The Price of Sacrifice

by CalaisKenobi

From the time he was an initiate, Obi-Wan's life was difficult. Now, as a Master, it's even worse. Is there more to it than just fate and the Force? COMPLETE

2. 2

For a moment, Bant was too stunned to speak. She had to repress the urge to draw her arm back from where it rested on Anakin's shoulder. She knew that such an action would convince him that she was lying to him, and even though she planned on lying, she didn't want him to know.

"Anakin, you know that your Master had a very busy apprenticeship with Master Qui-Gon," Bant began but was interrupted by the agitated apprentice.

"DON'T lie to me," Anakin practically yelled. "I know that scar wasn't there when he left for his last set of meetings on Malastare, and I know that that scar is from a 'saber, so I ask again 'how and why did my Master get that scar?'"

Bant floundered as she tried to come up with a reply that would convince the very angry young man sitting beside her. She was saved though, as Obi- Wan appeared in the doorway.

"Anakin? Are you finished packing yet? We really need to report to the Council, otherwise they might just send out a search team," Obi-Wan said with a slight smile.

Giving Bant one last dark glare, Anakin rose from his place on the sleep couch and without a word gathered up his travel pack and tossed a few things into it. "Ready, Master," Anakin said after only a few seconds pause.

"Good. I'll comm. you before we leave the temple, Bant. By then I should know where we are going and for how long," Obi-Wan said, pretending to not notice the tension in the room.

"Ok, Obi. Take care of yourself ok? Bye, Anakin, be careful." Bant called out as she rose from the sleep couch and immediately exited the quarters.

Shrugging at his friend's odd behavior, the Master shouldered his pack and glanced over at his apprentice. "Ready?"

"Yes Master," Anakin replied without emotion, his Jedi mask firmly in place.

*********************************************

Upon reaching the Council chambers, Master and Padawan quickly stored their travel packs in the anteroom, before entering through the massive doors. After offering a bow to the gathered Masters, Obi-Wan gave the customary opening. "How may we serve, my Masters?"

Feeling his apprentice suddenly tense beside him, Obi-Wan spared him a quick confused look out of the corner of his eye. Seeing the mask still in place, the Master tried to reach his apprentice through the training bond. Realizing the bond was being blocked off, Obi-Wan had no choice but to wait until after the meeting to try to discern what was troubling his Padawan. As the young Knight returned his gaze once more to the front, Master Windu began to speak.

"Master Kenobi, the Council has received a request from Caradonia for Jedi intervention in a slight trade dispute. Since this mission should not last long, the Council has decided that you and your Padawan will be the Jedi team sent. You should be able to return in time to resume teaching with only a few missed classes," the Councilor informed them.

"Short this mission may be, but important it is," Master Yoda interjected.

"Of course, my Masters. My Padawan and I will work to resolve the issue as quickly as possible without compromising the importance of the mission," Obi-Wan stated solemnly. When no other comment was forthcoming from the Council, the Master and Padawan team bowed once more and began to exit the Chambers.

"May the Force be with you," Master Windu called as the big doors swung shut.

*********************************************

As he strapped into the transport to prepare for the jump to hyperspace, Obi-Wan was growing concerned. His apprentice had still barely spoken a word to him other than a necessary "yes Master" here and there. He had not yet outright asked the young man what was bothering him, relying instead on his more common approach of sarcasm and humor. When Anakin failed to rise to the bait, his concern only grew.

Obi-Wan would've attempted to ask his sullen apprentice what was bothering him during the short ride to Caradonia, but his Padawan had sequestered himself in a small cabin, claiming to need the time to meditate and center on the mission. Even realizing that it was merely an excuse to avoid a confrontation, Obi-Wan had no choice but to accept Anakin's silent request for time alone. The apprentice offered a legitimate excuse for his absence, and there was really not much the Master could say.

\But we will settle this issue, whatever it is, before we return to the Temple\ Obi-Wan resolved, as he began to study the datapad about Caradonia.

*********************************************

Anakin sat cross-legged on the bunk in the small quarters he had sequestered himself in. He had attempted to meditate, but he was too angry to reach his center. \I don't know what is going on, but it is obvious that someone is lying to me\ the apprentice thought angrily. When he had left the common room of the shared quarters to pack, Anakin had had to step around where his Master still stood in the doorway. As he reached his room, Anakin had turned to ask Obi-Wan what kind of weather gear he should pack, but his comment had been stilled by the mark he saw just below his Master's shoulders.

The deep red scar was obviously fairly new, and undoubtedly caused by a lightsaber. Before he could study it further, he saw his Master begin to turn to return to his own sleep room. Ducking into his doorway, Anakin immediately sank to his sleep couch, trying to understand what he had seen. The nervousness he had felt radiating off of Master Bant when he had asked her to explain had only deepened his unease and anger.

\There is much more going on here than what I have been led to believe,\ Anakin thought as he once again attempted to center and meditate. \And I plan on finding out just what my Master and Healer Bant are hiding.\

As the transport dropped out of hyperspace just above the outer atmosphere of Caradonia, Obi-Wan had just finished reviewing the datapad of information the Council had given him. He had hoped to have it reviewed much sooner, so that he could have had time to go over the information with his apprentice, but he had spent much of the short trip in the cockpit. The transport had only been in hyperspace for about 15 minutes, when the pilot had commed him and asked him to come up to the flight deck.

Obi-Wan had been unsure of what to expect when he had entered the cramped space reserved for the flight crew. Although Jedi were known to be expert pilots, it was highly unusual for a pilot to request assistance with a flight, especially one as short as the jaunt from Coruscant to Caradonia. Concerned that there was something wrong with the transport, Obi-Wan immediately scanned over the sensors and readouts before he even made eye contact with the pilot. Sensing nothing amiss, the Knight turned his attention to the man in the pilot's chair. He appeared to be Correllian, with a shock of dark black hair and deep green eyes.

The pilot did not even turn to greet the Jedi as he began to speak. "Hey, I need you to take the controls for a while. I'm feeling some shimmies from the hyperdrive, and I want to check it out before it proves to be a problem." Stepping back as the man rose from the pilot's chair, Obi-Wan nodded and prepared to take over at the controls.

"It shouldn't take too long, but if you need me for anything just yell," the Correllian stated as he left the cockpit. Just as before he turned the corner to enter the maintenance bay, he called out once more, "Name's Solo if you need me."

As the dark-haired man disappeared from sight, Obi-Wan strapped in and began to monitor the gauges. He considered summoning Anakin to assist the pilot, but upon testing the training bond, he realized his apprentice was still meditating. Unwilling to disrupt the young man, Obi-Wan simply set to the task of piloting the small transport.

It was several hours later when the pilot finally reappeared in the cockpit. "One of the harmonic dampeners is about ready to give out. I'll have to take her in for maintenance once we land on Caradonia. You guys were planning on staying on the planet for a few days anyways right?" He asked as he wiped the accumulated grease off his hands and onto a small towel.

"Yes, my Padawan and I will be mediating a dispute for at least the next four or five days. Will the ship be ready by then?" Obi-Wan asked, knowing that if the ship would still be out of service, he would have to contact the Council and have them send another transport.

"Sure, it doesn't take too long to replace one of those dampeners. I just wouldn't want to risk another jump on this one. Its too worn out to take the stress again, and without the dampeners, the leap to hyperspace can be a bit rough if you know what I mean," the pilot said with a grin.

"Very well. If you are no longer in need of my assistance, I will go back to the main cabin," Obi-Wan stated, pausing just long enough to get a negative response from the pilot before returning to his datapad.

\Hopefully I will have time to review this information with Anakin before we have to enter negotiations\ he thought as he began reading as quickly as possible. \Otherwise my apprentice may be in for a surprise or two. or three\ Obi-Wan smiled as he read one particular cultural taboo. \This will certainly be interesting.\

*********************************************

Feeling the ship drop out of hyperspace, Anakin roused himself from his meditations. He had finally managed to release most of his anger into the Force, but he was still determined to find out what had caused the scar across his Master's back. Now that he had his anger in check, he felt that he would be able to confront Obi-Wan, and he hoped he would have an opportunity to do so before they returned to the Temple.

Leaving the small cabin he had spent the majority of the trip in, Anakin entered the main area, finding his Master just switching off the datapad the Council had handed to the team. "I'm sorry Master, I did not mean to meditate so long," Anakin stated, fearing Obi-Wan would be angry he had missed being briefed on the mission.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. As long as your meditation was productive and helped you to control your emotions, than you have nothing to apologize for. Besides, I only just finished reviewing the data myself, so I wouldn't have been able to brief you anyway. Hopefully we will have time to go over it tonight," Obi-Wan responded, turning in his seat to study his apprentice. Anakin looked much calmer than he had upon entering the private cabin, and although the mask was still firmly in place, it looked much less brittle than it had previously.

"I'll gather our bags," the Padawan said, as he felt the ship touch down on the planet's surface.

"Thank you Anakin, and remember to pull your hood up as well. We will want to keep our hoods raised as much as possible on this planet," Obi-Wan called to his retreating apprentice as he pulled his own hood up.

The sun of Caradonia had an extremely high UV output, and even for a human from a planet like Tatooine, the rays would prove painful with only a short exposure. The sunrays may have proven harmful to the few humans who dared visit the planet, but for the native species, as well as the indigenous flora and fauna, the sun provided a beneficial source of nutrients and vitamins. The Caradonians had evolved to have very thick armor-like plating for skin, which not only worked to protect from the harmful radiation, but also acted in much the same way as the chlorophyll found in most plants throughout the galaxy.

The Caradonians were able to take the majority of their daily vitamins and nutrients in simply by spending the day in the sunlight. The heavier radiation from the sun also allowed for a thriving population of varied forms of flowers and trees and other forms of greenery. The planet of Caradonia had been likened to a modern-day Eden, a never-ending Garden of beauty.

And to Force-sensitives, the planet thrummed with the Living Force more strongly than almost any other planet in the Republic. If it wasn't for the damaging UV rays, the planet may have become a thriving tourist attraction. Unfortunately, as the galaxy was mostly populated with humanoid species, Caradonia did not receive much revenue in the form of tourist dollars. In fact, the planet was currently suffering from a major deficit of funds, which the Caradonian government had tried to make up for by increasing tariffs on the few planets that traded with the semi-isolated system.

The surrounding systems had refused to pay the increased prices, and a boycott of all Caradonian products had ensued. Instead of ending their deficit problem, the government had instead created a much larger problem.

When the impasse proved impossible for the local governments to solve, and the trade blockade began to affect other systems, the Jedi were called to intervene. So far the negotiations had continued peacefully, but as time passed the threat of hostility had become more and more apparent. It would be up to Obi-Wan and Anakin to not only find a suitable end to the boycott of Caradonian products, but also to find a way to raise revenue for the struggling planet.

As Obi-Wan watched his apprentice gather their few belongings in preparation of disembarking, the Knight couldn't help but think back to his last trade dispute mediation. \At least this time there aren't any Gungans\ he thought irreverently as the transport ramp began to lower, revealing the abundant greenery awaiting the two Jedi.



Although hostilities had not yet broken out at the negotiations, both Jedi felt that it was only a matter of time unless they managed to secure a truce. The Caradonians, though they may have derived the majority of their nutrients from their sun, had come to depend on certain products and supplies that could not be manufactured on their planet. The Caradonians were also suffering from the loss of income the widespread boycott was causing. As the days, then finally weeks had passed the people of Caradonia had become more and more desperate.

As soon as they stepped off of the transport, Obi-Wan and Anakin were almost swept away in the rising tide of hostility, anger and fear. Hostility over the undeserved (in their opinion) boycott, anger over the stalled negotiations, and fear as the necessary supplies became more and more scarce.

\\Increase your shielding, Padawan\\ Obi-Wan sent, quickly following his own advice. It cut down on their ability to use the training bond, but there was no choice. The two Jedi could not afford to be swept up in the tide of darkside emotions.

The Master and apprentice were quickly led from their transport into the domed government building. The architecture was designed specifically for otherworlders, helping to block the sun's harmful rays. The Caradonian envoy, in their desperation to get the negotiations restarted immediately, asked Obi-Wan to report directly to the main hall, allowing only Anakin time to store their bags.

Risking lowering his shielding once more, Obi-Wan sent one quick burst to his apprentice. \\Be mindful Padawan, I feel there is more going on here than a simple trade boycott and tariff protest. Do not stray far and report to the main hall as soon as possible.\\

\\ Yes Master\\ Anakin responded before once more raising his shields and trotting down the darkened hallway to store his and his Master's luggage. The Padawan was lead by a small Caradonian, who appeared to be not much older than he was.

The small boy was shorter than the Jedi apprentice, but he was much stockier, and his body plating made him cut a much more menacing figure. The boy did not so much as offer a word as he unceremoniously led Anakin down the hall and to a locked doorway. The Caradonian opened the door, and then stepped aside to let Anakin through. Anakin had just stepped through the doorway when the Force screamed a warning at him. Turning quickly, Anakin spun around just in time to see the door slam closed, locking once more.

*********************************************

Obi-Wan had been in the main hall, hearing the opening petitions of both parties, when he felt a slight ripple in the Force. Trying to center on the disturbance, without disrupting the negotiations, he was surprised to realize he could not sense his apprentice. With both of their shielding raised as high as it had been, the lack of connection was not necessarily due to any harm having befallen the young Padawan. Obi-Wan attempted to lower his shielding slightly to try to reach Anakin again, but the raised tension in the room was too much for him to handle.

Slamming his shields up once more, he decided to wait and see, and if Anakin did not report to the room within the next hour, he would search out his apprentice.

*********************************************

Solo was always prepared. On his ship he carried clothing that could carry him through the winter on Hoth as well as clothing that could easily handle the summer on Caradonia. The former smuggler turned Temple pilot had spent too much of his life on the run to not be prepared for any possible danger that could come his way. The life of a smuggler did not allow for many mistakes. One small mishap could spell certain death.

Slipping into his light reflective gear, Solo prepared to disembark and visit one of the spare parts dealers. He knew that the dampener really wasn't in that bad of shape, but the risk of making a jump with a damaged part was too great to allow the part to go unreplaced. As soon as he had purchased a replacement, the dampener would be switched out. For the meantime, the damaged component would remain incorporated into the system so that if it was absolutely necessary, Solo could take off with only a moment's notice.

