"Not bad... not bad..." Venu muttered to himself, pleased as he examined Nahlia in her new costume.

Nahlia was far less pleased with the outfit the droids had put together for her. Her blouse consisted of a bit of bright yellow triangular material which left most of her back and midriff in the open. This would have been fine, as she was confident she had a good figure, but this combined with the very low cut and quite translucent pink fabric of her skirt made her feel nearly naked as she looked at herself in the mirror. "What exactly am I dressed like this for?"

"Picture this," Venu pointed to Obi-Wan now facing them in his chair. "A gallant young Jedi, pure, chaste, completely innocent in the ways of love and... sex..." he whispered in her ear lewdly, "He travels to the deepest depths of Coruscant on a mission of mercy. There he meets you... the temptress... the tramp... the good time girl, if you will..."

"I am not a tramp!" Nahlia suddenly felt even more exposed. "Or a good time girl!"

"Of course not, dear." Venu gave her shoulder a few condescending pats. "Now, as I was saying, the Jedi is caught in your spell... like a swatti in a veranchi's web... he is seduced by you..." He remained oblivious to the uneasy looks Obi-Wan and Nahlia exchanged as he explained. "It is this moment that I wish to capture in my art." Venu went silent for a moment as he poured over Nahlia's appearance again. He frowned abruptly. "But not with that hair. TF159!" He shouted over to the droid with the triangular head. "I'd like something different with her hair, brown is just so blase, you know? Let's have a look at the wigs. Maybe something chartreuse? Or magenta, perhaps?" He put his arm around the droid and they headed towards the other end of the wardrobe room. "And it must be long and flowing... yes, definitely long and flowing..."

Nahlia and Obi-Wan both shot their cyborg guard Diora an odd look. She simply shrugged it off. "He's a freak, but the pay is good."

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Qui-Gon Jinn was clearly exhausted as he met with the Jedi Council that evening. He had been out searching for his missing Padawan since the night before without finding a single clue as to where he had gone. "I refuse to believe he has deserted. Obi-Wan is committed to the Order. He has worked hard towards becoming a Jedi Knight."

Mace and Yoda exchanged a skeptical look - as Mace had been made aware of Obi-Wan's recent connection to a certain young waitress. Still, Mace thought, the entire Council didn't need to know this, not yet anyway. "You believe that someone has kidnapped him, then?"

"I think it is entirely possible, yes." Qui-Gon chose to ignore the Council members' lack of faith. He knew Obi-Wan better than any of them. Even Yoda. A Jedi was what Obi-Wan was meant to be, all he dreamed of being, and an infatuation with some girl from lower Coruscant wouldn't change that. "I believe that whoever has been abducting citizens, including Senator Fantui's daughter, may have taken Obi-Wan as well."

"Marae Fantui?" Yoda asked - his ears picking up in surprise. "Heard, you have not?"

"No, I have been away, looking for Obi-Wan. Heard what, Masters?" Qui-Gon asked. "Has she been found then?"

"In a way..." Mace explained sadly. "She is dead."

Qui-Gon let the words sink in a moment. "Dead?"

"We just got word of it an hour ago," Mace continued. "She was a victim of a bizarre plot. The girl was sealed inside of a mysterious substance that made her appear to be a lifelike statue. She was then delivered back to her father's home. The Senator was so upset when he saw her, thinking it was some kind of cruel prank, he ordered the statue destroyed. By the time his servants realized that Marae was actually inside, it was too late."

In shock, Qui-Gon just stood there silently and nodded. The Senator, like many in the Republic, was not the most honest or honorable creature, but one thing had been clear from Qui-Gon's dealings with him - he loved his daughter. He could only imagine the anguish he was going through now. Qui-Gon's thoughts strayed to his missing Padawan. There was a similar attachment there. To him, Obi-Wan was as close to a son as he had ever known. The Jedi code could forbid such feelings, such distractions, but deep inside of them it still grew and strengthened during their years together. "Masters, if you will excuse me now... I must find my Padawan."

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Venu held Nahlia firmly by the arm as he led her up several steps and onto a small round platform. Above the platform hung a white cylinder that was just large enough to surround the platform and anyone standing on it. After a final check of Nahlia's new "long and flowing" violet wig, Venu ordered her to stay there, and stepped away from the platform to attend to Obi-Wan.

"Now for the tricky part." Venu said worriedly. He, Volacca, and Diora exchanged an apprehensive look. They would have to let the Jedi free of his bonds in order to create their client's statue - a dangerous proposition even if he was wearing a force collar. But Venu was far more afraid of this particular client's wrath than a young Jedi any day. "Let him go, Diora. Volacca, keep your blaster trained on her."

"Her?"

