Chapter Six
A Spark of Hope
Qui-Gon paced back and forth through the quarters that he shared with Obi- Wan, as he waited for word from Tahl or the other Knights and Masters. He hoped those who were searching for any information they could find out about Xanatos Crion, and where he could have taken Obi-Wan, would know something soon.
"Qui-Gon, Tahl is doing everything she can," Mace told him, "you need to relax."
"Relax; my Padawan is with Xanatos who wants to use him to exact revenge on me. I had to tell Obi-Wan that I didn't want him as my Padawan anymore. If he dies, he will die thinking that I wanted nothing to do with him. I couldn't tell him that I didn't mean it without also letting Xanatos know." Qui-Gon ran his hand through his graying dark hair, as he walked toward the window and looked out at the Coruscant traffic flying by.
"Qui-Gon we will find Obi-Wan," Mace assured the disturbed man across the room from him.
"Do you know that I have no idea what his favorite food is?" Qui-Gon began, his back to Mace as he stared out the window. "As soon as I took him for my apprentice, we went from mission to mission, and then the whole Melida/Dann incident happened. I know that he seemed to like muja fruit, but I don't know if it's his favorite food. I don't know what his favorite color is, or even what interests he has other than becoming a knight one day." Qui-Gon shook his head, "the few times that we were here at the temple, he seemed to enjoy looking out the window at the night traffic. He might have been bored, but he didn't ask if he could go and spend time with his friends. He just sat in front of the window and I let him."
"Qui-Gon, we will find him. You heard Xanatos, he is going to give Obi-Wan to his Master, and that will give us time to find him."
"Mace, you know as well as I do that Xanatos could have lied about that. He has lied before and there is no evidence that the Sith exist anymore," Qui-Gon told him.
"Master Yoda would tell you that the dark side is clouded and that the Sith are perhaps in hiding, waiting to make their presence known," Mace told him.
"I need to do something," Qui-Gon told him, as he whirled around from his place in front of the window. "I can't just sit here."
"Qui-Gon-"Mace began and was interrupted by the sound of Qui-Gon's comlink.
"Qui-Gon here," the taller man wasted no time in replying.
"Qui-Gon, you and Mace better come to the Council room now," the voice of Adi Gallia told them. "We have a lead on Obi-Wan."
"We're on our way," Qui-Gon responded with a glance at Mace as he hurried out of his apartment, with Mace following him.
((((((
"Saw Obi-Wan, a young girl thinks she did," Yoda began as soon as Qui-Gon and Mace had entered the Council room.
"Did she talk to him? How sure is she that it was Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked a spark of hope flickering in his mind.
"Qui-Gon," Adi began, "the girl was telepathic. She could hear what the boy was thinking. She described him as wearing Jedi like clothing and having a Padawan braid. She said that he could barely walk, and that his face was bleeding from a nasty looking cut on his cheek. She told me that he was with a taller young man with dark hair and a broken circle on his cheek,"
"Xanatos," Qui-Gon murmured.
Adi nodded, "the girl told us that in his thoughts the boy said, 'He lied, he's not taking me to become a Sith. He's going to sell me as a slave, somewhere along the outer rim planets where slavery is legal."
"Slavery," Qui-Gon said in desperation. He knew the chances of finding his Padawan had just diminished to almost nothing. There were at least a hundred planets that he knew of where slavery was legal not counting the planets that he didn't know about. He could feel his muscles twitch with the terror that swelled inside of him, at the thought of Obi-Wan as a slave. He knew that slaves were rarely ever treated with any compassion. The ones that he had seen while dealing with slave owners, were typically treated like pets rather than people, and were often underfed. He also knew that the slavers would have to break Obi-Wan. It would take a lot to break a Jedi, even a young Padawan wearing a force suppresser.
Qui-Gon felt apprehension gnawing at his insides. He had told Obi-Wan that he didn't want him as his Padawan and he could feel the mental pain overcome the boy, almost taking precedence over the teen's physical pain, as he had uttered those detestable words. Now the boy was going to live a life of pain as a slave because of him.
