Thank you for the Reviews!!! Oxymoron to the 4th Power ( Thank you! Glad to see you're still reading! Happy that you like, sorry about taking forever to post. Enjoy!) Nike ( WELCOME BACK!!!! Heh. I'm happy to see you've returned Nike! Hope you're move wasn't too horrible, I've moved many times and I hate moving! URG! Anyhew, wb again and hope you enjoy!) Shen Panda ( LOL! Yeah, ya missed the plastic lightsaber prize, but to make it up to ya just cause I'm so glad you're back too I'll give ya another chance. Review this chapter and you'll get one! Any color you want! Of code of course lol. I give this chance to you because I'm happy you're back!! And, heh, I like my little glass saber. With rubber grip and all! YAY! Ooooo, ahhhhhh! Enjoy!)

SORRY ABOUT TAKING FOREVER TO UPPY! I got caught up in Different Reality with Billie and I got a bit stuck on this one. Now I'm just about done with DR and I SO got my goal back for this fic. YAY! *Does the little annoying young anakin thing 'Yipppeeee!' Ugh, that didn't even feel right to do…* Anyhew, promise won't be so delayed next chapter. ESPECIALLY if you guys review! 4 reviews, that's all I ask! PLEASE! Give everyone a…free pair of sun glasses and sunscreen just for summer! Oooo, ahhhh! Lol. Happy reading. And I'm warning you now, it's a LONG ONE! Heh.

P.S. Pay attention to everyone's moods. Big part there. Just a hint!

Ch. 10 Treading Dark Waters

Jesi landed hard on something. At first she thought she must have been dead as wind whipped around her but as her sight came back into focus she realized she wasn't. In fact she was actually on top of some sort of droid!

Tilting her head over the side to look at it, she realized that it was an energy supply droid. That explained the platform like top that she had landed on.

Suddenly it turned and Jesi hung on for dear life. She began to notice all the other droids around the area doing the same thing. They were in a routine now. The supply tunnels must have been closed off with the shut down and so they were trapped. Their programming was only to run from one area to another. If one was blocked, go back to the other. This is what they were doing, just a little extended.

"Kind of like wind surfing." Grifth yelled as he balanced on a droid.

Jesi steadied herself atop her's and realized that if you leaned one way, it would move that way…She just didn't want to know what would happen if you leaned too far one way..

"Where you going to run to now?" Grifth called over the wind.

"Who said I was running?" Jesi shot back.

