~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
//Focus, Obi-Wan.// he said to himself for the hundredth time. He continued to pack the supply bag and tried to ignore Sari who was staring intently at him from the bed.
//If she only knew what she does to me with those eyes!// He knew that if he didn't focus on the bag, they might never make it out of the hotel room.
Like Anakin had said, they may be Jedi, but they were also still human, and right now Obi-Wan was feeling more human than he ever had before.
Sari chuckled in amusement as she watched Obi-Wan check the bag, double-check, and then double-check it yet again. Was he nervous?, she wondered. She didn't think Jedi were ever nervous about anything. She continued to sit and admire him from her comfortable place on the big white bed. She wasn't sure if it was due to the remaining influence of the fruit or just her natural powerful attraction to him, but she studied his every move and detail of his strong lean form. He caught her looking out of the corner of his eye, and she saw his face blush red.
"I... I just want to be completely prepared. I'm not quite sure what we'll run into."
He was certain she probably thought him a bit daft, but he couldn't worry about that right now. He was always one to be safe instead of sorry. Being prepared for the unexpected was a typical Jedi trait, but he was taking it to new extremes.
It wasn't all because of the suggestively inviting way she was lounging on the bed that made him behave this way. A short time before, a distant sense of imminent danger had come upon him, and unlike before, this time he would listen to the Force and stay alert.
"Maybe you should stay--"
"Not a chance!" she interrupted before he could even finish his sentence. Then she jumped up to face him. "I'm going, and that's final!"
Obi-Wan held up his hands in self defense. "Okay! Okay! I only want you to be safe."
At his admission of concern, she softened a little. "I know, and I appreciate your concern, but you know how I feel about these kids." She lowered her eyes and then lifted them up to his as she ran her hand slowly up his chest and over his shoulder. //Wow! Does he feel good or what!// she asked herself, still fighting off the amora's effects. He breathed in a quick breath, hastily activated a Jedi calming technique, and then gently grabbed her hand.
"Are you... ready... to go?" he asked with some degree of difficulty. Sari offered a tiny nod and a very large sigh before turning to grab her bag.
Inside was one of the blasters Obi-Wan had procured on the flight to Ankara. The thought that she might have to use it, sobered her in a hurry. The children were all that mattered right now.
Obi-Wan would get his later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Obi-Wan and Sari made their way through the dark and surprisingly deserted streets of the city, they continued to go over all of the parts to their plan. Sari wanted to be sure she knew exactly what to do once the action started. Even after traveling for twenty or more minutes, they still had not encountered a single soul. Of course it was getting late into the night, but even cafes and night clubs appeared to be closed down.
"What's going on around here?" Sari asked her companion. "It's kind of creepy!"
Just then, as if from out of nowhere, an old man, apparently accustomed to life on the streets, appeared on a street corner. Unable to resist, Sari had to ask.
"Excuse me," she said. The man turned to face her, as surprised to see someone as they were. "Could you tell me where everyone is? Why is it so deserted?"
For a moment, the man looked at her as if she was simply teasing him. When he realized she was serious, he burst out with laughter. Sari felt embarrassed and cast a sideways glance at Obi-Wan. By the look on his face, he didn't get the joke either.
"You're kidding, right?" the man finally managed to say. They both shook their heads 'no', and the man laughed again, holding his side from the pain. "Everyone is INSIDE...... It IS 'bonding' night, you know!"
"Oh!" Sari replied, suddenly realizing the implications. //Sorry I asked!// she said to herself. The man crossed the street, his uproarious laughter still sounding a block away.
Obi-Wan was the first to speak.
"This might work in our favor," he said seriously. Sari looked at him like he was nuts.
"Whatever you say. I'm just following your lead, Jedi." He grinned at her, then grabbed her hand and started walking again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"That's the place over there." Obi-Wan had stopped across from a large warehouse that looked like it hadn't seen active duty for quite some time. From their spot, they were safely hidden from view of the four guards monitoring the front entrance.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and focused the Force in a search for the presence of twenty little minds.