\You can take the man out of smuggling, but you can't take the smuggling out of the man\ Solo noted with no small hint of pride.

*********************************************

Once Anakin determined that the door he had entered through was heavily shielded and would not allow him to escape, the Padawan began a thorough recognizance of the room. There wasn't much to it, just four walls and a doorway, but with the Force Anakin could determine where water lines, power couplings, and ventilation ducts flowed through the surrounding area.

The floor was made up of some kind of reinforced duracrete, and the walls also had some kind of electrical shielding, but the ceiling appeared to be simply made up of plaster. Sending a tendril of Force up to test his visual accuracy, Anakin was not surprised to find that the plaster was merely a cover for a heavier grid of laser shielding. Realizing that the only way in or out of this room was by the door, the Padawan simply sat on the floor and awaited his captor's arrival.

*********************************************

After the hour had passed, Obi-Wan was becoming concerned about the absence of his apprentice. He had asked the delegates from Caradonia, as well as the representatives of the other systems, to allow him a short break to check on his Padawan, but his request had been refused.

Feeling the hostility in the room rise even higher, and seeing the delegates beginning to take more aggressive postures, Obi-Wan remembered his promise to Master Yoda and the Jedi Council. The wizened old Master had told him these negotiations were important, and he had sworn to make sure they were carried out. Realizing that the only way he would be allowed to search for his apprentice was by first finding a resolution to this conflict, the young Master immediately stepped up the negotiations.

*********************************************

As Anakin sat waiting in the small room, he slipped into a light meditative trance. He was still fully aware of his surroundings, but he wanted to put this wasted time to good use. He still had yet to determine how best to approach his Master regarding the scar he had discovered earlier on in the day. He briefly considered approaching Master Bant again, but decided against it. This was something between he and his Master, and they would have to discuss it privately.

The Padawan continued his meditation for almost an hour before the door to the chamber swung open. Rising to his feet, the apprentice quickly reached for his lightsaber. He may not have known what exactly was happening, but it was fairly obvious he was being held captive in a hostage situation. Jedi may have been the peacekeepers of the Republic, but they were also the system of Justice. Anakin was more than prepared to use whatever means necessary to ensure he was able to return to his Master.

As the five Caradonians entered the small room, Anakin immediately fell back to a defensive posture. He hadn't yet ignited his lightsaber, but he had the hilt out and ready. He watched warily as the five men took up positions surrounding him.

As the apparent leader stepped up in front of him, Anakin wanted to do nothing more than ignite his lightsaber and then run. Unfortunately, his Jedi training prevented him from escalating a conflict, even as every one of his instincts honed in his nine-years as a slave screamed at him to take any escape there was. The apprentice held his position even as the menacing bulk of the leader brushed the front of his tunic. He would not escalate the conflict, but he would not back down either. His years as a slave taught him that a show of weakness would only cause him more problems than defiance ever could.

The large Caradonian leaned down until his eyes were level with the shorter Jedi's. Through the Force, Anakin could still feel the four other men who had taken positions at his sides and back. Still refusing to back down, the Padawan raised his chin defiantly as he looked the much larger man in the eye.

"Ahh, so even the little Jedi has some spunk," the man chuckled almost gleefully. "I always knew you Jedi would be great fun to have around," he smirked as he leaned back slightly to make eye contact with each of his associates.

"But the real reason we're so excited to have you here," the man to his right said, picking up the cue from his boss, "is cause we know all about your Master/Apprentice bond."

"We've heard all about how you young Jedi and your Masters can talk to each other and how you can send emotions to each other," the man to his left then spoke.

"But what we're really interested in," the man behind him spoke for the first time, "is whether or not your Master will be able to feel your pain." Without further preamble the man behind lashed out, kicking the lightsaber from Anakin's hand.

Before the apprentice could call it back with the Force, the Caradonians to his right and left grabbed his arms and held him firmly. "And now the fun begins."

*********************************************

Obi-Wan never gave a second thought to his promise to Master Yoda. As the first wave of pain traveled over the bond, he was up and running, not even bothering to spare a glance at the confused delegates. The Master had already given up too much keeping his word to the Jedi Council; he would not allow Anakin to suffer as well.

Using Force-enhanced speed, he raced down the corridor he had seen his Apprentice walk down only a few hours previously. The Master cast out all of his senses, allowing his shields to drop as fully as possible. The emotions of the delegates crashed into him as they struggled to follow but he refused to allow them to slow him down as he honed in on the pain filled signature of his Padawan.

Coming to a set of closed doors, the Master only hesitated long enough to free his lightsaber from its place on his utility belt before he used the Force to slam the doors open. As he ignited his lightsaber, Obi-Wan rushed into the room. He could see his apprentice held upright by two hulking Caradonians, as another two battered him from front and back. A fifth figure stood off to one side, holding the Padawan's lightsaber in his massive hands. Obi-Wan prepared to take out the two causing his apprentice so much pain, but he was stopped as he ran into a force field.

Slammed back out into the hall by the shock of hitting the field full tilt, the Master briefly slumped to the floor, before drawing his energy back to him and struggling once more to his feet.

"Release my apprentice immediately!" He called out, as he attempted to use his lightsaber to cut through the field. The lightsaber merely sparked and hissed however, and the field remained intact.

"And why exactly would I want to do that?" The Caradonian with Anakin's lightsaber asked. "I went to a lot of trouble to trap this little Jedi, and now you want me to just release him?" He tilted back his head and laughed.

Obi-Wan simply stood outside the room, scanning frantically with the Force for anyway of entering the shielded room. "No, I think I will keep your little Padawan, at least until I am sure that you will see things our way in the negotiations," the man stated flatly with a wicked grin.

*********************************************

Solo approached the fifth repair shop in the small port city. The first four he had tried had not even had more than fifty or so parts, none of which would do him any good.

\This tariff and boycott has hit this planet harder than I was led to believe\ the former smuggler thought as he approached the final shop in the sector. \If this shop doesn't have the part I need, than I think I am just going to return to the transport and make sure it remains in one-piece\ With the lack of supplies on the planet, his transport would make a prime target for the desperate population.

Briefly regretting his decision to leave the smuggling business, as this planet would've proved a prime business place, Solo entered the small junk shop. A small Caradonian female immediately greeted him. "Can I help you sir off-worlder?" she asked in lilting basic.

"Maybe, I am looking for an X7 dampener for a 49J hyperdrive," Solo stated as he warily watched the shop's other occupants.

"I am sorry, but we don't have any dampeners available at all," the young Caradonian stated in a truly regretful tone.

"We don't have ANYTHING!" One of the Caradonian shoppers snapped, as he stepped forward out of one of the barely stocked aisles. "Our entire planet is dying and all those stupid government officials do is choke us even more with taxes!"

The irate Caradonian stepped up to study the human in front of him. Solo merely watched as the man circled him. The former smuggler may not have been a Jedi, but he had learned to trust his intuition, and all his instincts were telling him this man meant him no harm.

"Perhaps you need a new government," Solo calmly stated as he watched the other occupants begin to step out into the main aisle.

"Perhaps we do," the Caradonian male stated, as he finally stopped assessing the smaller human, apparently satisfied at what he found. "Perhaps we do."

\\ Padawan?\\ Obi-Wan asked, never taking his eyes off of the large Caradonian in possession of Anakin's lightsaber.

\\ I'm all right Master.I don't think I'm hurt that badly. I think they only wanted your attention\\ Anakin sent back, raising his eyes up from where they had been fixated on the floor.

\\ Well if they wanted my attention, they certainly got it\\ Obi-Wan responded, some of his concern fading with the sarcasm he had detected in his Padawan's mental message.

Turning his full attention once more to the hulking figure his gaze had never left, the Knight spoke aloud once more. "What makes you think that I have any control over these negotiations to exert?"

"We know of your Jedi powers, but beyond that we know of the political ramifications for Caradonia and the other involved planets if one of the Republic's pet Jedi die because they were too obstinate to do anything," the apparent spokesman of the captors stated.

"But did you consider the ramifications of what I will do to you if you or your men touch my apprentice again?" Obi-Wan calmly replied, as he drew the Force around him, projecting a more menacing figure.

\\ Master???\\ Anakin interrupted, fearful that the swirling emotions had begun to affect Obi-Wan.

\\ Padawan, can you sense where the power couplings for this force field are?\\ the Knight answered, ignoring his Padawan's uncertain questioning. Obi-Wan knew Anakin had a much better grasp on all things electrical than he ever would. Anakin was building complete racing pods and protocol droids at an age where Obi-Wan had had a hard time getting the batteries in his remote going the correct direction.

\\ Yes Master. And I believe, given enough time I can have the force field down and deactivated indefinitely.\\

\\ Good, hopefully I have frightened your captors into leaving you alone for the time being. I will pretend to go back to the negotiations. Work on getting that field down, and as soon as you are ready, let me know and I will be right back here. \\

\\ Yes Master\\

After waiting several minutes to see how the Caradonian would respond to his threat, Obi-Wan finally spoke again. "I will return to the negotiations, and I will work towards seeing your demands carried out. But understand this, you touch Anakin and nothing will save you."

With that said, the Jedi Master turned back towards the way he had come, brushing through the crowd of diplomats who had finally caught up to the Knight. Unsure of what was happening, the herd of politicians simply turned and followed the Jedi back to the negotiations table.

*********************************************

Solo looked around as the occupants of the small junk shop came out of their hiding places to surround him. They were an eclectic mix, spanning from the small, younger woman who was apparently the proprietor of the shop, to the large elderly man who had been the first to speak to him.

All in all, there were around 15 Caradonians now surrounding the former smuggler, but Solo still did not feel threatened.

Instead, he felt almost as if he had been accepted into whatever little meeting it was he had inadvertently stumbled onto. It was apparent that these people were all fed up with the boycott and tax raises that their government had inflicted upon them, but it also appeared that they had not yet done anything about it. His instincts told him that these were good people, who had just been pushed too hard too fast by an uncaring government.

"Perhaps we do need a new government," the elder Caradonian continued, as his companions exited the shadows. "But how exactly would we go about getting one?"

Although not technically under the control of the Jedi Council, Temple pilots were still encouraged to take a non-intervention status on all missions. It made it much easier for the Jedi diplomats to project an aura of neutrality if their pilots were not off getting involved in the conflict.

Solo, however, had never quite been able to follow that unwritten rule. If he saw suffering, in any form, he would do what he could to ease it. He understood why the Jedi could not become personally involved, but he saw no reason he could not at least offer some of his own hard-won advice to the struggling populace.

"First, you need to let your current government know that you are unhappy. And they must be made to realize that you will act against them if they do not accept your demands," Solo said, looking the elder in the eye.

"And if that hasn't worked?" the man asked, with a definite gleam in his eye.

"Then, I would say it would be time to take action," Solo offered, realizing that there was something going on here, and curious to know what it was.

*********************************************

Obi-Wan had succeeded more than he knew with his threats to the Caradonian dissidents. The two men holding Anakin had immediately released the apprentice, almost dropping him in their haste to step away. With his Jedi reflexes, Anakin was able to catch himself before collapsing to the floor, but the motion still hurt.

"Your Master is a dangerous man," the leader spoke once more, absently tapping Anakin's lightsaber against his beefy palm. "But he is still Jedi. He will not harm us." The second part seemed to be more addressed to the suddenly skittish men than to the slumped Padawan.

"However, to make certain he does not, I think we need to move you to a more secure area," the Caradonian stated, stepping close up to Anakin. With a sudden movement, he brought the hilt of the lightsaber down to Anakin's temple, knocking the apprentice unconscious.

"Pick him up, we need to move quickly or his Master will be back here," the leader called to his men. Leaving a commlink in the middle of the floor for the Jedi to find, the group of Caradonians then carried the unconscious Padawan to a safer location.

Reeling from the information he had just received, Solo headed back to his transport as quickly as possible without alerting anyone to his haste. He needed to warn the Jedi of the danger that awaited them.

He had only been curious to know what the Caradonians had planned in the interest of passing it on to some of his smuggling buddies. Insider information was always highly prized in the underworld. Instead of coming away with a store of information to sell to the highest bidder, he came away with knowledge of a plan designed to trap and harm at least one of the Jedi he had delivered to the planet.

Solo may not have cared much for the Jedi he usually dealt with, but the young Master who had agreed to help him during the flight had grown on him. He had also seen the younger Jedi around the transport bay, and although he didn't know him personally, the other mechanics and pilots spoke highly of the Padawan.

As he reached the transport, Solo went immediately to the comm. station to try and raise the older Jedi on his comm. link. When there was no answer, Solo cursed and tried to reach the younger one. Once again, there was no response. Deciding he could wait no longer, Solo sealed up the transport and headed off to the Government building, intent on warning the Jedi of the danger that awaited them.

*********************************************

Obi-Wan returned to the negotiations and actively tried to reach a resolution. He was confident that Anakin would be able to lower the force field, and that his Padawan was in no real danger. While he waited for Anakin's signal, he wanted to try to resolve the tariff and boycott issues, as Caradonia was slowly but surely faltering under the restrictions.

He had almost reached a settlement between the two parties, when he began to worry. \Anakin should've had that field down by now\ he thought, as he watched the Caradonian secretary begin to print out copies of the rough agreement.

The negotiations truly had been simple; as the Caradonians really did not need the extra money the tariffs would've given them. What the Caradonians needed to do was simply collect some of the money the many beauracrats had "borrowed" over the years. Even if only a third of the money were recovered, it would more than take care of any deficit the government was suffering from.

Wondering what was keeping Anakin, Obi-Wan tried to access the bond, but he did not receive an answer from the apprentice. Just as the Master stood to excuse himself once more from the table Captain Solo rushed into the room, trailing an entourage of very upset Caradonians.

"This is a closed room sir, you are not permitted in this area!" the elderly Caradonian male called out, as he tried to catch the pilot.

"Like I told you the five other times you and your friends have said that, 'I don't care!'" the pilot called out as he approached the Jedi Master. Obi- Wan stood from his chair, and waved off Solo's pursuers.

Following the pilot's signal, Obi-Wan led him over to an unoccupied corner of the room. "Where's the boy?" Solo asked, as he surveyed the room and didn't see the Jedi apprentice.

"He is handling other business," Obi-Wan answered dryly. "Was there something you needed?" Obi-Wan was unsure of why the pilot had burst into the room as he had, but he was anxious to get the agreement signed so he could go after his apprentice and find out what was keeping him.

