*Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors. I was in a hurry to post this.*
He could feel his master's presence outside, a man overcome by emotion. Anakin wanted to allow his master this one moment of respite.
Meldara had calmed down now, but Anakin could tell that her grief was still not overcome, and would probably never be overcome. The years of hiding such a secret had taken their toll on her, and he knew that she would never be the same.
They sat in silence for a while, Anakin and Meldara inside the room and Qui-Gon outside. All were lost in their own thoughts, prisoners in their own minds.
Finally Anakin stood, and offered Meldara a silent goodbye. She gave him a small smile, and whispered: "Tell him I'm sorry." He nodded to her and left the room
Qui-Gon sat near the door, his back against the wall and his head in his hands. Anakin had never seen the imposing master look so... helpless.
"Master?" Anakin inquired softly, not wanting to upset the older man.
Qui-Gon looked up, and the young boy could see that his eyes were red. He got up slowly, and did not speak. Qui-Gon then started down the hallway, and beckoned Anakin to follow wordlessly.
*______________________________*
Qui-Gon was lost in a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions. As the guilt of a single mistake settled upon him, he could only weather the tempest of his mind.
What had he done to his Padawan?
Guilt settled over him like a fog. If only he had listened to his Padawan's calls of innocence... if only he had stuck by his apprentice... if only...
The pain of hindsight struck him like a hammer. The past was so much clearer now, and he wondered why he had made the descisions he had made.
But still another emotion overcame him: anger. Anger at Meldara for having kept her secret as long as she had; anger at King Renon for forcing her to blame Obi-Wan; but most of all, anger at himself.
He strove to clear his mind, to rid himself of such an un-Jedi emotion. Anger had no place in him, even if he wanted it. He knew what he had to do now; what the mission now required of him.
Rising slowly at the call of his Padawan, he set off to the throne room of King Renon.
*_____________________*
The tall doors opened with a loud bang. In stormed Qui-Gon Jinn and Anakin Skywalker.
"What have you done to my Padawan?!" the Master growled.
King Renon seemed to be confused, but Anakin knew that it was an act. "I do not understand, Master Jedi, your apprentice is fine. He is standing right beside you!"
Qui-Gon moved a menacing step closer. "You know that I speak of Obi-Wan! What did you do to him?!"
At this the king paled, and almost seemed to become smaller. "What?" he croaked out.
The taller Jedi moved forward. "I know all about it! You framed him! Why? Why?!" he said, almost screaming.
Anakin was afraid. Never had he seen his master act like this, filled with anger and sadness. Anakin was uncomfortable, and he prayed that the king answered quickly.
Next to the young boy, Qui-Gon felt his discomfort. He willed himself to take control of his emotions, and let the Force help him.
He spoke again, this time more calmly. "Why? Why Obi-Wan?"
King Renon practically squirmed in his chair. "I was blackmailed to do it. They told me if I didn't pin it on your apprentice, they would have my family killed and my planet enslaved! I couldn't let that happen! I am sorry, but I did it for my family and for my planet!" King Renon sunk deep into his chair and let emotion overtake him. "I'm sorry..." he whispered feebly.
Qui-Gon took in the King's words all at once. There was another force at work here, someone else behind Obi-Wan's downfall. If he could just find out who contacted the King...
"Who was it? Who blackmailed you?" Qui-Gon asked aloud.
King Renon looked back at them. "I never knew his name, but his threats were very real... very real..." the King said, soon falling prey to his own thoughts.
Qui-Gon found this strange, strange that an unknown blackmailer had demanded this from the king. He also sensed that they were no more answers left on Halith, and that what he seeked for lay somewhere else.
"Come Anakin," he said, turning to his Padawan, "We're going to Dagobah."
*_______________________*
It did not take them long to secure transport to Dagobah, and soon Anakin found himself speeding through space, and towards Dagobah. The trip was to take five hours of travel, so Anakin took this time to research Dagobah.
He found that this planet was a swamp world, teeming with life. Several colonisation projects had been made to colonize this Outer Rim planet, but all had failed. The harsh wilderness had obliterated all hopes of establishing a colony, and was so abandoned.
Dagobah had no sentient life of its own, but it had many interesting and dangerous creatures like the butcherbug, the dragonsnake and the swamp slug. The gnarltrees had also an interesting life cycle, but unfortunately Anakin could not find much information on them
In the meantime, Qui-Gon had retreated to his quarters for mediation. Anakin was troubled, and he felt that this mission was drawing them further and further apart. The fate of Qui-Gon's once Padawan weighed heavily on them both, and Anakin was anxious to find what secrets Dagobah hid.
The five hours passed quickly, and soon the pair of Jedi found themselves orbiting the swamp planet.
"Where should I land?" inquired their pilot, a Corelian by the name of Rehan.
"Here." Qui-Gon said softly, pointing to a spot on the map readout.
The ship descended quickly through the thick atmosphere, diving through the fog. Anakin could only barely see the faint outlines of trees and other plants. Everything else was hidden by the fog.
Rehan let the ship down softly, and Qui-Gon eagerly disembarked. Anakin followed behind a moment later, and they both stood on the soft moss floor of Dagobah.
"It will be simpler if we spread out." Qui-Gon said, placing a hand on his apprentice's back. "Do not go too far from the ship. If you run into trouble, use your communicator."
Anakin nodded quickly and headed out into the fog. The trees were very old and very tall, Anakin noticed. The wildlife here was very different from all the other planets he had been to.
Suddenly Anakin felt the hairs on the back of his neck go up. He was being watched.
He continued on walking, as if he had sensed nothing. He was searching for movement out of the corners of his eyes, waiting for the unseen threat to appear.
There was a quick breeze of air behind him, and Anakin swung around quickly, igniting his lightsaber as he did.
There was no one there.
Amused with his over-reaction, Anakin turned off his lightsaber and turned back around.
A man stood before him, wearing a brown cloak.
Anakin jumped backwards, and drew his lightsaber, but it was not quick enough. It shot out of his hands and into the ones of the other man.
"I'm not afraid of you!" Anakin exclaimed, more for his own benefit then of the man's.
The cloaked figure chuckled lightly. "You don't know who I am, do you?" he said lightly, reaching up to remove his hood. Long auburn hair fell forwards, and sea-change eyes looked back at Anakin.
Anakin gasped. He had found Obi-Wan Kenobi.
*Next chapter should be up Saturday.*
