Ch. 9 Nothing Left to Have
Jesi peered around the corner with Obi-Wan at her side making sure that Wess wasn't there. They were at her quarter's wing, East 57-P, and no Wess was there.
Leading the Force sedated and blind Obi-Wan by the arm she hurried, not noticeably hurried but walked quickly, to her door. Opening it she brought the youth inside jamming the door. She set him down on a chair and turned her mattress over.
Sith! They'd already been here. Damn Warren to burn in Hell.
She took a deep breath and reached to her com-link setting it to frequency 7C. She didn't say anything just clicked the bottom and tapped the mic in a pattern. After a moment she receive one in return, much to her relief. She and Obi-Wan were to meet Thomas in the water ways below the camp itself.
Jesi glanced at Obi-Wan. He was lost without the Force to guide him. She had no reverse drug with her, he'd have to wait it out and she told him so.
"How long will that be?"
He asked as she went about the quarters taking some things she'd need, including a blaster they didn't find.
"Last I injected you was yesterday evening...that was 13 hours ago...you still have a good 3 or 4 hours."
She replied glancing about the room. She had everything now...except one thing..that would come in time though.
"Come, we have to go now."
She took Obi-Wan's arms gently.
~~~~~~~~~~
It was like a dream almost. A dream you only watched and took no part in even if your physical self was there. Qui-Gon could see everything but if he tried to stop what he was doing nothing happened. Right now he was following Lt. Wess and 5 of his companions down a corridor of East wing 53-O. He didn't understand what he was doing. He had heard and seen everything yet did nothing. His voice even spoke but *he* had not said it. This was so strange.
They turned down another corridor and were accompanied by another group. Thames and his company of 4, one with a broken nose that matched Thames. They were in corridor 55-P. Then the thought came to him.
'Find your Apprentice. Find Him!'
Regardless of Qui-Gon's resistance and question his body obeyed and another mind tapped the Force, not his. It wasn't him!
'Bring Kenobi and Stafferi to Colings.'
Qui-Gon was now leading the group a dozen officers toward what the Force was whispering to him. The location of his padawan.
Stafferi? Where had he heard that name before? Stafferi.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesi and Obi-Wan went down the stairs hurriedly yet carefully for Obi-Wan's sake. They paused and Jesi flattened the two of them to the wall when a door opened and voices were heard.
"Jeriks! Come on Wess is up on 56-P, hurry up!"
They heard a man yell to the one at the door.
"Their looking for Anne Theran, Jesiana St-"
The door closed.
Obi-Wan looked to where 'Anne' was to his right.
"Who are you?"
He asked.
Jesi looked at the Jedi. A Jedi, he was a Jedi.
"Never mind that no-"
"Who are you Anne? Or maybe I should start calling you Jesiana Stafferi."
Obi-Wan said. Jesi covered his mouth.
"Don't say that name out loud!"
She hissed then lowered her hand away from him ready to go again but he wouldn't have it. This was wasting time.
"Is that who you really are? Is that your real name?"
Obi-Wan remembered that name from the warning Jedi Master Yoda had given him and his Master. A forsightment Obi-Wan had guessed.
"Yes. Yes, that's my name...."
Jesi answered. She wondered how he knew it, the man didn't finish the last name.
"How do you know?"
She asked though she lead him down the stairs.
"Master Yoda...he told us a little about you."
"Us?"
She whispered as they passed a door to the stairway. 4 more flights.
"My master and I."
Obi-Wan said feeling a tingle at the word Master. He hadn't seen him in nearly 2 days.
Jesi nodded then thought better of it,
"Oh, I see."
Why had Yoda told them? It had been *so* long since she'd even spoken to the old Master. So very long.
They went in silence now, 3 more flights.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Where are they?"
Wess asked Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon wanted to bit his tongue, cover his mouth, do anything but do what he did, which was to say,
"In the stairway, going down. The woman wants to get to the water system."
Inwardly, inside the cage of his own mind Qui-Gon grimaced and cursed. They knew now and he watched as the group split up. His feet followed Wess.
He was like a machine, doing whatever it was told to do. What was wrong with him? What had they done? What had he just done?
Shots rang out as soon as they entered the stairway and with no action of his own his saber was in his hand, spinning and twisting away the few blaster shots. He couldn't even feel the saber in his own hand.
Then, the shots stopped and he watched the stairs being devoured under his quickly moving feet. There was nothing he could do to stop himself...he could only watch.
