For Better or Worse-- Chapter 2....
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"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!" Those were the only words Sari could think of as she peered out the viewport of the transport. They had cleared the planetary shields of Coruscant and were descending upon the center of the capital planet. Everywhere she looked stretched mile after mile of towering buildings, and the skies were saturated with so many different types of vehicles, most of which Sari had never seen the likes of ever before. All she had learned about Coruscant in her life was coming true right before her eyes, yet even all of that knowledge hadn't prepared her for the shock of such a place.
After waiting for an open landing pad, the transport finally set down, and all the passengers began departing for their various destinations. As Sari was walking down the exit ramp, she was almost knocked over by a rambunctious Quarren child. The little boy stopped quickly and apologized before taking off again. Sari just chuckled. She understood that children tended to get a bit excited about things at times.
"Oh, how abominable!" The voice came from behind Sari on the ramp, and she turned to see the speaker. It was a well dressed, elderly woman, and Sari thought that if she had her nose any further in the air, she might drown if it started to rain.
"I'll tell you the truth, these aliens are really becoming a problem. They have no respect for anyone or anything, I tell you. It's just horrible!" The woman had leaned in close to Sari and apparently expected the younger woman to share the same sentiments.
After recovering from the shock of the woman's blatant prejudice, Sari managed a short reply.
"He was just excited about being here... much like I am. You know, I've found that respect is a two way street-- if you give it, you usually get it back." Then she turned and continued on down the ramp.
"Well, I never--," was all the stunned woman could manage.
Sari had to chuckle under her breath. The poor manners of some people never ceased to amaze her.
She quickly found a hover cab and began the remaining leg of her journey to the Jedi temple. The taxi driver tried to make small talk and asked way too many questions.
"Are you a Jedi?"
"Do you have family at the temple?'
"You know, I once drove a Jedi---"
//Yeah, drove him insane most likely!// she thought to herself. She managed to answer yes or no from time to time while her mind drifted off to other places. At first she had been avidly taking in all of the surroundings they passed on their drive, but after a few minutes all of the buildings started melding together and she lost interest. That's when Obi-Wan crept in.
She knew she had to warn him, but after she did, then what? Having never been to Coruscant or many other places, she had no idea of where she would go. Maybe he would help her find a place to stay, or maybe even a job like he had suggested before. She snarled her nose as she looked out the window of the cab once more at the crowded city. Could she stand it here on Coruscant? Only time would tell.
"Well, here ya are, sweetheart--- the renowned Jedi temple. Are you sure you don't want to stop at a hotel first? I got a friend that owns a good one just a few blocks away."
"No, thank you. I... I'm not even sure how long I'll be on Coruscant," she replied casting her eyes down to the ground with a sigh.
Well, enjoy your stay on our lovely planet." His last words sounded a bit sarcastic, but he had been pleasant enough. He helped Sari remove her bags and then took off in search of his next fare. Maybe, she thought as she stared after his cab, just maybe all of the stories she had heard about the capital planet and its cold-hearted citizens wasn't true after all.
"Hey!!" came a gruff female voice. "Why don't you get your junk out of the middle of the sidewalk!" A tall, rough looking woman was speaking, no--- yelling at Sari. For emphasis she even kicked one of Sari's bags before continuing on down the street. Sari was dumb struck.
"Guess I spoke too soon," she thought shaking it off with a cynical chuckle. Sari stood on the sidewalk and looked at the building in front of her.
The Jedi temple. A sacred place held in highest respect throughout the galaxy. A place which housed and trained present and future defenders of justice and all that was good and right. It made her skin tingle with its unmeasurable importance. She had to admit, she was a little intimidated.
Her eyes followed it up, up, up so high until she could see nothing but sky. Did it ever end? It was a grand old building, quite different from the others surrounding it. Taking a deep breath, she hefted her bags over her shoulder and headed for the entrance. There would be no turning back now.
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Sari entered the temple, passing two robed figures stationed on each side of the door. She assumed they were guards of some type that, using the Force, could probably sense if anyone was planning an assault of some kind. Or maybe they just had plain old blasters hidden beneath those cloaks. Either way, she could feel their eyes and thoughts on her as she strode into the lobby wondering where to go next.
//What am I going to say to him?// she asked herself as the realization that she would soon see Obi-Wan closed in on her once again. // 'Hello. Remember me?--- your WIFE?... the one you left without even saying goodbye to?!'// Doubts flooded her mind and she turned to leave. //I'll just contact him some other way...... hologram, maybe....//
"May I help you?" Sari had almost walked right into the speaker. She glanced down to see another robed figure like the ones at the door, only shorter and a bit.... green. The species was unknown to her, but she assumed she was most certainly a Jedi.
"Oh... hello," Sari offered as she clumsily shifted her bags and stuck out her hand in greeting. The Jedi calmly accepted Sari's gesture and offered a slight grin.
"Is there something I can do for you, my child? You look somewhat.... unsure of where you are and what you are doing." The Jedi emanated a peaceful aura that spilled over onto Sari, and the teacher took a deep, cleansing breath before responding.
"I'm, uh.... I'm looking for a Jedi..... a knight named Obi-Wan Kenobi. Do you know him?" The Jedi studied Sari for a few seconds as if sizing up her intent. Then she replied.