/I will find you Obi-Wan, and I will tell you everything that I never had the opportunity to tell you. I will take the time to learn what your favorite color is, and what your favorite foods are./ Qui-Gon thought, /I will find you, even if it costs me my Knighthood./
((((((
Obi-Wan had lain on the cold floor of the cargo hold for hours, thinking about the short time he had spent with Master Qui-Gon Jinn. /At least I had time to experience what it was like to be a Jedi Padawan with a Master to guide me. / As he lay on the floor his teeth began to chatter uncontrollably, and he hoped he would die, before they reached their destination. He knew, however, that his injuries were not that severe, that the most serious wounds were partially healed by the Temple's healers.
Obi-Wan didn't know what he should do. He was trapped in the cargo hold of a ship traveling through hyperspace. He could barely move and he felt like he hadn't slept in weeks. He was afraid to close his eyes and allow himself the sweet reward of sleep, in case he awakened to a worse nightmare than the one in which he was currently involved.
The ship vibrated underneath Obi-Wan's body lulling him to sleep. Although he desperately tried to fight to stay awake, he lost the battle rather quickly. Obi-Wan drifted to sleep, thinking about his short apprenticeship with Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
((((((
"What do you mean he's alive? Do you think that we're foolish enough to fall for your sick joke Siri?" Bant Eerin demanded, as she, Reeft, and Garen Muln sat on the side of the lake in the Jedi Gardens. It was the same lake in which Obi-Wan and Bant had gone swimming, many times before.
"I mean it. I saw him with my own eyes. Some man wearing black had him in a Force hold, and he couldn't move, but he was alive. He was breathing. The man told Qui-Gon that he was going to take Obi-Wan to his Master to be a Sith, and then he cut his cheek with a vibroblade, saying that he needed a scar. Master Adi and I went to try to help, Master Windu was also there," Siri told them.
"I know you're friends with Bruck, Siri, but I never thought that you would try to make us believe that our friend is still alive. They announced his death over the speakers, and we all saw his lifeless body lying on the bed ourselves. He was not breathing. Even Master Qui-Gon saw that he was dead. Dead Siri, he is dead. He's gone and he's never coming back," Bant stood up and yelled in the face of the blonde haired girl, Bant's face scant inches from Siri's.
"Bant, I know this is hard for you, but I'm not playing a trick. I saw him with my own eyes. He was alive; he even let out a gasp when the man cut his face. My Master told me that we believed that he was dead because he was in a hibernation trance, and we don't know how to detect the hibernation trance, so we believed our eyes," Siri told them. She wanted to help them by letting them know that Obi-Wan was not truly dead, but they wouldn't accept what she was telling them. They couldn't get past what they had seen with their own eyes.
"Siri, Obi-Wan would never allow them to deceive us like that. He would have told us first," Garen said jumping to his feet, suspecting that his friend might try to hit the girl. He had never seen Bant that angry before.
"I don't believe you. Obi-Wan was taken to become a Sith, and you don't want to do anything about it. He is going to need us to keep him on the light side. I don't care what you do, but I'm not going to sit here and stare at the lake, when Obi-Wan needs my help," Siri said, as she turned on her heel and marched away from the three stunned friends who stared after her retreating form.
"Maybe, we should go and speak with Master Windu or Master Gallia," Reeft spoke for the first time from where he sat on the ground.
((((((
Mace Windu walked down the hallway slowly alongside of Master Yoda, who sat on a hover chair. They were discussing Qui-Gon Jinn's mission to find Obi- Wan Kenobi. Suddenly he heard three young voices calling his name from behind. He turned around to find initiates Bant Eerin, Garen Muln, and Reeft hurrying toward him.
"Run in the hall you should not," Yoda admonished the three friends, "know this you should hmm."
"Sorry Master Yoda, but we need to speak with Master Windu," Garen spoke first, bowing slightly to the small Master.
"What's so important that you must run through the corridors?" the dark skinned Council member asked, his face a mask of calmness, that did not betray his thoughts or emotions.
"It's Obi-Wan," Bant began, "Siri said that he was still alive, and that he was taken away by someone wearing black."
Mace sighed, "we thought that by putting Obi-Wan in a hibernation trance, that whoever had tried to kill him would stop if they believed that he was dead."
