was when--"

"Was when I was looking at them in the Council room. That's what I thought." Windu said. "I'll have to go get them--"

"Master Windu!" yelled someone from across the hangar. "We need your help, Master!"

"I'll get the schematic," Kenobi offered. "I'm not really needed around here, and I can get them for you quickly."

Windu looked at Qui-Gon, who reluctantly nodded, and Kenobi tore off.

There were very few of the Jedi guards protecting the Council room, only one on the entire floor. Kenobi quickly made his way to the central room to find the schematics. They were on a small ledge, near Master Windu's chair. He picked them up and stored them in his robe. He turned to leave when he noticed something in the Force. It was Kavii, but he could barely perceive her.

Curious, and a little hesitant, he made his way towards where she seemed to be, a rarely-used wing of the Jedi Council floor.

He opened the doors at the end of a long hallway and found himself in a strange room. It was grand chamber, made for entertaining large groups of people, probably for Jedi meetings and assemblies.

The only people in it now, however, were the missing guards, lining the room against the walls, and three Jedi masters standing in a circle. Kavii sat in the center of the circle, looking forlorn.

Kenobi's brain immediately willed him to walk out the door, and straight back to Master Qui-Gon. Unfortunately, his feet didn't listen and took him to the center.

"Careful, young apprentice," one of the Jedi said solemnly, never taking his half-closed eyes from the Kintari. All three were concentrating furiously on something. "She is quite dangerous."

"Kavii?" Kenobi exclaimed, confused. At the sound of his voice, Kavii turned, looking happy and surprised.

"She is a minion of the Dark Side," the Jedi continued, the others nodding. "Even now, she is hiding her powers and presence from us."

"I can feel her," Kenobi contradicted. He reached out with the Force, reaching an invisible wall that ran from the three Jedi, enclosing Kavii. "But only faintly."

"They made me a Force cage!" Kavii blurted, standing and hopping to the edge of the enclosure. "They think I'm possessed by an evil demon."

"Kavii, we've been through this before--"

"No, listen to me for a second," she interrupted, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I've been thinking, a lot, about what's been going on with me. I'm not sure yet, but I do know this--I'm changing, somehow. The Force is changing me."

She held up a hand to stop Kenobi from interrupting. "Every time I use my power, I understand more and more. I don't know it all yet, but I'm close, I know I am. I got mad with Qui-Gon in the elevator, because I suddenly saw through him, through what he thinks he knows."

"What are you saying?" Kenobi exclaimed, shocked. "What he thinks he knows? How can you say that?"

"Because I can see how it's really like!" Kavii replied, earnestly. "I can see it fit together, Ben. There's a few pieces still missing, but the picture is getting clearer and clearer."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kenobi continued, shaking his head, backing a bit away from her. "I don't understand."

Kavii sighed, and ran a hand through her multi-coloured hair, flicking it out of her eyes. "I thought you might not," she said sadly, looking downwards. Her eyes flipped up again, suddenly, renewed with new hope. "But I can show you! When I get out of here, I can show you what I mean!"

"That's enough," snapped one of the Jedi. "Apprentice, I think it is time for you to leave."

"I'll see you when I get back from the battle," Kenobi said to Kavii, nodding at the Jedi and starting to back up.

"Battle? What battle? What are you talking about?" Kavii cried, agitated. Kenobi was already almost out the door. "Be careful!" she yelled after him.

She sat back in the circle, thoughtful. She wished she could be with Ben during the battle, so that they could help each other, the way she had helped him with the Bakkamiru before. An unpleasant memory of the Bakkamiru emerged, of the poor village that she still had to avenge. Pushing that aside, she tried to think of a way that she could help Ben, from within the Force shield. Or at least keep an eye on him.

Kenobi stared out the view port. He could see the Fleet massing, preparing for the fight that was to come. Qui-Gon's reflection appeared in the window.

"I see you are still thinking about that Kintari woman," Qui-Gon said, a little sternly. "I thought I told you to get her out of your head."

"I am trying, Master," Kenobi said miserably. "But I ... cannot."

"You must empty your head of everything but what is happening now, Obi-wan. It is the only way you will be able to succeed." Qui-Gon bowed slightly, and left, no doubt to talk with the rest of the council on the strategies.

Kenobi felt the ship shudder under him as the ships went into lightspeed. These Coriellian frigates were tough, but obviously not built with shocks in mind. The jump back into realspace was just as rough, and very quick. Already out the window Kenobi could see the massive Bakkamiru ship, the Wedingu, flanked by several of the smaller fightercraft, such as the Keku. Kenobi recognised it from the distress buoy sent by the ill-fated Songbird.

The ships flew in precise formations, and steadily grew in size. Kenobi stared at them in shock. What he thought were one-man fighters were actually the size of the frigate on which he stood! The Wedingu, then, must have been the size of an asteroid, as it dwarfed the Keku and the others. Kenobi felt the tug of the Force, as he watched the Republic fighters flying out to deal with the new enemy. Something was wrong. The Bakkamiru ships were flying too carelessly, and too fast. They were approaching the Republic battleships with suicidal speed.

The red alert sirens went off as the frigates began to engage with the enemy. The shock waves from each of the blasts rocked the ship, and the Jedi had a hard time staying on his feet. Lurching backwards and forwards, he tried to get to Qui-Gon, to warn him of the danger.

Kavii watched the three Jedi masters with little interest. She sat in the center of the Force circle with a distant expression, as if she was pretending she wasn't there. But then, in truth, she wasn't.

Kenobi rushed onto the bridge as the Bakkamiru ship collided with the Coriellian freighter. The two ships scraped along each other, but the hulls were not compromised. Alarms sounded with a blare of noise, lights flashed, the entire bridge was chaos and bedlam.

"Captain!" called an ensign from the operative center. "We're getting strange anomalous readings from outside the hull!"

"What?" demanded the captain, but even as he stepped over the console, there was a strange, loud rasping sound.

"Everybody down!" yelled Kenobi suddenly as he drew and activated his lightsaber. Even Qui-Gon looked surprised, but that expression quickly fled as Kenobi's lightsaber sliced through the Bakkamiru that had appeared through the hull.

"They're vulnerable just as they come through," Kenobi yelled, slicing through another and another. Qui-Gon and the other Jedi activated their own lightsabers and joined in the slaughter. Blasters were fired by the bridge crew, but more kept coming through, and faster.

"Alert your crew!" Qui-Gon yelled to the captain. "They must not be allowed to over-run the ship!"

There was only silence as a reply. Daring a look over his shoulder, the Master could see the captain, lying on the floor, a blood-dripping Bakkamiru standing over him. The alien grinned, a fearsome display of teeth and malevolent intent. Kenobi turned as well, and gasped. The creature had turned to start on the rest of the crew. Kenobi had a sudden vision of the entire crew of the frigate wasted and massacred, just like the natives of the Kintari village.

"No!" he screamed, using the Force as a massive shock wave. It battered the Bakkamiru, making them tangible for a fraction of a second, enough that the remaining bridge crew and the Jedi took them down with ease. Kenobi leaned against a bulkhead for support. The Force blast had taken too much out of him. Someone put a hand on his shoulder. It was Qui-Gon.

"Calm, my apprentice," he said gently. Kenobi was trembling with the after-effect of the Force. "There is still much to do."

Kenobi nodded.

The halls were littered with the dead, and dying. The Jedi, consisting of Qui-Gon, Kenobi, a Master named Juil and a Knight named Kin, had no problem following the trail that the Bakkamiru left behind.

"They are heading to the engine section," Kin said, knowing his way around the frigate.

"What are they planning to do?" mused Qui-Gon, looking pensive. "They left the bridge alone."

"After we cleared them out," Kenobi retorted, unable to keep the contempt from his voice. Qui-Gon spun around.

"Hate leads to the Dark side. So does aggression and anger. Let it go, Obi-wan. Or the Bakkamiru will have already won."

"We have," rasped a voice from behind them. The four whirled to face an entire contingent of the non-corporeal aliens. The lead smiled, showing blood red teeth, some jagged and broken. "We your ship have. We you will destroy. Surrender. You will surrender!" it screamed.

"Never!" yelled Kin, drawing his lightsaber and charging forward.

"No!" screamed Kenobi. Kin reached the creatures, but his blade sliced through empty air. The alien stepped back, and without warning became solid. Solid enough to disembowel the Knight. The Master, Juil, frowned, and a wave of the Force swept down the hallway to the Bakkamiru. This time, they were ready, and in a flash, disappeared straight through the floor.