"They're in there all right." However, he didn't want to tell Sari that he sensed their fear and despair or that he could also sense the malicious intent of the others inside. He would have to act quickly because the Force was telling him they didn't have much time.
"Let's check the back door," he suggested. Carefully, they made their way around the warehouse and found only two guards stationed at the back. Despite the apparent advantage of less men, Obi-Wan and Sari also had the benefit of being perched atop a slight hill looking down at the entrance.
"Wait here. I'll be right back," he said as he unclipped his light saber and stood to go. Sari grabbed the edge of his tunic and he turned back to determine the problem.
"Be careful," she whispered with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "I don't want to be a widow before I'm even a wife!"
He chuckled and then leaned down to kiss her once more before taking off. "I'll be careful. I promise." Then Obi-Wan spun around and faded into the shadow of night.
The brisk night air began to chill Sari to the bone, so she snuggled deeply into his cloak for warmth. All sorts of thoughts began to swim around in her mind. She remembered the first time she had seen Obi-Wan. Even though it had only been a matter of days, she felt like they had always known each other--- like he was a part of her.
He had strode confidently into the lobby, his black cape swishing behind him as he moved gracefully towards her. Then he had pulled back his hood revealing his handsome, yet gentle face. Instantly she had been attracted to him, but when he spoke to her for the first time, that smooth, melodious voice had immediately intoxicated her heart and forever sealed his name there.
Next her thoughts wandered to a replay of every single one of their kisses, so vivid that she could almost still feel the touch of his lips on hers, the gentleness of his hands, the warmth of his body, the clean, masculine scent of him whenever he was close by. Never had a man made her lose control of all of her senses like Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"Ahhh....," she sighed in satisfaction. The way she felt about him was exhilarating. However, eventually she realized that he would have to leave for Coruscant sooner or later--- even if they were bonded now. He would probably want to get a speedy annulment as soon as the mission was over. She thought that he perhaps had deeper feelings for her, but his vow as a Jedi would no doubt be stronger than his vows to her. That had just been an act---- right?
Like a wet blanket, reality stuck its head in where it wasn't wanted--- AGAIN. Suddenly, she felt embarrassed and ashamed at how close she had come to... 'giving in' to her pleasure-driven 'id' on the transport and in the hotel room. If it hadn't been for the warning bell and the refresher door, who knew what she might have done?!........... //Oh, you know!// Sari admitted to herself. //You know!//
The loud burst of a blaster jerked Sari out of her moment of inner reflection. Her whole body jumped as another shot sounded immediately. Peering out from her hiding place, she saw Obi-Wan as he easily deflected yet another blast before striking down the two guards. The sizzle of his saber sent a shiver down her spine. Obi-Wan would only kill in defense, but still...... the loss of a life ripped at her heart. Unconsciously, she moved her hand to the blaster at her side. Would she be able to use it if push came to shove? She would cross that bridge when she came to it.
Obi-Wan signaled for her to join him, so she raised the hood back over her head and walked down to meet the Jedi. He caught the pained look that crossed Sari's face as she tip-toed around the fallen men.
"I had no other choice," Obi tried to assure her as well as himself. Ending anther life had never been something he took lightly.
"I know," she replied knowingly. "I'm just not used to this kind of thing."
Obi-Wan knew it wouldn't be too long before the men in front figured out that their cohorts were not manning their post. He was first to enter the dark warehouse. Using the Force, he could tell that no one else was close by, but he definitely felt several others elsewhere in the building besides the children.
Terror was slowly working its way into Sari's mind as the seriousness of the situation suddenly dawned on her.
"Explain to me again why we didn't just meet with these guys face to face and buy the kids back like we were slavers?--- without all of this sneaking around." She kept looking over her shoulder waiting to be captured at any moment. Obi-Wan, sensing her fear, held her hand tightly as he continued on.
"For one, I only needed to find out where they were keeping the children. I never intended to meet with the kidnappers again. Plus...." He paused for a moment.
"Plus, what?" she asked.
"Plus, I don't have any more money left," he admitted sheepishly.
"Well then, the back door will have to do!"