"Well, you better hope that other business doesn't involve a group of about five Caradonian thugs," Solo remarked. "'Cause if it does, than he's in trouble." The look of alarm that crossed the young Master's face would have been comical if Solo hadn't known just how serious the situation was.

*********************************************

Anakin regained consciousness as he was being carried down one of the many halls of the extremely large government structure. He was slung over the back of the man that had been behind him during the earlier proceedings. Keeping his eyes closed and allowing his captors to think him still unconscious, the Padawan reached out with the Force to sense where he was.

He could tell that he was still in the government building, simply by the lack of natural light. He could also tell that he had been carried almost a quarter of a mile down the darkened halls from the room he had been held in. Reaching out to his Master through the bond, Anakin was surprised to find Obi-Wan shielding. \He must've raised his shields again unconsciously during the negotiations \ the Padawan thought.

He knew that Master Jinn had drilled that particular skill into his former apprentice until it became more habit than thought. Master Jinn had not only been a great swordsman, he had also been acknowledged as the Order's greatest negotiator. Part of the reason he was so good was because he had been able to block out the raging emotions that ran prevalent at most diplomatic tables.

\He probably doesn't even realize that I am no longer in that room. Without trying to contact me, there is no way he could've known anything was wrong\ Unlike the earlier beating, the pain of being knocked out had almost instantaneously ended as he entered unconsciousness. There hadn't been enough time for it to travel to his Master.

Realizing he was on his own, at least for the time being, Anakin once again extended his Force sense to get a better idea of the area surrounding him. He could feel the five Caradonians that were in the immediate vicinity, as well as the signatures of at least a dozen more in a room a bit farther ahead. Judging by the tension and animosity radiating out of the room they were approaching, this was their final destination.

Deciding to make his move while he had only five to fight, instead of 20, Anakin quickly reached out with the Force to grab his lightsaber from the leader. Once he had the familiar weapon in hand, Anakin jerked his body around, throwing himself off of the shoulders of the man carrying him and kicking the Caradonian in the face. As the man staggered and slammed into the Caradonian behind him, Anakin landed gracefully on the floor. Despite the pain his movements had caused him, Anakin immediately activated his lightsaber. He had made a mistake being too cautious in its use previously. This time he would not be taken without a fight.

As Captain Solo recounted his adventures in the junk shops of Caradonia, Obi-Wan tried to reach his apprentice. After the second try with no response, he had realized his shields were firmly in place. /Blast! I know it's been a long time since I've been on a mission with a partner, but that was just stupid!/ the young Master berated himself. He knew that if anything happened to Anakin, it was entirely his fault.

"Once the old guy decided I was a smuggler and was safe to talk to, the whole group went right back to discussing their plans as if I wasn't even there. Turns out, they'd decided that if they brought the vengeance of the Jedi down on the current government, than the politicians would have no choice but to vacate their offices. They figured fear of the Jedi would chase the corrupt beauracrats out and allow them a chance to save their planet," Solo finished.

"Actually, not a bad plan," Obi-Wan said absently as he went over his options mentally. He needed to have this treaty signed, but he also didn't want to risk endangering his apprentice. The diplomats present had no idea of the Padawan's plight, and Obi-Wan had no desire to inform them. He had simply used the Force to remove any confusion they had held about his previous disappearance. It might have been unethical, but it allowed the negotiations to continue unhindered, and the Master had decided the Council would accept his slight mind manipulation when all factors were considered.

An idea had just begun to crystallize when Obi-Wan finally made contact with his apprentice. The contact was brief, but just long enough to alert the Master to the dangerous situation Anakin was in. Reacting before really even completely thinking his plan through, Obi-Wan dragged Solo out into the unoccupied hall and handed him his quickly shed cloak.

"Here, put this on," the Knight said as he quickly adjusted the hood to cover the pilot's face. "The delegates have no idea what my apprentice looks like, and so you are going to pretend to be him. You must get the delegates to sign the treaty, and then excuse yourself from the proceedings and return immediately to the transport."

"And just what exactly are you going to be doing?" Solo asked as he adjusted the robe to cover his smuggler's clothing.

"Carrying out the 'vengeance of the Jedi,' of course." Obi-Wan called as he took off at a swift pace down the hall.

*********************************************

As he felt the brief mind touch of his Master, Anakin breathed a sigh of relief. The Knight was on his way, and Anakin only needed to hold his own long enough for Obi-Wan to arrive. With the Force to aide him, his Master would be arriving in only a few short minutes. Luckily, the sound of his lightsaber activating had not been loud enough to alert the other dozen or so Caradonians farther down the hall, but he knew that if a blaster were used the distinctive sound would easily travel the distance to the closed doorway.

Hoping to stall the inevitable, Anakin spoke. "Do you have any idea of how much trouble you are going to be in when my Master gets here?" The line may have sounded like it came from some cheap holovid, but the apprentice was not exactly skilled at playing the part of the hostage.

\\And hopefully you will never become good at it\\ Obi-Wan responded, picking up the random thought from his apprentice.

\\Not like you, huh Master?\\ Anakin asked, glad to have the mental communication back with Obi-Wan.

\\I may have had some practice when I was a Padawan.\\ the Master responded, just as he rounded the final corner and came up to stand beside his apprentice.

"I believe I told you not to touch my Padawan again," Obi-Wan said bluntly, as he noticed the spreading bruise on Anakin's temple.

"Look, we didn't mean nothin' by it," the Caradonian who had been carrying Anakin called from where he was still sitting stunned on the floor.

"We're only trying to save our planet!" another one of the men called, frightened by the look on the Jedi Master's face.

"And you thought to accomplish that by kidnapping and harming a thirteen year old boy?" Obi-Wan questioned as he activated his lightsaber.

"Actually we planned on removing our government by causing harm to a Jedi," the leader called out as he raised his blaster and fired several shots at the Knight. "It really doesn't matter which one we kill."

Anakin immediately used his lightsaber to deflect the shots, sending them to impact with the walls. Obi-Wan had not even had to move a muscle, and Anakin felt a sudden rush of pride that his Master trusted him with his life.

\\ Of course I trust you with my life Padawan\\ Obi-Wan briefly smiled down at his apprentice, before he once again addressed the leader.

"This is pointless you know," Obi-Wan called over the echo of the blaster fire. "The treaty is being signed as we speak. The other planets have agreed to lift the boycott, and your government has agreed to forego the tariffs. There is no need for anyone to be hurt."

"And just how would they be signing an interplanetary trade treaty without a Jedi present?" the Caradonian called back, refusing to lower his blaster.

"Who says there isn't a Jedi there?" Obi-Wan replied as he began to advance towards the leader. Just as he was within reaching distance, the door down the hall slammed open and the remaining dissidents spilled out into the hallway bringing a rain of blaster fire with them. The Knight had to step back to begin to deflect the bolts back, as there were now too many for the apprentice to handle.

"Stop this before someone is hurt or killed!" Anakin yelled over the sounds of the blaster fire. The apprentice had never been forced to take a life before, and he did not want to have to now.

"There is no other Jedi! You are lying! All we have to do is kill you, and then Caradonia will be free again. No more dirty politicians, no more taxes and tariffs, and no more begging just to survive!" The incensed leader yelled.

As the hail of blaster fire continued, Obi-Wan and Anakin were finding it harder and harder to direct all of the ricochets off of their 'sabers. There were simply too many bolts, and too few open areas to send them to. Obi-Wan tried to draw on the Force to use it to calm the angered men, but his concentration was too scattered to influence twenty strong-willed Caradonians at one time.

Inevitably, the reflected blaster shots began to hit the men firing so rapidly at the Jedi. As the Caradonians began to fall one after another after another, Obi-Wan could feel the conflict that was consuming his apprentice. Anakin wanted to be angry with the men for what they had done to him, but he did not want them to die for it. And he especially did not want to be the one to take their lives.

The Master tried to send some comfort to his apprentice over the bond, but Anakin's emotions were running too erratically. The Padawan began to lose his connection to the Force, and more and more blaster bolts were just barely missing hitting the young man.

Realizing he needed to end the conflict or Anakin would be hurt, Obi-Wan aimed a blaster bolt directly back at the Caradonian leader. As the man took the bolt directly to the chest, falling dead instantly, the Jedi Master called out once more, this time with the full power of the Force behind his voice. "STOP!"

*********************************************

Solo knew that the Jedi would probably want to kill him the next time he saw him, but the pilot could not resist the chance to help the people of the planet Caradonia. It had become all too apparent to him that this treaty would do nothing to help the people, and was really only a temporary solution. If Caradonia were going to thrive once more, than the current government would have to make some concessions towards the welfare of its people.

This treaty would provide a prime opportunity to force the Caradonian government to agree to alleviate some of the taxation of their people, and to allow an independent committee of citizens access to the funds records of the government. Solo knew the only way he would be able to get such additions tacked onto the treaty was to convince one of the other planetary leaders to suggest such an amendment.

As he scanned the list of worlds represented in this trade dispute, one caught his eye. \This might actually work\ Solo thought as he looked up and caught the eye of the young delegate from the recently united planet of Navira.

*********************************************

With the full power of the Force behind him, Obi-Wan was finally able to convince the dissidents to stop firing. He was saddened to realize the task was so easy because so many of the Caradonians had fallen, dead or injured severely.

"There is no need for this to continue," Obi-Wan continued, this time using the Force to calm the tangling emotions spreading throughout the hallway.

As the Caradonians began to look around and realize just how many of their number lay dead and dying, they began to lower their blasters. As they began to work tending their wounded, Obi-Wan took the opportunity to bend down and make eye contact with his shaken apprentice.

"Anakin, you did everything possible to spare lives. What happened was not your fault. You must realize that you are not to blame for any of this," the Master said softly, trying to get the Padawan to focus on him, and not the graphic scene behind him.

"They're dead Master. So many of them are dead. All they wanted was to be free, just like I always wanted. just to be free." Anakin rambled as he finally lifted his gaze to his Master's concerned expression.

"Come Anakin, we can do more good by making sure that this treaty is signed, and the people will no longer be made to suffer," Obi-Wan said, as he placed a hand on his Padawan's back, guiding the stricken young man back to the main hall.

Now that Solo had picked out his target, he just needed to figure out a way to approach the young woman. Normally that would be no problem, but considering he was impersonating a Jedi, the normal strategy might not be a great idea.

"Excuse me, do you have a moment?" Solo asked in his best Jedi-Knight voice.

"Of course sir Jedi, do you wish to speak here, or someplace more quiet?" the young woman asked graciously.

\Hmm, someplace more quiet. Oh wait, I'm supposed to be a Jedi\ "How about the hallway?" Solo replied.

As they entered the empty hallway, the young woman lowered the hood she had been wearing. Her incredibly beautiful ebony hair immediately struck Solo. He had to fight the urge to lower his hood just to get a better look at her. Of course, if he lowered the hood, it would be obvious that he was no Jedi.

"How can I help you sir Jedi?" the woman asked, apparently unaware of the effect she was having on the smuggler.

"Actually, I really am not the one in need of your help. I was wondering if you would consider doing something to help the people of this planet?" Solo said, keeping to the shadows of the already dark hallway.

As the woman nodded her head almost imperceptibly, Solo outlined his plan. "Would you consider introducing a resolution to amend the treaty? All you would have to do is ask the planetary government of Caradonia to agree to open their record books to their citizenry. Hopefully, that will lead to a full investigation of the widespread fraud, and allow the government to lower the taxes that are oppressing these people."

"Of course I will help in any way I can," the woman responded. "But first I have a question. Who are you, and why are you impersonating a Jedi?"

*********************************************

As Obi-Wan guided Anakin away from the scene of carnage, he spared one last glance over his shoulder. He wanted to help those that were injured, but he knew that his offer of assistance would be rebuked- understandably. Instead, he knew his duty was to get Anakin back on the transport and then make sure the treaty was signed.

It would take a great deal of meditation for Anakin to get over this, as it took most Jedi a long while to recover from the first time they took a life. Obi-Wan had spent almost three entire days in seclusion before he could come to terms with what he had done. Qui-Gon had helped to support him through the difficult times, and Obi-Wan hoped he could be half as good of a Master to Anakin.

As they walked swiftly past the open doors of the main hall, Obi-Wan glanced briefly inside. He was surprised to see that Solo was not among the delegates sitting at the table. \Is it possible he already completed the treaty signing?\ Obi-Wan wondered. If so, it would certainly make his job easier. All he would have to do was get Anakin to the transport and then they could all return to Coruscant.

As they came to the great doors leading to the open-aired transport dock, Obi-Wan suddenly realized he no longer had his cloak to cover his face with. \Ah well, I guess I could use a bit of a suntan anyways\ he sighed, as he quickly led his Padawan out into the blazing sun of a hot Caradonian summer.

*********************************************

Solo quickly stepped back farther into the shadows, but it was too late. The young woman must've noticed him earlier when he had entered the great hall wearing the smuggler's garb.

"Actually I can tell you aren't a Jedi because you aren't in the least bit Force sensitive," she replied, apparently reading his thoughts.

"Oh," Solo replied. Not exactly brilliant conversation, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.

"And I thank you for the compliments. I have always loved the shade of my hair as well. But I have never seen Correllian ebony, is it really so beautiful?" the woman asked, teasing the flustered Jedi-imposter.

Solo may have been thrown for a loop, but he was nothing if not versatile and quick to recover. "Actually, I may have been mistaken. Your hair is far more beautiful than even the most flawless ebony," he said with a mock bow to the delegate.

Bursting out laughing, the young woman reached out and pushed back Solo's hood. "It's only fair I get to see your features as well. And you can call me Ellana," she giggled, as she anticipated his next question without even having to read his mind.

"Haden Solo, Jedi-poser extraordinaire," Solo replied with another mock bow, this time reaching out to kiss the knuckles of Ellana's outstretched hand. As he straightened to his full height, Solo spoke once more, "Now about this amendment."

Obi-Wan and Anakin had just arrived at the shuttle when the comm. system began to beep, indicating an incoming message. Pausing long enough to make sure Anakin was settled in one of the cabins, Obi-Wan activated the comm.

"Hmmm, seeking a suntan are you?" came the voice of Master Yoda, as he took in the appearance of the very red Jedi.