She had particapated in Kishir gaming many years ago. There was a competion called the Balance Routine. Much like what she was doing now. Memories easily came back and she quickly dominated her steadying droid speeding along the side of the tunneled wall. Grifth was quick to follow.

~~~~~~~~~~

Obi-Wan paused looking down into the room. He felt nothing inside that would cause him harm, but the thing was that he didn't feel anything at all.

With a  deep breath he dropped inside and looked around, his hand ready near his saber. No one was there. Moving throughout the room he felt a small tinge in the Force and looked around the side of a computer panal. He was shocked to see a familiar form lying there. It was Billy, Jesi's co-worker and friend from Kishir II. What was he doing here?

Obi-Wan quickly snatched for his com, but it wasn't there. Great. Kneeling down next to Billy Obi-Wan reached into his mind and called out.

// Master?//

// Obi-Wan?//

// Master, I need your help in the Venting System Controll room.//

// The controll room? What are you doing there?// His master questioned.

// I'll explain later but please, bring help with you. It's Jesi's friend Billy. Remember him?//

// Yes I do. Stay where you are, we're coming.//

Obi-Wan looked at Billy again, not noticing the small line of light was coming from under a small cover in the wall near them. He was busy studying the wound. It looked like something had hit him. Something hard, that was for certain.

" Lieutenant? Lieutenant Captain..?" Obi-Wan questioned. Billy didn't even stirr.

A small breeze made Obi-Wan uneasily rise. His eyes swept over the area around him but he found nothing. Seemingly so far away a buzz cut through the air, then another. The wall to his left actually shifted! Frowning, Kenobi moved to it realizing it was covered in wires and cords. The breeze was coming from inside those.

He glanced back at Billy the opened enough space to see inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mace." Qui-Gon said dryly stepping into the lobby.

"Obi-Wan is in the Venting System Controll room, he needs help." He told his friend as they stepped outside the lobby itself.

"The vent system? Why is he there?" Mace asked, surprised.

"I don't know. But do you remember Jesi's friend Billy…uh, something. I think he was a Lt. Captain. From Kishir II?" Qui-Gon asked, edgy to get moving.

Mace thought back. "I think so."

"He's here. He's down there."

"What is he doing here? Is he in on this?" Mace questioned.

"I don't know, but we have to get down there. Get Adi and Siri as well. I'm going to Kik'Rin."

"Alright." Mace said, still stunned.

Qui-Gon nodded and quickly moved back towards the room Bant and Kik'Rin were in.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Obi-Wan was utterly shocked looking at the entire tunnel that lay before him. Supply droids flew back and forth around it bleeping along the way as they zoomed by him. Then his eye caught something odd. Force! It was Jesi! What was she doing?! He watched her balance on the droid along the wall to the far right of him and circle around again. It was then when he realized just what it was she was doing. Grifth wasn't far behind.

'Grifth was  a Jedi…'

Calling on the Force to aide him in his timing and balance Obi-Wan dropped down onto a passing droid, his saber in hand.

"Around and around and around we go! Where we'll stop, nobody knows!" Grifth coed as Jesi circled around him.

"Why don't you ju-" Jesi started but Grifth powered his ruby saber and it flashed in her eyes. She nearly lost her balance right then as she subconsciously jerked back but she regained.

"Oo, not so tuff now huh?" Grifth taunted, completely enjoying this.

"You ask an unarmed woman." Obi-Wan contoured dropping down a bit and coming along the side of the wall about 3 yards from Grifth. Jesi looked at him shocked but he didn't have time to say anything to her as Grifth swayed the droid towards the Jedi Apprentice, saber ready. Obi-Wan ignited his saber quickly and blocked the blow but was thrown off balance on the tittering droid. Regaining his stance he zoomed behind Grifth and circled around the front of him stabbing forward. The Dark Jedi parried, but he too was caught off balance and nearly plumited.

"Seems we have an interesting game here young Obi-Wan." Grifth said as the two swung their droids around the other.

"But what happens when your out tactics and teachings work against you?" He asked cruelly glancing towards Jesi who was fighting her way through the on coming droids. Suddenly, with a small turn of his hand, Grifth threw her off balance and the droid went out from under her.

"Jesi!" Obi-Wan exclaimed but Grifth cut him off from helping her striking down at him before he could pass.