"Backfired our plan did," Yoda added, "Force sensitive his attacker was."
"He's still alive then," Bant said surprise evident on her Calamarian face.
"Siri," Reeft uttered, looking back and forth between Bant and Garen. "She said that the man was going to make him become a Sith, and that he would need our help."
"She said that if we didn't want to believe her that she would help Obi-Wan by herself," Bant continued.
Mace and Yoda shared a look and then Mace reached for his comlink, to contact Adi Gallia.
"Adi here," she sounded out of breath as her voice came through the com link.
"Adi this is Mace Windu, do you know where your Padawan is?" he asked.
"She told me she was going to talk to her friends at the Gardens about an hour ago, why?" Adi asked. Although she was obviously out of breath, her voice like Mace's betrayed no trace of her emotions.
"Can you contact her through your training bond? She mentioned to initiates Bant, Reeft, and Garen, that she was going to help Obi-Wan," Mace explained.
After a moment of silence Adi said, "She's blocking me and I don't think she's in the Temple anymore."
"I'll contact Qui-Gon and see if she's on the ship with him. He should have just left the temple," Mace told her. He cut the transmission and contacted Qui-Gon.
((((((
Qui-Gon blasted out of the Temple as soon as a transport was ready for him. He knew that he had no time to waste if he was going to help Obi-Wan. He did not want to give Mace, or Yoda a chance to try to convince him that he should take another Master with him.
In a few minutes, Qui-Gon landed the transport in a hangar on the opposite side of the planet. It was the hangar where Xanatos had taken Obi-Wan to board a freighter. Qui-Gon was quickly making his way toward the exit, when Mace's voice sounded over his comlink. /I should have turned it off, / he thought, as he hastily took it out of his utility belt, and said "Qui- Gon here." As he said the word, he heard what had sounded like a crash coming from one of the small sleep quarters in the transport. He headed in the direction of the noise, as Mace's voice filled the transport.
"Qui-Gon, we have reason to believe that Padawan Siri Tachi may have snuck onboard your transport. She overheard what Xanatos said about making Obi- Wan turn, and wants to help," Mace's voice explained. Qui-Gon palmed the door to the quarters open, and found the very same Padawan that Mace spoke of sprawled out on the floor. She had obviously fallen. Qui-Gon wondered briefly, why he was unable to sense the girl's presence on the vessel. /I must have been too worried about Obi-Wan. I need to center myself; she could have tried to kill me. /
"Mace, I've just found your missing Padawan, she was hiding in the sleeping quarters. I'm already at the hangar, so I'll have to take her with me to speak with our witness. I'll bring her back as soon as I'm finished here. Qui-Gon out."
"Master Jinn, I'm sorry.."
Qui-Gon put his hand up in front of the girl indicating a need for quiet. Siri, who had quickly managed to get to her feet while Qui-Gon spoke with Master Mace, stood looking up at the tall Master. "We will discuss it later, now we need to go and speak with someone. Come with me, and don't ask any questions, until we're back on the transport," Qui-Gon spoke sternly to her. He did not have time to waste on a young girl who wanted to follow him around.
Siri nodded and followed Qui-Gon out of the transport, knowing that when she returned to the Temple she would be in a lot of trouble. At the time she boarded the transport she was so angry with Bant and her friends that she didn't worry about the consequences of her actions. She realized that she reacted hastily and should not have boarded the transport. She should have tried to get permission to go along, but it was too late because she felt the engines roar as the transport came to life.
Qui-Gon walked with such long strides toward the security office of the hangar that Siri had to run to catch up with him
"Are you Qui-Gon Jinn?" a security officer asked looking up at the taller man.
"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded.
"Good, come with me, the girl who saw your missing Jedi kid, is in my office. I am the Chief of security here, Thimp Wallup." The man said.
"The boy is my apprentice, he's called a Padawan," Qui-Gon corrected him.
Chief Wallup only nodded, and led them to his office where the witness waited. Once inside Qui-Gon took in the appearance of a young girl who sat on a chair across from the Security Chief's desk. She appeared near Obi- Wan's age, perhaps a year or so older. She had long dark brown hair, and an innocent looking face full of freckles. Her green eyes were bright and Qui-Gon noticed sadness in the eyes of the young lady that he thought she shouldn't have.
