Chapter 4 - Beli'ay
Xanatos was silent as he waited for me and Obi-Wan to digest this new information. The look of alarm on Obi-Wan's face was mirrored on my own. Not betraying any of his own bewilderment, the Prince began to describe the first murder by the Spider of the peaceful shores of Coruscant.
Mundi dismissed Yaddle for the night and retired to his bedroom with his warmed milk. Yaddle swore by it to aid troubled sleep, so Mundi had given in to his maid's persistent urgings for him to try it. He placed the glass on his bedside table with the candle he had carried up with him. He removed his day clothes and dressed in his nightshirt and gown. More comfortable, he climbed into his bed where his wife was already asleep; down the corridor he could hear his daughter moving around in her room.
Mundi opened the book he kept by his bedside table for night when sleep was elusive; currently it was a book of ancient myths from Naboo. Despite fleeing his country, Mundi still thought of it and missed it terribly. He began to read, every now and again taking a sip of his hot drink, and sooner than he expected, he was yawning and laying the book aside in order to sleep. He blew out the candle and was soon as deeply asleep as his wife.
What sounded like a muffled cry awoke Mundi. The darkness was close about him and for the moment between wakefulness and sleep, Mundi thought the sound had been real. Silence engulfed the house allowing him to think it had just been part of a vague dream. In the darkness he reached out to his wife. He felt something wet, sticky and warm.
Fear froze Mundi for a heartbeat and a lifetime. He sat up. The curtains were open and the light from the stars and moon illuminated the room with their ghastly white light. His wife still lay by his side but she no longer lived, blood covered her, oozing from the wound across her throat. Her eyes stared unseeing past him; gone was any life. She had not even had time to cry out such was the deftness and violence of the attack.
Crying out, Mundi stumbled from the bed and fled the sight before him. Saran! Mundi ran down the hall unafraid for himself but terrified for his child. He burst into his daughter's room and was met by such carnage he felt bile rise in his throat. Candles were lit all around the room showing the grievousness of the crime in their eerie light.
"I have been waiting, Mundi." A cloaked figure sat in a chair opposite his daughter's crucified corpse; a spider carved into her chest. "A little sleeping drug in your food and I could take my time. I saved you 'till last, traitor."
"I don't understand."
"No, but soon others will."
Mundi did not feel the knife slide in between his ribs, his vision was consumed by the sight of his daughter and his heart already filled with the pain of what he beheld. Blood blossomed from the wound. Mundi fell to the floor at the Spider's feet, never to rise again. With great care the dark man took the body back to his bed to lay him out, as he wanted him to be found. He took his time leaving his mark on his other two victims. He had the rest of the night to complete his work.
"The Mundi family kept to themselves in Beli'ay. We might not have found them for sometime if Yaddle wasn't due to meet a friend. She never showed and the friend who is a maid for Lord Catsin of the police force. She was worried and asked him to send someone to the house with her."
"The Spider killed the maid too?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes." As Obi-Wan asked his questions I only half listened, thinking of the man I had met when I had first come to Coruscant. I remembered Yaddle and her loyalty, which had been the reason for her own murder. That visit to that house had answered few of my questions and had opened my mind to what the Jedi really meant.
"Travin," I suddenly said, interrupting. "Where was he?" I asked, remembering his scorn for the rescued fallen.
"At the embassy. I've had him watched for some time now. If he is involved it isn't directly," Xanatos answered. "Obi-Wan, what should I do? There have been another three families murdered since Mundi, and I have no reason to believe that the police will find the killer."
"I know not, your highness," Obi-Wan replied. "Qui-Gon you work for the NIA, do you know anything about the Spider?"
Obi-Wan already knew the answer, however, he asked anyway for Xanatos' benefit.
"I am not on that particular investigation, as you know. I know what you know; someone has been breaking into the prisons and killing prisoners." I paused. "Do your victims have anything in common?"
Xanatos glanced at Obi-Wan but remained silent. I knew than he knew the Jedi connection, however he did not trust me to say it yet.
"No." He looked me in the eye when he answered. I looked back. I saw Obi-Wan raise a hand slightly out the corner of my eye. I did not challenge the Prince on what I knew was a lie.