"Masters," Obi-Wan bowed to the holographic images of Master Yoda and Master Windu that appeared before him. "The sun on Caradonia is rather harsh," he answered Yoda's inquiry, not wishing to give away any more information than necessary.

"Is the treaty signed?" Master Windu questioned.

"Almost, the delegates need only sign the final copy, and the negotiations will be complete," the young Knight hedged. Obi-Wan intended on giving a full report (well, an almost full report) to the Council, but for now he was anxious to find out where Solo had wandered off to and what state the treaty was in.

"Very well. Once you finish this assignment, you will be reporting to Navira. The planet is seeking admission into the Republic, and the newly elected governor has requested your assistance in completing the process." Master Windu continued, ignoring the look of consternation on the younger Master's face. "Since Navira is so close to Caradonia, it is not necessary for you to return to Coruscant first. Your Padawan will be able to attend you on this mission as well."

"Masters," Obi-Wan interrupted, only to be cut off by Master Yoda.

"Requested for this mission specifically you were. Agree also, the Chancellor did. Report to Navira you will, and Skywalker take with you." Master Yoda left absolutely no room for argument, leaving Obi-Wan only one option.

"Yes my Masters. My Padawan and I will report to Navira as soon as we leave Caradonia," with another brief bow, Obi-Wan switched off the comm.

*********************************************

"I will help, but I must ask what I get out of it?" Ellana asked coyly, smiling at Solo.

"I guess it depends on what you want," Solo smiled back.

"What I want. hmm. there are many things I want," Ellana winked at the disguised pilot, "but I will settle for transport back to Navira when this treaty signing is over."

"Well, that I can do." Solo motioned for Ellana to precede him into the negotiations hall. "Among other things," he added sotto voice, as both he and the Navirian delegate once again raised their hoods.

*********************************************

After exhausting every explicative he had ever heard, and a few he created specifically for the situation, Obi-Wan finally calmed himself enough to check on Anakin. His Padawan would be remaining on the transport as he went in search of the wayward pilot.

"Padawan?" Obi-Wan asked softly as he entered the darkened cabin he had seen his apprentice disappear into.

When he got no response, the young Master moved farther into the room, using a flicker of the Force to raise the lighting. Anakin lay across the bunk, with his eyes tightly closed and his hands fisted at his sides.

"I killed them," the young apprentice finally said, as his Master came to sit along the edge of the bunk.

"Yes, Anakin we did kill them." Obi-Wan stressed the "we." "But they gave us no other choice. They were willing to risk our lives, as well as the lives of many of their fellow citizens to achieve a goal that could have been attained through peace. They made the decision to use deadly force, we merely responded to it."

"But they weren't evil Master! They may have been misguided, but they did not deserve to die," Anakin continued, sitting up and turning to face his Master. "This isn't at all what I expected to happen on a mission. I wanted action and adventure, but not this. I don't want to ever have to kill someone again."

At the last, the thirteen-year old Padawan began to sob softly. Wishing for the thousandth time that Qui-Gon were still alive, Obi-Wan reached out and pulled Anakin into his arms.

"I know Padawan, I know," he chanted, softly rocking the sobbing boy. "And unfortunately, it doesn't get any easier."

*********************************************

Solo and Ellana were able to reenter the hall without causing a stir, even though the Navirian delegate's face was a bright shade of crimson. Barely hiding his smile from finally getting a reaction from the feisty young woman, Solo immediately called the delegates back to the table.

"I have been approached by the delegate from Navira with a suggestion of an amendment to the treaty. If you can all simply take your seats once more, a copy of the proposed amendment will be provided to each of your datapads," Solo called out to the small huddles of delegates all throughout the great hall.

Once all the delegates had retaken their places, Solo spoke again. "The honorable delegate from Navira has suggested that to prevent such a disagreement from occurring in the future, the Caradonian government agree to have their financial records audited by a board of citizens. Such a board would be able to monitor the financial situation of the planet and help to prevent a deficit from occurring again."

Following his announcement, there was a period of silence as each of the delegates studied the information that was currently being uploaded to the datapads. Solo expected the Caradonian representative to object to the amendment, but he hoped that the other delegates would see the value of such an amendment.

"This is an outrage!" The Caradonian delegate finally spoke, slamming his chair back from the table as he shot to his feet. "The books of the Caradonian government have always been and always will be classified. It is not the business of our citizens to know where or how the money is spent. It is the duty of our politicians to monitor how the funds are used!"

"And it is apparent that your system does not work," Ellana shouted over the rising din. "It is because you do not have an open system of accounting that this treaty signing was necessary. I, for one, do not relish returning to this hellish planet every few years to have to sign another treaty. If you cannot agree to this amendment, than perhaps the boycott should continue." At Ellana's pronouncement, the Caradonian delegate sat back down in his chair, stunned by the undiplomatic berating he had just been given.

Before anyone else could comment, Ellana spoke again. "It is obvious that the people of this planet are close to revolting under this inefficient system of government. I would suggest, if you wish to remain in your governmental position, you accept this small amendment to the treaty and allow me and my fellow delegates to return to our homes."

Finally finished, Ellana sat back down in her chair, and immediately made a show of signing her name to the treaty before her. Following suite, each of the other delegates, and finally the Caradonian representative signed as well. Collecting one of the formal printouts of the agreement from the secretary, Solo bowed to all of the representatives and took his leave. After concluding her farewells, Ellana followed after the pilot.

As they stepped out into the bright Caradonian day, Solo turned slightly to Ellana and smiled. "You're pretty new to this whole diplomacy thing aren't you?"

"Probably as new to it as you are to the Jedi," Ellana smiled back.

With a chuckle, Solo led the way to the small transport, where the two Jedi awaited him.

Obi-Wan was just leaving the cabin where Anakin now slept, when Solo and Ellana entered the transport.

"Sunbathing sir Jedi?" Ellana asked, in way of greeting.

Glancing at the young woman and immediately recognizing her as one of the delegates, Obi-Wan cast a glance at the still-smiling Solo. "Captain Solo, I believe we may need to talk," the Jedi said simply.

"Well, I could use some help prepping the ship," Solo offered. "Ellana, why don't you settle down in one of the cabins for now," he continued, ignoring the glare he was receiving from Obi-Wan.

"Thank you Captain Solo," Ellana bowed slightly, before turning and retreating to the passenger compartments.

As he entered the cockpit, the Jedi Master placed a hand on Solo's chest preventing the pilot from moving any farther. "Would you like to tell me just how the treaty signing went, and why exactly we have another passenger?" Obi-Wan asked in a tone that did nothing to hide his displeasure.

"Well, the treaty signing went quite well. The delegates accepted Ellana's amendment, and everyone signed," Solo simplified. "And as for Ellana, I agreed to drop her off at Navira before we return to Coruscant."

At the mention of Navira, Obi-Wan's hand dropped from the pilot's chest and his eyes went blank. Recognizing the look from when he had transported other Jedi, Solo stepped around him and left the Jedi to his "phone call from the Force" as the pilot referred to it.

Solo had only managed to complete the first half of the preflight checklist when Obi-Wan became aware once more. "She's dangerous. You must get her off this ship immediately," the Knight stated.

"She is not dangerous," Solo argued. "Well at least not with anything but that wicked tongue of hers," he amended.

"You don't understand," Obi-Wan said, demanding the pilot's attention. "She is a Sith."

*********************************************

"Was it wise to send Padawan Skywalker to Navira?" Ki-Adi Mundi questioned as the holographic image of Obi-Wan flickered and faded from the Council chambers.

"Perhaps not, but discover the price his Master has paid for him he must," Master Yoda sighed. "Dangerous that boy is. A Jedi he should not be."

"And you think that by proving his Master's dedication to him, you are going to chase him away?" Adi Gallia asked incredulously.

"Chase him away it will not," Yoda admitted. "But frighten him it will. Such danger his Master faces, he will not want to."

"And what exactly will frightening him do? Doesn't fear lead to the darkside?" Depa Bilaba asked.

"To the darkside it does lead. Turn Anakin Skywalker will. The question is when," Yoda answered in his usual cryptic manner.

"And the sooner he turns, the easier he will be to dispose of," Master Windu added.

*********************************************

Ellana entered the first set of cabin doors she came to. She was anxious to return home, but she was more anxious to avoid the Jedi Master at all costs. She had immediately recognized him when he entered the great hall on Caradonia.

Using his distraction with sending his apprentice off as a chance to hide her Force signature, Ellana was fairly certain he had not detected her. She had managed to keep her hood up the entire time he was at the negotiations table, and she had refrained from speaking for fear he might make notice of her.

When the other Jedi had come up to her during the break, she had assumed she had been discovered. It was only when she realized that the man before her was absolutely Force-blind, that she had realized her cover was still intact.

\But it won't be long until that Jedi realizes I'm here. I can only hope he doesn't discover who I am until we are well on our way to Navira.\

"Ok, and that should mean what to me?" Solo asked as he continued to work on the preflight.

"It means, that that woman is a danger to every living thing in this galaxy, and that." before he finished his sentence, Obi-Wan was off and running down the narrow hallway leading to the crew cabins.

Solo, intrigued by the Jedi's obvious distress, just barely made out the last of what the Knight had said. " .and that I've left her alone with my Padawan."

*********************************************



Anakin didn't know if he was dreaming, or if he was awake. All he knew was that he kept reliving those few moments in the hallway, over and over and over. He was looking for a way things could've ended differently, trying to see if there was anyway he could've kept so many from dying.

He remembered Obi-Wan giving him a strong Force suggestion to sleep, but as usual, Anakin was able to pass it off. It had been a few years since his Master had been able to use the Force compulsions on him, but he knew that Obi-Wan didn't know that. Anakin had seen no reason to notify his Master of the fact.

After Obi-Wan had left the room, he had tried to center and at least achieve some peace through meditation, but it wasn't working. Anakin was too upset to allow the Force to calm him. He would've tried to review one of the datapads in his bag but his luggage, along with his Master's, had been lost in the struggle with the Caradonian dissidents.

He had just decided to join his Master in the cockpit, regardless of the fact it would reveal that the Force compulsion didn't work, when he heard the door to his cabin open. Reaching out with the Force, he could immediately determine it was not his Master, nor was it Captain Solo. Before he could retract the tendril of Force he had extended to identify his guest, it was grabbed and pulled inexorably towards the darkened figure now standing over his bed. Frightened, Anakin struggled even more to pull away from the connection that was forming. It seemed that the harder he pulled, the more resistance he met and the stronger the connection became.

After one particularly brutal tug, Anakin felt himself falling deeply into the mind of the figure above him. Images flashed before his mind, battles fought and blood shed, a young girl running with no real hope of escape, a dark figure looming over a cowering young woman.

Just before the connection broke, Anakin saw the most disturbing image of all: a presence of pure evil, striking his Master down with a blood red lightsaber.

*********************************************

"A Jedi Master feels no fear, a Jedi Master knows no anger, a Jedi Master feels no fear." Obi-Wan continued the mantra in his head during his headlong rush down the corridor. Despite the message he was trying to convince his mind of, Obi-Wan was scared, and he was angry.

Angry at Solo for bringing a Sith on board, angry at the Sith for being a Sith and being in league with the man that had killed his Master, angry with himself for allowing Anakin to be put in such a defenseless position. But above all, fear. Fear that he wouldn't get to his apprentice in time, and fear that he would lose another to a Sith, just like Qui-Gon.

Bursting through the door of his Padawan's cabin, Obi-Wan hesitated only long enough to feel the incredibly powerful wave of terror radiating off his apprentice before he brought the hilt of his lightsaber down on the head of the figure hovering over Anakin.

Stepping over the unconscious woman now decorating the floor of the cabin, Obi-Wan immediately reached out to Anakin. It was an impulse engendered in all guardians throughout time, a touch to be sure that his "child" was safe and whole.

Obi-Wan's emotions were still a storm, but the relief upon contact with his shaken apprentice was most prevalent. When he had suddenly connected the vaguely familiar woman to the planet of Navira, he realized who she was: Ellana, servant to the Sith that had nearly killed him.

As the connection was made, he became aware of two things. First, Ellana was not Force-blind, as he had erroneously assumed back on Navira; and second, Anakin, the boy he had just given an extremely powerful sleep suggestion to, was awake.

Realizing that Ellana must have awakened his apprentice for some nefarious purpose, the young Master had wasted no time in bursting into the darkened cabin and removing the threat to Anakin's safety.

After assuring himself of Anakin's well being, he would have to make a decision about what to do with the Sith lying insensate before him. It was obvious that a sleep compulsion would be useless; though he did wonder why it had worked on Navira. Perhaps she had allowed him to think it had worked, just as she had hidden her Force signature?

Whatever the cause of his earlier confusion, it was now apparent that she was highly Force-sensitive and that she was clearly a threat to him and his Padawan. The Sith would have to be handled cautiously and taken immediately to Coruscant. The Jedi Council would need to question the young woman, and possibly remove her as a threat to the galaxy at large.

*********************************************

When he felt the arms close around him, Anakin's first impulse was to flee. Before he could muster the energy to do so, however, he recognized the warm presence that was his Master. Obi-Wan had his arms wrapped around Anakin, using his own body and mind as a shield between the Padawan and the Sith.

The abrupt disruption of the connection that had formed between the fallen woman and the apprentice had disoriented Anakin, and he was extremely grateful that Obi-Wan was using his own personal shields to help protect the Padawan. Anakin's shields were in much the same state as the rest of the young man: disorganized, chaotic and confused. Realizing the strain he must be placing on Obi-Wan in making the young Master shelter both their tumbling emotions, Anakin began to withdraw his mind from his Masters, preparing to rebuild his own shields.

"Anakin, don't." Obi-Wan breathed softly as he continued to hold his apprentice. The Jedi Master could feel the exhaustion radiating off of his young charge. It had been a most difficult day for the inexperienced apprentice, and it was obvious that these last few moments had completely taxed the young boy. "I will continue to shield for us both until you can get some rest," Obi-Wan continued, finally releasing Anakin enough to sit back on his heels and look the Padawan in the face.

"Yes Master," Anakin responded in the only way he could, lowering his gaze. Obi-Wan gently lifted his chin up where it had fallen to his chest.

"Get some rest young Padawan. I will be attending to business," at the last, Obi-Wan glanced down disdainfully at the still unconscious Ellana, "but if you need me, do not hesitate to call for me."