"What? Where?" Qui-Gon started looking around him, down the corridors. "Be prepared for--"

The aliens shot up, leaping through the deck plates, howling gravelling Bakkamiru war cries. They charged the Jedi. The Jedi themselves were all experienced enough to watch each others backs, but there were too many Bakkamiru. They were surrounded, cut off. And they couldn't even fight their way out; the aliens only became solid when they slashed. The Jedi were completely on the defensive.

"Perhaps another Force blast," Juil said, gesturing. The Force wave struck the Bakkamiru on all sides, leaving them tangible. Kenobi and Qui-Gon lashed out. Tangible, but not defenceless. Juil was tired after the effort, and his reaction time was dulled sufficiently that an alien saw an opportunity and used it. With a gargle and a scream, Juil was cut down. Qui-Gon and Kenobi were on their own.

Kavii gasped. She had a stricken look on her face, one of deep fear and anxiety. The Jedi gathered their strength together and reinforced the shield around her. She was not getting out. They relaxed somewhat as she closed her eyes and her face changed back to her former distant, far-seeing expression.

"Master!" Kenobi yelled over the din of the Bakkamiru's senseless screaming and hissing. "We must get out of here--I think another Force blast--!"

"I will cover you," Qui-Gon said, never taking his eyes from the Bakkamiru he held at bay. He and his apprentice were back to back, circling around the aliens, who snarled in their rocky language. "You must run, and get to an escape pod. The Republic must know of this." Every step the Jedi took was in a slick puddle of blood, a reminder of Juil's fatal mistake.

"I won't leave you!" Kenobi yelled back. Qui-Gon took a relaxing sigh and the Force burst like a shell around them, driving the Bakkamiru farther back. Kenobi cut a swath, even though any hole he seemed to make was filled instantly by he swarming rock creatures. "There's too many!"

With a realisation of horror, he was no cut off from Qui-Gon, but no less free, only surrounded himself.

"Master!" he yelled. Panic was rising within him. He tried to quell it, but it was too incessant to be ignored, to by shunned by his techniques. "Master!"

A Bakkamiru charged, and Kenobi whirled to deflect it, but as he did, another carved long gashes into his only-recently healed back. He screamed as another attacked from his flank. He couldn't save himself. "Help me!"

Qui-Gon Jinn stared, with a deep terror, as his apprentice was cut off from him. The Bakkamiru knew what they were doing, and that made them all the more dangerous. The Jedi watched in helpless horror as Obi-wan was buried under a living mound of slashing rock. He heard his apprentice yell out a frantic "help me" before he was lost completely in the melee.

Help me!

Kavii opened her eyes. The irises were a swirling melange of colours, and as the Jedi watched her, the colours seemed to change, become brighter and more radiant.

Help me!

Ben's yell echoed in her head. She could see him, bravely holding on, battling for his own life. She knew he would not make it alone. She knew it was up to her. Opening her eyes, she drew on her power. Her true power. Her abilities that the council denied was possible for her to have. Her strength, her talent, her inborn right. She had been frightened of her own potential, but now she tapped the inner reserve that lay within her, and reached out, across the light-years to the battle raging in deep space. The Force shield, to her, meant nothing. Distance meant nothing. Space, time, size, all meant nothing to her. She was farther beyond the concepts than the Jedi had the capability to realise. With a single thought, she transcended the laughable "shield" they attempted to pen her with, and reached for the ship, and reached for Ben.

Qui-Gon tried to hold down his feelings. He tried to keep them from controlling him, but the apparent death of Obi-wan was too strong, and a wave of rage was threatening to burst free. Before he could even begin to think about what to do, there was a bright light, a burst so bright it seemed unnatural. Then it abruptly faded, not even leaving an afterimage in Qui-Gon's eyes. The corridor was now empty, with only Obi-wan and himself. Switching off his lightsaber, he ran to his apprentice, who was still alive, and further more, not wounded at all. Obi-wan groaned, and rolled over. His robes were shredded where the Bakkamiru had attacked him, but his wounds were gone.

"What?" he moaned, starting to sit up.

"I don't know," Qui-Gon replied, in an awed hush. Then, he noticed something in the corner of his eye. He looked up, and the radiant figure standing over them. It was a person, formed by light and energy. The person smiled.

"Kavii," Obi-wan rasped, recognising her, sitting up. He held a hand out to her. She touched it briefly, then she faded like a ghost, leaving the entire hall empty, save for the two Jedi. Kenobi collapsed again, unconscious. Qui-Gon felt for his pulse, and it was steady, so Kenobi must have just passed out from shock. His wounds were gone completely, he looked healthier than when he had first arrived on the ship.

Qui-Gon stood up and flipped his communicator open. "This is a ship-wide communication," he said into the small machine. "Can any one read me?"

There was a hiss of static, then finally a small voice said, with a cough, "Ensign Reed reporting in, sir."

"Ensign? Where are you?"

"Engineering," the voice rasped. "I'm...I'm the only left down here, sir. I'm trying to hold down an engines failure."

"Get out of there, Reed," Qui-Gon snapped. "You can't hold it down yourself. Get to an escape pod, immediately."

There was a pause and a whine of static, then finally Reed's hoarse voice: "Yes sir."

"Make your way to any Republic ship," Qui-Gon continued.

"What if...what if the Bakkamiru have taken them too, sir?" interrupted the ensign. Qui-Gon hesitated.

"It's a chance we'll have to take." Qui-Gon said at last. He looked around at the empty hallway. "But some how, I don't think they will be much of a threat any more."

"Understood," the ensign replied, signing off. The quaver in his voice told Qui-Gon that Reed would much rather have attempted to lock down the engine failure, and that all the ensign really understood was the order to evacuate. It was enough.

Qui-Gon lightly slapped Kenobi to try and get the apprentice awake, but Kenobi merely groaned, his eye lids fluttering for a second. Hefting the young man to his feet, Qui-Gon attempted to drag the semi-comatose apprentice down the hall, but Kenobi was dead weight and difficult to shift.

Using the Force, and an old Jedi technique, Qui-Gon managed to get Kenobi awake enough to be able to stagger down the halls to an escape pod.

As the pod left the ship, the engines blew. The small craft bobbed in the wake of the explosion, but its shields held. Qui-Gon breathed a small sigh of relief.

His communicator beeped. "Qui-Gon here," he said into it.

"Qui-Gon, are we glad to hear from you." Mace Windu's relieved voice seemed to fill the small pod. "When the Wonwonyeh blew, we all feared for the worst. As it is, there's only two escape pods that we can detect."

"There's only two," Qui-Gon said sadly. "Obi-wan and I are in one, and an Ensign Reed is in another."

There was a pause.

"No other survivors?"

"None. I checked the ship through the Force myself," Qui-Gon confirmed. "As it was, we barely survived ourselves. Obi-wan very nearly didn't."

"You'll have to share your secret with us," Windu said dryly. "We lost another two ships to the Bakkamiru. We had to shoot them down ourselves, rather than let them get taken. The Wedingu managed to escape to hyperspace."

Qui-Gon smiled wanly. "I'm afraid, Mace, that what ever secret we have in defeating the Bakkamiru lies on Coruscant, under heavy Jedi guard."

"Kavii."

"Precisely."

The three Jedi had not moved since Qui-Gon had left them, before the battle. They stood in a ring in the Great Hall, guarding their prisoner. Kavii.

She got to her feet as Qui-Gon approached. He could not sense her at all through the shield.

"Kavii," he said.

"Master Qui-Gon," she said with a dip of her head. "How did the battle go?"

"Not well, considering. We lost three ships, and many, many people. But it could have been worse," he admitted.

She nodded, her face serious. "Yes. It could have."

They stared at each other for a moment, Qui-Gon frowning in concentration and Kavii watching him, with a hint of a smile.

"How did you do it?" he asked, finally, not being able to tell using the Force through the shield. She shrugged. She sat back down, cross-legged in the middle of the circle. "Do you know? Or are you simply not going to tell me?"

She shrugged again. "A little from both. I'm not sure how I did it, and I'm not sure you want to know."

They had another staring match through the invisible shield. "What are you?" he said, at last breaking the silence. She shrugged yet again.

"Again, I'm not sure. And again, I don't think you truly want to know," she said, her eyes twinkling at his discomfort.

"How do you know that?" he asked, despite himself. He prided himself on his ability to stay calm, focused and not let his emotions get in the way of his thoughts. Infuriatingly, she merely shrugged for the third time.