"Yes her," Venu insisted, "because it is important that our Jedi friend knows that if he doesn't behave himself, dear Nahlia here will pay for it with her life."

Nahlia scoffed at this from her perch. "That's not really a threat considering you're about to kill us both anyway."

"That will be enough out of you, young lady," the mad artist stammered. "And for your information, I am not about to kill you, you will still be alive. You will just be frozen in a thin layer of hydracyclophene and buffed to a shiny finish."

"Are we ready now?" Diora interrupted impatiently. Seeing her boss nod in response, she leaned down behind Obi-Wan's chair and released him from his bonds. Quickly she stepped away and trained her blaster on the back of Obi-Wan's head.

Everyone waited anxiously for the Jedi to make a move. Finally, impatience got the better of Venu and he waved at Obi-Wan, beckoning him to leave his seat. "Come on. Up, up, up!"

Obi-Wan obeyed, albeit begrudgingly, and joined Nahlia on the platform. He wanted to tell her not to worry, that he had a plan, but there was neither time nor opportunity, and he wasn't even sure if his plan would work without his Jedi abilities. "Stay close to me," he whispered to Nahlia.

"I have a feeling that's what he has in mind." Nahlia pointed out. She knew he was holding back, being careful because of her. 'He wouldn't even be here in the first place if it wasn't for me...'

"Very good... very good..." Venu perused his subjects. "Now, put your arm around her, no, the other arm, put it around her waist."

Slowly, hesitantly, Obi-Wan slipped his right arm under Nahlia's arm and around her waist - resting his hand on the warm skin of her back. The touch of his hand there gave her goose bumps. "Sorry..." He whispered. "For the cold hands..."

"That's all right." She responded quietly as she gazed up into his blue-green eyes. "I don't mind."

"Now," Venu continued to pose his subjects as his two employees watched warily, "get a little closer to him, come on, don't be shy..."

Nahlia took a small step closer to Obi-Wan - putting the length of her body in contact with him. Obi-Wan was soon surprised by the way his body was reacting to her closeness - as was Nahlia. They both blushed and looked away from each other.

"No. No. You must look at each other." Venu instructed. "She cannot lead you down a road of debauchery and lust if you don't look at her... well..." he reconsidered, "she could, but I want to keep this piece family friendly."

Nahlia's dark brown eyes met Obi-Wan's again. Without instruction from their captor, Obi-Wan leaned his head down closer to her face - they were almost near enough to kiss. He adjusted his hand on her back, his fingers tracing up her spine a bit - intrigued by the way her breathing had intensified suddenly and her skin was now hot to his touch.

"Very good," Venu seemed caught up in the moment between them. "Very... steamy..." He cleared his throat loudly and tried to get back to business. "Wouldn't you say, steamy?" He asked his employees.

Unimpressed, Volacca answered. "Steamy yeah, whatever...."

"You two stay there. Don't move a muscle." Venu hurried over to a control panel nearby. "This won't hurt a bit..."

"What?" Obi-Wan returned to his senses. If he was going to do something, he had to act now. "But I don't have my lightsaber."

"You don't need your lightsaber." Venu answered.

Obi-Wan persisted. "This art piece of yours is meant to portray a Jedi Knight and his lover, correct?"

"Yes."

"You cannot have a Jedi without a lightsaber." Obi-Wan said smoothly. "Your client will never believe you have captured a Jedi if there is no Jedi's weapon."

"Hm..." Venu considered this a moment. He loved realism. To him, that was the whole point of capturing living beings in hydracyclophene - so he might be able to capture the moment and the very essence of the subject. "You have a point there..."

"Now wait a minute!" Diora protested. "You can't give him his lightsaber back."

Venu shushed her.

"But you can't -"

"SH!" He shushed her again more firmly and with a testy glare. "Who is the boss here? Who is the artist?"

"You are but-"

"That's right. I am your employer, the provider of your credits - a great many credits at that - and I say I simply cannot have a Jedi without a lightsaber. I mean, that would be positively ludicrous!" Venu shouted. "What kind of fool do you take me for? I cannot make a realistic piece about the illicit seduction of an unsullied guardian of the Galaxy without a lightsaber!" He reached his open hand out to her. "Now give it to me. Come on, hand it over."

Diora reached inside her jacket and pulled out the Jedi's weapon. 'I don't like this, that Jedi's up to something...' She allowed her boss to take the saber anyway. "If he tries anything, she's dead."

"I won't." Obi-Wan fought to keep his cool. "I won't allow her to be hurt."

"There now see, he'll behave himself." Venu returned the weapon to the clip on Obi-Wan's belt. "It was pure genius taking the girl along. We have him right where we want him."

TO BE CONTINUED...