They continued down a dimly lit corridor until he stopped in front of a large metal door.
"There. The children are in there," he stated confidently. Sari placed her hand on the door as if it were fragile.
"Are you sure?" she asked, already knowing the answer. "How do we get in?" Frantically, she began searching for some way to get inside. Obi-Wan carefully moved her aside.
"Here. Allow me." He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then waved his hand across the door. Sari's eyes widened in amazement as she heard a lock click. Obi-Wan gently touched the door and it easily swung open. The room was dark and cold, and Sari couldn't see a thing. But then she heard a sniffle..... then a few whispers. Obi-Wan pulled the door almost shut behind them as they stepped inside. Quickly, he found a light switch and flipped it.
Sari gasped when the light revealed the frightened faces of her young students huddled together in the corner of the room. Slowly, the children's eyes became accustomed to the light and they recognized their teacher.
"Miss Zendar?" Aido, the Rodian boy, asked.
"Yes! It's me!" Sari nodded her head vigorously and tears began to fill her eyes. Several of the children jumped up and ran to hug her, and she squeezed them so tightly, not ever wanting to let them go again.
"Jedi Kenobi and I are going to get you out of here." Soon, they were all huddled around their teacher, many sobbing out of relief, fear, happiness.
Obi-Wan watched in awe. She was such an amazing woman, capable of so much love for every single one of the children entrusted to her. And she took that responsibility seriously, which was something he admired. He counted himself lucky to simply know her.
"Sari," he called. She glanced up at him, wiping her eyes as she stood. He pulled her aside and began to whisper.
"I'm going to see if our route is still clear before we start moving them. You need to explain the plan to them and emphasize how important it is that they stay with us and keep quiet. All right?" She nodded in agreement, and in that instant something passed between them. They were a true team.... forever linked to one another no matter what else happened. Obi-Wan grabbed her hand and placed a chivalrous kiss there before he turned and left the room.
Sari quietly pulled the door back after he had left, then began the task of preparing the students for this life or death lesson.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two men walked casually down the corridor, discussing how they would spend their share of the profits from the latest delivery.
"Well, I heard Perrin earlier talkin' to the big boss, and we might not sell this batch after all. If this guy that Deek supposedly set up doesn't show in few hours, we're going to have to get rid of them some other way-- if you catch my meaning."
The second man stopped and stared at his partner. "Do you really think we'll have to..... kill them?" He liked the income his career afforded him, but he had never quite gotten used to the ugliness that was sometimes involved.
"You're kiddin', right?" the first man asked. "It's not like you'd be killing a real person or anything like that. These kids aren't human."
The second man looked away in contemplation, but didn't want to appear weak in front of his colleague, and quickly replied. "I know.... I know." The two continued down the hall and around corners until they reached their destination.
"I'm just going to check the lock and then we're done for the night," the second man stated as he laid his hand on the large metal door in front of him. It moved as soon as his hand touched it, and the man jerked back in surprise. Then he noticed a light from inside the room and glanced back at his friend without muttering a word. Slowly, he pushed the door open and was shocked to see an unexpected hooded figure bent down in the middle of the captive children.
"What the--?" the first man said loudly as he entered behind the other.
At the sound of his voice, the children and the intruder glanced up from their places across the room. A few of them screamed and some began to cry.
"Miss Zendar, what'll we do?!"
The second man's eyes widened in absolute shock as the figure stood and pulled back the hood revealing a face he thought he'd never see again.
"Sari?" he asked in disbelief.
"Hello, Jake," she stated flatly as her hand, concealed under Obi-Wan's borrowed cloak, moved to the blaster she had hoped to never use.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Obi-Wan Kenobi had reached the back entrance several minutes later and found it was still unguarded. The guards he had taken care of earlier remained motionless on the ground outside and no others could be heard. He stepped outside and took a few more minutes to survey their escape route. It was going to come in handy that no one was out tonight to witness their escape. He smiled as he remembered telling Sari that bonding night might work in their favor.