"I don't know how I do the things I do, or know the things I know. I just do," she replied sagely. "Isn't that what Master Yoda preaches? Do or do not?"

"There is no try," Qui-Gon finished, smiling despite himself. "You haven't been around him that long."

"I picked it up somewhere," she said. They were still for a few more moments before she looked back up at him. "How's Ben?" she asked quietly.

"He's recovering. He's physically fine, just sleeping. He's had a rough time," Qui-Gon answered.

"I want to see him," Kavii said suddenly, standing up. The three Jedi all stiffened and looked at each other. Qui-Gon could feel it too. A building of the Force around Kavii, he could feel it even through the shield.

"I don't think that would be wise," Qui-Gon stalled for time.

"It doesn't matter what you think," Kavii snapped, showing an edge of anger for the first time. Then, with a slight pop of displaced air, she vanished.

"Ben," she whispered, stroking his forehead. Groaning a bit, his eyes opened, and Kavii smiled. "Good, you're awake."

"What?" he moaned, trying to sit up, but she held him back. "What happened?" He looked around him. "Where am I?"

"You're in the medibay on Coruscant," she answered.

"Qui-Gon--?" he asked, settling back down.

"He's fine. Most of the Jedi are fine. The Bakkamiru have been driven back. Here, drink this," she said, holding a cup to his mouth. He took a sip and nearly gagged.

"It's so bitter!" he coughed.

"Good for getting your strength back," she told him, setting the cup down on the table beside the bed. She perched on the edge. "I found a supply of wreila bark, can you believe it? So I made some tea for you to drink."

"Thank you," he replied, out of habit, but he added: "but I'd prefer to get better on my own."

She laughed. "It's good that you're all right," she said, patting his hand. He nodded slightly, closing his eyes for a second.

"I had the oddest dream," he began, but the doors to the Bay opened, and Qui-Gon rushed through. He slowed to a stop as he saw Kavii.

Kenobi opened his eyes again, at the sound of the doors. "Master!" he exclaimed, struggling to get up, but again, Kavii held him in check.

"Stay down, Obi-wan," Qui-Gon advised. "How are you feeling?"

The question was addressed at his apprentice but the Master had his gaze focused on Kavii, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking like a harmless Kintari woman, and not like the walking conundrum that she was.

"I'm better," Kenobi answered truthfully. "I'll get up soon."

"There's no rush, apprentice," Qui-Gon continued. "The Council is now debating what to do."

"There is only one thing to do," Kavii interrupted, the first thing she had said since Qui-Gon entered the room. "Kill the Bakkamiru."

"It's not that simple. We can't get near enough to them," Qui-Gon said wearily. "And unlike you, we can't just vaporise them."

"So find out what is making them intangible and destroy it," she said simply.

"We have no way of knowing--"

"The Base!" Kenobi exclaimed, sitting up. "It must be on the Base, the one on Kintari. That's where the whole thing was staged from, I think. If we infiltrate there, we can at least gather information, if not shut it down entirely."

Qui-Gon nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll tell the Council--"

"No," Kavii interrupted. "No. They'll know if you send a fleet, or even a few ships. No...Ben and I will go." She looked down at the patient. "When he's up to it."

"You? Do you think the Council is going to let you out of their sight?" Qui-Gon insisted.

"They can't stop me. I'm the logical choice, at any rate. Ka--I know the terrain, I've battled the Bakkamiru twice before. Ben and I are the best people for the job. Period."

"I do not know if I approve of this," Mace Windu said, sitting in his chair in the Jedi circle.

"I do not approve either," Qui-Gon said, evenly. "But she's already shown that she's beyond our power to control."

"Sense I nothing of the Dark Side in her," Yoda interrupted, frowning. "Indeed, sense I nothing of her at all."

"The only one who seems to be able to sense her all the time is young Obi-wan," Mace Windu replied.

"We can only hope that they are successful," Qui-Gon said, changing the subject back towards the mission. He disliked mentioning the relationship between his apprentice and the Kintari.

"Yes. If they are not, perhaps they will learn enough about our foes that we can figure out something else," Windu replied. He leaned back and steepled his fingers. "The only information on the Bakkamiru in the computers is relatively out of date. The Bakkamiru never joined the Republic. We know hardly anything about them."

"Except that they are nearly Force impervious and can phase through matter," added Qui-Gon dryly. Windu frowned.

"Yes, besides that."

Kavii and Ben stood in the hall waiting for the Council to adjourn. "I'm tired of this. Can't they ever act without arguing about it for hours?"

Kenobi laughed. "It's only been a few minutes. This is nothing. You should see the Senate in action."

She sighed, and leaned against the glass windows. "We could just leave now, you know."

"What? How?" Kenobi laughed. "We need the ship first, remember?"

"No we don't," she contradicted. She smiled. "It's something else I learned. I can go places, just by thinking it."

"You can teleport?" Kenobi gasped. "That's beyond impossible!"

"I know!" She laughed brightly, and it sounded almost like a giggle. "But I can do it. I can do anything I want, really. We can leave now, find out what we need, and be back before they're done debating."

Kenobi shook his head. "I don't know if we should. And I don't know what's gotten into you."

"Nothing! I'm the same as I always was," Kavii replied, a touch indignantly. "I'm just having a bit more fun with my powers. That's what they're there for." Kenobi still looked hesitant. She took him by the hand. "Ben. Trust me. I can do this."

"I know you can," he replied. "I just...just don't want to upset Qui-Gon any more. He's my Master..."

"I believe in being my own Master," Kavii said. "Now. Are you with me? Or would you rather fight alone?"

"Of course I'm with you!" exclaimed Kenobi.

"Good. Then close your eyes...

...and now you can open them!" she said cheerfully. Kenobi did so, and saw before him the towering Glowing Mountain. They stood at the foot, looking up at the summit.

"What?" he cried, nearly choking. "I can't believe this!"

"It's true, it's all real," she said, spreading her arms wide. "Just as we left it."

Kenobi could feel the breeze in his hair, he could hear the birds, he could even smell the slight waft of mint that he remembered. It was no dream, it was real, and yet, how could it be?

"How is this possible?" he asked, stunned.

Kavii shrugged. "A lot of things are possible. I don't really know the mechanics of it. I just play it by ear. Now, come on. We've got to get inside the base before the Bakkamiru know we're here."

The climb was not as tough as Kenobi remembered it to be. He was still reeling from the fact that Kavii had brought them clear across the galaxy by sheer thought! It was a staggering concept, and he had to admit to himself he was a little awed, and a little frightened. No mere Force talent could do that, not after only a few days worth of training. Not after centuries of training.

"Is this where you went in last time?" Kavii asked, stopping and pointing to a place in the crust that had been melted and re-solidified.

"I think so," Kenobi answered. He drew his lightsaber, ready to cut a hole again, but Kavii waved her hand and the ground disappeared in a handy, person-sized hole. She jumped down with out any hesitation. That was more than a little odd, Kenobi realised, for her to do, but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and jumped down after her.

The corridor was just as Kenobi remembered it. Long, dark, and ominous. The tiny flickering lights that had run along the floorboards were gone, however, and the only light came from Kenobi's ignited lightsaber.

"This way," he said, remembering the way he had turned before.

"Are you sure?" asked Kavii.

"Yes. I remember turning this way. Don't worry, I'm pretty good at orienteering, I can remember directions," he answered. She nodded, and they set off down the tunnel.

Kavii stopped suddenly. She froze, listening to something. Kenobi strained his ears, hearing a soft, almost inaudible scratching along the walls. He gestured to Kavii with a tilt of his head and she backed up behind him. He stood, waiting for the Bakkamiru to emerge through the wall.

The rocky, gray head poked through after a moment. Kavii didn't need her cue, she reached out with the Force and dragged the creature out from the wall, so that Kenobi could dispatch easily.

"I don't sense any more," she said quietly.

"You can sense them?" he asked, surprised. She nodded. She looked down the hallway, in the opposite direction that they had been walking.

"This way," she said. "I can feel a large gathering of them."

"Doesn't that mean we want to go the other way?" Kenobi replied with a grin, but he started out behind her anyway.

The tunnel ended in solid rock. "This must be the end of the lava tube," Kenobi looked for a button or touch panel that would open a door, if there was one.

"They are behind the rock," Kavii said, touching it with the tips of her fingers. "There's great number of them, all hidden from the Force."

"How can they do that?" Kenobi asked, a little confused. "Unless..."

