Krysira's Destiny

Chapter Nine

PART ONE

Lonan led the three humans to the hangar bay under the building itself. As they approached the entranceway, a guard came through stopping them.

The guard eyed Lonan sternly. "What brings you here, page?" He growled softly.

Lonan swallowed. "Counselor Ryvinia requested that I bring these people to the hangar bay," he replied, motioning behind him.

The guard scowled slightly and peered first at Malcolm and Trip, then at Krysira. His eyes widened. "Knight Krysira?" He finally said, recognizing the pretty Jedi from four days ago.

"Yes," Krysira replied. "Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed need to make repairs on the small craft that was brought in two days ago."

"Yes, I remember the craft. It has been well guarded. If you will follow me." The guard turned, heading back through the entranceway.

Malcolm followed. Trip looked at Krysira, who was studying the young page, who was standing off to one side.

"Krys?" Trip said, touching Krysira's arm.

"I will be along shortly, Trip," Krysira replied, giving him a soft smile.

Trip grinned in return and followed in Malcolm's wake, while Krysira approached Lonan.

Lonan smiled a bit nervously. "I would like to thank you for earlier," he said softly.

Krysira nodded. "My young friend, people will like you if you remember to be yourself," she replied in her gentle manner.

"Yes, Knight Krysira. I will remember your words."

Krysira smiled and watched the teenager head back the way they had come earlier, while she herself turned and entered the hangar bay.

She immediately spotted the shuttlepod and crossed the deck over to it. Already, Exoian engineers, Malcolm and Trip had begun their work. Krysira watched Trip, knowing that he was in his element. As she neared the shuttlepod, she heard Trip explain a particular system to a couple of attentive Exoian engineers. Krysira was impressed at Trip's knowledge and the ease as which he explained things.

"Alright, while you two work on that, I'll see how Malcolm and the others are doing inside," Trip told the engineers, who nodded in response. As he made his way towards the shuttlepod door, he saw Krysira standing nearby. "Hey," he said softly, joining her.

"Your knowledge of this vessel is impressive, Trip," Krysira complimented.

Trip flushed slightly. "Thanks, but this is nothing compared to Enterprise."

"Then Enterprise must be an impressive vessel."

"Well.she's the only one like it in our fleet back home."

Krysira nodded. "I am sure that your crewmates are looking for you and Malcolm."

Trip sighed. "Yeah, I'm sure that they are." He gently touched Krysira's cheek with his fingertips. "But.to tell you the truth, Krys, I'm not in a hurry.to go back."

Krysira stared at Trip, realizing the meaning of his words. "Nor I back to Coruscant." It surprised her that those words came out so easily. She had always had looked forward to rest and meditation at the Jedi Temple after an assignment. That is.until now.

Trip caught the meaning of Krysira's statement as well.

Their eyes locked when without warning the Force swirled around them, drawing them together. Before either realized it, they were in each other's arms, sharing a passionate kiss.

Moments later, they withdrew reluctantly from each other, both of their faces flushed. Trip gently brushed a few stray hairs out of Krysira's eyes, while she touched his cheek gently.

"I will be meditating nearby," Krysira said softly, her fingers gently brushed against the bare part of his lightly hair-covered chest.

Trip smiled. "Okay. I best get back to work then," he replied.

She nodded and finding a nearby bench seated herself. She crossed her legs as her eyes closed drawing the Force deep within herself.

Trip gazed at her for a few more moments, then turned and headed inside the shuttlepod to oversee the repairs.
PART TWO
Cavern in the Pit

Ori continued to lead the group towards Drayce's lair. The nagging feeling that Qui-Gon was experiencing was intensifying slowly. As the group rounded a curve, there was a large opening about 20 feet away, that had an iron grate door across the entrance.

"Separate and stay near the sides of the tunnel," Qui-Gon ordered in a quiet tone.

Ori, Caden and Qui-Gon went to the left side of the tunnel, while Trey, Chelz and Obi-Wan went to the right, as they approached the iron grate door as quietly as possible.