//Maybe this is going to be an easy rescue after all,// he thought to himself as he took one last look around. Just then he sensed a shot of sudden terror coming from the children and Sari. Something was wrong.
He took off at a dead run back through the warehouse. //I HAVE to make it to them in time!// he kept telling himself. He would not let himself think of any other option.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sari? How did you--? I thought you were--"
"Dead?" she answered for him. Never had she hated someone... until Jaik Rafe.
Obi-Wan would probably say her feelings were bordering on the dark side, but right now she didn't care. She just wanted to keep the children from being hurt, and if that called for her to blow Jaik's head off, then so be it.
Her finger lightly brushed the trigger of the blaster as she stood steadfast, staring Jaik down.
"Well, I'm not dead, and I'm here to take the kids back home."
Jaik was still speechless, so his partner spoke.... or rather laughed first.
"Yeah, lady! You and what army? You're not takin' these kids anywhere, sweetheart." Then he lifted his own blaster and aimed it at Sari amid twenty gasps coming from the floor.
"No!" Jaik yelled as he pushed the man's blaster toward the floor and away from the young teacher. "I'll take care of this. Go and get more help." At first, the man was uncertain if he should leave, but another "Go on!" from Jaik convinced him it was okay.
The children had all scooted behind Sari and were unsure of what to expect next. This man they had all once trusted was now an enemy and threatening the one person that could save them. All they could do was watch, frozen in terror.
"Sari, you shouldn't have come here," Jaik said as he began to approach her while keeping his blaster ready at his side. Sari's eyes kept moving from his face to his blaster and back again, wondering how this was all going to play out.
"Although, I am glad to see you're still alive. I didn't really mean to shoot you, you know. You just left me no choice."
"No choice?" Sari asked, trying to contain her temper at his impertinence. "You've had a choice since day one, Jaik. You just made the wrong one."
A brief look of regret flashed across his face, and he raised his blaster and pointed it straight at her. "I really like you, Sari. In any other circumstance, you're a woman I could see myself with. But now, you're just getting in the way of things." He paused for a moment and then continued. "How did you get here anyway?"
Sari chuckled nervously. "I walked." She was amazed at her own reckless courage in the face of danger.
Jaik chuckled too, but quickly composed himself. "Yeah, well, I'm going to have to figure out what to do with you now."
Sari was on the verge of pulling out her blaster when Jaik's partner returned with several others in tow. Realizing she was outnumbered for the time being, she gave up the notion of blasting Jaik into oblivion and started thinking about how to stay alive.
A very tall and militaristic man entered the room with a look of complete arrogance on his face. Sari could tell he was someone of importance by the way he carried himself and by the way the other men seemed to defer to him.
"Well, well, well," he began, studying Sari closely. "What have we here? An intruder, and a very pretty one at that, I might say." He had walked to within inches of her, and she could smell his potent cologne. The few hairs he had left on his head were neatly groomed and his long hooked nose reminded her of a common predatory bird back on Teemar. The cold look in his eyes gave her chills up and down her spine.
"How did you manage to find us, my dear? And surely you are not alone. Where are the others you came with?" He called back an order over his shoulder.
"Kreeg, go check the back entrance."
Sari remained silent and the man became irritated quickly. "I believe I asked you a question, and I do expect an answer. Where are the others?"
"There are no others," she finally answered as firmly as she could without giving away how scared she actually felt.
"Don't play games with me, girl. Well, no matter. Kreeg will find them soon enough and this little rescue attempt will be put to rest."
Sari's humanity refused to be squelched by fear. "What you're doing with these children is wrong! They're not animals or objects..... they're people just like you.... well, not exactly like YOU," she added. "You can't just sell them like property!"
The man, Perrin, slowly nodded his head as he held his chin in his hand. "You know, you're right. I can't just sell them like property." Sari held her chin up, proud of her apparent accomplishment of reason. "No, I can't sell them.... so I'm just going to have to kill them."
"What?!" Sari screamed, wanting to believe this was all just a dream.
"Yes, men, kill them---- and her. Then ready our ship to leave within the hour. I've had enough of Melkior to last me for quite some time."