"Qui-Gon, I would not normally ask, however I am desperate." Xanatos moistened his lips preparing himself for requesting of me what he was loath to do; asking me for help. "As ambassador, could you write to your colleagues in Naboo and ask them if they have any clues?"
"Of course, Your Highness." My agreement was easily given and it would give me an excuse to write to the agent in charge of the investigation and find out what they knew.
Someone rapped loudly at the door. They did not wait before entering.
"Your Highness, my Lords, there has been another murder."
"Where? Who?"
"On Cona'san Street, his Lordship Leon."
Obi-Wan looked to me before answering.
"I want to see the scene."
And so it was that the Prince of Coruscant, the Jedi and his hunter made their way across the city of Beli'ay to witness the horrors of the Spider first hand.
As we had spoken of him, the Spider had been hard at work.
Lord Xac Leon walked along the well-lit bank of the Great river that ran though Beli'ay. He had been one of the Jedi's first successful rescues. Leon had been a rich merchant in Naboo and even before his trial he spent much of his time on Coruscant's soil. He had been in Coruscant for some years and was well at home among its people; rarely did he miss the place of his birth but when he did miss Naboo, he would walk the streets of his adopted home. Nighttime was when it was easiest to pretend he was still in Theed. Deserted city streets could be imagined as anywhere especially with the shadows hiding much of it.
It was early evening and the riverbank was not yet completely deserted; couples lingered, children still played and others hurried home after a long day of work. Beli'ay's river parade was relatively safe as it was never totally empty. Leon didn't normally walk this way but that night being alone filled him with dread and he sought the companionship of other lone walkers.
Leon continued on, making his way slowly home. His lover, Jonathan, was away for the night, so their home was empty. Leon could not put off returning, the loneliness of the old house beckoned and soon the sun would rise and his lover would be home.
Leon wasn't sure what made him pause at his doorstep, maybe he heard something or maybe he saw a shadow move. Whatever it had been, the moment passed and Leon continued up the steps to his door.
The door stood ajar.
He wearily pushed it open. At the top of the stairs, under the door to the main bedroom he could see a light. Leon closed the door silently and crept further into his own home. In the dim light he could see something red on the stairs. He raced up them following the trail to the bedroom. He burst in, knocking the door back on its hinges.
Rose petals were scattered all over the bedroom as well as on the bed where a naked man lay. There was something else red on the sheets, floor and walls as well. Blood. Leon froze with his heart in his throat for now he could see his lover, Jonathan, and the mutilations his body had endured before he had died. Tears welled up and he let them fall. A rustle of cloth alerted him to movement. He turned in time to see a cloaked man lunge at him.
Leon was no soldier but he was strong. He darted out of the way and raced past the intruder. He ran into the street calling for help. By the time the police arrived, the intruder was gone.
Jonathan's body was still warm when we arrived. I noticed Leon sitting on the doorstep being tended to by a young policewoman. Obi-Wan went to him and held him in a comforting embrace.
"We were told you were murdered," he said softly.
"No, not me." Leon didn't need to tell obi-Wan whom it was who lay dead in his place.
"Jonathan," Xanatos sighed. Xanatos had known Jonathan at school and while they had not spoken to each other in sometime, he still felt the loss keenly, as did Obi-Wan who had remained close to the couple.
Xanatos waited with Leon while Obi-Wan and I continued into the house. I did not enter the room, choosing to observe from the door. Obi-Wan stepped in and went to stand at its centre. I can still picture him there, dressed immaculately while the room was drenched in blood; it was everywhere, on the furniture, soaked into the bedside rug and up the walls. I did not see the horrified expression on Obi-Wan's face as I expected; he looked thoughtful.
"This is different," he said. "Whoever did this is not the one who kills in Naboo."
"A copy cat?"
"It's possible. All the victims are condemned criminals, except here they were free." He looked around him slowly seeing every detail. "Whoever did this is enjoying it. In Naboo, I saw slaughter, but it was precise and without emotion, or at least if there was any it wasn't directed at the victims. This," he frowned, "this is something else. There is passion here, a real malice. He loves what he is doing and enjoys the suffering he inflicts. Two killers, Qui-Gon."