Obi-Wan blocked the attempt and ducked the one after it. His senses were becoming more intoned now with the movements and shifts of himself on the droid and the winds within the tunnel. He didn't get a chance to see what had happened to Jesi because Grifth continued his attack. He surged forward stabbing at his side, but Obi-Wan shifted the droid away then blocked the strike to his other side. Becoming fed up with this, Obi-Wan dropped away from the slice at his chest and cut at Grifth's ankles. Grifth jumped up, avoiding the attack and landed something of unsteadily. Obi-Wan used this and stabbed at him but the other Jedi parried and pushed off the stab, pushing the two apart.

Jesi had fallen a good 20 ft before she latched onto the side of a droid. At the sudden weight it turned over loosing her. She dropped again, but only about half what she already had before she grabbed another droid. This one didn't turn over but it leaned towards the wall near by. It slammed her against it and she was forced to let go as she was being dragged along it. She slid along the slanted tunnel wall to the bottom where she stood again looking up through the traffic of droids before she saw Obi-Wan and Grifth. Don't be a hero Obi-Wan, let him go… She thought watching the two. She didn't care if Grifth fled again, he had no where to go, just as long as Obi-Wan didn't get hurt because of her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Here! I think this is him!" Siri called from behind the large computer pannel. Her Master was the first to come around then Kik'Rin followed by Qui-Gon and Mace.

"That's him." Qui-Gon said. Kik'Rin dropped down beside him examining him.

"He was hit by something. Hit hard." She said almost to herself. "We should get him out of here."

"Where's Obi-Wan?" Adi asked looking at Qui-Gon.

"He said he was here." The other Master told her.

Kik'Rin and Siri shifted Billy onto the hoverbed they had brought along. They were lucky enough to be able to use the doors on the way down instead of going through the vents.

"Find him. We should leave here, I don't like it." Adi replied helping with Billy.

Qui-Gon went silent and reached out with his senses. It took longer than normal to get a feel of the area around him but the Master did eventually, and felt out with the Force searching for the bright signature of his apprentice. After a moment it blarred to life…closer than he thought. He opened his eyes and looked at the 'wall' of wires and cords near them. He frowned then stepped forward and wormed his hand through them…into air.

"Nothing's back here." Qui-Gon said pulling apart the wires.

"What?" Mace questioned doing the same as Qui-Gon had. They both looked into the tunnel.

"This must be the North supply tunnel. Keeps the energy cells going. These droids carry them." Mace told him as they looked out into it.

"Look, there's Obi-Wan!" Siri said looking through.

Indeed Obi-Wan was there, but Grifth was with him and they were battling dangerously.

"Trace is with him." Mace said lowly watching the two.

"Not for long." Adi pointed out quietly. Her eyes were cast on the low lying signal radiator that Obi-Wan and Trace were quickly moving towards. At the moment Trace was on the side of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Obi-Wan wasn't aware of the signal radiator they were nearing so quickly. He had to pour all of his concentration on what he would do next, and what Grifth would do next. It seemed so difficult to do and he didn't understand why.

Parrying a strike with such force he nearly threw Grifth off balance, but he also did the same to himself and wasn't able to gain any sort of advantage. Suddenly the wind closed off slightly and he was just beginning to look to the side when the terrified scream tore through the air.

"OBI-WAN! LOOK OUT!"

It was Jesi he knew and he looked up to the radiator fast approaching. Using split second reflexes he swayed his droid into Grifth's knocking the Dark Jedi towards it, but he also had to drop off of it as an only solution to get away from the radiator. He heard Grifth curse as he dropped through the air and a somewhat large explosion blew from the two droids colliding with the energy full radiator.

The young Jedi tried desperately to gain control of the Force around him but it was becoming harder and harder with every foot he dropped. Then, within his own concentration, there was another presence. One he knew well. He welcomed it and was enloped in an invisble grasp slowing him gently and allowing him to step onto the ground below. He looked up towards were the presence had occurred from and looked at his Master and a few others who were gingerly opening up through the wires.

Suddenly a thought hit him.

"Jesi?" He called turning around looking about the area. Before he realized what happened Jesi had him in a tight hug. Surprised he timidly embraced her as well.

"Don't do that to me." She told him quietly.

Obi-Wan frowned, Jesi was not the type of person to let things such as fear get to her. Not in the least.

"Jesi, are you ok?" He asked.

