Qui-Gon felt the distant efforts of his Padawan to find him, joined by Luke's street smarts. Deep within his healing trance, he could not answer or direct his apprentice to his side, even if he knew exactly where he was. Moved by the Force, he directed his inner gaze to look toward the future.
Unlike as other times when he sought guidance by trying to see near future events, this time the future was fragmented and torn. Ragged edges of ripped future events swirled past his gaze and began to realign themselves with different outcomes that had been there before. A central figure in all of those events slowly disappeared, leaving gaping holes and disturbing the flow of time.
Wait! He wanted to shout. Don't change yet! I'll figure out a way to return Luke to the proper time. I just have to figure out how he got here in the first place.
But the Force, and the future, stops for no one.
"He's…near but I can't…" Obi-Wan stopped, frustrated.
Luke, panting, his sides beginning to ache again, plopped himself down on a public bench on the side of a park. He and Obi-Wan had been searching, stretched through the Force, the entire West Grid area for any sense of Qui-Gon.
"Maybe…" Luke winced as a spasm of pain shot through his left leg. "Maybe he made it safely past this area. Perhaps we should rest and meditate on it more."
Obi-Wan looked as though he wanted to argue, but noticed Luke rubbing his leg. Letting out a deep sigh, he sat beside the black-clad Jedi. "He's here, Luke. I just…can't feel him as clearly."
Luke thought a moment, absent-mindedly still rubbing his leg where it hurt. "Well, if he's in a healing trance or deep into meditation, won't it be harder to locate him?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "Makes sense. He did say he had injuries."
They sat together in silence, listening to the night life and feeling the Force pulsate around them. Luke half-way shut his eyes and let himself glide through the vast regions of the pulsating Force. Since it seemed as though he was going to become nonexistent, he found his connection to the Force was more tangible. Reaching out, Luke idly quested in the living Force, feeling the echoes of other beings resonate to him. And then, he felt a quiver.
"Ben?" He murmured, not moving and not opening his eyes.
Obi-Wan glanced at him, puzzled at first at Luke's expression. Not even bothering to ask, the Padawan sensed where Luke's direction was turned and followed his presence in the Force. Then, suddenly, he felt that small quiver in the Force as well.
"Qui-Gon!" He breathed. Now knowing where to direct his thoughts, he decided to try contacting his master again.
Master!
Faintly and tinged with incredible pain, Qui-Gon's mental voice responded, Here, Padawan. Where are you?
Obi-Wan grinned. At the end of West Grid Avenue. Any success at determining where you are?
No, came the reply. After a slight hesitation, Qui-Gon continued, Time is running for our friend from the past, Obi-Wan. Hurry!
Biting his lip, Obi-Wan sent his master an affirmative answer. Turning around, he noticed a faint line of sweat forming on Luke's brow. "Are you okay?" He asked, knowing already that the Jedi was not.
Luke waved his concern away and walled himself off in the Force to keep Obi-Wan from detecting the levels of pain he was feeling. Straightening with difficulty, Luke gave him a tight smile. "Never better. Have a better fix on Master Jinn now?"
To his surprise, Obi-Wan discovered that, instead of Qui-Gon's presence retreating back into a healing trance, his master was as powerful a beacon to find as at any other time. Closing his eyes briefly, the younger Jedi nodded. "Follow me. We're in the opposite direction."
Hurrying off, Obi-Wan tried not to notice how Luke's footsteps began to drag behind him or how suddenly Luke seemed to be exactly his height