I am an investigator but I have never seen the scenes in Naboo. The Jedi connection could have been a coincidence and the Spider, inspiration. Mundi and the others could have been chosen because, like the Spider's victims, they were the Fallen. I saw the spider carved into the wooden floorboards. How was I to know that it was identical to the ones in Naboo? I know it now just as Obi-Wan knew it then. He knew the killings were connected at a far more intimate level.
Oh, Obi-Wan, why didn't you tell me? Did you think I would try and stop you? I still do not understand all that has happened and the events that have led me back here to Theed, alone. You are gone Obi-Wan and I am left to wonder. The Spider destroyed us even before you left, because you lied to me and you did it so well. I thought I knew Obi-Wan perfectly and while I could see his turmoil he was using it as a mask against me, he hid another kind of pain behind that of the Spider's making. I saw the look in his eyes and thought it was because of his failure, but under that was another reason.
Xanatos did not wait long for us. As soon as Leon was taken care of he left. A police officer told us that he had been impatient and to tell us he had gone to the Nabooan embassy. Obi-Wan and I didn't wait for any more information, we ran to Obi-Wan's carriage and set off in pursuit of the Prince.
"I want to see Travin."
"Of cause, Your Highness." Xanatos was shown to one of the embassy's drawing rooms. His bodyguards followed their prince, concerned that there were only two of them while the prince was in the enemy's lair. Xanatos refused refreshments and a seat and instead paced the room while he waited for the spy.
"Highness, what can I do for you?" Travin entered without a sound. Xanatos turned to see him rising from a bow.
"I want to know about the Spider."
"I'm sorry, but I cannot share state secrets," Travin answered with his usual sly smile.
"He's here, you know that, don't you?"
Travin didn't answer, merely smirked at the Prince's obvious frustration. Travin hated the Fallen and the Jedi and he did not try and hide his gleefulness at the fate they had encountered in Beli'ay. He didn't care about Coruscant or the traitors.
"He killed again tonight. An innocent, he killed the wrong man."
Something did flicker in Travin's eyes when Xanatos told him that. But it wasn't sorrow for the dead man. As far as he was concerned, the people of Coruscant were the enemy and deserved do die.
"You don't know anything, do you? You just pretend to so that you can watch others suffer thinking you could help but chose not to." Xanatos was no fool and knew the games of the man in front of him. "You snivelling, uncaring, manipulative, evil bastard. I should have deported you last year, but it is a mistake I can remedy. I want you out of my country, go back to your unjust nation, return to your king and be his lap dog. Get out now and do not return."
Obi-Wan and I arrived in time to hear Xanatos' final declaration. As we entered the prince was turning to leave.
"Lord Jinn, I am ordering you to remove Travin from the embassy or I shall have the whole staff sent back to Naboo; including yourself. Do you understand?" he shot a meaningful glance at Obi-Wan.
"Yes, Your Highness." I bowed to him before I turned to Travin. "Travin, out. Be at the dock at morning tide, you are leaving." Xanatos need not have threatened me because the order was easy and a pleasure to give. He was risking my mission directed to me by the King of Naboo and he was my enemy. Travin had hurt my Obi-Wan and relished in the suffering of others. I wondered again if it could be him who was the second killer. Xanatos said that he had him watched and he was known in the city, yet it was still possible. As Obi-Wan had warned me in the past, the man was still a spy.
Xanatos left with the same abruptness as he had arrived. Obi-Wan and I lingered a while. I decided to stay at the embassy for the night to make sure that Travin left on the first available ship. Obi-Wan stayed an hour to keep me company before kissing me softly.
"I have to go, Qui-Gon; it's been a difficult couple of days and I need some rest."
"You could stay here, with me." I'd already asked him to stay but I knew he would not.
"I can't, not with him still here and not while Naboo is my enemy."
"I love you, my Obi-Wan."
"And I you, beloved."
I walked him to the door where I took him in a tight embrace and kissed him deep and long. He was breathless when he pulled away. He walked down the steps to the waiting carriage.
"See you in the morning, Love," he called before he stepped up into the carriage and out of sight.