Before she could reply Qui-Gon called down to them, " Steady two droids and come back up. We'll take you both back."

Jesi and Obi-Wan looked at eachother. They were both in for it now.

********

"And what would have happened if we didn't show up when we did?" Mace snapped as Jesi continued just to look at Billy laying with a bandage around his head on the med-bed.

"Jesi!" Windu boomed.

"I don't know what would have happened. I didn't bring him down there Master Windu, he followed me or something." She told him looking hollowly at the Jedi.

"What were you doing down there? What's Billy doing here?" Qui-Gon asked softly.

Before Jesi could answer there was a gentle knock at the door.

"Master Windu, Master Jinn, these people say they're looking for Cpt. Stafferi." A young healer's apprentice told them allowing 7 people into the room. Jesi looked at them as they entered. She nodded for them to relax, she had called them back when Billy had been taken into care. They had no leaders out there with herself and Billy caught up in here, she had to call them back.

"What is going on?" Mace asked looking at the group.

"Master Windu, Master Jinn, this is my most trusted team. I called them in shortly after the lock down." She told them.

Qui-Gon looked at her twice in the way she addressed him, but she didn't give him the second of a glance.

"What are you talking about?" Mace asked.

"Soon after the lock down I realized that we needed a little more help then what we had because we're restricted. I called on Billy and he called on a group that we both trust with everything. They penetrated in through the waterways. I was going to ask for help and guidence from you but…" Jesi looked at Qui-Gon with deadly calm eyes.

"But what?" Mace thundered.

"But I don't trust you." She said simply.

"Don't trust us?! You put innocent lives in danger here by bringing these people in."

"I had to!" Jesi snapped. "I was not about to involve anyone who might back stab me again."

"Again?"

"Well, apparently you don't consider lying to someone, or not telling them something that effects the turn out of death and life  a back stab but I do!" Jesi spat.

The group that had entered felt very uncomfortable with the looks being exchanged between the two. Even Qui-Gon felt uneasy. Jesi had never argued with Mace, or even himself, before. And now he was certainly glad she hadn't.

Mace was silent a moment then he spoke again, "These people will be taken into custody until this ordeal is over with and they will be released with no charge of trespassing. You, Jesi, will be put under surveillance and kept with a Knight at all times. This will now be handled by only Jedi, do you understand?" He said firmly.

"You can't do that!" She exclaimed.

"You've given me no choice!" Windu shot back.

"Me not giving you a choice?! You didn't seem to find the time to give me a choice whether or not I could protect myself with the right resources and knowledge! You drove me to this! I had no choice but to do this as a mother!"

" You are not acting as a mother would Jesi, you're acting as a person with power would who wants revenge. I can't let you put my people in danger because you're recklessness!" Mace retorted.

Jesi stood quietly a moment and glanced at the group who looked at her helplessly.

"Knight Eldoran, please escort these people into the central building and Master Mundi will give you further instructions." Windu called out the open door. The knight entered and nodded motioning for the group to come. Jesi nodded them on when they looked at her.

"Jesi you can stay here with him or you can go to your infant boy I will let you choose."

"How generous." Jesi spat walking out of the room and down the corridor towards the small nursery in which her only unharmed child was.

Qui-Gon looked at Mace. "You came down on her rather hard." He stated.

"She needed to be put in place. This is not the IGPG and she better learn that quickly." Mace told him.

"Her children have been kidnapped, would you take it lightly?" Qui-Gon replied.

"I don't take this lightly, just as I don't take the fact that she went behind our backs to do what she foolishly thought she had to."

"Did she have to?" Qui-Gon asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what would have been done had she brought the idea to you or the council."

"It would have been considered." Mace told him.

"Then what?"

"I don't know Qui-Gon. Not this! Your apprentice nearly took a fatal fall because of her, and you're not a bit frustrated by this?" Mace shot back.

"It was not Jesi's doing that brought Obi-Wan down there. He went on his own will, she was protecting him by not telling him." Qui-Gon said.

"Had Jesi not been down there none of this would have happened." Mace said looking at Billy.

"You can't blame Jesi for what Trace is doing Mace." Qui-Gon told his friend gently.

"I'm not blaming her for his doings." Mace retorted sourly.