"This is Nimmika, she is the little girl who saw your Padawan," the Security Chief told them.
"Nimmika, this is Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and."
"Padawan Siri Tachi," Qui-Gon said, realizing that in his haste to speak with Nimmika about Obi-Wan, he had forgotten to introduce the young Padawan to Chief Wallup,. "Nimmika," Qui-Gon turned his attention to the green-eyed girl and pulled a holocube out of his tunic pocket handing it to Nimmika. "Is this the boy you saw?"
Nimmika took the holocube and looked at the image of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and nodded. "Yes that's the boy. He wore different clothes though and he was hurt. His cheek was bleeding and he was limping. I could hear his thoughts: he said that they lied, that they were going to turn him into a slave in the outer rim," the telepathic girl told them.
After the girl's words Siri let out a gasp, "a slave, but he's a Jedi. How can they force him into slavery?"
"Padawan Tachi, I do not intend to let that happen," Qui-Gon assured her. "Nimmika, I was told that you learned more information from the boy you saw. What didn't you tell Master Gallia?"
"I could hear the boy you call Obi-Wan's thoughts, in my mind, and I heard the dark haired man with the scar with my ears. He told the two men who were loading the freighter that they should take Obi-Wan to I'Balliap I and give him to a man named." the girl paused, trying to remember the man's name. Qui-Gon felt his heart begin to race I'Balliap was on the opposite side of the galaxy from Coruscant near the border of the outer Rim. It would take at least a full day's travel to get there. Qui-Gon and his Master Dooku had once visited the planet, and Qui-Gon witnessed a slave auction in progress but could do nothing to help the adults and children that were sold to the highest bidder, only to do the bidding of someone more fortunate. /Obi-Wan I will not let that happen to you, I will find you, if it takes the rest of my life, / Qui-Gon thought. "Rodnee," Nimmika said bringing the Jedi Master out of his train of thought. "His name was Rodnee. The man said that they should hand him over to Rodnee, and that he would wait for them in the South Side Hangar.
To Be Continued..
A Spark of Hope
Qui-Gon paced back and forth through the quarters that he shared with Obi- Wan, as he waited for word from Tahl or the other Knights and Masters. He hoped those who were searching for any information they could find out about Xanatos Crion, and where he could have taken Obi-Wan, would know something soon.
"Qui-Gon, Tahl is doing everything she can," Mace told him, "you need to relax."
"Relax; my Padawan is with Xanatos who wants to use him to exact revenge on me. I had to tell Obi-Wan that I didn't want him as my Padawan anymore. If he dies, he will die thinking that I wanted nothing to do with him. I couldn't tell him that I didn't mean it without also letting Xanatos know." Qui-Gon ran his hand through his graying dark hair, as he walked toward the window and looked out at the Coruscant traffic flying by.
"Qui-Gon we will find Obi-Wan," Mace assured the disturbed man across the room from him.
"Do you know that I have no idea what his favorite food is?" Qui-Gon began, his back to Mace as he stared out the window. "As soon as I took him for my apprentice, we went from mission to mission, and then the whole Melida/Dann incident happened. I know that he seemed to like muja fruit, but I don't know if it's his favorite food. I don't know what his favorite color is, or even what interests he has other than becoming a knight one day." Qui-Gon shook his head, "the few times that we were here at the temple, he seemed to enjoy looking out the window at the night traffic. He might have been bored, but he didn't ask if he could go and spend time with his friends. He just sat in front of the window and I let him."
"Qui-Gon, we will find him. You heard Xanatos, he is going to give Obi-Wan to his Master, and that will give us time to find him."
"Mace, you know as well as I do that Xanatos could have lied about that. He has lied before and there is no evidence that the Sith exist anymore," Qui-Gon told him.
"Master Yoda would tell you that the dark side is clouded and that the Sith are perhaps in hiding, waiting to make their presence known," Mace told him.
"I need to do something," Qui-Gon told him, as he whirled around from his place in front of the window. "I can't just sit here."
"Qui-Gon-"Mace began and was interrupted by the sound of Qui-Gon's comlink.
