Thanks everyone for the reviews, they were all really great! I was able to come home sooner than I thought, but I'm going away again tomorrow, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be done. Nicole: no he's not a pervert, and there is a reason why the notes are specific, but I can't say.
As ususal, some of the italics aren't working, so the are in there instead! Hope you like it!
It was stifling hot. Shara wiped a hand across her brow with a heavy sigh and reached for the next box of records. After sending their Padawans off in a Dingen, she and Qui-Gon had headed to Sera's Official Records Office to try and gain some information on the known leaders of the protest groups, but it was turning out to be a little more complicated than that. For a start, the air conditioning in the box-like, basement room had broken, and the heat was so thick the Jedi could barely breathe. Then there was the fact that Seratiniuns had no filing system. At all.
Records seemed to have been shoved randomly into boxes, thousands of boxes, and the Jedi were having to search through every single one. Shara was trying to locate Crea Landoor, a prominent figure in animal rights, but the first seventeen boxes had held no luck, and she doubted the eighteenth would be any different. In a sudden fit of frustration, she threw the box down and stormed around the square inch of space in the middle of the room. Qui-Gon, to her annoyance, ignored her completely, continuing to sort patiently through his own box.
"This is a waste of time," she stated flatly.
Qui-Gon half smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Do you have a better suggestion?"
"As a matter of fact, I do."
He looked up now, the slightest glint of surprise in his blue eyes.
Ha."We go to Crea Landoor's house and ask him if he blew up Thelos: yes or no."
Qui-Gon closed his eyes briefly, as if the suggestion had brought him physical pain.
"I do not believe," he said carefully, "that would be the best course of action."
She sighed. "Qui-Gon, I was joking. Good grief, just how old are you?"
She saw his eyes narrow, but purposely turned away before he could respond. As she went back to her box she began humming, hoping to annoy him further. And sure enough, after only a few moments: "As much as I am enjoying your musical stylings, they are rather massacring my concentration."
She smiled, ignored him, and continued to hum.
Another moment, then an exasperated "Shara…"
"Ah ha!" she yelled, jumping up. "I've found him. Crea Landoor." She waved the peach file in Qui-Gon's face to illustrate her point.
"Yes," he replied irritably. "I can see it."
She smiled. "I know."
"Are you trying to annoy me, or is that just your natural demeanour?"
She tilted her head, considering. "A little of both."
She flipped open the file and began reading the information
inside. "Crea Landoor, 43, married, current place of occupation: Orland's
Point…blah, blah, blah-" Qui-Gon shot her a glare "-blah…here's something
interesting. It says here a year ago he held the position of Advisor to the
Governor."
"Thelos?"
She shook her head. "No, someone named Antonio Rechton. Landoor resigned when Thelos won last year's election."
"Where's Rechton now?"
"I wouldn't know that unless I had his file now, would I?"
He grimaced at her patronising tone. "What else about Landoor?"
"Hmm…not much. No criminal records, no arrests, no convictions…led a couple of protests, but that's all."
"Perhaps he isn't as involved as we thought."
"Or perhaps he just doesn't like to get his hands dirty."
She frowned. Something was nudging at her mind, something she couldn't quite grasp, something…
"Do you feel that?" she asked.
Qui-Gon looked at her, and she could see the surprise in his eyes. "Yes."
For a moment there was silence, and then the Force began to shimmer around them, great rippling waves of warning.
"I feel that too." Qui-Gon said, and he pulled his lightsaber from his belt as the door burst open and several figures in black rushed in.
Shara's own saber was a purple blur as she began to deflect the blaster bolts that reigned down on them from all directions. The two Jedi moved closer together as their assailants, surprisingly skilled marksman, formed a circle around them.
Shara reached out a hand, and one of their attackers was thrown against the wall, his blaster sailing to her hand. She tossed in into the air and sliced in half, the parts clattering onto the floor. Her triumph, however, was short lived as her comlink was kicked from her belt, disappearing in a red bolt of light. With an angry cry, she lashed out with the handle of her saber, feeling an uncharacteristic sense of satisfaction when she heard the crunch of broken bone. The Force warned her of a blaster bolt a split second before it buried itself in the back of her head, and she leapt to the side, hearing it whiz past her left ear. As she whirled to the right to detach a blaster from a hand, a figure darted past her on her left. It lunged for one of the boxes, reaching in and withdrawing a single file. She leapt into the air, kicking her legs out in an elegant spin, and the figure dropped to the floor, the file rising to meet her outstretched hand. Qui-Gon was bent over his own shattered comlink, the unconscious bodies littering the floor around him.
"They got mine too," she said gesturing to the broken piece of plastic. She held up the file. " But we got this. Antonio Rechton."
