Title: Hidden Shadows Seeking Light
Rating: I wish I knew. I am putting it at PG-13 just because I don't know any better and would rather err on the safe side.
Genre: Drama/Mild Angst
Feedback: I would love to get feedback on this story. I would appreciate it if everyone would put down their flame throwers though because this is only my second time out and I know I made mistakes on the first story and have no doubt I will make many on this one. I need constructive criticism so that I will get better not mean comments that will only serve to make me cry. I thank each and every one of the readers who take the time to review this story. I love fan fiction and hope to write stories that can entertain others as much as their stories have entertained me.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. They are, were and will always belong to Mr. George Lucas creator of an amazing universe. Not only does this story contain elements of the universe that Mr. Lucas created but also the Alternate Universe (AU) found in a wonderful story called An Untimely Frost by CYNICAL21.
Just to a little guide as to what things mean:
/-/ Bond thought //-// Private thought "-" Speaking aloud
************************************************************
Mirilent Soljan strode into the examining room without giving Yoda a second glance. She smiled at the boy seated before her on the table.
"Haven't seen you before." She commented. "You must be new." She glanced down at her data pad for a long moment. "Oh yes, you are Jinn's padawan." She turned to Yoda briefly and gave him a knowing tight smile. Turning back to the boy she gave him a brighter one. "I have been treating Jinn's Padawans for years. He had a nasty habit of allowing his charges to get injured." She heard Yoda clear his throat behind her. She began looking Anakin over asking him the usual questions concerning his symptoms.
"It wasn't Master Jinn's fault that I was injured. He saved me." Anakin defended softly but determined.
"Of course it wasn't." She said unconvincingly." Now reach out to the Force I need to check something in your signature."
"No." The boy said firmly pulling Mirilent up short.
"What did you say Padawan? Are you aware that I am a Master? Perhaps being new you are not aware of how things work here at the Temple. I am a healer, I heal beings. You are injured. I must examine you in order to heal you." She hid her smirk. She never enjoyed having her requests questioned but found this boy interesting.
"I don't want to." Anakin had picked up on the Healers attitude toward his Master. His own feelings remained confused concerning his Master but he was still His Master. "Why don't you like my Master?" Anakin asked his blue eyes boring into the woman. Mirilent turned to Yoda for a moment.
"What is it about Jinn that produces such unquestioning devotion?" She asked. Yoda furrowed his brow but refused to be baited. Seeing that she was not going to get anywhere with the other Master she turned to Anakin once more.
"How long have you known Qui-Gon Jinn?" She asked him.
"A little over a year." He muttered weakly.
"Well I have known him longer than you have lived and can assure you that I have said nothing behind his back that I haven't said to his face. His last Padawan was a constant fixture in my wing. I understand your love and devotion for your Master but it is important that you understand that the man is not infallible." She felt a driving need to reach this boy in a way that she had never been able to reach Obi-Wan. She had watched one young student's love for Jinn almost cost him his life on too many occasions. She couldn't bear the thought of this young boy traveling a similar path. "You must see him as he is."
"Mirilent." Yoda spoke. His voice sounded weary.
"All I am saying," She checked her data pad once more to ensure that she had his name correct, "Anakin Skywalker, is that as much as your Master tries to make the right choices for you he will make mistakes from time to time. It is important that you learn to think for yourself and trust your own instincts. You have a place of importance in the Force with or without your Master. If you feel he is putting you in danger or not protecting you as you deserve, you must bring it to Jinn's attention or to the Councils. You can even come to me." Anakin was staring at her with a dark expression. She waited patiently for him to nod in silent agreement. Her words only deepened his confusion. He glanced at Master Yoda for reassurance. Seeing the calm and reassuring expression he relented.
"Now reach out."She commanded.
"Apologize." The boy stated firmly. Whether this woman had his best interest at heart or not, she had still slighted Qui-Gon Jinn. Mira sighed and shook her head.