Trey scanned his side of the iron grate door and frowned slightly, seeing no visible means of opening it. He looked over at the petite Mesarian, seeing her run a hand along the cavern wall that was flush with the grating. Trey watched Ori with a mixture of interest and mistrust. Unbeknownst to the space pilot, Qui-Gon was also studying Ori intently. When a barely audible click was heard, signifying that the door was open, Qui-Gon frowned deeply. He moved silently in the shadows, coming right up behind Ori, laying a large restraining hand on her shoulder.

Ori's head snapped around, seeing the tall Jedi Master stare at her. Qui- Gon didn't see the briefest flicker of fear pass across Ori's emerald eyes, but it faded as quickly as it appeared. She gazed back at Qui-Gon impassively.

"You seemed to know exactly how to open it," Qui-Gon said in a quiet even tone.

"But of course," Ori replied in quietly in a light tone. "I am being paid to get you inside to see Drayce without any confrontations.am I not?" Her lips were pursed in an alluring manner.

Qui-Gon grunted, as he removed his hand. "Very well. Lead on.carefully."

Ori gazed at the Jedi Master, but was unable to read his expression. "As you wish," she said throatily.

Qui-Gon's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the implied tone, as he watched Ori slowly push the iron grate door open, seeing it fold into sections. Much to everyone's surprise, there was no creaking or squeaking as the door folded. Even more surprising, there was no evidence of any guards nearby.

Qui-Gon shared a look with Obi-Wan while Trey exchanged looks with Caden. Chelz glanced at all the men, seeing the concerned expression on everyone's faces, especially Trey and Qui-Gon.

Chelz looked at Ori, who had stepped out into the deserted corridor. The seed of doubt started to grow inside Chelz, who wondered if she was allowing the group to fall into a trap. Qui-Gon had been right. She was too trusting, but she had jumped at the chance, when she found someone willing to lead them to Drayce, even though she had not met Ori personally. No, arrangements had been made through a mutual contact. She had given the necklace to the mutual contact to give to Ori, so that she could be identified as the correct person. Chelz frowned to herself. Yes.Ori had the necklace, however, Chelz couldn't remember if she had been given the race of her contact. Her eyes widened slightly, as she followed Caden, feeling Trey's secure presence behind her. What if this Ori wasn't the Ori she claimed to be. What if all of this was a setup to eliminate all parties involved in this situation?

Ori led the group to the right, staying near one side of the corridor.

Trey fell back in step beside Qui-Gon, his hand on the handle of one of his blasters. Glancing aside, Trey saw that the Jedi Master had his hand on the hilt of his lightsabre. Qui-Gon caught Trey's attention. Both men were thinking along the same lines: This is just too easy.

Caden followed Ori silently. He would make it a point to watch this small Mesarian woman very closely. Watching her, Caden thought that she was just too confident about all of this. He knew that he wasn't the only one to feel this way. He had seen the concerned expressions on everyone else faces. Caden vowed that if anything went awry, he himself would eliminate Ori without hesitation even if it meant giving his own life to ensure the safety of the group.

Young Obi-Wan brought up the rear, staying fairly close to Qui-Gon, keeping watch behind them. He was getting a bad feeling about this whole situation. His master had always said for him to trust his feelings.

He thought that he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye in the nearby shadows. He paused to look and saw nothing, figuring it was his imagination playing tricks on him. As Obi-Wan began to move to catch up with the others, the shadows began to move once again.

His heart started pounding, as he withdrew his lightsabre, but he did not ignite it.yet. "Master!" Obi-Wan said hoarsely with urgency.

Upon hearing the urgency in his Padawan's voice, Qui-Gon spun around, instantly alert, his lightsabre in hand. Beside him, Trey had also whirled around both of his blasters in his hands, while Caden stepped protectively in front of Chelz. Caden glanced aside at Ori, seeing that the woman had her laser rifle in hand.

As Qui-Gon moved to join his Padawan, a shadowy figure leapt out of the shadows at Obi-Wan, whose eyes widened upon seeing a claw-like hand speed towards him. The youth managed to avoid the brunt of the blow, but let out a cry of pain upon feeling the claws rake over his left upper arm.