"Know him, I do. Come with me you will. I will see if he is available." The short Jedi began to lead Sari to a small desk that held a monitor and a console with hundreds of buttons. While the Jedi punched in a few codes, she looked up at Sari and asked, "Whom should I say is calling?"
For some reason, that simple question felt to Sari like a bucket of ice water had just been splashed in her face. //I'm actually here! I'm really going to see him again after all of this time.// She didn't quite know how to feel, but knew she was very near to passing out from nerves.
"I'm, uh.... I'm Sari Zendar, his...." here she stumbled with what to call herself, " his friend from Teemar. I have some very important news for him about a mission he had on my planet a couple of months ago."
"All right then. It will just take a moment. Please have a seat right over there," she said pointing to a small waiting area. The young woman moved to take a seat, all the while trying desperately to settle the nerves in her stomach.
As she waited, Sari began to focus on the people around her. The two 'guards' still stood watch at the temple entryway. Other beings dressed in garments similar to Obi-Wan's came and went, some even smiling at her before resuming their typical look of dour seriousness. There were also others waiting like her whom she assumed were there to plead their causes and beg for Jedi help.
"Miss Zendar," came the voice behind her. It was the Jedi. "Someone will be down to see you in just a few moments."
"Thank you," Sari replied a bit unsure of what the Jedi had actually meant. Was Obi-Wan coming down, or was someone else coming to inform her that he did not wish to see her or even hear her news? Again the doubts entered unmercifully. Well, she would only have a few minutes to wait and see.
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Several times over the few minutes of waiting, Sari had thought she had seen Obi-Wan entering the lobby. Her heart would jump, her hands start sweating and her head would begin reeling and swirling. However, each time after realizing it wasn't him, she would experience a huge emotional let down as her heart would plunge to the floor. After the third time, she determined not to keep watch anymore. Instead, she busied herself with the fine art of fidgeting. She would fluff up her hair, straighten her clothes, and then rub the glitterstone pendant he had given her between her fingers before forcing herself to move onto some other meaningless nonsense.
"Sari?" Her heart stopped and she gulped before turning to see....... no, it wasn't Obi-Wan, but still a familiar face.
"Anakin?" she questioned to be sure. He seemed quite tall, more so than Obi-Wan, but he was still somewhat a gangly teenager. His blond hair was spiked short and a long thin braid hung over his right shoulder. His friendly smile relieved some of her tension.
"Wow! You're really here. This is cool!" He didn't reveal that he and his master had been discussing her so recently, and he attempted to regain a touch of maturity. "Um, Obi-Wan's not here right now, but they sent me down to get you." He picked up her bags and effortlessly tossed them over his shoulder. "Come on. I'll take you upstairs."
Sari's nerves were still in an uproar. She didn't know much more than when she first arrived only that he wasn't there at the moment. Would he even want to see her when he did return? //I'm never going to make it!//
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Sari stood in the middle of the rather small, sterile apartment and sighed. Was this really
happening to her? Was she really in danger of losing her life? Had she just traveled thousands of miles to warn a man that his life was in danger too? It all seemed so unreal, yet here she was.... in Obi-Wan Kenobi's apartment in the Jedi temple on Coruscant.
"Just make yourself at home, Miss Zendar. I'm sure my master will be back in just a little while. He had some type of meeting, I believe." The young man sat Sari's bags down carefully and offered her a friendly smile.
"Thank you, Anakin," Sari replied softly. Anakin noticed a look of unease spread across Sari's face and could sense her anxiousness.
"He'll be really happy to see you," he added. She jerked to give him a surprised look.
"Oh, I don't know about that!" she muttered mostly to herself. Anakin was dying to ask about this woman's true connection with his master, but forced himself to squelch his curiosity --- for now.
Just then a beeping sound went off and Anakin reached into his pocket to retrieve his comm link. Sari wasn't paying much attention as he spoke quietly to the person on the other end. Now she was in 'his' home, and it felt very strange. She slowly turned around to take in the whole main room in all its boringly plain splendor. A dark gray nerf-hide couch was off to her left indicating, she assumed, the living room area. A small table was next to it, stacked neatly with various kinds of reading material. She might have to peruse that later, she thought with a smirk. Straight ahead was a small dining area and kitchen. It, too, was very neat and tidy. She had to wonder if he was really so neat or if he was just never home to mess anything up.
//What did he think of my place?// she couldn't help but think to herself. Her home was definitely more......... 'lived in.'
Off to her right was a short hallway with one door at the end and one off to the right. Suddenly realizing it had been a while since her last visit to the refresher, she desperately hoped one of those doors would allow her some relief.
After returning from the refresher, she felt a little better. However, that feeling only lasted until Anakin informed her that the Jedi council wished to meet with her.
"The council? They sound pretty important. Do they want to meet me right now?" Now she understood why students would complain of a stomachache when they knew they were going to be called to the principal's office.
"Yeah, right now," Anakin replied with a look that said he understood her apprehension completely. "I told them I'd bring you up."
Sari swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Well, then,....... let's go." Anakin offered his arm and Sari graciously accepted thinking it might come in handy if she started to faint.
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