"Qui-Gon here," the taller man wasted no time in replying.
"Qui-Gon, you and Mace better come to the Council room now," the voice of Adi Gallia told them. "We have a lead on Obi-Wan."
"We're on our way," Qui-Gon responded with a glance at Mace as he hurried out of his apartment, with Mace following him.
((((((
"Saw Obi-Wan, a young girl thinks she did," Yoda began as soon as Qui-Gon and Mace had entered the Council room.
"Did she talk to him? How sure is she that it was Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked a spark of hope flickering in his mind.
"Qui-Gon," Adi began, "the girl was telepathic. She could hear what the boy was thinking. She described him as wearing Jedi like clothing and having a Padawan braid. She said that he could barely walk, and that his face was bleeding from a nasty looking cut on his cheek. She told me that he was with a taller young man with dark hair and a broken circle on his cheek,"
"Xanatos," Qui-Gon murmured.
Adi nodded, "the girl told us that in his thoughts the boy said, 'He lied, he's not taking me to become a Sith. He's going to sell me as a slave, somewhere along the outer rim planets where slavery is legal."
"Slavery," Qui-Gon said in desperation. He knew the chances of finding his Padawan had just diminished to almost nothing. There were at least a hundred planets that he knew of where slavery was legal not counting the planets that he didn't know about. He could feel his muscles twitch with the terror that swelled inside of him, at the thought of Obi-Wan as a slave. He knew that slaves were rarely ever treated with any compassion. The ones that he had seen while dealing with slave owners, were typically treated like pets rather than people, and were often underfed. He also knew that the slavers would have to break Obi-Wan. It would take a lot to break a Jedi, even a young Padawan wearing a force suppresser.
Qui-Gon felt apprehension gnawing at his insides. He had told Obi-Wan that he didn't want him as his Padawan and he could feel the mental pain overcome the boy, almost taking precedence over the teen's physical pain, as he had uttered those detestable words. Now the boy was going to live a life of pain as a slave because of him.
/I will find you Obi-Wan, and I will tell you everything that I never had the opportunity to tell you. I will take the time to learn what your favorite color is, and what your favorite foods are./ Qui-Gon thought, /I will find you, even if it costs me my Knighthood./
((((((
Obi-Wan had lain on the cold floor of the cargo hold for hours, thinking about the short time he had spent with Master Qui-Gon Jinn. /At least I had time to experience what it was like to be a Jedi Padawan with a Master to guide me. / As he lay on the floor his teeth began to chatter uncontrollably, and he hoped he would die, before they reached their destination. He knew, however, that his injuries were not that severe, that the most serious wounds were partially healed by the Temple's healers.
Obi-Wan didn't know what he should do. He was trapped in the cargo hold of a ship traveling through hyperspace. He could barely move and he felt like he hadn't slept in weeks. He was afraid to close his eyes and allow himself the sweet reward of sleep, in case he awakened to a worse nightmare than the one in which he was currently involved.
The ship vibrated underneath Obi-Wan's body lulling him to sleep. Although he desperately tried to fight to stay awake, he lost the battle rather quickly. Obi-Wan drifted to sleep, thinking about his short apprenticeship with Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
((((((
"What do you mean he's alive? Do you think that we're foolish enough to fall for your sick joke Siri?" Bant Eerin demanded, as she, Reeft, and Garen Muln sat on the side of the lake in the Jedi Gardens. It was the same lake in which Obi-Wan and Bant had gone swimming, many times before.
"I mean it. I saw him with my own eyes. Some man wearing black had him in a Force hold, and he couldn't move, but he was alive. He was breathing. The man told Qui-Gon that he was going to take Obi-Wan to his Master to be a Sith, and then he cut his cheek with a vibroblade, saying that he needed a scar. Master Adi and I went to try to help, Master Windu was also there," Siri told them.
"I know you're friends with Bruck, Siri, but I never thought that you would try to make us believe that our friend is still alive. They announced his death over the speakers, and we all saw his lifeless body lying on the bed ourselves. He was not breathing. Even Master Qui-Gon saw that he was dead. Dead Siri, he is dead. He's gone and he's never coming back," Bant stood up and yelled in the face of the blonde haired girl, Bant's face scant inches from Siri's.