"Padawan!" Qui-Gon shouted, as he ignited his lightsabre, charging in- between Obi-Wan and the shadowy figure. He swung his lightsabre in a graceful yet powerful movement as the blazing green beam of energy flashed through the air towards the shadowy figure.

Obi-Wan watched his master dispose of the being that had attacked him in one sure smooth stroke. The shadowy figure let out a horrifying screech, as it crumbled to the ground dead.

Trey eyed the dead being. "What manner of being is that?" He wanted to know.

But before anyone could make any sort of comment, more shadowy figures began to emerge slowly from the shadows.

Qui-Gon pulled Obi-Wan over to Caden, who looked at him. He scanned the immediate area quickly and spied an open ventilation shaft above them. He looked at Caden. "Can you get Obi-Wan up in that ventilation shaft?" He said in a low voice, nodding his head upwards.

Caden glanced up in the indicated direction briefly, then back at the Jedi Master, nodding sharply, having a good idea what Qui-Gon was up to.

Qui-Gon glanced aside seeing more beings like the first one begin to approach them, then back at Caden. "Quickly!" He hissed worriedly.

Although, Obi-Wan wanted to protest, he remembered his master's words and obeyed him, allowing Caden to hoist him up effortlessly into the ventilation shaft. Once inside, he found that it was big enough to proceed on hands and knees.

He heard two distinct types of sounds: blasters and his master's lightsabre. He was able to turn around and peer out cautiously to the fight scene below; the screeches from the beings filled the air.

Caden was using his size and strength to batter away at the attacking shadowy beings. Obi-Wan saw Trey firing at the beings, as he tossed one of his blasters to Chelz, whose aim was a bit, slow, but deadly accurate. Then he observed Qui-Gon's lightsabre flash through the air at the attacking beings, then searched for Ori. The youth blinked in surprise seeing that any of the beings were not attacking her, nor was she firing at them. What surprised him even more was seeing the small Mesarian woman slip away down the corridor and around a curve out of sight, unnoticed by the rest of the group. Obi-Wan scowled. Ori had betrayed them.

The youth's hazel eyes suddenly widened seeing more beings emerge from the shadows on either side of the first group of beings. He suddenly winced in pain from his injured upper arm, seeing the thin trails of blood soak the sleeve of his tunic, but shook it off. He had to. He had to contact Krysira.

Obi-Wan spotted one of the shadowy beings at the rear of the group, holding a small metallic round black ball in its clawed hand. He knew it had to be a bomb of some but what kind, he wasn't sure.

/"Master! One has some sort of bomb in the back of the group!"/ Obi-Wan cried out over their bond.

Hearing the urgent warning from his Padawan over their bond, Qui-Gon scanned the group of shadowy beings, seeing what Obi-Wan had warned him about. Not knowing exactly what the outcome would be when that bomb went off, Qui-Gon backed away from the fray and switched off his lightsabre, as the being threw the metallic at the wall of the corridor behind them.

Qui-Gon's eyes widened. /"Padawan! Take my lightsabre! Hurry to Krysira! GO!"/ He called over their bond as he threw his lightsabre up towards the ventilation shaft, as the metallic ball hit the wall exploding in a cloud of blue gas.

Obi-Wan saw his master's lightsabre sail through the air towards him. Using the Force, he reached out and suddenly felt the warm handle of the elder's lightsabre, as the cloud of blue gas began to rise towards the ventilation shaft. After he hooked Qui-Gon's lightsabre to his belt, he turned around and began to crawl as quickly as he could, despite the pain of his injury, hearing the rest of the group coughing from the gas. Tears burned his eyes. He wanted to stay and help.yet, he knew that if he stayed, he would no doubt fall to the gas and Krysira would never know what had become of them. He continued to crawl through the semi-illuminated shaft, as quickly and quietly as possible. He wondered if there was even a way out of this place.

One by one the group succumbed to the gas, Caden being the last. As he sunk to his knees, he saw that Chelz, Trey and Qui-Gon lying unconscious on the corridor floor, but saw no sign of Ori. His last thought as he passed out was how Ori would pay for her betrayal of the group.