"Yes Master" Anakin responded once more, as Obi-Wan helped him to settle on the sleep couch. As his eyes drifted shut from the sleep compulsion that he chose not to fight this time, Anakin briefly wondered if he should tell his Master of the visions he had seen. Deciding to wait until he was more aware, Anakin drifted off into a deep and dreamless rest.

*********************************************

Solo was curious as to what the Jedi Master was up to, but he knew that Ellana could more than take care of herself. \It's been awhile since someone could get me quite so. flustered\ he admitted to himself as he finished the preflight and began to engage the thrumming planetary engines.

As the transport began to lift off from the blazing hot fields of Caradonia, Solo continued his daydreaming of the spirited young woman with the striking ebony hair.

Solo had just finished setting the autopilot for the jump to hyperspace, when he decided to seek out his feisty young passenger once more. He normally would not leave the cockpit of his ship, even when it was safely ensconced in hyperspace, but the appeal of spending time with the beautiful woman outweighed his usual sense of caution.

\If I didn't know better, I'd swear she bewitched me\ the pilot thought ruefully as he exited the cockpit. He had hoped to spend some more time with her before the transport reached Navira, but instead found himself trying to revive the young woman from a deep unconsciousness.

Exiting the cockpit, he had immediately noticed her draped over one of the benches in the main cabin. Intending to wake her, and offer her the use of one of the more comfortable sleep couches in the cabins, he was surprised when he could not rouse her.

He just noticed the darkening bruise on her temple, when he felt the presence of someone behind him. "Don't bother trying to wake her, she will not regain consciousness until we reach Coruscant," the Knight stated, staring down at the crouched pilot.

Shooting to his feet, Solo whirled around to glare at the young Jedi. "Just what exactly did you do to her? Is that some new tenant of the Jedi Code, that it's okay to attack unarmed and defenseless women?"

"I did not attack her, and as I have explained, she is far from defenseless. She was trying to harm my Padawan and I had no choice but to render her unconscious. I've also given her a heavy dose of several sedatives, so be assured, she will not awaken anytime soon," Obi-Wan responded, refusing to back down from the significantly taller, irate Correllian.

"What do you mean, 'until we reach Coruscant?' I told you, we are going to Navira first," Solo argued, becoming more and more infuriated by the unperturbed calm of the man in front of him.

"No, we are reporting directly to Coruscant, and directly to the Jedi Council. And yes, I mean 'we,'" The Jedi responded, with a look that dared the pilot to argue.

Solo, for his part, was not willing to simply let the Knight have his way. "This is my ship, and it is going to Navira. And when we get to Navira, you and your apprentice are going to have to find your own transport to Coruscant, 'cause I don't want you on my ship anymore. I don't allow anyone, Jedi or no Jedi, on my ship who attacks defenseless women."

Sighing heavily, Obi-Wan reached up and lightly massaged his temples. "We are going to Coruscant, and you are taking us there. Only the Healer's at the Temple are going to be able to wake your little friend, so taking her to Navira is pointless. Now, I am going to retire and attempt to meditate until my Padawan awakens. I suggest you reset the coordinates for Coruscant, and then remain in the cockpit until you can think with something other than your. instincts," the Jedi Master stated, allowing the pilot no retort as he turned and walked briskly to the passenger cabins where his apprentice rested.

Taking one last look at the woman stretched out over the bench, Solo spun on his heel and stormed back to the cockpit Setting the coordinates for Coruscant, Solo then leaned back in his chair, bracing his feet on the flight board in front of him. \We'll just see who's going to be reporting to that high and mighty Council of yours\ Solo thought, hoping just once that the Jedi would be able to read his mind.

*********************************************

Anakin woke with the greatest headache he had ever experienced in his short life. Part of it could be attributed to the dual sleep compulsions he had been given, and another substantial portion could be traced to the broken contact with the Sith's mind. The majority, however, had nothing to do with any external influence.

Anakin's mind was simply overflowing with thoughts and suspicions, almost as if his mind were a file cabinet with too many drawers open at once, unbalancing him. He could still feel the images from the connection with Ellana, and he was also still reliving the battle in the Caradonian governmental center. A corner of his mind was also still preoccupied with the scar on his Master's back, and the implications of it. From all of these thoughts came a strong sense of guilt, also assailing the young Padawan.

\Right now I could really use the largest pain hypo ever created\ Anakin thought as he grudgingly pulled himself up from the sleep couch he had been nestled in. Using the Force to slowly brighten the room, Anakin was surprised to find he was not alone. Obi-Wan sat cross-legged on the floor, deep in mediation. As Anakin began to stand up, the Master stirred, and opened his eyes.

"Good morning Padawan," he said, with a faint smile. "I'm not sure I have the 'largest pain hypo ever created' but I could ease your headache if you wish."

Belatedly realizing that his Master was still shielding for him, Anakin blushed. "That's ok Master, I am sure that I can relieve the headache once I take the time to meditate."

"Very well, but you may want to start soon. We will be arriving at Coruscant within the next two hours," Obi-Wan offered, as he gracefully rose from his position on the floor and moved to exit the small cabin. "Let me know when you are ready to resume your shielding," he added, just before the hall door swished shut behind him.

Taking only enough time to visit the 'fresher and straighten his flattened Padawan spikes, Anakin then settled down and attempted to meditate. \Hopefully this will go better than last night\ As he entered the first stage of meditation, Anakin attempted to release all his pent up feelings of anger, fear and guilt into the Force. Once he had achieved a calm center, he was able to sink deeper into the power of the Force.

Just as he almost reached a deep state of meditation, Anakin was assaulted once more with the image of the blood red lightsaber striking out at his Master. The image was not enough to totally pull him from meditation, though it did seriously disturb his concentration. Centering once more, Anakin strove to understand the image. Was it a vision of the future?

As he focused more intently on the hazy image, it came into sharper focus. And suddenly, with a shocked realization, Anakin was thrown from his meditation entirely. \That's where the scar came from!\

Luckily, when the damaged dampener finally decided to crack completely, it did not cease functioning all at once. For if it had, all of the passengers, Jedi-reflexes or not, would have been reduced to permanent bulkhead decorations. Instead, the dampener fluctuated enough to throw the ship out of hyperspace before it finally quit functioning all together. Though the ride was anything but pleasant, the three passengers and one very angry pilot were spared any fatal injury.

Obi-Wan had retired to the main cabin once more, presumably to keep an eye on his "prisoner." Although he was certain that she would remain unconscious for at least the length of time it took to reach the capital planet of the Republic, Obi-Wan did not become a Jedi Master without learning never to rely on assumptions.

He had just settled onto the opposite bench when a warning from the Force gave him just enough time to brace himself and the unconscious woman across from him. He may not have wanted her to be awake, but he did most certainly want her alive to stand before the Jedi Council. Bracing himself with his physical strength, he used his Force strength to hold Ellana to her bench. He also spared a tendril of energy to assure that both Solo and Anakin would not be hurt.

His ministrations to the others proved invaluable, as they all escaped barely wounded, while Obi-Wan Kenobi lay stretched across the main cabin aisle, bleeding profusely from the deep gash above his left eyebrow.

*********************************************

If he hadn't been so disturbed by his sudden expulsion from his meditative state, Anakin may have been able to recognize the feel of the failing dampener before it completely gave out. Jedi were considered among the most skilled mechanics in the galaxy, and there wasn't another Jedi who came close to the talent Anakin held.

The combination of his innate technical skill, and his still developing gift of prognostication allowed the Padawan to see future problems before they had even begun to develop. And, although he had not been able to prevent the damaged dampener from giving out, Anakin knew within milliseconds of the Force warning what part of the transport was damaged and just how badly.

With that knowledge, the apprentice was already well on his way to the maintenance bay before the ship had even come to a full stop. The initial drop from hyperspace had slowed him, but not by much.

*********************************************

Cursing loudly in several languages, Captain Solo fought to bring the ship to a full stop. The sudden exit from hyperspace had caught him by surprise as none of the ship's sensors had picked up on the malfunction until it was already too late.

Solo had been momentarily startled by the invisible restraints that had held him to the pilot's chair during the ship's wild contortions, but he quickly recognized them as having been generated by at least one of the Jedi. Although he was grateful for the intervention, as it had probably saved his life, Solo was also angry that the Jedi had simply taken the liberty of restraining him, instead of trying to do something to warn the pilot.

Solo knew there was probably nothing he could have done to stop the ship from tearing so rapidly from the tunnels of hyperspace, but it didn't stop him from being disgruntled at the cavalier attitude of the Jedi. As he finally succeeded in stopping the wild ride of the ship, Solo took a brief moment to get a lock on their coordinates. Luckily, the navcomp had managed to expel them in a relatively empty part of space, rather than right into the path of a planet.

Recognizing the coordinates immediately, Solo breathed a sigh of relief that they were within only a short distance from a Republic-friendly planet, and that it was a planet he had recently become well acquainted with: Navira.

*********************************************

Anakin may have been a mechanical genius, but not even he could repair the cracked dampener. The only way the ship would enter hyperspace again was with a brand new dampener, or at least one that was in one piece. Realizing that his Master had not yet contacted him, other than the brief surge of Force he felt when the ship exited hyperspace, Anakin reached out over the training bond as he wiped the grease on his hands off on his leggings. \\ Master?\\

Receiving no response, Anakin reached out once more, this time to locate where the Jedi was. With their shields still intertwined, Anakin could easily detect that Obi-Wan was unconscious, but he was uncertain as to where his Master was in the transport. When Obi-Wan had left his cabin, Anakin had not bothered to Force trace where his Master disappeared to.

Stretching out his senses, Anakin found both the Force signatures of his Master and the Navirian delegate in the main cabin. Exiting the maintenance bay, Anakin made his way towards the front of the ship. \Looks like my healing lessons might just pay off\

*********************************************

Ellana regained consciousness slowly. At first, she was unsure of where she was. It looked like the interior of a ship, but somehow everything just seemed a bit out of place. Realization of why her surroundings seemed so odd slowly crystallized as she discovered she was hanging off the end of a travel bench, with her head almost touching the floor. Sitting up slowly, the first thing Ellana noticed was the Jedi Padawan standing over her.

"Whhaaa?" She tried to say, but she was still not fully aware.

"We've dropped out of hyperspace. You must've taken quite a knock to the head, your temple is very bruised. I had to use a rather powerful Force compulsion to get you to wake up, so you might be a bit disorientated," Anakin smiled down at the still groggy delegate.

He wasn't certain why she was on board, but apparently his Master must've decided to allow her to accompany them to Coruscant. Anakin was also unsure of just how it was possible that he had linked to her mind so completely, but he decided that that information could be found out later.

It was apparent that she was Force-Sensitive, for he would not have been able to link with her otherwise, but Anakin's mind was still a bit too groggy to fully remember everything that had happened the night before. He remembered the figure entering his cabin, some of the images that had passed between them, and then his Master's arms encircling him. He had hoped to recover the rest of his memory in meditation, but obviously that had not panned out.

Once he was certain that the delegate was able to sit up and wasn't suffering from any major injuries, Anakin turned his attention to Obi-Wan. The wound above his eye had stopped bleeding, but the grotesque mask of drying blood almost completely covered his features.

The skin of his face was still reddening from its exposure to the Caradonian sun, and would probably not reach its final hue until a few more hours had eclipsed. Dismissing the external wounds, Anakin turned his mind and subsequently his healing energies to the contusion he could feel swelling within his Master's head. As he channeled the Force into the rapidly swelling tissues, the Padawan was unaware that his healing powers were being blocked.

Instead of halting the damage that was occurring to the young Master's brain, the energy was being diverted and bled off into the surrounding Living Force.

Solo was preparing the entrance trajectory for Navira when Anakin Skywalker entered the cockpit. "We must find an inhabited planet and set down immediately," the Padawan began, offering no explanations. "Once you have found a suitable planet, try to locate a significant settlement, hopefully one with a full medical center."

"Kid, I already picked a planet. I'm setting us up for the landing. Now, who's hurt?" Solo turned in his chair just enough to take in the quiet look of desolation on the Padawan's face.

"My Master, and if we don't get help soon, I'm not sure he'll survive."

*********************************************

Narissa sat back in the desk chair and released a giant sigh. \If I had had any idea that this job was so difficult, I would've turned it down\ Despite her frustrations, the newly elected governor of the planet Navira knew that she would never have actually turned down the opportunity to help bring her planet the first peace it had ever really known. Although, technically Navira was not Narissa's birth planet, it was the closest thing to a home she had ever had or ever wanted.

When the leader of the eastern faction, Valone, had been removed the eastern forces had been decimated. When Valone had assumed control of the eastern armies, he had made sure to dispose of all of the ranking officers. Valone may have been an evil man, but he was shrewd, and left no chance that he could be deposed. While the eastern forces had tried to find a figure to rally around, the leader of the western front, Sri Edinb (under the advice of his newest official advisor), had decided to offer a truce.

The eastern Navirians, realizing the real threat the galaxy at large posed to such a broken planet, agreed. It was only through much negotiation, and more compromise that the two factions had been able to settle on an agreement that made Navira one unified planet. The easterners and westerners were far from totally accepting one another, but the planet was well on its way towards a lasting peace. And that peace was occurring with no small effort of the overworked governor.

Narissa had not planned on running for the position, but when Sri Edinb pointed out the fact that he couldn't (as the easterners would never accept rule from the leader of their former enemies), she had agreed to enter the election. Narissa did not think she had a snowball's chance on Tatooine of winning, but when all the votes were in, she had won by a landslide.

\And so here I am, Governor of all Navira, trying to just get everyone to agree on where to build the capital\ The easterners, of course, wanted it on the eastern continent, just as the westerners wanted it on theirs.

Narissa, with little experience in diplomacy, had realized the only place for the capital would be on one of the small islands between the two continents. The location would prove difficult for communications and supplies, but it would allow both factions to feel that they had equal representation.

\Maybe someday, in the far distant future, we can actually move the capital to a more strategic and logical position. I guess for now though, it isn't so bad of a view\ The people had finally agreed on an island (exactly half- way between the two continental shores) and now all that was left to decide was where the main governmental building should be built.

The middle of the island was dominated by a mountainous region where building was both impractical and unfeasible. So, for the time-being Narissa's government was settled in a temporary base camp, not unlike the structures that had made up both the western and eastern encampments during the war. The durasteel structure left much to be desired in the field of aesthetics, but in functionality it was well suited to its task. The only modifications made from the style of the structures used during the war were the large plasteel windows that covered the walls of the many offices of the structure. Narissa was currently seated in front of one such opening, staring unfocused out at the beauty of the island.