Travin left the following morning as Xanatos had ordered and within an hour of his departure I was once again with Obi-Wan at his townhouse. The few hours' rest seemed to have done him the world of good, not longer did a cloud of melancholy cling to him. He appeared resolved and calm and determination was once again in his heart.
Was it the most recent murders that caused this change?
I think he had already known what it was he had to do but the news of the Spider in Coruscant had made him confront his well disguised dread. Many think of the Jedi as vain, egotistical and without fear. Many think of Obi-Wan as cold, an open book, with no hidden depths. They are all wrong. Do not ask me why Obi-Wan allowed me so close, why he let me see beneath his protective masks. Perhaps he saw beneath my own façade or maybe he just wanted me on his side. Whatever the reasons were we fell in love, he was so beautiful and my weary, disillusioned spirit needed his hope and crusade to once again be able to live. In return, I gave Obi-Wan a place of safety where he was free to be himself; I gave him solace, strength and support. We were a perfect match at heart even when of the surface we appeared opposites, enemies, adversaries.
Obi-Wan and the Jedi are not without fear, especially now that he had so much to live for. He was not vain though he can be cocky. His fear had gone because the fight with the Spider was more important.
"I am going back," he said to me as we lay in bed together. "I must keep trying."
"Of course."
"I would beg you to come with me if I were not about to ask something else of you."
"What is it, my Obi-Wan?" I would have gladly done anything for him.
"Stay here and find out about the Spider. I'll talk to Xan and get him to clear you to investigate in the interest of both nations to catch both the killers. Even if they are unrelated, then the capture of one may help us understand the other."
"I will stay."
"Thank you."
Obi-Wan spoke to Xanatos the next day, lying about where he was going and asking permission for me to be involved in the Spider investigation. Xanatos was not pleased by Obi-Wan's leaving just as he had returned but he accepted my help nonetheless. Why wouldn't he? I was an NIA investigator.
Obi-Wan left Coruscant for Naboo and I stayed at the embassy. We spent so little time together just being us; the world always managed to intrude and our contentment was always sacrificed.
"Come back soon, my own," I whispered as I watched his ship sail from view, not knowing Obi-Wan would never return home, that he would never set foot in Coruscant again.
Xanatos was silent as he waited for me and Obi-Wan to digest this new information. The look of alarm on Obi-Wan's face was mirrored on my own. Not betraying any of his own bewilderment, the Prince began to describe the first murder by the Spider of the peaceful shores of Coruscant.
Mundi dismissed Yaddle for the night and retired to his bedroom with his warmed milk. Yaddle swore by it to aid troubled sleep, so Mundi had given in to his maid's persistent urgings for him to try it. He placed the glass on his bedside table with the candle he had carried up with him. He removed his day clothes and dressed in his nightshirt and gown. More comfortable, he climbed into his bed where his wife was already asleep; down the corridor he could hear his daughter moving around in her room.
Mundi opened the book he kept by his bedside table for night when sleep was elusive; currently it was a book of ancient myths from Naboo. Despite fleeing his country, Mundi still thought of it and missed it terribly. He began to read, every now and again taking a sip of his hot drink, and sooner than he expected, he was yawning and laying the book aside in order to sleep. He blew out the candle and was soon as deeply asleep as his wife.
What sounded like a muffled cry awoke Mundi. The darkness was close about him and for the moment between wakefulness and sleep, Mundi thought the sound had been real. Silence engulfed the house allowing him to think it had just been part of a vague dream. In the darkness he reached out to his wife. He felt something wet, sticky and warm.
Fear froze Mundi for a heartbeat and a lifetime. He sat up. The curtains were open and the light from the stars and moon illuminated the room with their ghastly white light. His wife still lay by his side but she no longer lived, blood covered her, oozing from the wound across her throat. Her eyes stared unseeing past him; gone was any life. She had not even had time to cry out such was the deftness and violence of the attack.
Crying out, Mundi stumbled from the bed and fled the sight before him. Saran! Mundi ran down the hall unafraid for himself but terrified for his child. He burst into his daughter's room and was met by such carnage he felt bile rise in his throat. Candles were lit all around the room showing the grievousness of the crime in their eerie light.