The beings gathered around the unconscious Exoians and human, as the gas dissipated. About a minute or so later, the dark robed hooded figure appeared almost out of nowhere eyeing the group on the floor. He studied each one, as Ori came up beside him. He looked at her.

"Well done, my little one," he said, as his gloved hand took hold of her chin, raising her face up.

"Thank-you, my lord," Ori practically purred. "However, the boy is not here."

He released her chin, as he motioned to the shadowy beings, who scurried to grab the latest prisoners for their master. He sighed. "No matter, my dear. He is merely a boy. What can he do against us?"

"You are not worried about him?"

"No. He is insignificant." He glanced at the beings. "Take them to the dungeon!" He ordered. "Come along, my dear." He strode away.

Ori barely glanced at the unconscious group, as she followed the dark robed hooded figure down the corridor.
PART THREE
Ventilation shaft

Obi-Wan continued to crawl through the shaft, wondering when it would end and where it would come out. He felt that he had been crawling forever, but knew it had only been a few minutes. He knew that he needed to contact Krysira, but didn't want to take a chance in here, for fear whoever Ori was working for would probably be monitoring any signals inside the mountain. He would have to wait until he got outside.whenever that would be.

As he crawled along, the teenager saw that both sides of the shaft were now of a grating design. He slowed his pace, crawling cautiously, so that his presence would not be discovered. As he moved slowly, Obi-Wan discreetly peered through the grating, seeing that he was above a dungeon-like area. His hazel eyes widened upon seeing a man and a woman in one of the cells unconscious. However that wasn't what truly caught his attention. He saw that the prisoners were human and wore clothing that was similar to what the two men wore that they had helped two days ago. This was something that he definitely had to tell Krysira. He saw another of those shadowy beings guarding the cell nearby.

He proceeded along the shaft, silently as not to attract the attention of the shadowy figure down below him.

After a few more minutes, Obi-Wan came upon another iron grating which light was streaming through. Upon moving up to the grating, the youth saw that it led outside into the mountains. He tried pushing at the grating. At first, it didn't budge. Then without warning, the grating gave way and Obi- Wan tumbled out, rolling down the mountainside for a few moments before landing hard on his back.

Obi-Wan grunted softly, as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his head. He reached into his sash for his communicator. However, after pulling it out, his face fell, seeing that it was broken. He sighed heavily, wondering how he was going to contact Krysira now. But that thought was forgotten upon what he saw in the small clearing below him. It was another small craft like the one that they found in the neutral region two days ago. He nodded to himself. This craft and those people were most likely from the same place as was the two men that Krysira was with.

He sat wondering how he was going to contact Krysira. He blinked realizing that there was one way. He hoped that he could contact her telepathically. Obi-Wan crossed his legs and closed his eyes, gathering the Force around and inside him so that he could try and contact Krysira through the Force.
PART FOUR
Jinix-Hangar Bay

Krysira was deep in meditation, when she felt someone trying to contact her through the Force. She focused in on the contact, wondering who it could be.

/"Knight Krysira!"/ It was young Obi-Wan Kenobi contacting her over the bond that they shared.

/"Obi-Wan?"/ Krysira gasped over the bond. /"What is it?"/

/"Master Qui-Gon and our allies have been captured by some sort of shadowy beings. He told me that if anything went wrong I should contact you."/

/"Where are you?"/

/"The mountains above the city of Tysag."/

/"I will leave immediately."/

/"But Knight Krysira.there is more."/

/"What do you mean?"/

/"There is another craft that is exactly like the one we found two days ago. There is also a man and a woman unconscious both human being held prisoner. They are wearing clothing similar to what the two men were wearing when we found them."/

There was silence across the bond.

/"Knight Krysira?"/ Obi-Wan ventured.

/"I am here, Obi,"/ Krysira's soft voice soothed across the bond. /"Are you alright?"/

/"I have a minor injury, but I am fine."/

/"Stay where you are. I will arrive shortly."/

/"Yes, Knight Krysira."/

Krysira cut off the mental connection, as her eyes snapped opened. She rose to her feet and hurried towards the shuttlepod. She entered the small craft to see Malcolm at a console and Trip at the controls where she first found him.