"Aren't you?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Enough of this." Mace snapped stalking towards the door.

"I'd understand more than you know Mace. You know I would. Don't turn just because your pride is too large to admit what has gone wrong."

"Aren't you one to speak of 'admitting what went wrong'." Mace said bitterly and went out the door.

Qui-Gon shook his head with a sigh. Things were changing rapidly around him, around the Temple, and he couldn't understand why.

*************

"I have permission to see her." Obi-Wan told the two Knights at the door. They glanced at eachother then stepped aside.

"Be quick Padawan Kenobi, we're not supposed to be letting you in here." One said knowing full well Obi-Wan didn't have any permission like he had said. Obi-Wan nodded and went inside.

Jesi looked up at him from a chair next to the observation crib.

"I thought you might want to know what they found." Obi-Wan told her holding out a holo transmission.

"Are you going to get in trouble for this?" She asked standing and taking it.

"Probably."

"Did you get in trouble for following me?" She asked taking a seat again.

"Yep."

"Serves you right." She told him. He chuckled and rolled his eyes pulling up a chair on the other side of the crib.

"How is he?" He asked looking at the little boy.

"He's perfect. Nothing seems to bother him." She told him with a smile then looked back down at the holos.

Obi-Wan looked at the side of the crib.

"I see you named him." He said happily.

"Danion Ni-kial Stafferi." He murmured to himself. "What does it mean?"

"Danion is the word for peaceful living in natrual Kishir. Ni-kial is how Obi-Wan is said, also in natural Kishir." She told him glancing up at him. "I hope you don't mind." She said softly.

Obi-Wan looked at her a bit shocked, "No, of course not. I'm very…pleased, …happy, that you named him as you did." He told her with a smile.

She smiled back at him and turned on one of the holos listening to the message.

"Cpt. Stafferi, your young friend here was willing to take this to you so I hope you're the one viewing this. Revin, Junid, and Alin, didn't find much of anything in the upper levels. All rooms were empty and nothing within the ones they could get in to. However, Sindwen, Harnik, Mukia, and myself did find a few things that were strange in the water systems. Particular hatches did not have algae on them indicating that someone had touched them recently. Water levels were different, not even like they should be. Small things that could add up to somethings that are big. We were glad we could help in any way and we wish you the best of luck if we don't see you before this is over." Commander Geriti ended the holo transmission there.

Obi-Wan looked at her as she frowned.

"They're in the waterways." She said quietly.

"Grifth could have easily gotten in through there." Obi-Wan told her truthfully.

"Right…but..the laptop in the venting system, that had to have been totally installed through the inside."

"Laptop?"

"You didn't see the laptop?" She asked surprised.

"No, I didn't know one was there." He told her in interest.

"It was a-"

"Obi-Wan, you shouldn't be in here." Qui-Gon said from the door.

Obi-wan and Jesi looked up at him in surprise.

"But Master-"

"Jesi is under custody of the Temple Obi-Wan, you are not to be here."

"I'd hardly classify it as custody Qui-Gon, it's a-" Jesi started but he interupted her.

"Just because you're not in a holding cell doesn't mean that you're not in our custody." Qui-Gon told her.

"Our? Just who's side are you on?" Jesi said standing.

"Don't turn this into a sides matter, Jesi." Qui-Gon replied motioning for Obi-Wan to exit.

"No, 'a sides matter'  is what this is. Either you're helping me get my children back, or you're not." Jesi spat.

"I am helping." Qui-Gon said firmly.

"Oh are you? Then why don't you HELP me get to Thomas Hawkings? I need to speak to him." She said tightly as Obi-Wan was gently guided out the door past Qui-Gon.

"I can't do that." Jinn told her.

"Why?" Jesi asked simply.

"I can't Jesi! If you need something taken into prespective then tell me, but you cannot leave this room." He replied sharply.

"Then take this into prespective, who ever the hell Grifth is working for or is with is down in the water ways. That's the only place they could be hiding right now." She told him.

"I'll pass the message onto the Council." Qui-Gon said.

"Why not quit wasting time and just let me the hell out of this room so I can figure out what's going on for myself?" Jesi contured stopping him from exiting.

"Because this is no longer your fight. You slid behind our backs to get your team in and you put innocent lives at danger! Consequences are that you have been limited to this room, and to become just a spectator." Qui-Gon snapped.

"Don't you talk to me like I'm a child." Jesi said dangerously.