The temporary capital did not deter from the natural paradise of the island, with its purple tinted mountains, and lush foliage. The shores of the island were covered in fine bluish sand that did nothing to draw the eye from the beautiful silvery oceans. Navira was a beautiful planet, with as many different climates as there were stars in the sky.

As she watched out the window, Narissa's gaze was drawn to the sudden flash of light just over the distant eastern shoreline. Intrigued, as she knew they were not expecting any shipments on this day, Narissa drew out her focusing lenses from the desk drawer and studied the small ship she could see coming in for a landing. As she watched the ship hover over the largest eastern encampment, Narissa was already on the comm. to her personal shuttle.

"Prepare to takeoff immediately. It appears we have some uninvited guests."

*********************************************

Solo and Anakin had both scanned the planet, but could find no indication of any established settlements. Instead, it seemed that the entire civilization was settled in various tents and durasteel shelters, with no permanent buildings anywhere.

"Navira has been at war for many centuries now," Anakin answered Solo's unspoken question, as the pilot glanced over at him. Solo had done some preliminary research on the planet, as he did all of the spaceports he would have reason to visit, but he had been.distracted. from his usual thorough research by one of his passengers.

Even now, the pilot still had the image of ebony hair and light blue eyes playing before his vision. "Its unlikely that they would have had the time to build many permanent structures in the few short months the planet has been at peace," the Padawan continued.

"How is it possible that they are so involved in Galactic politics already then?" Solo asked as he finally settled on a landing spot.

"I'm not sure, that is rather curious." Anakin was interrupted by the appearance of the Navirian delegate in the cockpit.

"Sit down on the eastern continent near the shoreline," Ellana stated, as she pointed out the destination on the viewscreen. "There are friends waiting for us."

As Solo piloted the ship down to the coordinates Ellana had marked, Anakin returned to the main cabin to prepare his Master for transport. Obi-Wan had still not regained consciousness, and Anakin thought he might have begun to run a fever from the increased swelling. The Padawan could not be certain however, as it was just as likely that Obi-Wan's forehead was so hot due to the extensive sunburn.

As he wrapped his own robe around his Master, Anakin leaned down to whisper in Obi-Wan's ear. "You had better be alright Master. I just finally got to spend some time with you, and I am NOT going to lose you to something like this."

As he finished wrapping the too-small robe around Obi-Wan's shoulders, Ellana exited the cockpit. "Is he ready to be moved?" She asked, crouching down beside Anakin to get a better look at the cut adorning the Master's forehead.

"As ready as I can make him," Anakin responded. "Can you watch him while I contact the Jedi Temple to let them know where we are?" the Padawan continued, already standing and moving towards the comm. room.

"Sure, I'll keep an eye on him for you. You just worry about letting the Masters know exactly where you are," Ellana said, not moving from her position hovering over the injured knight. "I'm sure they will be glad to know that you and Obi-Wan are going to be able to visit Navira after all."

*********************************************

Narissa watched until she was certain of where the unidentified ship had put down before she left her office. Her personal transport was ready and waiting for her, just as she had ordered, and there were two other transports full of armed guards.

"The ship landed on the outskirts of field 15, but easily within walking distance of the main eastern encampment," Narissa called out to the four that made up her personal guards. Three of the men were westerners, but the fourth was an easterner and female. The other guards that finished off the detachment were a mix of both eastern and western soldiers; and surprisingly enough, there seemed to be little to no animosity among the ranks.

"Do we have any idea of where the ship may have come from?" Asked Jame'a, one of the western personal guards, and the unofficial leader.

"No, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the ship is hostile," Narissa answered, climbing into her personal transport.

"Doesn't mean they're friendly either," Jame'a muttered as he swung up into the front of the transport and prepared to get under way.

*********************************************

As he waited for the call to go through to the Jedi Temple, Anakin absently rubbed at his temples. He was definitely going in search of that 'largest pain hypo ever created' as soon as he was sure Obi-Wan would be ok. He had hoped that the pain would fade as time passed, but if anything it was growing worse. It almost seemed as if the pain increased more and more with the time he spent in the presence of the Navirian delegate.

\That's silly. No matter how much Master says politicians give him a headache, I don't think its actually possible\ Anakin winced once more, just as the Coruscant operator finally connected him to the main desk of the Jedi Temple. The young Padawan answering the incoming calls did not look familiar to Anakin, but with the thousands of Jedi on Coruscant alone, that didn't mean much.

"This is Padawan Anakin Skywalker, reporting in for Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Please connect me through to the Council Chambers," Anakin stated formally.

"I'm sorry Padawan Skywalker, but the Council is in session," the red- haired Padawan responded.

"Umm. Can you patch me through to Healer Bant?" Anakin asked again.

"One moment please," the operator responded in a phrase used by communications personnel for the last millennia. There was a click and a few beeps, then Healer Bant finally picked up.

"Bant here," she answered, not looking up from the paperwork she was currently engrossed in.

"Master Bant, I have a problem here," at the desperate tone, Bant finally looked up.

"Anakin, what's wrong? Where's Obi-Wan?" Bant asked.

"He's hurt Master Bant. He took a blow to the head, and I can't seem to heal him. I'm not sure. but. umm." as he tried to explain how it seemed as if his healing energies had been pulled away from Obi-Wan's injury, he was distracted by the blossoming pain between his temples. "It. umm. reflected back. I couldn't."

The last thing Anakin heard before his world suddenly turned black was the panicked voice of Bant, the click as the comm. unit was switched off and then another voice, seemingly familiar.

"Welcome to Navira little Padawan. Your Master has told us so much about you."

Solo exited the cockpit, after completing all of the landing procedures, to find the transport empty. "This is why I hate transporting Jedi," Solo said to the empty ship. "They just take off and leave, and expect me to just stick around and wait for 'em. Well not this time- a certain lovely lady and I have plans."

\Or we will, soon as I find her\ With a quick check in the reflective surface of the hatchway, Solo was disembarking and on his way to track down the beauiful Navirian delegate.

*********************************************

"It's empty ma'am!" Jame'a called from the interior of the transport. "It appears to be a Republic ship, but there's no sign of the passengers or pilot."

\That's odd\ Narissa thought, \It's unlikely that Obi-Wan would've just left his shuttle\ Narissa had specifically requested the young Knight as the Republic representative to receive Navira's request for acceptance.

Motioning for Jame'a to exit the shuttle and reseal the hatchway, Narissa turned to face her other guards. "I want you to spread out and see if you can find what happened to our Republic Emissaries. It is unlikely they got far without someone seeing them," Narissa gestured to the bustling transport dock. "See if you can find anyone with information as to where the Jedi went, or who they went with."

Almost before she finished speaking, the men (and three women) were spreading out and searching for any trace of the missing Jedi. \This is just really odd\ Narissa thought to herself once more, as she watched the search progress. \Very, very odd\

*********************************************

Bant was angry, and she was not even attempting to hide it from the Council members she stood before. "It's obvious that something happened to Master Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker, and yet you aren't going to do ANYTHING to try to track them down or see if they need assistance?!!" Bant practically yelled.

"Healer Bant, you will calm yourself. Master Kenobi is more than capable of handling whatever problem it was that Padawan Skywalker was having," Master Windu said, leaning back in his chair.

"Not if he is hurt, which Anakin said he was!" Bant argued.

"You, yourself, said that Padawan Skywalker seemed confused, and that he was rambling almost incoherently before interference ended the comm connection. That implies that nothing Skywalker said can be trusted to be accurate. We will wait until Master Kenobi contacts us before we decide to act," Master Windu continued, using the usual Council Tactic of one or two Masters speaking for the entire group.

"Anakin was NOT lying," Bant hissed. "And if anything happens to him or Obi- Wan, I will make sure the entire Jedi Order knows what you did today. If they are so much as harmed, I will make sure everyone knows the Council was responsible," with a quick perfunctory bow, Bant spun on her heel and left the chambers, not even giving Master Mace Windu a chance to reply.

*********************************************

He was cold, and it was dark. There was something sticky all over his face, and his skin felt like it was on fire. Most of all, his head felt as if it was ready to explode.

Trying to open his eyes proved futile, as whatever covered his face also coated his eyelashes. After struggling briefly to remain conscious, he finally gave in and sunk back down to the bliss of oblivion.

*********************************************

"She is absolutely correct you realize," Master Windu sighed, turning to face Master Yoda. The other councilors had left the chambers, many ashamed of the accusations Master Bant had leveled at them.

"Right she may be. But lose this opportunity we cannot. A traitor we have in the temple, use any means possible to root him out we must," Yoda retorted, settling on his chair and drawing his gimmer stick up to him.

"But at the cost of the lives of Master Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker?" Mace asked.

"Know, you do that Master Kenobi can take care of himself. Lost his life may not be. If rush in and rescue him and Skywalker, than lost this opportunity will certainly be. For the good of us all, we must do this," Master Yoda answered.

"I hope you are right. I understand the urgency of finding this informant, but I am not sure it is worth the lives of two of our own. It is one thing to allow Master Kenobi to take dangerous missions to fulfill his bargain, he knows and we know that he can easily die on such operations. It is another thing entirely to risk his life and the life of his Padawan without their consent. I am not sure that this is the right thing to do." Mace turned from Yoda and looked out at the lines of traffic streaming on the Coruscant horizon. "Surely their lives are worth more than that."

*********************************************

"Do you have them?" the small holographic figure asked.

"Yes my Master. Both Kenobi and Skywalker are unconscious and under heavy guard. They will not escape us."

"Be sure that they don't. The cost of failure is more than you could ever possibly imagine," with a flicker the Sith Lord disappeared from the projector.

\Oh, I'm pretty sure I know what the cost of failure is. After all, I do know what happened to Valone\ Not even daring to think the thought too loudly, the dark cloaked figure exited the small-secreted comm. room and went to visit the "prisoners."

The second time Obi-Wan dared to journey up from the darkness was much clearer than the first. This time, the Jedi Master managed to stay conscious, even if it felt as if his head would soon explode. A quick Force scan told him that he was suffering from a severe concussion; although, as the concussion affected his use of the Force, he was not sure just how bad of an injury it actually was.

Once he was fairly certain he would survive (although some small part of him almost wished to die with the pain radiating through his brain) he set his senses to seeking out his Padawan. He could feel a Force signature nearby, but even with the dampening effects of the concussion, he could tell it was not Anakin.

Finally resigning himself to the pain opening his eyes would bring, the young Master forced his eyelashes to break the hold of the dried blood, allowing him to see for the first time in several hours. His vision swam painfully, even with the dim lighting, but then it finally came to rest on a figure dressed all in black. With the lingering confusion of the concussion, Obi-Wan mistook the figure for someone she was not. Unfortunately, he was close enough to the true identity that the difference in gender mattered little.

His voice was a soft croak as he spoke, "Xanatos?"

*********************************************

Anakin had woken to a room of almost pure black. There was some differentiation of shade, as the figure that stood over him was far darker than anything else in the room, but no other hue was present in the small chamber. As he blinked a few times to clear the lingering haze of his vision, Anakin's gaze remained locked on the dark woman above him. The hood of her cloak was pulled up, disguising the identity of his visitor, but the waves of pure evil emanating from her were more than enough to tell him he was somewhere he did NOT want to be.

\\ Master?!!!\\ Anakin cried out, hoping to find at least the small bit of assurance the bond could bring, even as his senses told him Obi-Wan was nowhere in the vicinity.

"Oh little Padawan, worry not for your former Master. He is well taken care of, I assure you. He is much too valuable to allow him to come to too much harm." The voice was almost as dark and oily as the Force signature.

"As for you, you will soon find yourself with a new Master, a powerful Master. Soon you will know the true power of the darkside," as the voice assaulted him once more, Anakin found it difficult to not visibly flinch from the hostile tone.

"I will have no other Master than Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I certainly will not have a Master in a Sith." Anakin said firmly, though the small tremble when he said his Master's name belied the fierce image he tried to portray.

The only response to his act of defiance was an oily laugh, and a shaft of light as the figure departed from his cell.

*********************************************

Solo had only made it a third of the way out of the large spaceport, when a man wearing the new official crest of Navira stopped him. "Sir, I am Jame'a of the Navirian Defense Guard. I wonder if I may ask you a few questions?"

"I guess it depends on what those questions are," Solo answered, without really slowing or attempting to communicate further with the guard. He was eager to meet up again with the woman who had so bewitched him, even if she did seem to always give him a headache.

Not to be deterred, Jame'a stepped in front of Solo forcing him to stop. "This is a matter of supreme urgency, and the governor herself has decreed that all in the port be stopped and questioned."

"Well, in that case, I don't know, I ain't seen nothing, and I'm in a hurry," Solo stepped around the man and continued walking. "That should answer any question you could ask."

"I do not wish to detain you, but if you refuse to cooperate I will have no choice but to take you into custody," Jame'a responded, dropping any tone of civility his voice had held.

"Look, I'm not from around here. I'm just trying to meet up with a friend of mine, and you are holding me up. So why don't you just ask whatever useless questions you have, and then I will be on my way," Solo finally agreed, exasperated at the persistence of the official. Normally, the Correllian pilot could deter almost any official, simply by refusing to offer any simple answers. This official would be no different. \By the time I'm done with this guy, he'll have a hard time remembering what it was he was trying to ask me in the first place\

"Our governor, Sri Narissa, only wishes to know if you were also witness to the abduction of the two Jedi sent to represent the Republic?" Jame'a asked, well aware that the obstinate pilot in front of him would try to make his job as difficult as possible. Jame'a had not always been a governmental guard after all.

"What do you mean abduction of the Jedi?" Solo asked, unaware of the woman approaching behind him. "The two Jedi I delivered here were not abducted, they merely left with your delegate to conclude their business from Caradonia."

"Delegate?" the woman behind interrupted. Seeing the look of deference appear on the guard's face, Solo correctly identified her as Sri Narissa. "I have not yet appointed any delegates, let alone sent any to Caradonia."

Trying to keep his confusion hidden, Obi-Wan sat up as much as he dared (lest he reveal his still spinning vision and complete lack of balance) and tried valiantly to focus on the figure in front of him.