He nodded, almost as if he'd been expecting it. "What does it say?"
She carefully opened it, and, on reading the information, kept her surprise hidden.
"Antonio Rechton," she said, "is human."
Before either of them could really digest this unusual information, a shock wave raced through both, and Shara felt a sudden, desperate pain in her heart.
She looked at Qui-Gon, and could see her feeling mirrored in his eyes. Fear. Pain. Worry.
"It's Obi-Wan and Leyana," he said. "They're in danger."
***
Obi-Wan lay in a pit of swirling darkness, a strange weightlessness to his body.
Am I dead? He wondered, but his thoughts seemed to fly away from him, and he couldn't quite grasp them as they disappeared into the swirling mists ahead.And then a light. A light so bright it was painful, and he wanted to turn away but part of him was captivated, unable to. The light was calling to him, calling his name. He wanted to go to it, to wrap it around him; he wanted to be lost in it. The light came closer, beckoning him. It sounded so beautiful, so inviting. Calling him, like the music of a thousand bells.
He felt his own voice try to rise up and meet it. "Yes," he wanted to shout. "I am here. I am coming!" But he couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Couldn't do anything but watch as the light came closer, became denser, gathering into a hazy, dancing shape. It swam in and out of focus, this huge, blazing light, and suddenly it had eyes. Two golden eyes which stared, unblinking, down at him. It was then that he realised his own eyes were open, and it wasn't a light at all, but a person, and with this realisation came an all consuming pain which filled him like fire.
"Obi-Wan!"
Leyana's cool hands pressed against his forehead as he rolled blurry eyes towards her, screams escaping his mouth at the magnitude of this sudden pain. He gripped the hand that was suddenly in his, trying to master the pain, trying to accept it. But it was unlike anything he'd ever felt before, driving every thought from his mind, consuming his senses.
"Shhh." Lips, so close to his face, pressing against his cheek, reaching a place deep inside of him. "You're stronger than this pain. Just breathe. Breathe."
He sucked in air, great gusts of it filling his lungs. And, as if someone had thrown water on the fire, the pain lessened. He was able to focus, to see the glimmering, golden glow that surrounded Leyana like a giant halo, to feel her body pressed against his as she held him in her arms.
"It's okay," she whispered." You're okay."
"Hurts…" he gasped.
"I know," her arms tightened slightly. "Just keep breathing."
It was coming back to him slowly. The note, the fight, the lightsaber that had plunged into his shoulder.
"Qui-Gon…"
A shadow passed across her face. "I couldn't reach him or Shara, but they know we were in danger."
Obi-Wan didn't try to respond to the calling he could feel in his mind, but he could hear the words, like a whisper in his ear. Hold on Padawan, I am coming.
"We need a medic here. Fast." He heard the urgency in her voice.
"Am I dying?"
She laughed, but it was shaky. "No," she replied. "You're not dying."
He felt lost, like a little boy. "Promise?"
She squeezed his hand. "I promise. I won't let you."
At that moment there was only her. She was the only one who could comfort him, who could be there for him. "Don't leave me."
Her lips brushed his forehead. "I'm not going anywhere."
His eyelids felt so heavy. He struggled to focus on Leyana's beautiful face, but the swirling darkness was dragging him backwards, and he was too weak to fight.
"Obi-Wan, you have to stay awake. Do you hear me? Obi-Wan!" He heard the words, but couldn't make sense of them, and she seemed so far away. He was drifting away from her, pulled by an invisible tide, sinking beneath dark waves.
He barely felt the hand that pressed against his wound, or the way the air stirred around him. He didn't see Leyana's golden glow brighten to a shining light as The Force swirled around her.
But he felt the burst of pure whiteness that filled him. That pulled him back from the brink and drove the pain away. That poured strength and energy into him like molten metal. And then it was over, and nothing hurt anymore.
His eyes were closed, and he was afraid to open them. What would he see? Had he died? He thought he was trembling, and it took him a moment to realise that it wasn't him, but someone else, and that he was lying in someone's arms, and that it must be Leyana, and that he couldn't be dead.
"Am I alive?" he asked.
"Yes," came the soft reply. "You are."
He did open his eyes then, and her face was the most beautiful, welcome sight he had ever seen. "What happened?"
Tears glistened on her cheeks. "I don't know," she whispered. "I just wanted you to live."
He sat up, bringing his arms around her, holding her close. He felt the wetness of her tears on his own cheek.
I love you. The words flitted across his mind, but they were gone in an instant, forgotten as quickly as they had been thought.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I just…I'm not quite sure what happened."
"You saved me," he could barely hear his own words, but knew somehow they were clear to her. "You saved me."