"Don't act like one and I won't. You're just going to have to deal with what the Council has decided." Qui-Gon said turning away from the door and allowing it to close.

Obi-Wan looked at his Master in disbelief.

"Don't look at me like that Obi-Wan, it's what must be done." Qui-Gon told him.

"Must be done or has decided to be done so that she won't get in the way?" Obi-Wan asked.

Qui-Gon looked at him shocked. "Of course not."

Obi-Wan looked at him a moment longer as they headed down the corridor then looked away.

"Why is everyone being so harsh on her?" The padawan asked quietly.

"Because, she's putting innocent lives at danger with her recklessness. Things must be planned out."

"What if we don't have time to plan things out? Grifth said nothing about the boy and girl, what if they've already done..what they intended to do with them? For all we know they could have gotten out of the temple the same way they got in!" Obi-Wan replied.

"Mind what tone you're in and who you are speaking to." Qui-Gon said lowly.

Obi-Wan blinked and cleared his throat a little, "I apologize Master."

With that he fell his normal step behind Qui-Gon and remained silent. Guilt suddenly swept over the Jedi Master. Why had he taken such a tone with Jesi? And with Obi-Wan just now. Just a few minutes before he had argued with Mace that he was too hard on her. Hypocrite if he ever saw one.

Qui-Gon took a step back and walked along side his apprentice again. "I didn't mean to put your ideas down Obi-Wan. Things are just becoming desperate and stressful. I'm just as worried about the children as you are. Grifth's body was never found in the tunnel ways, I fear he's gone to where ever they are. Don't take my words to heart, I didn't mean to reprimand you for speaking your thoughts."

Obi-Wan looked back at him, his storming eyes eased. "I understand Master. I guess we're all on edge."

Qui-Gon gave him a small smile as they re-entered the lobby.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Grifth stepped onto the concrete platform off of the water.

"You're missing something." Xanatos said rustily.

"Things didn't go as planned." Grifth growled.

"I can see that's becoming a habit." Xanatos replied turning to face him. "I think it's about time I gave it a try."

"As you wish." Grifth said tightly.

"Good. Keep an eye on these two, and them." Xanatos said looking at the infants then to the two followers that were still alive.

Grifth nodded silently.

"I'll return." Xanatos said simply, stepping off into the water.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jesi walked the circle around the room for the hundredth time. Her little conversation with Qui-Gon was not what she needed right now. To her own anger, it bothered her to the point of hurt that she couldn't trust him as she thoughts she could. Why did she have to trust people at all? She hated trust!

Jesi surprised herself when the chair toppled over banging across the room. It really surprised her that she was the one that did it by kicking the metal chair. Jesi stood there a moment in thought. She was so angry, but that was to be expected…but Qui-Gon had been angry when speaking with her. Mace had been angry…people who knew so well how to controll their anger weren't. Or weren't able to..

Jesi looked out the observation window the with tints on. She could see the shadow of the two knights outside it. She had to get out of here. She had to get back to that laptop, or at least talk to Thomas.

Suddenly it dawned on her.

Liranki told me………Liranki told me…………Liranki told me………Liranki told me…

She opened the door and looked at the two guards. "Question?"

The two knights looked at eachother and shrugged, "Sure."

"When something goes wrong here…say a power lock down, would anyone on the outside know about it? Would it be given to the holo news? Anything?"

"Usually if anything like this happens the Council prefers to keep inside because if they were to let on to any weakness it may lead to further threat." One of them said.

I heard something happened at the temple…… Liranki told me………happened at the temple…Liranki told……at the temple…Liranki…

Force, Liranki was the leak. She was the one that supplied Grifth with the atmosphere system computer. She had sent Thomas to the Temple to keep Jesi's own suspicion on him and not anyone else.

"You must let me speak to Master Yoda." She told them firmly.

"Speak to me, you may." Yoda said moving gimply down the corridor behind her. Jesi turned relieved. He'd listen, of course he would.

Tbc…

Whew, sorry again about taking so long. Heh, did I make up for it with the length? More importantly was the length worth anything? You tell me! Post ASAP! Promise!!!

Till then,

Elli

P.S. Shen, I know the saber battle wasn't spectactular, don't worry! Have faith! Lol. That wasn't even near what's going to happen…Mwhahahahaha! Just be patient, I'll continue to taunt everyone as I love to do with pieces like that. ;) You know you love me!!! LOL!