"I apologize if I offended you. Now reach out." She smiled patiently.
"You didn't offend me." He smiled back feeling his victory. "But I accept your apology." Mirilent smiled. He even sounded like Obi-Wan at that moment. She looked more closely at the boy for a moment. She had never seen the one that Jinn had sacrificed Kenobi a little over a year ago. He was a beautiful child, blue eyes, blonde hair, and obviously a strong personality. As she felt him reach out into the Force his signature swelling around her, she fought not to recoil physically. Darkness. His signature was interwoven with darkness. She turned meeting Yoda's gaze. He too had felt it.
Sighing she entered the information into her data pad wondering silently if the darkness had always been there or if is had been the result of some failing on Jinn's part .
"What mission are you returning from?" She asked trying to discern the extent of his injuries.
"Tiress." Anakin mumbled.
"Run into trouble there?" She asked glancing up briefly from her pad.
"Sith." He muttered. Her eyes shot up to meet his. "I was taken by a sith. Obi-Wan and I were taken." Mirilent nodded feeling a wave of concern overrun her. If both Anakin and Obi-Wan had been taken then where was Obi- Wan now. It did explain the darkness she had sensed in the boy.
"Find your center." She commanded. Anakin closed his eyes once more and sunk into his center holding himself there.
Reaching out to the Force herself Mirilent saw the boy's signature hanging in the air around them. It was both amazing and terrifying all at the same time. He wasn't the first padawan she had examined and found to have remnants of darkness but never had she seen the darkness so thoroughly integrated with the light portions of the signature. She wasn't sure what it meant. She would need to do some research on the matter.
"He needs rest and seclusion." She offered hoping that Yoda would understand. From the look on the wizen old Master's face, he did. Now if only she could. How could Jinn have failed to see such darkness? Was it a mere coincidence that the two targets taken by the sith had been students of Jinn?
Looking up at the young boy before her she knew that one way or the other this child did not belong with Qui-Gon Jinn. Kenobi had survived intact but he had been one of those rare beings who possessed the self determination, integrity and strength of heart to overcome Jinn's rejection. After only one year with the Master, this boy was already dark. A few more years with Jinn and they would have another Xanatos on their hands. Mirilent needed to express all of this to the Master in question.
"And where is your Master now?" Mirilent asked Anakin.
'I'm not sure." He replied quietly. He wished for the hundredth time that Master Jinn had been with him. He liked Master Yoda well enough but he wasn't his master. Mirilent grunted acknowledging the confirmation of her suspicions.
"Well you stay here for a moment and we will find you a room to rest in." Mirilent smiled. Yoda walked over giving the boy a reassuring thwack with this stick as he followed the healer out into the corridor. Anakin managed a small smile in response.
"Wrong it is for you to question the boy's Master in front of him." Yoda chided.
"Wrong it is for that boy to be here without his Master. Where the hell is his high and mighty Qui-Gon Jinn anyway?" She snapped. Yoda looked both ways before indicating her office. Mirilent followed a bit confused by the other Master's actions. Once they were inside and the door sealed Yoda turned to her with a grave expression.
"Qui-Gon has gone to rescue Obi-Wan from the hands of the sith." The woman gasped at Yoda's words. It was more terrible than anything she could have imagined. She had always considered Obi-Wan one of her children. He was and would always be like a son to her.
"Are you certain it is the sith?" She asked hoping against hope that Yoda was mistaken. Master's were infallible after all hadn't she just stated that fact to the young Padawan she had been examining.
"Very certain I am. Taken him the dark lord has. Replacing the apprentice Obi-Wan took from him on Naboo I fear." Yoda shook his head. "Know I do the place Obi-Wan holds in your heart. Thought I did that you would want to know. "
"What are the chances of getting him back?" She had hesitated refusing to consider whether he would be alive or not. She had pulled the boy back from too many close calls to think of losing him now. She had seen him safely through his training in spite of his Master. She refused to consider that now only a year after making knight he would be pulled from her.