"I have been waiting, Mundi." A cloaked figure sat in a chair opposite his daughter's crucified corpse; a spider carved into her chest. "A little sleeping drug in your food and I could take my time. I saved you 'till last, traitor."
"I don't understand."
"No, but soon others will."
Mundi did not feel the knife slide in between his ribs, his vision was consumed by the sight of his daughter and his heart already filled with the pain of what he beheld. Blood blossomed from the wound. Mundi fell to the floor at the Spider's feet, never to rise again. With great care the dark man took the body back to his bed to lay him out, as he wanted him to be found. He took his time leaving his mark on his other two victims. He had the rest of the night to complete his work.
"The Mundi family kept to themselves in Beli'ay. We might not have found them for sometime if Yaddle wasn't due to meet a friend. She never showed and the friend who is a maid for Lord Catsin of the police force. She was worried and asked him to send someone to the house with her."
"The Spider killed the maid too?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes." As Obi-Wan asked his questions I only half listened, thinking of the man I had met when I had first come to Coruscant. I remembered Yaddle and her loyalty, which had been the reason for her own murder. That visit to that house had answered few of my questions and had opened my mind to what the Jedi really meant.
"Travin," I suddenly said, interrupting. "Where was he?" I asked, remembering his scorn for the rescued fallen.
"At the embassy. I've had him watched for some time now. If he is involved it isn't directly," Xanatos answered. "Obi-Wan, what should I do? There have been another three families murdered since Mundi, and I have no reason to believe that the police will find the killer."
"I know not, your highness," Obi-Wan replied. "Qui-Gon you work for the NIA, do you know anything about the Spider?"
Obi-Wan already knew the answer, however, he asked anyway for Xanatos' benefit.
"I am not on that particular investigation, as you know. I know what you know; someone has been breaking into the prisons and killing prisoners." I paused. "Do your victims have anything in common?"
Xanatos glanced at Obi-Wan but remained silent. I knew than he knew the Jedi connection, however he did not trust me to say it yet.
"No." He looked me in the eye when he answered. I looked back. I saw Obi-Wan raise a hand slightly out the corner of my eye. I did not challenge the Prince on what I knew was a lie.
"Qui-Gon, I would not normally ask, however I am desperate." Xanatos moistened his lips preparing himself for requesting of me what he was loath to do; asking me for help. "As ambassador, could you write to your colleagues in Naboo and ask them if they have any clues?"
"Of course, Your Highness." My agreement was easily given and it would give me an excuse to write to the agent in charge of the investigation and find out what they knew.
Someone rapped loudly at the door. They did not wait before entering.
"Your Highness, my Lords, there has been another murder."
"Where? Who?"
"On Cona'san Street, his Lordship Leon."
Obi-Wan looked to me before answering.
"I want to see the scene."
And so it was that the Prince of Coruscant, the Jedi and his hunter made their way across the city of Beli'ay to witness the horrors of the Spider first hand.
As we had spoken of him, the Spider had been hard at work.
Lord Xac Leon walked along the well-lit bank of the Great river that ran though Beli'ay. He had been one of the Jedi's first successful rescues. Leon had been a rich merchant in Naboo and even before his trial he spent much of his time on Coruscant's soil. He had been in Coruscant for some years and was well at home among its people; rarely did he miss the place of his birth but when he did miss Naboo, he would walk the streets of his adopted home. Nighttime was when it was easiest to pretend he was still in Theed. Deserted city streets could be imagined as anywhere especially with the shadows hiding much of it.
It was early evening and the riverbank was not yet completely deserted; couples lingered, children still played and others hurried home after a long day of work. Beli'ay's river parade was relatively safe as it was never totally empty. Leon didn't normally walk this way but that night being alone filled him with dread and he sought the companionship of other lone walkers.
Leon continued on, making his way slowly home. His lover, Jonathan, was away for the night, so their home was empty. Leon could not put off returning, the loneliness of the old house beckoned and soon the sun would rise and his lover would be home.
Leon wasn't sure what made him pause at his doorstep, maybe he heard something or maybe he saw a shadow move. Whatever it had been, the moment passed and Leon continued up the steps to his door.
The door stood ajar.