Malcolm looked up to see Krysira enter the shuttlepod, seeing an extremely concerned look on her pretty features. "Krysira? Is there something wrong?" Malcolm questioned.

"Yes," Krysira replied instantly.

Trip spun around in his chair, seeing Krysira look at him. "Krys?" He questioned. "What is it?"

"The mission that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan went on in Tysag has gone awry. Obi- Wan has been injured and Qui-Gon and the rest of their group have been captured by some sort of shadowy figures." She paused. "But.there is more."

"Oh?"

"Obi-Wan also told me that there is another craft that is exactly like this one in the mountains above Tysag."

"What?!" Both Trip and Malcolm exclaimed.

"And he also said that he saw a man and a woman both human being held prisoner wearing clothing that was similar to what you two were wearing when we found you."

The two Enterprise officers looked at each other.

"Is there any way of getting there?" Trip asked, as he got up joining Krysira.

"Sir, you can't go alone. I'm going with you," Malcolm insisted.

"No, Lieutenant, I need you here to oversee repairs. Besides, Krysira will be going to get this Obi-Wan, right?" He glanced at Krysira who nodded.

"I will get a pilot to take us to Tysag," Krysira said.

"I'll go with you, Krys."

"Sir," Malcolm began, seeing Trip look at him. "Please be careful.both of you."

Both Trip and Krysira nodded and exited the shuttlepod in search of a pilot.
PART FIVE
Jinix-hangar bay-small Exoian space craft

After receiving permission for the use of a spacecraft and pilot, Krysira and Trip climbed aboard the waiting craft, which promptly lifted off.

Krysira and Trip entered the cockpit to stand behind the female pilot.

"Going to the city of Tysag?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"Not exactly," Krysira replied. "The mountains above it."

"Oh? May I ask why?"

"There is a Jedi apprentice who is injured."

"That is good enough for me."

The female pilot's fingers flew over the console, making minor adjustments as the ship moved gracefully through the sky towards the underground city of Tysag.

Within minutes, a large mountain range was in sight.

"Do you know where in the mountains the apprentice is?" The pilot questioned.

"Unfortunately.no," Krysira replied.

"Are there any areas in the mountains that a small craft could land?" Trip wanted to know.

The female pilot thought for a moment. "Yes, there are a couple of areas that could qualify.providing the craft were small enough," she responded.

"Believe me.it is."

"I will make a couple of passes over the probable areas."

"Great.thanks."

The ship flew over the mountain range, while the two humans scanned the rocky terrain.

As the pilot banked her ship to the left, Trip spotted something glinting in the sun. Shielding his eyes, Trip made out the outline of what possibly could be Shuttlepod Two. Trip leaned forward, pointing. "There! I think that could be it!" He said.

The pilot nodded and circled around.

Obi-Wan had fashioned a bandage out of a piece of material from the bottom of his tunic and wrapped it around his bleeding wound, which was beginning to hurt and burn. He hoped that Krysira would arrive soon. He shifted his position as he sat under the shade that the mountains above him cast under the sun.

Obi-Wan straightened as he saw a ship flyby then circle back around towards his position. His heart pounded. Could it be Krysira? He hoped so. He hid the best he could in case it wasn't her.

The female pilot slowed her ship down scanning the area.

"Is that your spacecraft?" The female pilot questioned.

"Yeah, it is," Trip replied.

"Unfortunately I am unable to land."

Krysira searched the area, looking for Obi-Wan. She reached out with the Force. She smiled softly as moments later; the Force came back to her. It was Obi-Wan.

"Can you get close to that ledge near the mountain side?" Krysira asked.

The female Exoian thought for a moment, as she studied the area. "I can get you as close as about 30 feet," she replied.

The female Jedi Knight nodded. "That will be fine, thank you." She headed over to the hatch, pressing a button, as the doors slid open and a small ramp extended outward.

"How close can you get me to my ship?" Trip asked.

"About 10 feet," the pilot responded.

"Good enough." He joined Krysira at the open hatch.