"Bant, I know this is hard for you, but I'm not playing a trick. I saw him with my own eyes. He was alive; he even let out a gasp when the man cut his face. My Master told me that we believed that he was dead because he was in a hibernation trance, and we don't know how to detect the hibernation trance, so we believed our eyes," Siri told them. She wanted to help them by letting them know that Obi-Wan was not truly dead, but they wouldn't accept what she was telling them. They couldn't get past what they had seen with their own eyes.
"Siri, Obi-Wan would never allow them to deceive us like that. He would have told us first," Garen said jumping to his feet, suspecting that his friend might try to hit the girl. He had never seen Bant that angry before.
"I don't believe you. Obi-Wan was taken to become a Sith, and you don't want to do anything about it. He is going to need us to keep him on the light side. I don't care what you do, but I'm not going to sit here and stare at the lake, when Obi-Wan needs my help," Siri said, as she turned on her heel and marched away from the three stunned friends who stared after her retreating form.
"Maybe, we should go and speak with Master Windu or Master Gallia," Reeft spoke for the first time from where he sat on the ground.
((((((
Mace Windu walked down the hallway slowly alongside of Master Yoda, who sat on a hover chair. They were discussing Qui-Gon Jinn's mission to find Obi- Wan Kenobi. Suddenly he heard three young voices calling his name from behind. He turned around to find initiates Bant Eerin, Garen Muln, and Reeft hurrying toward him.
"Run in the hall you should not," Yoda admonished the three friends, "know this you should hmm."
"Sorry Master Yoda, but we need to speak with Master Windu," Garen spoke first, bowing slightly to the small Master.
"What's so important that you must run through the corridors?" the dark skinned Council member asked, his face a mask of calmness, that did not betray his thoughts or emotions.
"It's Obi-Wan," Bant began, "Siri said that he was still alive, and that he was taken away by someone wearing black."
Mace sighed, "we thought that by putting Obi-Wan in a hibernation trance, that whoever had tried to kill him would stop if they believed that he was dead."
"Backfired our plan did," Yoda added, "Force sensitive his attacker was."
"He's still alive then," Bant said surprise evident on her Calamarian face.
"Siri," Reeft uttered, looking back and forth between Bant and Garen. "She said that the man was going to make him become a Sith, and that he would need our help."
"She said that if we didn't want to believe her that she would help Obi-Wan by herself," Bant continued.
Mace and Yoda shared a look and then Mace reached for his comlink, to contact Adi Gallia.
"Adi here," she sounded out of breath as her voice came through the com link.
"Adi this is Mace Windu, do you know where your Padawan is?" he asked.
"She told me she was going to talk to her friends at the Gardens about an hour ago, why?" Adi asked. Although she was obviously out of breath, her voice like Mace's betrayed no trace of her emotions.
"Can you contact her through your training bond? She mentioned to initiates Bant, Reeft, and Garen, that she was going to help Obi-Wan," Mace explained.
After a moment of silence Adi said, "She's blocking me and I don't think she's in the Temple anymore."
"I'll contact Qui-Gon and see if she's on the ship with him. He should have just left the temple," Mace told her. He cut the transmission and contacted Qui-Gon.
((((((
Qui-Gon blasted out of the Temple as soon as a transport was ready for him. He knew that he had no time to waste if he was going to help Obi-Wan. He did not want to give Mace, or Yoda a chance to try to convince him that he should take another Master with him.
In a few minutes, Qui-Gon landed the transport in a hangar on the opposite side of the planet. It was the hangar where Xanatos had taken Obi-Wan to board a freighter. Qui-Gon was quickly making his way toward the exit, when Mace's voice sounded over his comlink. /I should have turned it off, / he thought, as he hastily took it out of his utility belt, and said "Qui- Gon here." As he said the word, he heard what had sounded like a crash coming from one of the small sleep quarters in the transport. He headed in the direction of the noise, as Mace's voice filled the transport.