"They're all Force-wielding," Kavii confirmed. "Enough that the Jedi can't sense them, and that minor burst of the Force can't hurt them."

"Of course," Kenobi shook his head sheepishly, a bit embarrassed that he hadn't seen it before.

"So, what now?" Kavii asked, still staring at the rock. Kenobi got the peculiar feeling she was staring through the rock, and the thought gave him the shivers.

"We'll have to find another way in. We can't go through the solid rock...why are you looking at me like that?" he asked. Kavii had half-turned around, a funny grin on her face. She held out her hand. Confused, he took it, and without any warning, she pulled him through the solid wall.

They were now standing on a slight balcony, overlooking a huge cavern. Kenobi couldn't see farther than a few feet with the glow from the lightsaber, but he heard the rasping and guttural growls of the Bakkamiru. He raised his lightsaber, in case any tried to attack him.

"The stairs," Kavii said, pointing to his left. He saw that the balcony was attached to a metal mesh staircase. He face it, as several Bakkamiru started to climb up. Feinting with his lightsaber, he managed to keep them at bay. The aliens, far from phasing through the beam, squealed and covered their eyes.

"Kavii!" he exclaimed. "I think they're affected by bright light. Can you...?"

"No sooner said than done," she replied breezily, and the cavern lit up as in daylight. The Bakkamiru screamed and dropped to the floor. "We've got to hurry, they'll get used to it in a second." Kenobi looked down over the balcony. He could see the cavern now. Its floor was a good three storeys below them, and it was made of the same metal of the tunnels. Large machines were stacked against the far wall, and unconscious Bakkamiru were held on long conveyor belts.

"We've got to jump," he said. Kavii nodded, and climbed over the metal bar railing. Kenobi quickly followed her, turning off his lightsaber and hooking it to his belt.

Her descent was much slower as she floated serenely to the ground. He simply used the Force to fall slower than he normally would have, allowing him to land without breaking anything. Kenobi got up from the crouch he had landed in and unhooked the lightsaber. The Bakkamiru were beginning to stir, getting used to the bright light that seemed to radiate from the ceiling, like bright sunlight.

Kavii floated gently down to stand beside him, and Kenobi realised that her feet were not actually touching the ground. Ignoring that fact for the present, he had a sudden idea: "Kavii--could you make a Force shield around us that the Bakkamiru wouldn't be able to cross?"

"Done and done," she replied instantly.

The Bakkamiru were up and moving, now. One charged towards Kenobi. He brought the lightsaber up as a reflex, but the creature was bumped backwards a few feet from him. It howled and tried to charge again, but the field prevented it. It tried attacking the field itself, as did the others that joined it.

It was a disconcerting feeling for Kenobi, to watch the vicious creatures pawing at the air only a few feet from where he stood.

"We've got to get going," Kavii said, quietly.

"Let's check out the conveyor belts, first," he agreed. He was glad to find that the field moved with them, forcing a channel through the growling and snarling mass of rock aliens.

The machines were massive, covering the entire wall of the cavern, stretching from floor to ceiling and wall-to-wall.

"What are these used for?" Kenobi pondered. He was no technician, and wouldn't know where to begin. Kavii was examining the first set of conveyor belts. Bakkamiru were stretched out on them, tied down with restrainers and apparently unconscious.

"They're doing medical work on them," Kavii reported, looking at a computer read-out. Kenobi was unsure how she could read the Bakkamiru alphabet, never mind understand the language, but it was one question he had among many about the Kintari woman. "Implanting something."

"Something that needs to be controlled by these machines?" Kenobi asked, gesturing with a quick nod of his head towards the mechanical behemoths. She nodded.

"Probably. Maybe we can find what, lying around here," She added: "Don't split up."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Kenobi answered, glancing at the living wall of frustrated aliens that surrounded him on three sides. The fourth "side" of the Force-dome faced the giant machines and the conveyor-surgical assembly system. For some unfathomable reason, the Bakkamiru were going no where near that section.

"I wonder if they're afraid of it," he whispered, watching their reaction.

"I sense great apprehension from them, about this section of the room." Kavii agreed, still looking through desks and drawers for anything useful. "Their memories are not pleasant."

"Their memories?" Kenobi asked. "You mean they've already had the procedure done on them?"

She nodded. Kenobi tried one of the drawers. It was hard to pull open, but it did, revealing an open bowl full of microchips, roughly the size of Kenobi's fingernail.

"Now that's what I call interesting," he said, sifting through. "They're implanting these chips into the Bakkamiru--into their own soldiers. I wonder why. Maybe as tracking devices."

"Maybe," Kavii said. She picked one up. "This doesn't look like a tracking device."

Kenobi picked one up as well, and examined it. "How would you know?" he exclaimed. "You couldn't understand how the doors opened without handles a day or two ago."

"I've learned so much since then," Kavii snapped.

"I'm sorry, Kavii, I didn't mean that the way it sounded--I was just curious."

"I know a lot more than you'll ever think I do," she said, mysteriously.

Kenobi felt a little ashamed, and decided to turn the conversation back on course. "We need to get back to Qui-Gon and tell him of all of this," the Jedi apprentice remarked. Kavii smiled at the comment.

"I don't think we need to leave," she said mystically. "He's already here."

"The Wedingu is moving into range," reported the officer in charge of helm control. "It was hidden behind Kintar's moon."

"Can we stop it?" Qui-Gon asked the captain. She shook her head.

"We're not equipped for that kind of battle. Helm, avoid that ship at all costs. I'm not making the mistake of the Wonwonyeh," the captain replied.

"Aye, sir," Helm responded.

"I'll take one of the shuttles down," Qui-Gon said. "I must find my apprentice."

The captain nodded. "Good luck, Master. May the Force be with you."

"Thank you," Qui-Gon said with a return nod. "I can only hope the Force is with Obi-wan. I fear he is in grave danger."

"Can we sabotage these machines, do you think?" Kenobi asked Kavii, staring at them. "It may not do much, but I think anything would help at this point, and if we sabotage them, it might buy the Republic some time."

"You may be right," Kavii answered, looking thoughtful. She rubbed her chin. "I could take out the machines."

"You could? Ho--" Kenobi bit off the question mid-stream. She smiled.

"Still confused?" she asked, chuckling. "Oh well." She raised her arms over her head.

"The Wedingu is firing!" the officer reported. The ship shook, but Qui-Gon remained on his feet.

"I must get to that shuttle," he said, but the captain interrupted him.

"Not during a fight," she said, shaking her head. "We'd have to drop shields."

Qui-Gon frowned, but didn't argue. The Bakkamiru ship fired again, and again.

The machines blew with less commotion than Kenobi expected. There were fizzes and pops and a few loud bangs, and then the controls all went dark.

The Bakkamiru screamed, and roared, and redoubled their efforts to get through the shield. Some broke off the attack to rush to the machines, but there was nothing that they could have done. Every circuit was burned out, they were useless. Kenobi watched the creatures attacking, and fleeing, and he noticed something.

"Hey! They're all tangible," he exclaimed. "Kavii, drop the shield."

Kavii nodded, and the Bakkamiru charged through. As Kenobi had seen, they were tangible, solid, and no match for a Jedi and a lightsaber.

"The Bakkamiru ship has broken off attack, sir," the officer reported from his station.

"I wonder what spooked it?" mused the Captain.

"Maybe I can answer that," a voice said from behind them. Qui-Gon whirled to see the spectre form of Kavii that he recognised from the earlier battle.

"Kavii!" the Master exclaimed. "Where's Obi-wan?"

"On the surface," she replied non-chalantly. "Don't worry, he's safe. I'll take care of him."

"What did you do?" asked Qui-Gon urgently, an unsettling feeling coming to rest over him.

Kavii chuckled. "Nothing...yet. I was going to wait until Ben was finished with his little task before beginning the real fireworks, but you sound so impatient." Her smile was disturbing. It held no real happiness or delight, but a sense of completion, and a touch of malicious foreboding. She dipped her head slightly and Kenobi appeared on the bridge, lightsaber drawn and apparently was just in a fight with someone.

"Master Qui-Gon!" he exclaimed. "Kavii--Kavii?"

Kavii's spectral, fiery form was changing, and she was becoming a corporeal form again, however, this form was slightly different from what Kenobi and Qui-Gon remembered. The air around her started to ripple and wave as if it was subjected to a great heat. Her eyes, normally simple flecks of colour, began to shine and glow, and her hair seemed to crackle with barely contained energy.