\Impossible. Xanatos is dead. I know he's dead, I saw him die! But the Force signature, and the hair, and the eyes. how can it be?\

"Who are you?" Obi-Wan asked, trying to keep the fatigue and pain from his voice.

In response, the figure sighed. "Qui-Gon thought so much of you, and yet you still haven't figured it out. I know Valone was a bit of a distraction, but this is simply unacceptable. Just what are the Jedi coming to nowadays?"

Recognizing the voice, Obi-Wan sat up farther, immediately reaching for where his lightsaber should hang. Finding not only his 'saber missing, but also his entire utility belt, the Knight settled back down on the cot he was stretched out on.

He was in no condition for combat, especially not when he was only now discovering just what his opponent was capable of. "Ellana DuCruet. How nice to see you. again" Obi-Wan answered with his sarcastic personality still fully intact.

Instead of responding, Ellana merely let her hood fall back, clapping her hands in a mock show of admiration as she did so. "I had hoped Qui-Gon's last Padawan wasn't really as pathetic as my brother claimed, and although you did have me worried, it appears that you were able to figure it out - with a little help."

"Well, I must say, it did take me quite awhile to discern who you really were. It's incredible, truly miraculous even, that a man so strikingly handsome could have a sister as plain as you."

Almost before he detected the movement, Ellana had crossed the expanse between them and grabbed the Knight by the throat. "I am much much more than Xanatos ever was or ever could have been. It would do you well to remember that."

As Obi-Wan's head swam from the abrupt change of position, Ellana quickly drew a syringe and injected it directly into one of the veins of his neck. Before she had even withdrawn the hastily stabbed needle, the young Master was once again unconscious.

*********************************************

"Whatdya mean you didn't send a delegate to Caradonia? I spent the past day or so with her, and watched as she not only signed, but amended a treaty with the Caradonians. I don't know who you think you are lady, but you are obviously confused!" Solo yelled, barely repressing the urge to offer up the trademark Solo gesture: one finger pointed out, as if to bodily drive the point home.

"I assure you, I am not in the least bit confused. I am Narissa, the Governor of Navira, and I am positive I have not appointed any delegates. So whoever this woman was that you have spent the past day with, she is obviously not who you think she is. The question is: who is she?" Narissa answered, drawing herself up and trying to make up for her lack of height with sheer force of will.

"Okaaaayy. so if Ellana is not a Navirian delegate, who is she?" Solo asked, noting the actions of the woman before him with a barely suppressed grin.

"Ellana?" Narissa asked, releasing the breath she had taken with a sharp hiss. Turning her back on the pilot, the governor spoke to Jame'a. "Contact the Jedi Temple immediately, let them know that Valone's servant has been found. And tell them that it is very likely that she has abducted Master Kenobi and his apprentice."

*********************************************

After pacing the length of her office for the thousandth or so time, Healer Ravenna finally interrupted the Mon Calmarian's routine. "Bant, if you do not sit down this instant, I am going to sedate you!"

"I can't. I am just so. so. agitated, angry, appalled, aggravated, annoyed. and that's only the A's of what I am feeling!" Bant huffed, not even bothering to slow her stride.

"And you feel that wearing a hole through my office floor is more productive than meditation?" Ravenna asked, not even attempting to rise from her place behind the desk, not willing to run the risk of being trampled by the wildly pacing young woman.

"I DON'T WANT TO MEDITATE!" Bant practically screamed. Suddenly realizing that she had completely lost her center, she dropped gracelessly into the chair opposite Master Ravenna.

"I'm afraid. Afraid that something is going to happen to Obi and Ani, and I am going to be too deeply involved in my own problems and meditations to feel it or to offer help. I know that that is crazy, but I just feel so. useless," Bant sighed, as she dropped her head into her hands.

"Bant," waiting until the younger healer met her eyes, Ravenna then continued, "I know that you are worried, and that you are upset with the decision of the Council. And I can't honestly say that I understand why the Council is acting the way it is either. But I do know that pacing and yelling are not going to help either Obi-Wan or yourself. So the question is, what can you and I do to help your friend?"



Suddenly rising to her feet once more as the answer occured to her, Bant grinned down at Ravenna. "We help, by first finding out what is keeping the Council from sending assistance to Obi-Wan; and then, when we know who or what is causing the problem, we step in and remove whomever or whatever it is that is endangering our friend."

For any other Jedi, the absence of both lightsaber and the Force would have deterred almost any escape attempt. For Anakin Skywalker, the activation of the Force-suppressant field and the seizure of his 'saber only meant he would have to rely on his other skills to reach freedom. Once his 'visitor' had left, activating the field once she was gone from the room, Anakin had sprung into action. The lighting in the room was dim, but not so low that he was totally blinded.

Making his way to the doorway, Anakin reached into his boot and withdrew the small knife he kept there. It had been a naming day gift from his Master, and like everything Obi-Wan had ever given him, it served a greater purpose than it appeared to.

He still remembered the excitement he had felt when his Master presented the small box to him. Opening it, he had been surprised at the beauty of the small knife encased in black velvet. "Thank you Master," he had said, without removing his eyes from the shiny silver blade with the deep blue hilt.

When Obi-Wan hadn't responded, he had looked up to see a small smile across his Master's face. "Master?" Anakin had asked, wondering why it was that his Master had that look on his face- the look that usually meant Anakin was missing the obvious.

"What do you sense about this knife, Padawan?" Obi-Wan had asked. Closing his eyes, Anakin had reached out and extended his Force sense over the small box. As his eyes snapped open in realization, Obi-Wan had laughed and clapped him on the back. "Someday, my young apprentice, you may have need for such a tool. I hope you never will, but in case that day should ever come, hopefully this will help."

Unfortunately, the day he would need it had come, but he was suddenly very glad his Master had had the foresight to give him such an important gift.

*********************************************

Solo waited outside the small Navirian transport impatiently as Narissa finished her comm. call to the Jedi Temple. He had wanted to return to his ship to make the call, but the governor had insisted that the Council would be more alert to a transmission from her. She said that the Jedi Council had given her a special code to use with her transmitter that would allow her call to go directly to the Temple, rather than through the more circuitous routes most Coruscant callers faced.

Solo admitted that he was curious about what made Narissa so important to the Jedi High Council; or rather, what made Ellana so important. Who was the strikingly attractive young woman that had so easily bewitched him? And what did she want with Jedi?

Shifting impatiently once more, Solo noticed that even Jame'a looked somewhat disturbed. For a man who had proved rather unflappable, even when confronted with an irate Solo, it was not a good sign. As he caught the guard's gaze with his own, Solo motioned toward the transport with his head. "What exactly is going on here?" he asked.

"I'm not entirely certain," Jame'a admitted, "and I'm not sure that I really want to find out."

*********************************************

After several botched attempts at gaining access to Council files, Bant was ready to take her lightsaber to the data terminal. She knew the information she was after would be hard to find, but she didn't realize it would be this difficult.

"If you pop up with that restricted access window one more time, so help me, I am going to." Bant cut off her rant at the uncooperative terminal as she heard the door to the terminal room open.

"Don't stop on my account. I am quite curious as to what exactly you thought you could threaten an inanimate object with that would assure its cooperation," the young Knight called, leaning against the doorframe.

"Are you here to help me N'erak, or are you planning on just standing there laughing at me," Bant answered through clenched teeth.

"Can't I do both?" N'erak asked, unwilling to give up on this opportunity to tease Bant. Normally, the healer would simply allow his comments to flow off of her. Today he sensed that he was just as likely to get a fist to the face as the usual good-natured retort.

"Not if you plan on living long enough to enjoy your recent promotion to Knighthood," the healer responded, turning in her chair to glare at the wildly grinning man.

"Ahh, Bant, you know darn well that I would've made Knight long before you or Obi-Wan if it wasn't for all those reprimands," he laughed. "And, if I'm not mistaken, the reason I got all of those demerits might prove useful to you now."

"If I needed help getting caught breaking into the Council's files, I might've called you," Bant said, finally relaxing enough to smile back.

"If I remember correctly, the only reason I ever got caught was because of you and Obi," N'erak retorted. "Now, unless you want to get caught, move over and let a professional take over."

"Professional?" Bant snorted, "Now that's a good joke. I don't need your help N'erak, I think I've got it this time." As she turned back to her terminal and keyed in another line of code, N'erak closed the door and moved up to stand behind her chair.

When the terminal actually hesitated instead of immediately flashing the unauthorized user screen, Bant allowed herself a triumphant grin. "See! I've got it."

"What you've got," N'erak stated, pushing Bant out of the way and quickly entering another series of codes, "is about five minutes to disappear before the Temple Guards come down here. Unless, of course, you would prefer I do something about the silent alarm you just tripped."

Pausing only long enough to gauge the look on the Healer's face, N'erak returned once more to entering code into the system. "Like I've always said, Obi-Wan would make the perfect Knight, you'd make the perfect Healer, and I, I would make the perfect thief." Punctuating the last two words with two clicks of the interface, N'erak turned and faced Bant once more. With blue eyes twinkling, he smiled at the speechless Mon Calmarian.

"Now what exactly are we looking for?"

Flexing his thumb across the hilt of the blade, Anakin pressed the tiny knife into the crack where the door met the wall. With a quick spark, and a tiny pop the door slid open and Anakin was free. Taking the time to scan the hall, now that the Force inhibiting field was down, the Padawan then stepped out into the open hallway.

He was torn between wanting to find his Master right away, and trying to get to a comm. unit. His heart told him to find Obi-Wan but his head said to get a message out while he could. The Force was not offering a solution to his dilemma, just a vague warning that whatever he chose to do, must be done quickly.

Deciding to go for the commlink first, Anakin raced down the hallway, hoping he was doing the right thing.

*********************************************

When Obi-Wan woke this time, his eyes snapped open immediately. He woke almost as if he had been hit with a bucket of ice water. One minute he was out cold, the next he was awake and alert. Sitting up proved to be much easier than it had previously, and the Master took the time to wonder why that was before he turned all his attention towards scanning the room.

He was not in the same place he had been when Ellana had injected him with the syringe. This room was almost clinical in its stark white lighting and silvery walls and floor. There were counters and shelves along the wall, but they currently stood empty. Obi-Wan was propped up on a solid steel table, with small holes at the four corners. Daring to rise to his feet, the young Knight prepared to search out a door. His visual inspection had not shown him the entrance, and his Force sense seemed to be somewhat depressed. He could still feel the Force, it just wasn't responding to him in the usual manner.

When he managed to swing his feet over the side of the table without even a modicum of dizziness, Obi-Wan stopped and considered what that might mean.

\I know that I had a severe concussion earlier, and there is no way that I would be able to move so easily if I still had it. So either a lot of time has passed, or someone decided to heal me\

Reaching his hand up to the area above his left eyebrow, Obi-Wan was only moderately surprised to find that there wasn't even a slight bump where the horrific gash had been. \Well I guess that means I've been healed, because unless that wound was treated quickly it would've left a pretty major scar\

Satisfied with his conclusions about his health, Obi-Wan stood from the table and began to scout out his surroundings. Other than the table, the counters, and the shelves, there was nothing else in the rather large room. Even the lighting was diffuse, and though harsh it was impossible to detect just where it was coming from.

After completing his inspections with nothing to show for it, Obi-Wan returned to the table in the middle of the room. Sitting on it made him vaguely uncomfortable, so he instead took a position on the floor beside it and attempted to meditate.

\Maybe the Force will be able to communicate with me if I open myself to it more completely\ Dropping off into the fugue of meditation, Obi-Wan never noticed when the tiny crack began to appear in the ceiling, enlarging and opening farther and farther by the second.

It had almost reached a gap of roughly the size of the metal table when Obi- Wan suddenly snapped back to full awareness. As if sentient, the entrance suddenly snapped closed. Opening his eyes, the Jedi could not see anything that would have triggered his rise from mediation. Dropping into the Force once more, Obi-Wan returned to his previous state almost immediately.

As the Jedi continued his communion with the Force, the ceiling slowly began to open once more.

*********************************************

When Narissa had finished her comm. call to the Temple, she was more worried than she had been upon finding out that Ellana was once more on Navira and had taken Obi-Wan prisoner. At least then, she had only been worried about the Jedi Knight's safety, and the safety of his apprentice.

Now, she had much greater things to worry about. Such as why exactly it was that the Jedi Council had not only refused to help, but had also (not in so many words of course) told her to basically forget she had ever heard of Ellana or Obi-Wan if she wanted her planet to be accepted to the Republic.

The little green troll's exact words had been "Capable are Master Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker. Worry no longer for them or their captor. Jedi they are, handle this they will. Concern yourself with your bid for acceptance you should, hmm."

Stepping off her personal transport, Narissa marched up to where Jame'a and Solo stood waiting. "Well, the Jedi certainly are helpful," she said sarcastically. "I think that toad they call Yoda just tried to threaten me."

"What do you wish us to do, ma'am?" Jame'a asked, reverting to his most deferential tone of voice. He had not been in Narissa's service for long, but he had been witness to at least two other times when she had adopted that tone of voice and manner of stride.

Both times had ended with him and his guards barely managing to stop her from storming off and taking care of Navira's problems personally. Narissa was a very hands-on type of leader, but she was also the governor of the entire planet and could not be risked in the foolish actions of an impatient young woman. It was not the place for the leader of a planet to be beside her soldiers and guards when they marched into a field for battle (or underwent a mission to rescue two Jedi).

Almost as if she sensed where his thoughts were going, Narissa grinned at the leader of her personal guard. "Don't even try to tell me to sit this one out in my nice little office Jame'a. I am your boss, regardless of what you may say about the people of Navira having hired you to protect me. I am going after my friend, and if you don't want to see me hurt, I suggest you plan on working with me. I am not going to let that Sith witch so much as harm a hair on Obi-Wan's head, and there is nothing you or your men can do to stop me. So I suggest that you and, if he's brave enough, Captain Solo arm yourselves and prepare to infiltrate the last encampment of renegades. It is assured that Ellana will be there."

Responding to both the raw challenge and the suppressed dignity of her voice, Solo smiled back. "Lead on, oh fearless one. Who am I to question the governor of an entire planet after all?" With a quick wink at Jame'a, Solo bowed sarcastically to the outspoken woman.

"You do realize you are only encouraging her, don't you?" Jame'a asked sotto voice.