The ship descended until it was even with the ledge about 30 feet away.

Krysira looked at Trip. "Do you think that your craft is functioning?" She asked.

"I won't know until I get inside and check the systems," Trip answered, studying her. "You have an idea?"

"Possibly. If your craft is functional, wave the pilot away and we will head back to Jinix in your craft."

Trip nodded instantly. "Sounds good." He looked outside at the jump that she was going to do. "You can.jump that far?"

"With the aid of the Force, Trip." She smiled gently and took a few steps back from the open hatch.

Trip saw that the Exoian female pilot was watching Krysira with interest.

Krysira closed her eyes and drew the Force inside and around her. After a few seconds, her eyes snapped open and she dashed towards the open hatch.

Trip had stepped back and away from the hatch, watching Krysira leap from the ship, as she sailed smoothly through the air, landing gracefully in a crouched position on the ledge. Trip exhaled, not realizing that he had been holding his breath. He looked over at the female pilot, who had an impressed expression on her face.

"Listen," Trip began, seeing that he now had the female Exoian's attention. "If my ship is able to fly, I'll wave you away and you can head back to Jinix. We'll follow," he concluded.

"As you wish," she replied, maneuvering her ship lower near the shuttlepod about 10 feet above it. She looked over her shoulder at Trip. "Good luck."

Trip nodded. "Thanks."

Trip dropped out of the ship, landing with a grunt on the grassy area and rolled a couple of times, before being able to rise to his feet. He was slightly disoriented, but that passed quickly.

He hurried to the shuttlepod, but peered cautiously inside. He relaxed upon seeing no one, but was disappointed just the same. Trip went over to the control console, doing a quick diagnostic test. A wave of relief washed over him. The shuttlepod was operational.

Trip exited the shuttlepod and looked up to see that the pilot had turned her ship around. He waved. The pilot waved in response then flew off. Trip watched the ship, noting the direction it took, then went back inside the shuttlepod to wait for Krysira.

Obi-Wan had felt Krysira's presence through the Force and relaxed. He had seen the pretty Jedi Knight leap from the ship, landing in a graceful crouch, then straighten up, looking around. He had also seen the ship fly away, wondering why.

"Knight Krysira!" Obi-Wan called out, as he rose slowly to his feet.

Krysira spun around, seeing Obi-Wan emerge from the shade that the mountain cast from the sun. "Obi-Wan!" She exclaimed, running over to him. She immediately spotted the wound on his arm and gently took a hold of his arm inspecting it under the makeshift bandage. Her silvery/blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly, seeing that the marks were similar to what she had discovered on the bed in Zarnay and Vartan's chambers earlier. "We must get this tended to, Obi."

The teenager nodded. "Why did the ship leave?" He wanted to know.

"Commander Tucker will take us back to Jinix in his craft," Krysira replied. "Come."

She led Obi-Wan to the edge of the ledge.

From the viewport of the shuttlepod, Trip saw Krysira and a teenaged boy come into view. He leapt up from the pilot's seat and bolted out of the hatch, just as the Jedi Knight and the Jedi apprentice landed on the ground near the shuttlepod. He ran over to them. Seeing the youth stagger, Trip caught a hold of Obi-Wan, steadying him.

Obi-Wan looked at Trip. "Thank-you," he said.

Trip smiled. "Not a problem," he replied, as he helped Obi-Wan over to the shuttlepod.

Krysira made quick introductions as they entered the shuttlepod, Trip closing the hatch. Trip seated the youth in the nearest seat, strapping him in. He then went forward sitting at the control console.

The female Jedi Knight gazed down in concern at Obi-Wan.

"Knight Krysira," the teenager began. "Master Qui-Gon." He trailed off seeing Krysira hold up her hand.

"Shh.we will talk after you are tended to," Krysira soothed. "Rest now." She laid a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder, as she gathered the Force within her. Almost instantly, Obi-Wan's hazel eyes closed, as his head lolled forward. She turned and sat next to Trip, who had just powered up the shuttlepod.