"That's not Kavii," Qui-Gon said, breaking the silence that held sway over the bridge crew.

She laughed. "Very good. Very good. I'm surprised that Qui-Gon was the first to figure it out. Maybe I wasn't giving him enough credit."

Kenobi looked panic-stricken. "What have you done with Kavii?" he exclaimed, bringing his lightsaber up. Qui-Gon held up a hand to stop him.

"I am Kavii," the being said.

"How is that possible?" Kenobi continued, an edge of panic creeping into his voice.

The being shrugged. "I am all things, Ben. Everything is possible for me."

"Captain!" one of the crew explained. The captain's head whipped around, grateful for the distraction. "Sir, the Bakkamiru are hailing us."

"Put them on," the captain ordered. The viewpad, in the center of the bridge, flickered into existence, showing a craggy Bakkamiru.

"Captain," it hissed in its gravelly voice, "you our devices have destroyed. We how to know want!"

"The machines," Kenobi whispered. He turned to captain. "Captain," he said in a whisper. "You can fire on the ship now." The captain turned away from the viewpad and made a cut-throat gesture. The image flickered off.

"The shots will go right through it," the captain replied, looking between the Jedi apprentice, and his master.

"I don't think they will--I think the machines I destroyed were what let the Bakkamiru become intangible."

"It's a long shot," the captain said finally. "No pun intended. I don't know if it'll do anything, but we can try it." She stepped down to confer with her weapons officer.

"Firing shots," the officer reported. They all watched the screen, as the shots blasted into space, ramming into the Wedingu. The crew cheered.

"Minimal damage to the Wedingu," the officer reported, "But that's only due to its immense size."

"Fire at will, Lieutenant," the captain said cheerfully, stepping back up the ramp to the two Jedi and Kavii.

The viewpad flickered to life again. "How!" the creature screamed. "How! How you--" It stopped mid-sentence. It saw Kavii, or the being that resembled Kavii.

"Chikara!" it screamed, its voice becoming high and reedy. High and reedy for a Bakkamiru. "Chikara! Chikara!" The viewpad blinked out.

"They have severed the connection," the communications officer reported.

"The Wedingu is heading out of orbit--powering its engines--it's going to jump to hyperspace--" reported Tactical.

"Oh no you don't..." the being said softly.

"The Wedingu has stalled--its engines powering down," Tactical corrected himself.

"Chikara?" Qui-Gon mused. "I've heard that name before--"

"No, you haven't," the being who resembled Kavii corrected. "You only think you have."

Taken aback, Qui-gon frowned. "What does it mean?"

"It's one of the names for me," the being explained. She turned to Kenobi, smiling. "Remember when you were trying to tell me about names?"

Kenobi remembered it well. He had tried to explain the meaning and significance of first and last names to Kavii, and she had gotten so confused--"That wasn't you," he said stiffly, jerking himself back to the present.

The being stopped smiling abruptly. "Of course it was. I was there."

"But I wasn't talking to you," Kenobi snapped. "I talked to Kavii. I walked with Kavii, I fought with Kavii, I kissed Kavii--it was Kavii, not you."

The being stepped back, the hurt expression on its borrowed face so reminiscent of Kavii that Kenobi felt the urge to apologise, but he didn't.

"But--I--" the being stammered, backing away from Kenobi. "But--" It held its head in its hands. Finally, it sighed, and brought its head back up. "I brought you here for a reason," it said, sniffling. "I will accomplish what I meant to do."

The Wedingu disappeared from off the view screen.

"What happened?!" yelled the captain. "Did they jump to lightspeed?"

"No, sir," reported several officers at once.

"They just disappeared," continued Tactical.

"Right off the scopes," added Helm.

"I don't understand," the captain trailed off, turning around to face the two Jedi, hoping for an explanation. She got one, but not the one she was looking for.

Qui-Gon staggered, and leaned against a console for support. Kenobi looked pained, and slouched against the wall. The being looked sullen and angry, yet pleased with itself.

"I did it," it said. "They're gone. The villagers wanted it, and Kavii promised it to them, and I did it for her."

"You killed them all," Qui-Gon rasped. "All of them, the ship and the ones on the planet."

The being laughed, sharply. It sounded annoyed. "No. I didn't."

"You did.."

"No, I didn't," it replied stubbornly.

"You killed all the Bakkamiru," Kenobi said suddenly, coming to his feet, the feeling passing. "All of them. Every last single one. Just to prove you can."

"I don't have to prove anything," the being replied. "I did it because I wanted to. That's why I'm here, to do everything. And I will do everything, eventually."

"You murdered an entire species?" the captain exclaimed, drawing her blaster, a useless gesture but a meaningful one.

"It's on my list," the being said arrogantly. There was still a hurt undertone to all its replies. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."

It disappeared, vanishing like a wisp of smoke. Qui-Gon and Kenobi looked at each other.

"I see you have interesting taste in women, Obi-wan," Qui-Gon said dryly. Kenobi managed a weak smile.

"Captain," piped up Tactical.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" replied the captain, walking over to stand behind him.

"I took some readings of our...guest," Tactical began, "and I found something rather interesting." He waited for Qui-Gon and Kenobi to join the captain, standing around his console. "This," he said, bringing up a picture of the bridge on the computer, "is a normal shot of the bridge, taken a few minutes ago."

It showed Qui-Gon and Kenobi facing the being, and the captain standing a little behind Qui-Gon, the rest of the bridge crew at their stations behind her.

"Now, this is an infra-red picture."

The same scene, only with red outlines of the two Jedi and the crew. No Kavii.

"This is a radiation scan."

The same scene, again, in rainbow colours, Kavii still missing.

"I ran through every scope and scanning system on the ship, Sirs," Tactical continued. "The...creature didn't show up on any that registered life or even existence. Except for..."

Another picture was called up. This was black, except for the faint blue outlines of the crew. Kenobi's figure was brilliantly shaded in blue, Qui-Gon's even more so. And Kavii's...the being's was every possible shade of colour, and radiated so much it overlapped much of the bridge.

"Is this scan what I think it is?" Qui-Gon asked. The Lieutenant nodded. "Yes, it is, Sir. It's a Force reading."

"Do you realise what you are saying?" Mace Windu nearly stood up with the emphasis of his words, he was speaking so strongly. "Do you realise it?"

"I have given the matter much thought," Qui-Gon replied calmly.

Windu stood completely and shook his head. "You are saying that Kavii was created from the Force," he said, slowly, watching Qui-Gon for a reaction. He got none.

"Actually, sir, that's not quite accurate," Kenobi interrupted. "Kavii was taken over by the Force."

"The Force is not an entity," said another of the Council, the Mim Master Mimeir. "It cannot possess another."

"But maybe when it came in contact with Kavii, it some how coalesced into an entity." Kenobi argued, biting down the urge to retort how do you know it can't?

"These are all maybes and guesses." Windu stopped Mimeir from answering Kenobi with a raised hand. "Master Yoda, what do you think?"

"Trained Jedi I have for nearly nine hundred years," Yoda said, slowly, thoughtfully. "Think I that I know the Force, do you? I do not. It is a mystery to me still."

"What are you saying, Master Yoda?" asked another of the council, Master Yarael Poof. "That you don't know?"

"That is exactly what I am saying. We know not what we are facing," Yoda confirmed.

"If we don't know what it is, how can we fight it?" asked Windu, looking a little bit crestfallen.

"Who says that we must fight it?" Yoda asked. There was silence in the room, as each of the Jedi pondered the question and realised their mistake in rushing into battle.

"Master Yoda," Kenobi began, feeling unsure about what he was about to say, "Master Yoda, is there any way we could separate the Force entity from Kavii? If it is only dangerous because of its condensed form, if it was released from Kavii it would probably do no harm."

"That is a good idea, young Apprentice," Yoda said, nodding thoughtfully. "Look into it, I must. Hard, it no doubt will be. But makes sense it does."

"While Master Yoda looks into the matter, why don't we all take a break?" suggested Mace Windu, looking to Yoda for confirmation. Yoda nodded.

Kenobi and Qui-Gon walked slowly along the glassed-in hallway.

"Your thoughts are on Kavii," Qui-Gon said quietly. Kenobi didn't reply immediately.

"Do you think Kavii will be all right if our plan works, Master?" he asked, after a moment of thought. Qui-Gon shrugged.

"I do not know, Apprentice," Qui-Gon said simply. "Perhaps we don't need it at all. Perhaps we are rushing into a fight too suddenly."

"But, Kavii--no, not Kavii, the creature--" Kenobi fumbled for words.