"Unable to determine am I. Strong our Obi-Wan is with the Force. Refuse he will to turn." She knew from the master's words what it was that he was trying to prepare her for. Obi-Wan would not be returning. He would choose to die rather than turn to the dark side. The dark lord would grant his request and relish the opportunity to extinguish such a strong light.
"You must go after him. " She urged him. "We all know you are the strongest Master on the council. You are his Master now. It should be you that is fighting for him not Jinn. Jinn will fail him. Jinn has failed him before. He will fail him now. You must go Master Yoda. You must save him." She demanded pleading with him as if for the knight's life itself. Her loving desperation touched the small master for he too loved the knight, but he had to continue his life as he had always lived it trusting fully in the guidance of the Force.
"Go I cannot. The Force as shown me that my place is here with young Skywalker and with the Council. Thick the darkness is around us. See it we do not but all around us it lies. Cautious we must be or more will be lost as I fear young Skywalker is." Mirilent nodded. It was doubtful that the boy would ever now we granted permission to train. He was strong with the Force but even a healer could see the danger in training one so conflicted.
"I will get Skywalker settled and then I will go after Obi-Wan." She calmly announced.
"What could a healer do to save a knight from the hands of a sith?" Yoda asked not surprised by the woman's announcement but seeing no logic to it.
"Probably nothing but that isn't the point is it? I may not be able to rescue him but I can be there when he needs me. You may choose to abandon him now, but not me." Yoda stiffened taking offense at her words, but unable to further explain himself in the face of her determination. "I have put him back together when I wasn't even sure I had all of the pieces. I have sat by his bed, searched through countless journals and shed more tears than any mother ever could. When that moment comes and he is on the brink of slipping away I will be there. I will hold his hand. I pray with all my heart that that moment never comes but should it, I will be there to remind him of two things. That in that moment he was not alone and that he was loved." Having spoken her mind Mirilent exited her office determined to get Skywalker settled before contacting Jinn.
Yoda's voice pulled her up short.
"Need you Skywalker does. Stay here with him you must." Mirilent turned to consider what he was saying. "Master Gallia and Master Jinn will do what they can to save Knight Kenobi."
"Jinn has failed him so many times. What makes you think that this one will be different?" Mirilent asked angrily.
"Changed the man is. No longer is he rescuing the padawan he is responsible for. Now is he rescuing the Knight he believes in. Fail him he will not. Give his very life he will to save Obi-Wan he will. " Mirilent smirked in disbelief.
"He'd better." She finally admitted. "Because if he doesn't rest assured I'll kill Jinn myself." Yoda watched as the spit fire healer headed back to Skywalker's room. He reached out once more and realized that the could no longer sense Obi-Wan through the Force. Sighing bitterly he followed the path taken by the healer back to check on Jinn's young padawan.
************************
Mace carefully selected the members of the council that he would include in the meeting. He also decided against using the chamber and instead would hold the gathering in his apartment. He made no formal announcement but instead had messages hand delivered by trusted padawans to the members. He wrote out the messages using an ancient Jedi code. It was a course of study that all the council members of his choosing had attended years ago when they had been but padawans themselves at the Temple. It had been discontinued as part of the curriculum but now Mace found himself feeling the need to reinstate it.
He had received an affirmative reply from all the invitees except for Yoda who was waiting to see if Anakin would be able to tolerate being alone in the Healers' wing.
Mace sat quietly staring at the wall before him. It was filled with images of friends from his past and present. He found himself remembering his first days in the Temple, his first mission, the dining hall conversations, the complaints about various Masters and their teaching methods. Those seemed like simpler times. He had never really given the sith a second thought. He had never considered that one day he and the council he led would be confronted by the one force that could eliminate the Jedi.
Yoda had warned that the sith were closer than they had believed. Obi-Wan was in the hands of the sith now. Mace had had a long conversation with Yoda once he had returned to the Healer's wing. The Master had revealed information that even though it had not come as a surprise had increased Mace's concern over the situation with Obi-Wan.