Trip looked at Krysira, seeing a worried expression cross her pretty features. He reached over and gently squeezed a slender hand, seeing her turn to him. "He's going to be okay, Krys," Trip assured her.

She nodded. "I know, Trip."

Trip's fingers skipped over the control panel and the small craft lifted up off of the ground and swung around and headed towards the city of Jinix under his expert piloting.

He glanced aside at Krysira. "Krys.something.else wrong?" He asked.

"I am concerned that I can not sense Qui-Gon's presence," she replied. "I hope that he is not.dead."

"Maybe.he's just unconscious."

She studied the young earth commander. "Yes.that is something I did not consider. I had.assumed the worst first." She leaned over softly kissing his cheek. "Thank-you," she said softly.

Trip flushed slightly, merely nodding.

"Have you discovered who came in this craft to find you?" Krysira asked.

"Not yet.but I can listen to the shuttlepod's log right now," Trip replied, pressing a button.

A voice then filled the small craft.

["Captain's Log supplemental."] The male voice began. ["Ensign Sato and myself have gone through what appears to be a gateway in search of my missing crew: Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed. Thanks to an idea from Ensign Mayweather, Sub-commander T'Pol was able to recalibrate the sensors and follow the vapor trail from Shuttlepod One. The trail leads to a class M planet where we hope to find them.alive."] The log ended.

Krysira laid her hand on Trip's shoulder. "Trip?" She questioned.

"Um.seems like our captain Jonathan Archer and our communications officer Ensign Hoshi Sato came looking for us," Trip replied quietly. "And if Obi- Wan is right, they're now prisoners along with Qui-Gon and the people with him."

Krysira felt Trip's anguish over their bond. She leaned closer, and slipping her arms around him, gave him a reassuring hug. "We will find them, Trip and free all of them and find out who is behind this." She released him.

Smiling gently, Trip gave her a brief kiss, then continued to pilot the shuttlepod to Jinix.
PART SIX
Jinix-hangar bay

Malcolm Reed continued to oversee the repairs on Shuttlepod One. However his full attention was not on the repairs. He hoped that nothing happened to Trip or Krysira. He didn't like staying behind, but he followed orders.

He was amazed at how quickly the shuttlepod's repairs were coming along in the time that that Trip and Krysira were gone and they hadn't even returned yet.

"Lieutenant Reed?" It was one of the male Exoian engineers.

Malcolm focused on the Exoian. "Yes?" He replied.

"Would you care to check to see if all the repairs are to your specifications?"

Malcolm stared at the Exoian. "You mean you and the others.are done?"

The Exoian smiled. "Yes."

The armory officer blinked, then nodded. "Let's see how things look, shall we?"

As Shuttlepod Two approached Jinix, Krysira glanced back at Obi-Wan to check on the teenager, seeing that he was still asleep. Her eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing the familiar hilt of Qui-Gon's lightsabre. She figured the only possible reason that Qui-Gon gave up his lightsabre was that he knew that he was going to be captured and rather than let it fall into the hands of his captors, he gave it to Obi-Wan for safe-keeping. She turned back to the viewport, watching the capital city grow quickly larger.

"Wow.some city," Trip commented.

"Yes. Jinix is the capital of Exoia," she replied.

"Which building are we going to?"

"The government center, which is the largest structure in the city. I will contact the hangar for permission to land."

"Good thinking. Don't want to get shot down again," Trip quipped, good- naturedly, a grin on his face.

Krysira heard the humor in Trip's voice and smiled in response, as she took out her communicator and making a couple of adjustments, spoke into it. "Jinix hangar bay, this is Jedi Knight Krysira Antilles. Request permission to approach and land."

"Knight Krysira we have you on our radar. Permission to land granted. Opening hangar bay doors," a female voice responded.

"Thank-you." Krysira closed off her communicator.

As the shuttlepod approached the government center, they could see the large doors of the hangar bay slide open.

Malcolm was finished with checking out the repairs on Shuttlepod One, when he saw the hangar bay doors open. Moments later his eyes widened upon seeing Shuttlepod Two glide smoothly into the hangar bay landing nearby. He ran over to the small craft as it powered down.