"Chikara," Qui-Gon interrupted softly.

"Of course, Chikara," Kenobi replied with relief at having found something else to call the being, as "Kavii" did not do it or the Kintari woman any justice. "But don't you think Chikara is dangerous? She killed off an entire species, one that was spread across the galaxy, with a single thought!"

"Of course she is dangerous, Obi-wan!" exclaimed his Master. "But she is not our enemy. Not yet. She may never be our enemy. As Master Yoda said, we may be rushing ahead and jumping the gun, so to speak."

"I don't think that was quite how Master Yoda put it," Kenobi said wryly. Even Qui-Gon smiled slightly.

"Of course. But it holds the same sentiment, even if it doesn't sound exactly right."

Kenobi opened the door to his apartment, and stepped in without even turning on the lights. He was so tired he didn't bother, but headed directly to his bed. He managed to get his outer robe and lightsaber off before falling on to the mattress. (He was always very careful to take his lightsaber off his belt before his went to sleep, he hadn't once and the lesson would remain for a lifetime.) He sighed, burrowed down into the pile of blankets (thank heavens he hadn't made the bed that morning) and tried to sleep.

"Pleasant dreams," someone whispered into his ear.

He bolted upright, awake immediately. "What? Who's there?"

"Me, of course," replied the female voice from the other side of the bed.

"Kavii?" he asked hesitantly, it sounded like her. Then there was a strange giggle. "Chikara," he corrected himself.

There was a pause. "I suppose so. If that's what you want to call me now. It makes no difference to me, of course."

Kenobi tried to get off the bed, but found he couldn't. He could move freely enough, but not off the bed.

"I need to have a talk with you," Chikara said after he stopped trying to leave.

He frowned. "Lights." he called to the room computer. The lights flicked on, bright and glaring. Squinting, he snapped: "Soft lights!"

The lights dimmed to reasonable proportions. He unsquinted his eyes to look over at his guest. Chikara was on her side, propping her head up on her elbow and looking concerned.

"You don't want me here," she said, looking upset.

"What would give you that idea?" Kenobi muttered. She glared at him.

"I thought you liked me."

"I liked--like--" he corrected himself. He didn't want to start thinking in the past tense. "--Kavii. I don't even know you."

"I was part of Kavii the entire time." Chikara replied, sounding as if she was trying very hard to convince him. "I was always there. She tried to keep me out, you know."

"How could she do that?" Kenobi asked, curious despite himself. She smiled slightly, a bit happier now that he was paying attention.

"She tried not to use the power, to keep me under wraps," Chikara said, sitting up. "But she couldn't help herself, and every time she used the Force, I got stronger."

"So she knew you were possessing her?" Kenobi asked, trying hard to ignore the fact that Chikara was inching herself towards him.

"In a manner of speaking. Her subconscious knew, and tried to hide the truth. She couldn't really handle it, you see."

"Oh," Kenobi replied, trying to inch himself farther away, but the block came into effect and he couldn't move any more. She smiled, and snuggled up to him.

"This bring back memories, hmm?" she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Uh huh," Kenobi said, very uncomfortable. She then started to kiss him and he backed up suddenly, hitting the wall. He was trapped. Fortunately for him, Chikara had gotten the hint and moved away, allowing him to slide back down. He rubbed his head ruefully, where the crown had connected with the wall.

Chikara sighed, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Fine. If you want it like that, then fine." She got up and crossed the room to the balcony.

He didn't follow her. He would have liked to have run out of the room, but some how he didn't think she'd like him to do that, and would stop him at any rate. She turned around to face him, and rested herself against the railings.

"I don't get it," she called. "I don't understand. I haven't changed."

"But you weren't the one I fell in love with," Kenobi said carefully, trying to phrase it right. She sighed when she heard his response, and threw her arms in the air.

"But I fell in love with you," she said sadly, and a little bit frustrated.

She suddenly appeared next to him on the bed, having teleported over. She took one of his hands. "Come away with me," she said quietly. "We'll have the entire universe to explore. You can visit places that no one has ever seen before. I can take you there in the blink of an eye."

"Chikara," he began, but she interrupted him.

"I can let you do anything you've ever wanted to do, see, anything. Nothing could stop us. I hold the universe and its secrets in the palm of my hand, Ben. I could share them with you. Explain...everything." She looked up at him, holding her breath, awaiting his answer.

"Chikara--" he began again, but stopped. He didn't know what to say. That her offer was tempting? Or that he would never do that, never run away from his Jedi training. Or perhaps he could tell her that she scared him, and he would never, ever be comfortable around her, let alone happy. "I can't," he said finally.

She looked dejectedly away from him, to the view outside past the balcony. She closed her eyes and disappeared.

Kenobi waited a few minutes, then got up and got his lightsaber. He had a feeling Master Qui-Gon might want to hear about this.

"So do you know where she's gone?" Qui-Gon asked, looking thoughtful. He had taken the information seriously, never interrupting, only nodding every so often while Kenobi talked.

"I don't, Master. She could be anywhere. Literally," the apprentice replied, shaking his head. "And I may have upset her."

"There was nothing else you could have said, Obi-wan," Qui-Gon told him. "Should you have gone with her? Of course not."

"If it meant keeping her happy, and out of the way of the Republic..." Kenobi trailed off.

Qui-Gon silenced him with a look. "Obi-wan, there is a time and a place for everything, especially self-sacrifice. You don't know that she would have been kept out of the way of the Republic. She could have just as easily gotten bored with you, winked you out of existence and then come for us."

"I see what you mean, Master," Kenobi said solemnly, nodding. Qui-Gon clapped a hand on his young apprentice's shoulder.

"Good. Now, I think we will leave this new information until the morning. Then we will present it to the Jedi Council. Get some rest."

"Yes, Master."

"So now you think she may be bearing a grudge?" asked Mace Windu, the next morning, as the Council assembled.

"No, but I'm not sure." Kenobi replied truthfully. "I'm not a very good judge of her moods, but I'd say she was upset."

"I thought you were...intimate with this woman," Windu said, an eyebrow raised.

Kenobi went bright red. "Uh, well, with Kavii," he explained. "Chikara is someone altogether different."

"Chikara?" interrupted another of the Masters. "Who is Chikara? I thought we were battling `Kavie'."

"Kavii," Kenobi automatically corrected. "And Kavii was the woman that Chikara is, uh, inhabiting."

"How do you know that she is Chikara?" the Master continued.

"It is a name that the Bakkamiru identified the being by," Qui-Gon clarified.

"Speaking of that," Windu broke in, turning to Yoda, "How did your research go, Master Yoda?"

"Found I did something useful," Yoda said, slowly. "But easy it will not be. It needs at least fifteen Master Jedi."

"Fifteen masters?!" the entire assembly cried out simultaneously.

"To be safe, more must be used. At least fifteen." Yoda corrected. "Know not if this will work. But it is our only hope."

"One question," asked Qui-Gon in the silence that followed, "How exactly will we lure Chikara to us? Or keep her distracted long enough to over-power her?"

The Council had no immediate ideas. They looked at each other, thinking through the problem, but it was Kenobi that spoke first.

"Leave that to me," he said quietly. "I can bring her here."

Qui-Gon nodded.

"Obi-wan, you must leave," Windu said suddenly. "I have another plan to over-power her, and you must not know of it. We don't want her finding out by mind-probe."

Kenobi nodded, bowed, and took his leave.

He sat cross-legged in the middle of the Jedi Council room. It was empty, the Council having left. Kenobi took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He began to reflect on the Force, and let his mind wander to Kavii. He let himself remember all the good times they had shared, and the deep hurt he had felt when he thought that she was dead. He concentrated so hard on her face he could that he could see her, that she was standing just before him. He opened his eyes. The Council room was still empty. He closed his eyes again, and this time, thought a message.

Kavii, he thought, using the Force to send the message out. He repeated her name over and over, putting all the happy feelings he could muster into the message.

"Ben," said a voice, up above him. He opened his eyes and looked up. Kavii/Chikara was standing over him, smiling wistfully. He stood up.

"I knew it," she said, in a hushed whisper. "I knew..." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, completely absorbed and not noticing Mace Windu standing in the shadows.

The Jedi crept up, so stealthily that Kenobi didn't even know he was approaching. He whipped out a small device from his sleeve. Chikara whirled around, but Windu had caught her off guard and she was distracted enough that he was able to put the small tiara-like device on her head before she could make a move against him.