He heard the chime of his door and rose to answer it. The council members were arriving. He steadied his nerves by releasing his anxiety into the Force. Walking past the images as he crossed to his door his eyes fell upon a holo of he and Qui-Gon taken years before. He wondered for a moment where the man was now. He wondered if he was safe. He wondered if he had located Obi-Wan, but more than anything he wondered if the man had any idea that the fate of the republic lay in his hands.
************************
Adi and Qui-Gon knew now that they were surrounded. They had made their way over to the entrance that the sith had used to enter the structure. Unfortunately it appeared that he had used some sort of hidden passage. Their search for a triggering mechanism was proving futile.
"Qui-Gon they are coming closer." Adi warned. She wasn't concerned for their safety as much as she was concerned that any confrontation that she or Qui-Gon entered into with the creatures surrounding them would result in their losing their tactical advantage of surprise.
Qui-Gon could sense the deep planet dwellers approaching as well. Pushing aside his desperation to get to Obi-Wan he calmed himself and reached out attempting to touch the beings' minds. He sighed with relief as he sensed cognitive thoughts. They were base thoughts centering around survival but cognitive all the same. He reached within the closest being's mind and immediately began communicating as best he could their desperation to find a way into the structure. He alluded to the being that perhaps food, water, and shelter could be had if they could be all find a way into the structure.
At first the being rejected the thought focusing instead on the fact that perhaps Qui-Gon and Adi would provide food for he and his clan. Qui-Gon drew on his years of persuasive negotiation experiences and went to work in order to convince the being that even though he and Adi could provide on small meal to his clan the food found within the structure could provide many meals to his clan as well as a possible comfortable base that his enemies could not access.
Qui-Gon felt the creature stop as did the rest of his clan. He wondered now if they shared some sort of mental link among themselves. He considered that perhaps he had been broadcasting his arguments to the entire clan and not just to its apparent leader. He sensed a remote thought come into the leader's mind. Qui-Gon realized that his suspicions of telepathy had now been confirmed.
"Qui-Gon?" Adi asked in alarm. He had become so still and quiet. She realized that the beings were no longer advancing but they were also making no progress in reaching Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon reached out and touched the young Master's arm pulling her close.
"They are going to show us a secret entrance to this structure. They had never realized any advantage in occupying it." He pulled her behind him. "We will follow them." Adi didn't protest. As long as they were once again making progress towards reaching Obi-Wan, Adi chose to trust the other Master. He had always been gifted with an extraordinary connection to the Living Force. If anyone could communicate with these beings she had no doubt that it would be Qui-Gon. That along side his proven record as a negotiator gave him a definite advantage in this situation. She smiled as she remembered the various successful missions that he and Obi-Wan had returned from over the years. Many times the Council had chosen them for the most difficult situations trusting that if anyone could avoid an unnecessary conflict it would be Jinn/Kenobi.
She reached out once more but still could not sense the knight. She wondered what the dark lord could possibly by doing to the man now. Every minute that passed put the knight at greater risk. She felt a steadying hand on her arm and realized that Qui-Gon shared her sense of urgency.
"We will find him. We will not lose him again." Qui-Gon's soft but determined voice buoyed her own resolve. It was so frustrating to be so close and yet so far from reaching him. As she was mulling these various thoughts over she realized that the air quality suddenly changed dramatically. Taking deep breaths of the now purified air she fought the urge to cry out in triumph as she realized they had found their way into the fortress.
**********************
Thanks again to Cynical21 for allowing me to borrow Mirilent. This of course being her brilliant healer in An Untimely Frost, I just had to throw her into the mix. I will try to post next week if I'm a couple of days late don't give up. I really appreciate all the emails and reviews telling me that you guys would rather it go slow and be good than to rushed and lousy. Me too!! So if its late trust that I am working on it trying to make it not lousy. (big grin) Have a good week.