"Qui-Gon, we have reason to believe that Padawan Siri Tachi may have snuck onboard your transport. She overheard what Xanatos said about making Obi- Wan turn, and wants to help," Mace's voice explained. Qui-Gon palmed the door to the quarters open, and found the very same Padawan that Mace spoke of sprawled out on the floor. She had obviously fallen. Qui-Gon wondered briefly, why he was unable to sense the girl's presence on the vessel. /I must have been too worried about Obi-Wan. I need to center myself; she could have tried to kill me. /
"Mace, I've just found your missing Padawan, she was hiding in the sleeping quarters. I'm already at the hangar, so I'll have to take her with me to speak with our witness. I'll bring her back as soon as I'm finished here. Qui-Gon out."
"Master Jinn, I'm sorry.."
Qui-Gon put his hand up in front of the girl indicating a need for quiet. Siri, who had quickly managed to get to her feet while Qui-Gon spoke with Master Mace, stood looking up at the tall Master. "We will discuss it later, now we need to go and speak with someone. Come with me, and don't ask any questions, until we're back on the transport," Qui-Gon spoke sternly to her. He did not have time to waste on a young girl who wanted to follow him around.
Siri nodded and followed Qui-Gon out of the transport, knowing that when she returned to the Temple she would be in a lot of trouble. At the time she boarded the transport she was so angry with Bant and her friends that she didn't worry about the consequences of her actions. She realized that she reacted hastily and should not have boarded the transport. She should have tried to get permission to go along, but it was too late because she felt the engines roar as the transport came to life.
Qui-Gon walked with such long strides toward the security office of the hangar that Siri had to run to catch up with him
"Are you Qui-Gon Jinn?" a security officer asked looking up at the taller man.
"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded.
"Good, come with me, the girl who saw your missing Jedi kid, is in my office. I am the Chief of security here, Thimp Wallup." The man said.
"The boy is my apprentice, he's called a Padawan," Qui-Gon corrected him.
Chief Wallup only nodded, and led them to his office where the witness waited. Once inside Qui-Gon took in the appearance of a young girl who sat on a chair across from the Security Chief's desk. She appeared near Obi- Wan's age, perhaps a year or so older. She had long dark brown hair, and an innocent looking face full of freckles. Her green eyes were bright and Qui-Gon noticed sadness in the eyes of the young lady that he thought she shouldn't have.
"This is Nimmika, she is the little girl who saw your Padawan," the Security Chief told them.
"Nimmika, this is Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and."
"Padawan Siri Tachi," Qui-Gon said, realizing that in his haste to speak with Nimmika about Obi-Wan, he had forgotten to introduce the young Padawan to Chief Wallup,. "Nimmika," Qui-Gon turned his attention to the green-eyed girl and pulled a holocube out of his tunic pocket handing it to Nimmika. "Is this the boy you saw?"
Nimmika took the holocube and looked at the image of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and nodded. "Yes that's the boy. He wore different clothes though and he was hurt. His cheek was bleeding and he was limping. I could hear his thoughts: he said that they lied, that they were going to turn him into a slave in the outer rim," the telepathic girl told them.
After the girl's words Siri let out a gasp, "a slave, but he's a Jedi. How can they force him into slavery?"
"Padawan Tachi, I do not intend to let that happen," Qui-Gon assured her. "Nimmika, I was told that you learned more information from the boy you saw. What didn't you tell Master Gallia?"
"I could hear the boy you call Obi-Wan's thoughts, in my mind, and I heard the dark haired man with the scar with my ears. He told the two men who were loading the freighter that they should take Obi-Wan to I'Balliap I and give him to a man named." the girl paused, trying to remember the man's name. Qui-Gon felt his heart begin to race I'Balliap was on the opposite side of the galaxy from Coruscant near the border of the outer Rim. It would take at least a full day's travel to get there. Qui-Gon and his Master Dooku had once visited the planet, and Qui-Gon witnessed a slave auction in progress but could do nothing to help the adults and children that were sold to the highest bidder, only to do the bidding of someone more fortunate. /Obi-Wan I will not let that happen to you, I will find you, if it takes the rest of my life, / Qui-Gon thought. "Rodnee," Nimmika said bringing the Jedi Master out of his train of thought. "His name was Rodnee. The man said that they should hand him over to Rodnee, and that he would wait for them in the South Side Hangar.
To Be Continued..