He wearily pushed it open. At the top of the stairs, under the door to the main bedroom he could see a light. Leon closed the door silently and crept further into his own home. In the dim light he could see something red on the stairs. He raced up them following the trail to the bedroom. He burst in, knocking the door back on its hinges.
Rose petals were scattered all over the bedroom as well as on the bed where a naked man lay. There was something else red on the sheets, floor and walls as well. Blood. Leon froze with his heart in his throat for now he could see his lover, Jonathan, and the mutilations his body had endured before he had died. Tears welled up and he let them fall. A rustle of cloth alerted him to movement. He turned in time to see a cloaked man lunge at him.
Leon was no soldier but he was strong. He darted out of the way and raced past the intruder. He ran into the street calling for help. By the time the police arrived, the intruder was gone.
Jonathan's body was still warm when we arrived. I noticed Leon sitting on the doorstep being tended to by a young policewoman. Obi-Wan went to him and held him in a comforting embrace.
"We were told you were murdered," he said softly.
"No, not me." Leon didn't need to tell obi-Wan whom it was who lay dead in his place.
"Jonathan," Xanatos sighed. Xanatos had known Jonathan at school and while they had not spoken to each other in sometime, he still felt the loss keenly, as did Obi-Wan who had remained close to the couple.
Xanatos waited with Leon while Obi-Wan and I continued into the house. I did not enter the room, choosing to observe from the door. Obi-Wan stepped in and went to stand at its centre. I can still picture him there, dressed immaculately while the room was drenched in blood; it was everywhere, on the furniture, soaked into the bedside rug and up the walls. I did not see the horrified expression on Obi-Wan's face as I expected; he looked thoughtful.
"This is different," he said. "Whoever did this is not the one who kills in Naboo."
"A copy cat?"
"It's possible. All the victims are condemned criminals, except here they were free." He looked around him slowly seeing every detail. "Whoever did this is enjoying it. In Naboo, I saw slaughter, but it was precise and without emotion, or at least if there was any it wasn't directed at the victims. This," he frowned, "this is something else. There is passion here, a real malice. He loves what he is doing and enjoys the suffering he inflicts. Two killers, Qui-Gon."
I am an investigator but I have never seen the scenes in Naboo. The Jedi connection could have been a coincidence and the Spider, inspiration. Mundi and the others could have been chosen because, like the Spider's victims, they were the Fallen. I saw the spider carved into the wooden floorboards. How was I to know that it was identical to the ones in Naboo? I know it now just as Obi-Wan knew it then. He knew the killings were connected at a far more intimate level.
Oh, Obi-Wan, why didn't you tell me? Did you think I would try and stop you? I still do not understand all that has happened and the events that have led me back here to Theed, alone. You are gone Obi-Wan and I am left to wonder. The Spider destroyed us even before you left, because you lied to me and you did it so well. I thought I knew Obi-Wan perfectly and while I could see his turmoil he was using it as a mask against me, he hid another kind of pain behind that of the Spider's making. I saw the look in his eyes and thought it was because of his failure, but under that was another reason.
Xanatos did not wait long for us. As soon as Leon was taken care of he left. A police officer told us that he had been impatient and to tell us he had gone to the Nabooan embassy. Obi-Wan and I didn't wait for any more information, we ran to Obi-Wan's carriage and set off in pursuit of the Prince.
"I want to see Travin."
"Of cause, Your Highness." Xanatos was shown to one of the embassy's drawing rooms. His bodyguards followed their prince, concerned that there were only two of them while the prince was in the enemy's lair. Xanatos refused refreshments and a seat and instead paced the room while he waited for the spy.
"Highness, what can I do for you?" Travin entered without a sound. Xanatos turned to see him rising from a bow.
"I want to know about the Spider."
"I'm sorry, but I cannot share state secrets," Travin answered with his usual sly smile.
"He's here, you know that, don't you?"
Travin didn't answer, merely smirked at the Prince's obvious frustration. Travin hated the Fallen and the Jedi and he did not try and hide his gleefulness at the fate they had encountered in Beli'ay. He didn't care about Coruscant or the traitors.
"He killed again tonight. An innocent, he killed the wrong man."
Something did flicker in Travin's eyes when Xanatos told him that. But it wasn't sorrow for the dead man. As far as he was concerned, the people of Coruscant were the enemy and deserved do die.