Rating: I wish I knew. I am putting it at PG-13 just because I don't know any better and would rather err on the safe side.
Genre: Drama/Mild Angst
Feedback: I would love to get feedback on this story. I would appreciate it if everyone would put down their flame throwers though because this is only my second time out and I know I made mistakes on the first story and have no doubt I will make many on this one. I need constructive criticism so that I will get better not mean comments that will only serve to make me cry. I thank each and every one of the readers who take the time to review this story. I love fan fiction and hope to write stories that can entertain others as much as their stories have entertained me.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. They are, were and will always belong to Mr. George Lucas creator of an amazing universe. Not only does this story contain elements of the universe that Mr. Lucas created but also the Alternate Universe (AU) found in a wonderful story called An Untimely Frost by CYNICAL21.
Just to a little guide as to what things mean:
/-/ Bond thought //-// Private thought "-" Speaking aloud
************************************************************
Mirilent Soljan strode into the examining room without giving Yoda a second glance. She smiled at the boy seated before her on the table.
"Haven't seen you before." She commented. "You must be new." She glanced down at her data pad for a long moment. "Oh yes, you are Jinn's padawan." She turned to Yoda briefly and gave him a knowing tight smile. Turning back to the boy she gave him a brighter one. "I have been treating Jinn's Padawans for years. He had a nasty habit of allowing his charges to get injured." She heard Yoda clear his throat behind her. She began looking Anakin over asking him the usual questions concerning his symptoms.
"It wasn't Master Jinn's fault that I was injured. He saved me." Anakin defended softly but determined.
"Of course it wasn't." She said unconvincingly." Now reach out to the Force I need to check something in your signature."
"No." The boy said firmly pulling Mirilent up short.
"What did you say Padawan? Are you aware that I am a Master? Perhaps being new you are not aware of how things work here at the Temple. I am a healer, I heal beings. You are injured. I must examine you in order to heal you." She hid her smirk. She never enjoyed having her requests questioned but found this boy interesting.
"I don't want to." Anakin had picked up on the Healers attitude toward his Master. His own feelings remained confused concerning his Master but he was still His Master. "Why don't you like my Master?" Anakin asked his blue eyes boring into the woman. Mirilent turned to Yoda for a moment.
"What is it about Jinn that produces such unquestioning devotion?" She asked. Yoda furrowed his brow but refused to be baited. Seeing that she was not going to get anywhere with the other Master she turned to Anakin once more.
"How long have you known Qui-Gon Jinn?" She asked him.
"A little over a year." He muttered weakly.
"Well I have known him longer than you have lived and can assure you that I have said nothing behind his back that I haven't said to his face. His last Padawan was a constant fixture in my wing. I understand your love and devotion for your Master but it is important that you understand that the man is not infallible." She felt a driving need to reach this boy in a way that she had never been able to reach Obi-Wan. She had watched one young student's love for Jinn almost cost him his life on too many occasions. She couldn't bear the thought of this young boy traveling a similar path. "You must see him as he is."
"Mirilent." Yoda spoke. His voice sounded weary.
"All I am saying," She checked her data pad once more to ensure that she had his name correct, "Anakin Skywalker, is that as much as your Master tries to make the right choices for you he will make mistakes from time to time. It is important that you learn to think for yourself and trust your own instincts. You have a place of importance in the Force with or without your Master. If you feel he is putting you in danger or not protecting you as you deserve, you must bring it to Jinn's attention or to the Councils. You can even come to me." Anakin was staring at her with a dark expression. She waited patiently for him to nod in silent agreement. Her words only deepened his confusion. He glanced at Master Yoda for reassurance. Seeing the calm and reassuring expression he relented.
"Now reach out."She commanded.
"Apologize." The boy stated firmly. Whether this woman had his best interest at heart or not, she had still slighted Qui-Gon Jinn. Mira sighed and shook her head.
"I apologize if I offended you. Now reach out." She smiled patiently.
