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Treachery At Kalla
By Allykat
Chapter Two: Assignments

Kahana ceased pascing when the door to the chamber slid open and Sa'awni walked out, her blue features calm and schooled and her emotions locked down. Kahana joined her and sighed loudly. That earned her a stern look.

"You must learn to calm your anxieties, Padawan," the Jedi Mistress said in a level tone as the two Jedi entered the lift tube. It started smoothly down to the sleeping quarters on the lower levels. Chastised, Kahana studied the tip of her boots for a moment.

"I am sorry, Mistress, and I will be more aware," Kahana finally said and looked up. "Master Yoda is wise, but why is he sending us on this mission? You are estranged from your people and you said they will resent your presence. The negotiations could be jeopardized."

"Master Yoda often sees a larger picture that remains hidden to most of us--even the most powerful--and I cannot help but feel that we will surve a purpose more important than the spice dispute. I have learned to trust his judgement and in time so shall you." A slight smile tugged the lips of the Jedi and she laid a hand on Kahana's shoulders. "Try not to fidget next time we're in the council room, hmm?"

"Yes mistress," Kahana dutifully intoned and knew by the Twi'lek's raised brow expression that she was not convinced.

On a lower level of the temple the lift tube stopped. They stepped out into a busy corridor populated mostly by those employed to manage and maintain the immense Jedi temple. Kahana sensed a sudden uncomfortable ripple in the Force. She stumbled, then halted. Sibilant voices whispered to her, the meaning of their message just beyond her kin, trembling at the edge of madness. Ghostly cold tendrils touched her mind, wrapping around her thoughts seeking to steal them. Chills traveled up and down her back and for the first time in her young life, she felt the foreign nip of fear at the fringes of her consciousness.

"What? What did you say?" she whispered, looked around at the empty hall then toward her mistress's retreating back. Had not her mistress felt it? Had she heard it? It seemed she had not.

"Is there something wrong?" Sa'awni asked, stopped and waited for Kahana to catch up.

Kahana frowned and shook her head. She couldn't explain what she just heard and felt, not unless she wanted to sound like a fool. She realized then that the feeling wasn't entirely foreign. She felt it whenever she was in Galactic City, but not as strong as she had now. It was something evil lurking in swirling blackness of the dark side of the Force. Almost as if it were... waiting. But for what? Or whom, Kahana thought.

"No, it was nothing," Kahana lied. Sa'awni wasn't fooled but Kahana was relieved when her mistress didn't seemed inclined to persue the matter. The Twi'lek nodded once then continued down the hall.

Calming herself with a few rudimentary Jedi techniques she had learned from Sa'awni, Kahana ran a hand through her spiky, black hair and followed behind her mistress. In the human Padawan style, Kahana's hair was cut short except for a single long braid falling over her right shoulder. At seventeen years of age she was tall for a human female, slender and agile. She wore the usual sandy-colored tunic, pants and knee high brown boots. The lightsaber she had made hung at her waist from a utility belt. Like all apprentices, she had been raised from an infant at the Jedi temple.

Sa'awni was the closest thing to a parent that she had, except for perhaps Master Yoda and Master Windu; their faces peering down at her were her earliest memories. In fact, Master Yoda had named her and in his language Kahana Mato-an meant Bright Fire. Throughout her training he had kept a close watch over her. Yoda said the Force burned bright and strong in her, and that one day she would become a powerful Jedi.

Right now Kahana didn't feel very powerful. Confusion over many things would describe her current state of mind. She shoved the strange voices away and tried to focus on exactly what she and Sa'awni were to accomplish on Kalla. She knew of the heated debate in the Senate over the Corporate Sector Authority's occupation of Ryloth, the native planet of the Twi'leks. The center of the problem was the smuggling of the addictive ryll spice to CSA controlled planets. Since the CSA couldn't prevent the consumption of the spice, they sought instead to regulate it by slapping large import taxes and penalties on both the shippers and the Twi'lek.

The Twi'leks claimed they had no control over the spice once it left their ports. The Trianii, a race subjugated by the CSA, sided with the Twi'leks. Oddly, it was the CSA president who had asked for a Jedi mediator. At least, Kahana thought it odd. The Corporate Sector operated on the edge of the law and usually went out of their way to avoid contact with any type of law enforcement organization.

Kahana almost bumped into her mistress as they arrived at their quarters.

"Kahana?" the Twi'lek Jedi queried.

"I was thinking about Kalla," Kahana admitted. At least this time it wasn't a lie.

Sa'awni nodded, then pressed her hand to a sensor pad mounted on the wall and the door slid open. Their sleeping unit was a simple suite of two bedrooms and a common area furnished with chairs around a table. Luxurious compared to some of the places they had slept in recent months, Kahana observed as she walked in.

Someone had already delivered her meager belongings that she kept in a worn knapsack. A Jedi had no use for possessions. Still, she collected various trinkets and knickknacks from each planet she visited. She didn't know why she collected them; it was a foolish habit. The Padawan carried her bag to the smaller of the two rooms, tossed it on the floor, shrugged off her cloak and immediately headed back out.

"Where are you off to?" Sa'awni asked.