She screamed, and struggled to get it off, but she couldn't. She was rapidly losing all her strength, and collapsed on the floor.

"What was that?" Kenobi cried, horrified at Chikara, who lay curled up on the floor in the fetal position, twitching.

"It's a mental disrupter. Interrupts non-automatic brain functions," Windu replied non-chalantly. "It'll stop her from fighting back while we extract the Force being from Kavii."

"Is it hurting her?" Kenobi asked, looking concerned. Windu shot him a look.

"For what it's worth, no. It isn't." The Jedi Master swept out, robes swirling, ready to call in the other Masters.

The fifteen Jedi stood in a circle around Kavii, whom they had stretched out in the center of the Council room. There wasn't enough room for the borrowed Jedi Masters to sit, so they all stood out of respect.

"This not easy will be," Yoda announced to the circle. "Requires much concentration it does." He turned to Mace Windu, who held a small device in his hands. "How is Kavii doing?"

"Her brain scans are within tolerance levels for a Kintari," Windu said, checking the small scanner.

"Are you sure that device will not hurt her?" asked Kenobi, standing between Qui-Gon and the long-necked Master, Yarael Poof.

"I'm sure, Apprentice," Mace Windu replied curtly, adjusting a few commands on the device.

Chikara's eyelids flickered and she moaned. The entire assembly suddenly fixated on her.

"She shouldn't be doing that," Qui-Gon said, some what unnecessarily.

"No, she shouldn't." Windu agreed. He checked the device again. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "This isn't right..."

"What? What isn't right?" Kenobi broke ranks to look over Windu's shoulder.

"Obi-wan!" Qui-Gon admonished, but his apprentice didn't seem to hear him.

"The readings are increasing, somehow--" Kenobi frowned, and looked over at the prone body of Chikara as if it would provide answers, "as if her brain waves are increasing."

"That's impossible," Windu replied. Feeling out of options, he smacked the device on the side. The readings didn't change.

Kenobi watched her, a feeling of dread forming. She was moving around more, now, groaning and shaking her head. "She's drawing on the Force," he said softly. Windu's head whipped up from the device to stare at the apprentice.

"What did you say?"

"She's drawing on the Force, using it to short out the device!" Kenobi said, more sure of it now. Pieces began to fall into place. "Kavii couldn't take the strain of all that power--she filtered it out!" he continued, remembering what Chikara had told him.

"What does that have to do with anything?" demanded Mimeir.

"Because it means it'll kill Kavii if Chikara draws on too much power. Kavii's mind won't be able to handle it, and there will be nothing of her left to save!" the apprentice realised it as he said it, and grew more and more horrified. "You've got to stop the device!"

"We can't!" Windu snapped. "Then we'll have lost our chance."

"If Kavii's dead--" Kenobi began but the elder Jedi cut him off.

"Kavii isn't just what's at stake here, Apprentice. We're talking about destroying a creature that wiped out an entire species, not just your girlfriend!"

Kenobi was taken aback by the comment and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. He took a step backwards and bowed his head.

Windu adjusted the controls, giving the disruption field greater strength and intensity. Chikara's movements lessened, and finally her head lolled to the side.

"We can begin," Windu said, addressing Yoda and the rest of the Jedi.

Yoda began to speak, but he was cut off by one of the others.

"Look!" cried a Master from inside the circle, named Depa Billaba. "The device!"

The headpiece of the distrupter was beginning to fizzle, and smoke was curling in thin tendrils from it.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Qui-Gon said quietly. The device, with a pop and a hiss, vaporised completely.

Kavii slowly sat up, drawing herself up carefully. She stood on shaky, unsteady legs and faced Mace Windu, who was very slowly going for his lightsaber.

"I have tried," she said slowly, her voice sounding strange and distant, "I have tried very, very patiently to get along with you, and tried to agree with your backward ideas. But this," her voice developed into a snarl, "this is just plain rude."

The Force blast that erupted was unlike any that Kenobi had ever experienced or heard of, even with his own dealings with the Bakkamiru. It felt like a blazing fire, combined with the abrasion of a sand storm. He felt like he was being flayed alive. He fell to his knees, instinctively trying to shelter himself from the non-existent storm.

The feeling gradually ceased, and he opened his eyes. All around the circle, the group was getting to their feet, all looking wearied and unsteady. Chikara was nowhere to be seen.

"Look out there--" some one said, and they all looked to the windows. The sun, which had been setting, was growing larger, and red.

"She's aging the sun," Qui-Gon said, his voice a hush at the sheer audacity of what the being was doing.

"That's--" Windu trailed off, knowing by now that the phrase "that's impossible" and Chikara went together like oil and water.

"Why would she do such a thing?" asked Mimeir in a awed tone.

"Because she can," was the only reply Qui-Gon could give.

Kenobi stared out, completely stunned. So now Chikara had declared a death sentence on Coruscant, and all its billions of inhabitants? Because she could? Just to prove something? Or to right a wrong she only imagined?

Kenobi made a split decision, and left the Council room, without telling Qui-Gon or the others. They were too fixated on the sun to notice him leave at any rate. But he knew that what needed to be done could only be done by him.

The assembly chamber was built to house many Jedi, but now it held only one person. Chikara sat in the center, meditating, when Kenobi walked in through the doors.

"So, there you are," she said, not turning around to face him. "Going to apologise?"

"No, I'm not," he said bluntly. "I've come to ask you to stop the sun."

She turned her head, her eyes blazing. "You've come to ask me?! After what you did?"

Kenobi took a deep breath. "I was only doing what I thought was best for the Republic."

"No, you were doing what the Jedi think is best for the Republic. They claim to be the spiritual leaders of the galaxy, and their minds are more closed than a Mankei's when you force it to drink!"

Kenobi started to say something, but his mouth went dry. "What... what did you say?"

"I said, their minds are more closed than a Mankei's when you force it to drink!" Chikara exclaimed. She noticed Kenobi's saddened expression and his quickly paling complexion.

"You learned that from Kavii, didn't you?" he whispered. "That's what she would have said."

Chikara regarded him for a second, her gaze softening. "Ben... oh, Ben, I'm sorry for all that I've put you through..."

He walked to the center of the circle, and she stood up, and put her arms around him.

"I am Kavii, Ben," she whispered, "she's not gone. She never will be, while I'm here. I saved her, Ben, when she died, on the mountain side. I took her in, and she took me in. She let me see things on this level, on the small scale, rather than the whole, how I have always seen things. And I helped her with her problems. I'm sorry for all the confusion, Ben. I'm sorry, but it had to be this way."

"Can't you bring her back?" he asked, in a soft voice. "Can't you both be here?"

"No," she replied, resting her forehead on his shoulder and he in turn rested his cheek on her head. "No, there can be only one. It is the way things are, and I'm sorry for it. Believe me, I am."

"The sun is shrinking," one of the Masters reported, pointing at the window happily. "Whatever your apprentice is doing, Qui-Gon, it seems to be working."

"What?" Qui-Gon whirled around from his conversation with Mace Windu, and scanned the room. Kenobi was, indeed gone.

"Didn't you know he left?" asked the Master, frowning. "I noticed him leaving, I'm assuming it was something to do with the Force being...or the sun..."

"What has he done?" Qui-Gon whispered, when Yoda gently tapped his leg with his cane. The Master looked down.

"Occupied, her attention is. Now, we must work." He raised his voice to address the entire council room. "Jedi, it is now!"

Yoda calmed himself, and reached out with the Force. The Force being he could sense, along with the young Obi-wan, in the assembly room. When he found them, he gradually began drawing the Force from her, siphoning it away, slowly, so that she would not notice.

"Ben," she asked, still resting on his shoulder, "Do you...have you reconsidered? My offer? It still stands, you know."

Mace Windu closed his eyes and reached out with the Force, trying to find Chikara. It was like finding a bright light in a dark room, he had no problem locating it. Now, as Master Yoda had instructed him, he began to draw off the Force from the being, very slowly, and cautiously. He didn't want to alert the her, to warn her of their plan.

"I know it does," he replied, eyes closed. "I don't know, I just don't know." He hugged her tighter.

Qui-Gon Jinn reached out, trying to find his apprentice. As he had thought, as apparently everyone else had thought, he was with Chikara. For a moment, the Master froze, wondering with horror if his apprentice had given himself up to the being, like he had thought of doing. Qui-Gon sincerely hoped not. He didn't know what he would do without Obi-wan--the young man had been with him for so long--he only wanted what was best for him, after all--that's all this ever was--Qui-Gon quelled the thoughts and the anxieties that fluttered beneath his calm exterior, and concentrated on his task: he began to draw off power from Kavii--Chikara--

"I'm sorry for everything, as well," Kenobi continued. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know," Chikara said, with a sigh of contentment. She closed her eyes, and smiled softly.