"You didn't offend me." He smiled back feeling his victory. "But I accept your apology." Mirilent smiled. He even sounded like Obi-Wan at that moment. She looked more closely at the boy for a moment. She had never seen the one that Jinn had sacrificed Kenobi a little over a year ago. He was a beautiful child, blue eyes, blonde hair, and obviously a strong personality. As she felt him reach out into the Force his signature swelling around her, she fought not to recoil physically. Darkness. His signature was interwoven with darkness. She turned meeting Yoda's gaze. He too had felt it.
Sighing she entered the information into her data pad wondering silently if the darkness had always been there or if is had been the result of some failing on Jinn's part .
"What mission are you returning from?" She asked trying to discern the extent of his injuries.
"Tiress." Anakin mumbled.
"Run into trouble there?" She asked glancing up briefly from her pad.
"Sith." He muttered. Her eyes shot up to meet his. "I was taken by a sith. Obi-Wan and I were taken." Mirilent nodded feeling a wave of concern overrun her. If both Anakin and Obi-Wan had been taken then where was Obi- Wan now. It did explain the darkness she had sensed in the boy.
"Find your center." She commanded. Anakin closed his eyes once more and sunk into his center holding himself there.
Reaching out to the Force herself Mirilent saw the boy's signature hanging in the air around them. It was both amazing and terrifying all at the same time. He wasn't the first padawan she had examined and found to have remnants of darkness but never had she seen the darkness so thoroughly integrated with the light portions of the signature. She wasn't sure what it meant. She would need to do some research on the matter.
"He needs rest and seclusion." She offered hoping that Yoda would understand. From the look on the wizen old Master's face, he did. Now if only she could. How could Jinn have failed to see such darkness? Was it a mere coincidence that the two targets taken by the sith had been students of Jinn?
Looking up at the young boy before her she knew that one way or the other this child did not belong with Qui-Gon Jinn. Kenobi had survived intact but he had been one of those rare beings who possessed the self determination, integrity and strength of heart to overcome Jinn's rejection. After only one year with the Master, this boy was already dark. A few more years with Jinn and they would have another Xanatos on their hands. Mirilent needed to express all of this to the Master in question.
"And where is your Master now?" Mirilent asked Anakin.
'I'm not sure." He replied quietly. He wished for the hundredth time that Master Jinn had been with him. He liked Master Yoda well enough but he wasn't his master. Mirilent grunted acknowledging the confirmation of her suspicions.
"Well you stay here for a moment and we will find you a room to rest in." Mirilent smiled. Yoda walked over giving the boy a reassuring thwack with this stick as he followed the healer out into the corridor. Anakin managed a small smile in response.
"Wrong it is for you to question the boy's Master in front of him." Yoda chided.
"Wrong it is for that boy to be here without his Master. Where the hell is his high and mighty Qui-Gon Jinn anyway?" She snapped. Yoda looked both ways before indicating her office. Mirilent followed a bit confused by the other Master's actions. Once they were inside and the door sealed Yoda turned to her with a grave expression.
"Qui-Gon has gone to rescue Obi-Wan from the hands of the sith." The woman gasped at Yoda's words. It was more terrible than anything she could have imagined. She had always considered Obi-Wan one of her children. He was and would always be like a son to her.
"Are you certain it is the sith?" She asked hoping against hope that Yoda was mistaken. Master's were infallible after all hadn't she just stated that fact to the young Padawan she had been examining.
"Very certain I am. Taken him the dark lord has. Replacing the apprentice Obi-Wan took from him on Naboo I fear." Yoda shook his head. "Know I do the place Obi-Wan holds in your heart. Thought I did that you would want to know. "
"What are the chances of getting him back?" She had hesitated refusing to consider whether he would be alive or not. She had pulled the boy back from too many close calls to think of losing him now. She had seen him safely through his training in spite of his Master. She refused to consider that now only a year after making knight he would be pulled from her.