"I'm sure he does," Narissa whispered back, having picked up on her guard's soft comment. "But I'm sure he is only doing it so he can meet up with his 'lady friend' once more. Of course, now that he's no longer worth anything to her, it's entirely possible she'll just kill him as soon as she lays eyes on him."

"No longer worth anything to her? I'll have you know, she said I was a great kisser," with a smirk, Solo brushed past Narissa and climbed up into her transport.

"Somehow, I get the idea that between rescuing the Jedi from the rebel base, keeping you from doing anything foolish, and keeping him from egging you into doing something even you wouldn't normally consider, I am going to find this day to be a real test of my patience." Jame'a muttered slightly under his breath.

Once again picking up the quiet comment, Narissa grinned at the Navirian guard. "If you want to petition for a pay raise, I'm sure your 'boss' would grant it. I've heard she's not all that bad to work for after all."

"You try protecting her," Jame'a retorted. "Somehow I think teaching a bantha to fly would be easier than keeping our governor from trying to get herself killed."

"Hmm. maybe I could import a bantha and you could try it?" Narissa laughed, as she stepped up into the transport.

This time grumbling so low under his breath that not even a Jedi with Force enhanced hearing would pick up more than the occasional curse or two, Jame'a climbed into the front of the personal transport and set off in the direction of the eastern rebels.



When half of an hour had passed and he had still not found a comm. unit, Anakin was almost ready to give up. It was obvious that the complex was heavily shielded and highly secured and it was unlikely he would find a unit anywhere other than the control room.

And that was one place he did not want to be. He had originally intended on using a Force suggestion to allow him to enter the room unnoticed by the technicians, but as soon as he had approached the doorway, the roiling waves of dark power had immediately deterred him.

The Force, though flowing through Anakin freely once more, was still not providing any suggestion as to where Obi-Wan was, or where he could find a way to contact the outside world. The only thing the Force kept insisting was that time was running out.

Finally giving up on his search for a comm. link, Anakin instead turned his focus to finding his Master. \\ Master? Where are you?\\ Anakin sent. He could detect his Master's Force signature but it seemed fogged and hazy.

There was also an unfamiliar element to it that made Anakin's blood run cold. Never before had Obi-Wan's signature shown anything but warm bright light. Sometime in the past half of an hour, that light had started to fade, and gray had begun to tint it. It was almost as if a dark cloud had passed over the bright sun that was Obi-Wan's essence.

Shivering slightly, Anakin tried to home in on where his Master's signature was located. It was now obvious that the Force warning had to do with Obi- Wan, and that time was most definitely running out.

*********************************************

"Now, this is interesting." N'erak mumbled, as he sat hunched over the data terminal.

"What?" Bant asked, stopping her continuous pacing just long enough to hover over his shoulder.

"You said Anakin called you and was only able to talk for a few minutes, right?" N'erak asked, intently studying the readout in front of him.

"Right. Anakin called and got the front desk. He tried to reach the Council, but when they were unavailable, he asked for me. He got patched through, and we only had a few minutes to talk before his signal suddenly went dead," Bant repeated the litany of events that had occurred only a few hours earlier.

"Well, here's the interesting thing. It seems that immediately after Anakin's signal went dead, presumably due to some interference, the comm. unit on the Republic ship was used again almost immediately."

"How could it be used again if interference had knocked it out?" Bant asked. The Council had supposedly reviewed the transmission and determined that Anakin had been cut off due to atmospheric conditions. It was one of the Council's main arguments against sending help to Obi-Wan and Anakin.

The Council stated that until the conditions settled enough for the Knight or Padawan to transmit again, it was a waste of time and resources to do anything but wait.

"Well, that's the thing. Anakin's transmission wasn't cut due to interference. If it had been, there would've been static just prior to the final black out. It's obvious that someone cut Padawan Skywalker off, and then used the transmitter to place two other calls," N'erak answered, finally turning to face Bant. Pointing to the readout, he smiled grimly. "One call was to the Galactic Senate building, and the other call was also transmitted to Coruscant."

"Where on Coruscant?" Bant asked, leaning over his shoulder to study the terminal.

"The Jedi Temple."

*********************************************

"What is thy bidding my Master?" the cloaked figure asked.

"The time has come for you to take your place permanently at my side. You will announce your intentions to leave the Jedi order, and then you will report to me. I have a package you must pick up on Navira," Lord Sidious answered from underneath his dark encompassing hood.

"Yes my Master. What reason should I give for my resignation from the Order?"

"You will tell the Jedi Council that you are no longer willing to serve a Republic that has become so corrupt and ineffective. The Council will accept your resignation without question, be assured. Before you report to the Council however, there are other tasks you must complete."

At the nod of deference from the soon to be ex-Jedi, Sidious continued. "You will access the Jedi communication records and introduce a virus into the system. It will remove any last traces you may have left. The virus will be undetectable, and will appear as a system error. Once that task is completed, you will then access the temple archives and erase any information regarding the system of Kamino. Do not fail me in this my apprentice, or the penalty will be most severe."

"Yes my Master. And once I finish uploading the virus and deleting the information.?" the figure soon to be known as Lord Tyranus asked.

"You will report to Navira and pick up my package. Ms. DuCruet should have it ready by the time you reach her." After assuring Dooku understood exactly what Sidious had ordered, the dark Lord of the Sith then ended the comm. call.

"Soon young Kenobi, soon you will know your true Master." with a slight hiss, Sidious blended once more into the shadows that engulfed the Senate building.

Obi-Wan's body may have been as still as a statue, but his mind was running a marathon. The meditation had started as always, with the calm flow of the Force leading him deeper and deeper to his center.

And then, suddenly, it was as if someone flicked a switch and all of the light and warmth that surrounded him was shut off. He was lost in a gray haze, with no sense of direction, and no idea of how to return.

He stood on the darkened plain, turning and turning, trying to find something that was the least bit familiar. It was his mind after all, wasn't it?

\Qui-Gon always teased me about being empty-headed when I did something really stupid, but I didn't actually think he was serious\ Obi-Wan's sense of humor kicked in as his unease rose. He was not yet frightened or panicked, but something was definitely wrong and he had no idea of what to do about it.

*********************************************

The Knight sat cross-legged on the floor, his face a mask of serenity. But Ellana knew that it was just that- a mask. She could see the turmoil flowing off of him, and the rising sense of discomfort and perhaps even fear. Once she was sure he was completely lost inside of his mind, she signaled the technicians to begin.

Entering the room through the hidden doorway that flowed smoothly from the wall, the two men worked quickly to secure the Jedi to the table. The four holes at the corners provided the bases for the manacles hooked to the Knight's wrists and ankles. Once the Jedi was fully secured, the men left, and the door disappeared once more into the wall.

At yet another signal from Ellana, the opening in the ceiling cycled closed again, allowing the Jedi some control of his mind. \And now the fun begins\ Ellana laughed to herself, as she watched the Jedi return to his physical form.

*********************************************

Anakin stumbled and barely caught himself before crashing to the floor and alerting the guards to his presence. The pain had been unbearable. One moment he had been following the training bond, zeroing in on Obi-Wan's position, and the next moment he had been thrown back into his own mind with a force he had never felt before. The training bond didn't snap, but the whiplash had almost had the same effect.

Once he had regained his balance, and was capable of movement again, Anakin reached out once more for the comforting presence that was his Master. At first he felt nothing, not even the sense of grayed confusion that Obi-Wan had been broadcasting. As he felt an icy weight settle in his stomach, Anakin reached out more forcefully, using every ounce of his Force strength to find his Master.

When the connection snapped back into place, Anakin could not stop himself from collapsing to his knees. Nothing in his life as a slave or as a Jedi had prepared him for this.

The physical pain radiating from the young Master was excruciating, but the mental anguish was far worse. Anakin could feel

Obi-Wan using everything he had to simply retain a hold on his mind, as some unseen force tried to wrench it from his body.

\\ MASTER!!!\\ Anakin cried out. He was simply incapable of communicating anything beyond that one word that had come to mean so much to him in the past few years.

*********************************************

Narissa, Solo, Jame'a and the three other guards Jame'a had handpicked watched as the rebel base appeared just over the horizon.

They had been forced to leave the transport behind and continue on foot, since the electrical signature of the repulsor engines would have given them away. The going was much slower, but the need for caution was too great to risk on simple conveniences.

They had all switched into camouflage clothing, complete with the latest in sensor-confounding technology. Solo had suggested the attire, and provided it from his own supplies on his ship. Narissa had been surprised at the offer, and even more surprised upon seeing the collection of equipment and clothing the pilot had on his small ship.

She had not expected a Jedi Temple pilot to have such an odd assortment of weaponry and supplies. She was grateful however, and did not question the windfall.

The group of six had already determined their best bet for gaining access to the secure facility and everyone was briefed on the part they would be required to play. All that needed to be said had been said, and all that needed to be done had been done.

All that was left was the growing suspense and the interminable wait that came from the long trek ahead of them.

Glancing at Solo, Narissa was bolstered by the committed expression on his face. Any questions she had had regarding his support or loyalty were answered in the set of his jaw and the determined look in his eye. Despite her earlier caution, she was glad to have Solo with her.

She didn't know what might lie ahead of them, but she was determined to help Obi-Wan Kenobi in any manner she could. Navira owed him a great debt, and she would see it repaid no matter the cost.

*********************************************

The pain was incredible. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. There was no point of origin, nor was there any part of his body or mind that was exempt. It simply encompassed all that he was.

He had been thrown from his meditation, or whatever that dark and foreboding place could be called, and found himself strapped to the metal table. Before he could even begin to ascertain how he had been moved so easily without notice, the pain had begun.

It was so intense he could not even find the breath to scream. His entire body felt as if it had been simultaneously thrown into a fiery lava pit and tossed bare unto an ice plain of Hoth.

The dichotomy of the sensations only added to the torment. And the sensations his body felt were nothing compared to the war that raged in his mind.

It felt as if something, or someone was trying to rip his mind from his body. It was not the soothing pull of the Force, nor was it the black hunger of the Darkside, instead it was more the vacuum of space, combined with the appetite of a newly formed black hole. It was icy cold and totally and completely empty, yet with a sentience that defied explanation.

As he fought to escape his bodily torment yet anchor his mind to his body, Obi-Wan was suddenly distracted by a brief glimmer of light in the dark plain of his existence.

The light flickered and then suddenly grew, and as it approached, the Knight recognized the presence of his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. Just as the light came almost to the point of touching him, Obi-Wan heard the desperate cry of his apprentice. \\MASTER!!!\\

"Can you trace who the call was sent to once it came into the Temple?" Bant asked, still leaning over N'erak's shoulder.

"I'm working on it now, but it appears that whoever received the call knew what he was doing. The call was routed through multiple circuits, and there are several dead-ends here. With enough time, and without interruption, I think I can find exactly which comm. unit accepted the call," N'erak answered, already working on deciphering the final destination of the comm. call.

"In the meantime, why don't you try to reach the Republic transport again? Whoever was blocking our calls before may have lifted the restriction now," N'erak offered, hoping Bant would take the hint and leave.

"Alright, I'll leave you to your work," Bant leaned down and gave N'erak a friendly kiss on the check. "Just be careful. Something tells me we do not want the Council finding out what we are up to."

*********************************************

As Narissa and Solo approached the back of the base where the Jedi were being held, Jame'a and the other three guards took positions on the front and sides. It had been decided that Jame'a and Cynth would provide a distraction, allowing Narissa and Solo the chance to enter through the small delivery dock in the back. The other two guards would remain outside, unless Narissa or Solo called for them.

The plan was not as well thought-out as the one Obi-Wan and Narissa had used to infiltrate the eastern encampment a few months prior; but then again, the previous plan hadn't exactly worked.

Narissa and Solo were hoping that the combination of their small numbers and the technology that kept them from appearing on sensors would be enough to allow the strategy to work. If not, Jame'a would have to return to the new Navirian capital and gather a larger force to ambush the base and rescue the governor.

Narissa had some idea of the layout of the facility since she had been collecting data on it almost from the day she was elected governor. She knew that the rebels would eventually prove to be a problem, and she had wanted to be ready when that happened.

Between her information and Solo's weaponry and supplies, their plan stood a pretty good chance of success. \I hope this works\ Narissa thought as Solo and she hunched concealed near the delivery bay doors. \If not, I'm not sure Jame'a will be able to get back here in time to rescue us\

Convincing herself that she was shivering from the cold Navirian air, and not the icy premonition trailing across her over-imaginative mind, Narissa prepared herself for battle.

\I almost miss my club, though I doubt it would do me much good here\ she thought as she rubbed her chilled hands together. \At least it might have been a good luck charm, and we are going to need all the luck we can get\

*********************************************

Forcing the pain to the back of his mind, Anakin rose to his feet and took off running. He couldn't keep the bond open - the pain was too intense, even secondhand.

But he could use something else to track down his Master, now that he knew what to search for. The agony radiating off of the older Jedi could probably be detected by Force-sensitives within a three-mile radius.

As he ran with Force-enhanced speed, the Padawan only took enough notice of his surroundings to avoid guards. He wasn't sure where exactly he was in the complex, but he could tell he was heading towards the core of it.

Just as he finally centered on the room he was sure Obi-Wan was in, he felt a pull in his mind. Stopping his sprint to investigate, Anakin pulled up and slipped through the doorway of an empty room.

Once he could place his full concentration on the insistent tug in his mind, the apprentice was able to trace it to the training bond. Obi-Wan was trying to reach him.

Daring to open the bond only the smallest amount, lest the pain overwhelm him once more, Anakin sent to his Master. \\ Are you ok?\\

\\ Ana. Anakin. go. you have. you have to go\\

\\ Master? I'm not leaving here without you\\ Anakin could feel the terrifying amount of power Obi-Wan was using to control his mind enough to send the message.

\\ Padawan. GO!!! \\ The last comment had a strong Force suggestion added to it, powerful enough that even Anakin could barely resist.

\\ What's happening Master? Why won't you let me come get you?\\ Anakin was not ready to lose his Master. Obi-Wan meant far too much to the young Padawan, not only as a Master but as a father figure and friend.

\\ Ani. you must leave. it's me they want. but. but they will use you too\\ The message became fainter and fainter, until Anakin could barely detect the last of it. It was more of an emotion than a purposely sent thought, but the farewell intermixed with it almost sent the apprentice to his knees once more. \\ I'm proud of you my Padawan. \\