"I'm sorry," Kenobi repeated.

Master Mimeir held no sentimental illusions about her. He knew that she was a powerful, powerful, temperamental being, and that she had already proven herself dangerous. And yet, something deep down in his brain told him the stories of the Great Mim Mother, the spirit of his planet, the soul of his people. Chikara had avenged the spirits of the Song Bird, cut down as they attempted to help their foes. He had not known Captain Mimia, or even any of the crew; but he felt happier knowing that they had left this plane contented. He still knew, and did, his duty to the Republic, and to the galaxy, and joined with the others to draw off even more power from the Force being.

"I feel like this could last forever," Chikara said, her voice content. She also sounded a little tired, as if she was weary from all that had happened that day. "I wish I could make it last forever..."

Kenobi hugged her tighter, for one last moment, and slid his hand towards his lightsaber. "I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear, as he held it out and ignited it.

Plo Koon did his duty. He drew the Force from the being, as did Depa Billaba, the Jedi who had first noticed the malfunctioning disruptor. Eeth Kath did his duty, as well as Yarael Poof. These Jedi strengthened the flow of the Force from the being, drawing it out from its mortal shell. Adi Gallia did her part. Oppo Rancisis helped her. Another who joined was Even Piell, as well as the small--but--powerful Yaddle. Saesee Tinn joined, and Ki-Adi-Mundi added his determination to the circle. As did Kin, Master and father to the Knight Kin who was killed during the battle on the Wonwonyeh. It was complete.

"Ben!" she yelled, her voice weak and strange. She pushed herself away from him, and collapsed. "Ben!" she whimpered. He stood by her, lightsaber humming softly.

"I'm sorry, Chikara," he said, gently. "I have to do this."

"No," she said, trying to get to her feet, but her strength was fading and she slumped to the ground, curled into a ball. Her aura was disappearing, the shimmering fading softly. "What's happening?" she cried, very weakly. "I can't use my power...I'm being taken out...no!" She tried to reach for him, and managed to reach his ankle, tugging at it weakly. "No, Ben, they're clearing me..stop it, please..."

"I will," he said, softly, bringing up the lightsaber, and taking a deep breath. He brought the lightsaber down.

The Jedi all took deep breaths and opened their eyes.

"It is done," said Yoda, and they all nodded. They were tired, but triumphant. The being had been freed, back out into the universe.

Kenobi took a step back, feeling as if his heart was going to burst. He had done it, he had killed Chikara, but he felt as though he had killed himself instead. He held his head in his hands, the lightsaber clattering to the ground. It turned off automatically as he let go, the room becoming utterly dark, with only a few soft shadows filtering in. His knees gave out and he fell to the floor with a thud, but he barely registered it.

Shaking, he crawled to Chikara's body. He took her hand, and squeezed it, a gesture of sorrow that he hoped would reach her, where ever she was now. He was sorry, more than he could ever express, and he hoped she knew that.

"Ben..." someone whispered. He looked up, but the voice was coming from below him. From the body.

"Ben..." she whispered again. He looked at her, horrified and elated at the same time. "Ben, what happened? I...I..."

"Kavii," he said, his voice choked.

"Ben..?" she asked, confused. There was a cough. "Where are you?"

"I'm here," he said, quietly, shifting over to her. He stroked back the hair from her head.

"I must have blacked out," she said, softly, "I can't remember--what's happened?"

"Too much," he replied. She coughed again. He noticed the blood that filled her mouth, and a dread seized him. He had struck to kill Chikara. And instead...

"Ben...?" she cried, her voice weak. "I can't see you in the dark...it's too dark in here..."

"I'm still here," he said, still soft. Gently, so very gently, he picked her picked her up, cradling her head and upper torso in his arms. He could feel her blood seeping through his clothes.

"I--" she stuttered, coughing again, blood oozing, trickling down her chin and cheek. He wiped it off as tenderly as he could.

"You're dying," he said, his voice a low hush.

She smiled--smiled!--and looked up at him. "I was dead to begin with, remember?"

He laughed shakily, sniffling, wiping away more blood. He used a Jedi technique to try and ease her pain, but he knew, as well as she did, that there was no true point.

"What...is happening to you?" she asked, suddenly, reaching up to touch his cheek. "Are you bleeding, Ben?"

"No," he replied, closing his briefly. "No, they're tears. We cry them when we're upset."

"How...odd." She smiled. "You are so odd, Obi-wan Kenobi. But I love you anyways."

"I love you too, Kavii," he said, his voice threatening to break. She smiled again, but her eyes flickered, and closed. His breath and heart stopped.

"Kavii?" he whispered, feeling for a pulse, but he couldn't find one. He reached out with the Force. It had always felt the bright light that was Kavii before, but now, there was nothing. He lifted her up, hugged her tightly to him, buried his face in her rainbow hair, and cried.

Obi-wan Kenobi stood at the glass walkway and stared out at the endless line of buildings, skyscrapers in the truest sense, carving the horizon into a jagged line. The sun was just rising, the light spreading over the roof tops like a honey coating.

Sighing, he leaned against the glass, his forehead resting on it. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, but it was too difficult.

"Obi-wan," called a voice behind him. His eyes opening, he turned to face Qui-Gon.

"The ship is ready, Obi-wan," Qui-Gon said gently. There was a pause, and the Master actually looked uncomfortable.

"Is there something you want to say, Master?" Kenobi asked, his voice dull and tired.

"Obi-wan," Qui-Gon began, placing a hand on his apprentice's shoulder, "if you do not want me to come with you to Kintar, I'll understand."

"No, Master, you must come." Kenobi said, surprised at the question. "I want you there. Kavii would want you there. She had only the highest respect for you."

Qui-Gon smiled ruefully. "She didn't like me."

"Chikara didn't like you," Kenobi corrected. "Your arguments were with Chikara." He smiled back. "And I know that Kavii was the kind to forgive and forget."

"Then let us go, Apprentice," Qui-Gon said, nodding solemnly. "I would not want to dishonour Kavii's memory."

The forest gave way to the cliff's edge, spreading before the two Jedi a panorama of mountains, a glowing volcano and a glorious valley, filled with lush trees of every shade of green ever possible. On the breeze floated a gentle trace of mint. Kenobi opened the container he carried, an intricately carved box made of silver. As soon as the lid was off, he used the Force to scatter the fine ash through out the valley below.

A bird , somewhere in the trees, cried kav-ii--ii-ii, before flying off out into the distance.

The ship's crew were silent and respectful of the two grieving Jedi, and gave them a wide berth, never intruding on their privacy. Kenobi spent all the time he could in the observation lounge while the ship remained in orbit, taking on cargo.

Qui-Gon found him there, sitting at a table. The Master drew up a chair. "May I sit here?" he asked quietly. Kenobi nodded, and shifted over.

"I talked to the High Council today," Qui-Gon said, awkwardly trying to begin a conversation, trying to bring his apprentice back to the world around him. "They analyzed the chip that you brought back. They are not sure how it works exactly, something about atom spacing, but when implanted in the brain, it can make the user intangible at will."

"Chikara knew," Kenobi said suddenly. "She knew how it worked."

"Obi-wan--" Qui-Gon began, but the younger man cut him off. "I should have asked her. I was so caught up with Kavii that I never realised she had changed. I could have brought Chikara to our side, instead of forcing her out."

"You can't blame yourself, Obi-wan!"Qui-Gon exclaimed.

"You were right," Kenobi continued sadly. "I was too close to see it. I was too involved. I wasn't objective enough."

"Obi-wan, it's not your fault. I only said that--"

"No, you were right," Obi-wan interrupted. "I wish I could have seen that. I'll always be objective, from now on. I'll always listen to you. I will."

Deciding that nothing in this line of topic was going to help his apprentice, Qui-Gon changed tracks.

"I got a call from the Senate, today. They are thinking of sending a Jedi negotiator for a dispute. Perhaps you would like to join me? If so, we can leave as soon as the ship breaks orbit. I have already talked to the captain, she can drop us off at Naboo before heading to Coruscant."

Kenobi nodded slowly, then turned to face the curve of the planet once again. Qui-Gon nodded to himself, and got up from the table, leaving his apprentice to himself.

The End