"Unable to determine am I. Strong our Obi-Wan is with the Force. Refuse he will to turn." She knew from the master's words what it was that he was trying to prepare her for. Obi-Wan would not be returning. He would choose to die rather than turn to the dark side. The dark lord would grant his request and relish the opportunity to extinguish such a strong light.
"You must go after him. " She urged him. "We all know you are the strongest Master on the council. You are his Master now. It should be you that is fighting for him not Jinn. Jinn will fail him. Jinn has failed him before. He will fail him now. You must go Master Yoda. You must save him." She demanded pleading with him as if for the knight's life itself. Her loving desperation touched the small master for he too loved the knight, but he had to continue his life as he had always lived it trusting fully in the guidance of the Force.
"Go I cannot. The Force as shown me that my place is here with young Skywalker and with the Council. Thick the darkness is around us. See it we do not but all around us it lies. Cautious we must be or more will be lost as I fear young Skywalker is." Mirilent nodded. It was doubtful that the boy would ever now we granted permission to train. He was strong with the Force but even a healer could see the danger in training one so conflicted.
"I will get Skywalker settled and then I will go after Obi-Wan." She calmly announced.
"What could a healer do to save a knight from the hands of a sith?" Yoda asked not surprised by the woman's announcement but seeing no logic to it.
"Probably nothing but that isn't the point is it? I may not be able to rescue him but I can be there when he needs me. You may choose to abandon him now, but not me." Yoda stiffened taking offense at her words, but unable to further explain himself in the face of her determination. "I have put him back together when I wasn't even sure I had all of the pieces. I have sat by his bed, searched through countless journals and shed more tears than any mother ever could. When that moment comes and he is on the brink of slipping away I will be there. I will hold his hand. I pray with all my heart that that moment never comes but should it, I will be there to remind him of two things. That in that moment he was not alone and that he was loved." Having spoken her mind Mirilent exited her office determined to get Skywalker settled before contacting Jinn.
Yoda's voice pulled her up short.
"Need you Skywalker does. Stay here with him you must." Mirilent turned to consider what he was saying. "Master Gallia and Master Jinn will do what they can to save Knight Kenobi."
"Jinn has failed him so many times. What makes you think that this one will be different?" Mirilent asked angrily.
"Changed the man is. No longer is he rescuing the padawan he is responsible for. Now is he rescuing the Knight he believes in. Fail him he will not. Give his very life he will to save Obi-Wan he will. " Mirilent smirked in disbelief.
"He'd better." She finally admitted. "Because if he doesn't rest assured I'll kill Jinn myself." Yoda watched as the spit fire healer headed back to Skywalker's room. He reached out once more and realized that the could no longer sense Obi-Wan through the Force. Sighing bitterly he followed the path taken by the healer back to check on Jinn's young padawan.
************************
Mace carefully selected the members of the council that he would include in the meeting. He also decided against using the chamber and instead would hold the gathering in his apartment. He made no formal announcement but instead had messages hand delivered by trusted padawans to the members. He wrote out the messages using an ancient Jedi code. It was a course of study that all the council members of his choosing had attended years ago when they had been but padawans themselves at the Temple. It had been discontinued as part of the curriculum but now Mace found himself feeling the need to reinstate it.
He had received an affirmative reply from all the invitees except for Yoda who was waiting to see if Anakin would be able to tolerate being alone in the Healers' wing.
Mace sat quietly staring at the wall before him. It was filled with images of friends from his past and present. He found himself remembering his first days in the Temple, his first mission, the dining hall conversations, the complaints about various Masters and their teaching methods. Those seemed like simpler times. He had never really given the sith a second thought. He had never considered that one day he and the council he led would be confronted by the one force that could eliminate the Jedi.
Yoda had warned that the sith were closer than they had believed. Obi-Wan was in the hands of the sith now. Mace had had a long conversation with Yoda once he had returned to the Healer's wing. The Master had revealed information that even though it had not come as a surprise had increased Mace's concern over the situation with Obi-Wan.