"You don't know anything, do you? You just pretend to so that you can watch others suffer thinking you could help but chose not to." Xanatos was no fool and knew the games of the man in front of him. "You snivelling, uncaring, manipulative, evil bastard. I should have deported you last year, but it is a mistake I can remedy. I want you out of my country, go back to your unjust nation, return to your king and be his lap dog. Get out now and do not return."
Obi-Wan and I arrived in time to hear Xanatos' final declaration. As we entered the prince was turning to leave.
"Lord Jinn, I am ordering you to remove Travin from the embassy or I shall have the whole staff sent back to Naboo; including yourself. Do you understand?" he shot a meaningful glance at Obi-Wan.
"Yes, Your Highness." I bowed to him before I turned to Travin. "Travin, out. Be at the dock at morning tide, you are leaving." Xanatos need not have threatened me because the order was easy and a pleasure to give. He was risking my mission directed to me by the King of Naboo and he was my enemy. Travin had hurt my Obi-Wan and relished in the suffering of others. I wondered again if it could be him who was the second killer. Xanatos said that he had him watched and he was known in the city, yet it was still possible. As Obi-Wan had warned me in the past, the man was still a spy.
Xanatos left with the same abruptness as he had arrived. Obi-Wan and I lingered a while. I decided to stay at the embassy for the night to make sure that Travin left on the first available ship. Obi-Wan stayed an hour to keep me company before kissing me softly.
"I have to go, Qui-Gon; it's been a difficult couple of days and I need some rest."
"You could stay here, with me." I'd already asked him to stay but I knew he would not.
"I can't, not with him still here and not while Naboo is my enemy."
"I love you, my Obi-Wan."
"And I you, beloved."
I walked him to the door where I took him in a tight embrace and kissed him deep and long. He was breathless when he pulled away. He walked down the steps to the waiting carriage.
"See you in the morning, Love," he called before he stepped up into the carriage and out of sight.
Travin left the following morning as Xanatos had ordered and within an hour of his departure I was once again with Obi-Wan at his townhouse. The few hours' rest seemed to have done him the world of good, not longer did a cloud of melancholy cling to him. He appeared resolved and calm and determination was once again in his heart.
Was it the most recent murders that caused this change?
I think he had already known what it was he had to do but the news of the Spider in Coruscant had made him confront his well disguised dread. Many think of the Jedi as vain, egotistical and without fear. Many think of Obi-Wan as cold, an open book, with no hidden depths. They are all wrong. Do not ask me why Obi-Wan allowed me so close, why he let me see beneath his protective masks. Perhaps he saw beneath my own façade or maybe he just wanted me on his side. Whatever the reasons were we fell in love, he was so beautiful and my weary, disillusioned spirit needed his hope and crusade to once again be able to live. In return, I gave Obi-Wan a place of safety where he was free to be himself; I gave him solace, strength and support. We were a perfect match at heart even when of the surface we appeared opposites, enemies, adversaries.
Obi-Wan and the Jedi are not without fear, especially now that he had so much to live for. He was not vain though he can be cocky. His fear had gone because the fight with the Spider was more important.
"I am going back," he said to me as we lay in bed together. "I must keep trying."
"Of course."
"I would beg you to come with me if I were not about to ask something else of you."
"What is it, my Obi-Wan?" I would have gladly done anything for him.
"Stay here and find out about the Spider. I'll talk to Xan and get him to clear you to investigate in the interest of both nations to catch both the killers. Even if they are unrelated, then the capture of one may help us understand the other."
"I will stay."
"Thank you."
Obi-Wan spoke to Xanatos the next day, lying about where he was going and asking permission for me to be involved in the Spider investigation. Xanatos was not pleased by Obi-Wan's leaving just as he had returned but he accepted my help nonetheless. Why wouldn't he? I was an NIA investigator.
Obi-Wan left Coruscant for Naboo and I stayed at the embassy. We spent so little time together just being us; the world always managed to intrude and our contentment was always sacrificed.
"Come back soon, my own," I whispered as I watched his ship sail from view, not knowing Obi-Wan would never return home, that he would never set foot in Coruscant again.