"Exercise room," Kahana answered as she crossed the room. "That flip I did onto the ship's boarding ramp during our escape from Gyndine gave me a hitch in my shoulder. I was going to see if I could work it out."

The Twi'lek nodded. "See that you don't stay out too late. We have an early morning flight to Kalla."

"Yes, mistress," Kahana replied before slipping out the door. Outside in the hall she let a smile of anticipation tug at her lips. Everyone would likely be at dinner so she should have the exercise room to herself.

* * * *

In the cavernous exercise room, Obi-Wan Kenobi squared off with fellow Padawan Jaym Eddin. With practice lightsabers they parried, lunged and somersaulted while they tried to find a way through the other's defenses. Obi-Wan forward rolled, then duck to the side with an upward stroke of his lightsaber and tagged Jaym in the chest.

"Point," Obi-Wan said with a grin.

Jaym shook his head. "I should have blocked that," he said. "Again?" he asked and Obi-Wan nodded.

At the edge of the room, near the door, Qui-Gon Jinn spoke with Master Ki-Adi-Mundi about the rising hostilities between the Ryloth Twi'leks and the Corporate Sector over ryll spice smuggling. Earlier, Obi-Wan had been listening, but preferred to practice with his friend.

Obi-Wan allowed Jaym to force him back, and let Jaym believe he had the upperhand. Ducking a slashing strike, Obi-Wan faked a hasty, frightened retreat to pull Jaym after him, he then executed a backflip that took him behind Jayn, spun and slashed; his lightsaber singed his friend's arm. Jaym leapt back, surprised and rubbed the sore spot on his arm.

"I have to admit you had me there," Jaym said, chagrined and rubbed a light burn spot on his forearm.

"You were getting cocky," Obi-Wan said and chuckled. "Qui-Gon did the same thing to me once and I didn't get just a singe on the arm." He chuckled at Jaym's sheepish expression. :"If you don't straightened up, I'm going to go practice with him." Obi-Wan nodded toward another apprentice at the far end of the practice room.

"Him?" Jaym laughed and deactivated his lightsaber. "Look again." He chuckled. "That him is a her. That's Kahana Mato-An."

"Kahana?" Obi-Wan repeated, watching the slender girl flow through a series of complex fighting forms that included high kicks and combination parries and hand strikes. It was her almost adrogynous appearance that had first thrown him off. "I vaguely remember her."

"She's younger, so she wasn't with our group. Later, I heard she was kept away because it had something to do with how she was found. She trained mostly with Master Yoda's and sometimes Master Windu worked with her, but that's it."

"That's odd," Obi-Wan said. "I remember now, but didn't think anything of it at the time."

"She's Mistress Sa'awni's Padawan now and I heard they're hoping that some of that Jedi's patience will rub off on her." Jaym straightened sharply and cocked his head. "I believe I'm being summoned. My master mentioned that we'd probably be reassigned tonight."

Obi-Wan made a motion to start over toward Kahana but Jaym stopped him with his hand on his arm. "I wouldn't bother," he said, correctly interpreting Obi-Wan's desire to cross lightsabers with her. "She isn't friendly and one of her glares will freeze you faster than a Hoth icestorm." Jaym clapped his friend on the back and hurried out of the room.

Obi-Wan went to stand next to his master and Ki-Adi-Mundi, though he didn't pay attention to their conversation. Kahana had good agility and technique. He noted there were a few minor points she could improve upon, and wished he had the nerve to go over and ask if he could work with her. He'd never been the shy, but he could not work up the courage to go over to her.

"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon shouted in his ear and startled, he jumped.

"Uh, yes, master," he said, embarrassed. He noticed that Ki-Adi-Mundi had left.

"If you had been mindful of the conversation, you would know about our next assignment," Qui-Gon said, a mild reprimand in the tone of his voice.

"Uh, no master. I mean, yes master!" Obi-Wan flushed at the hard stare Qui-Gon leveled first at him then at Kahana. "I could not help but watch her master, she is quite good," Obi-Wan continued."

"Kahana Mato-An," his master replied quietly, almost to himself, a pensive expression in his eyes. "We will be accompanying Sa'awni Chaska and Kahana to a Corporate Sector planet Kalla."

Stuck on a cruiser with the Hoth Princess, Obi-Wan thought to himself, but despite Jaym's warning, it didn't sound like a bad idea. Maybe he could get to know her during the long trip. Qui-Gon caught the gist of his unshielded thoughts and the Padawan inwardly cringed.

"Obi-Wan, it is not our place to pass judgement on other Jedi or Padawans," Qui-Gon said. "Like you Kahana has her own strengths to foster and weaknesses to conquer. Remember that and try not to listen to gossip."

"Yes, master." Reprimanded, Obi-Wan nodded. As they left the room, he took one more look over his shoulder.

And this time he caught her staring at him.

Across the room their gazes met, then held for a long moment. She took a step toward him. He sensed bewilderment and curiosity in her attitude and none of the iciness that Jaym had mentioned.

The moment broke when the door closed between the two of them, and Obi-Wan took a deep breath. This assignment was going to be interesting at the very least.