He heard the chime of his door and rose to answer it. The council members were arriving. He steadied his nerves by releasing his anxiety into the Force. Walking past the images as he crossed to his door his eyes fell upon a holo of he and Qui-Gon taken years before. He wondered for a moment where the man was now. He wondered if he was safe. He wondered if he had located Obi-Wan, but more than anything he wondered if the man had any idea that the fate of the republic lay in his hands.
************************
Adi and Qui-Gon knew now that they were surrounded. They had made their way over to the entrance that the sith had used to enter the structure. Unfortunately it appeared that he had used some sort of hidden passage. Their search for a triggering mechanism was proving futile.
"Qui-Gon they are coming closer." Adi warned. She wasn't concerned for their safety as much as she was concerned that any confrontation that she or Qui-Gon entered into with the creatures surrounding them would result in their losing their tactical advantage of surprise.
Qui-Gon could sense the deep planet dwellers approaching as well. Pushing aside his desperation to get to Obi-Wan he calmed himself and reached out attempting to touch the beings' minds. He sighed with relief as he sensed cognitive thoughts. They were base thoughts centering around survival but cognitive all the same. He reached within the closest being's mind and immediately began communicating as best he could their desperation to find a way into the structure. He alluded to the being that perhaps food, water, and shelter could be had if they could be all find a way into the structure.
At first the being rejected the thought focusing instead on the fact that perhaps Qui-Gon and Adi would provide food for he and his clan. Qui-Gon drew on his years of persuasive negotiation experiences and went to work in order to convince the being that even though he and Adi could provide on small meal to his clan the food found within the structure could provide many meals to his clan as well as a possible comfortable base that his enemies could not access.
Qui-Gon felt the creature stop as did the rest of his clan. He wondered now if they shared some sort of mental link among themselves. He considered that perhaps he had been broadcasting his arguments to the entire clan and not just to its apparent leader. He sensed a remote thought come into the leader's mind. Qui-Gon realized that his suspicions of telepathy had now been confirmed.
"Qui-Gon?" Adi asked in alarm. He had become so still and quiet. She realized that the beings were no longer advancing but they were also making no progress in reaching Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon reached out and touched the young Master's arm pulling her close.
"They are going to show us a secret entrance to this structure. They had never realized any advantage in occupying it." He pulled her behind him. "We will follow them." Adi didn't protest. As long as they were once again making progress towards reaching Obi-Wan, Adi chose to trust the other Master. He had always been gifted with an extraordinary connection to the Living Force. If anyone could communicate with these beings she had no doubt that it would be Qui-Gon. That along side his proven record as a negotiator gave him a definite advantage in this situation. She smiled as she remembered the various successful missions that he and Obi-Wan had returned from over the years. Many times the Council had chosen them for the most difficult situations trusting that if anyone could avoid an unnecessary conflict it would be Jinn/Kenobi.
She reached out once more but still could not sense the knight. She wondered what the dark lord could possibly by doing to the man now. Every minute that passed put the knight at greater risk. She felt a steadying hand on her arm and realized that Qui-Gon shared her sense of urgency.
"We will find him. We will not lose him again." Qui-Gon's soft but determined voice buoyed her own resolve. It was so frustrating to be so close and yet so far from reaching him. As she was mulling these various thoughts over she realized that the air quality suddenly changed dramatically. Taking deep breaths of the now purified air she fought the urge to cry out in triumph as she realized they had found their way into the fortress.
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Thanks again to Cynical21 for allowing me to borrow Mirilent. This of course being her brilliant healer in An Untimely Frost, I just had to throw her into the mix. I will try to post next week if I'm a couple of days late don't give up. I really appreciate all the emails and reviews telling me that you guys would rather it go slow and be good than to rushed and lousy. Me too!! So if its late trust that I am working on it trying to make it not lousy. (big grin) Have a good week.