Their eyes met, and something unseen passed between them, something precious that lingered in the air between their gaze, that somehow touched their hearts. Something they couldn't yet identify, but soon would. And then medics were pushing in between them, pushing Leyana aside, and a familiar voice was crying out "Obi-Wan! Jedi!" Mickel stood over him, his silver eyes full of concern. And questions.
"What happened? Why are you here? Were you attacked? Who's this?"
Obi-Wan shot Leyana an amused glance. "This is Leyana," he said.
"Another Jedi!" cried Mickel, looking as if all his birthdays had come at once. "It's a delightful honour to meet you. Though not under such wonderful circumstances, eh?"
Obi-Wan saw Leyana nod soberly, as he was loaded onto a stretcher, and carried away.
"Where are they taking him?" He heard anxiety in her words, and turned to look at her. Again that unidentifiable something passed between them, and then she was gone and he was being rushed upwards in a whirl of metal and sliding doors.
***
Leyana felt a surprising twang in her heart as she watched Obi-Wan being taken away, but put it down to concern for another Jedi. Nothing to do with that strange, almost beautiful feeling that had passed between them. Nothing whatsoever.
Mickel squeezed her shoulder "He'll be fine."
She nodded. "I know, I just…"
"We always worry about the people we love."
She glanced sharply at him. "I don't…I mean we're just…that is…we're just friends."
"Oh I know, I know." He smiled, a secretive little smile. "Just good friends."
Just good friends… "Why wasn't anyone here when we arrived?"
If he was surprised at her abrupt shift in conversation, he didn't show it. "An evacuation."
"Evacuation?"
He nodded. "We figured it was probably just a false alarm, we get a lot of those from machinery breaking down, but it appears we were lured out."
"To lure me and Obi-Wan in."
There was a silence as they both contemplated this.
"Do you think it's connected to the theft and bombing?"
"I'm not sure," she admitted. "It's all very…complicated."
They heard the sound of a Dingen landing outside, and Leyana didn't need to turn to know who was inside. There was the sound of running feet, and then arms were thrown around her.
"Thank Force you're alright!" Shara cried.
Leyana pushed her away angrily. "Of course I'm alright," she snapped. "But what about Obi-Wan? He almost died, and where were you two? You could've dropped off the face of the planet for all I knew." She suddenly realised she was close to tears, and turned away, hiding her expression.
A gentle hand touched her arm, not her Master's, but Qui-Gon. He looked straight into her eyes, seeming to read the emotion there. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Our comlinks were broken, but we are here now."
She nodded, gathering her strength, pushing her fears aside. "Obi-Wan is upstairs, with the medics."
"How is he?"
She felt suddenly uneasy. How could she explain what happened, what she'd done?
"He's fine, or at least he will be."
Shara peered at her. "But something else is wrong. Something's happened."
Leyana avoided her gaze. "I think we should just go and see him." She turned to Mickel. "I'm sorry you got caught up in the middle of all this. Masters, this is Mickel. He owns the metal works."
The two Masters smiled, but Qui-Gon's concern for the state of his Padawan prevented him from exchanging pleasantries.
"If you'll excuse us, I'm anxious to see Obi-Wan."
"Of course, of course. Just take the lift up, and the second catwalk on the right.
"Thankyou."
They all bowed, and then the Jedi followed his directions: up in the lift, second catwalk on the right. As they walked across the transparent platform, Leyana could appreciate just how huge the place was. The floor spread out beneath them, thousands of desks and fires, and melting ovens. Cooling racks, and shaping tables, and racks and racks and racks, all filled with shiny objects. In the upper level there were even more desks, all complete with built in holopads, and little silver communication devices. The medical area was made from the same transparent material as everything else, and they could see Obi-Wan half sitting, half lying in one of the beds.
Qui-Gon rushed forward in a very un-Qui-Gon like way, and grasped one of Obi-Wan's hands. Shara and Leyana hung back, not wanting to intrude, but after a moment or two, Qui-Gon waved them forward.
"What happened?"
Leyana looked at Obi-Wan.
"It was trap," she said. "We were attacked."
"By what?" prompted Qui-Gon.
They exchanged another glance.
"A Jedi," Obi-Wan said at last.
Silence.
"A Jedi?" repeated Shara doubtfully.
"Yes." Leyana was firm. "His skill was unbelievable, his technique flawless, and his use of the Force powerful."
"And he had a lightsaber," Obi-Wan threw in.
"He?"
Leyana sighed. "Couldn't tell," she admitted. "He or she was covered in black. Only the eyes were showing." She shuddered at the memory of those cold, black eyes. "It felt like a he."
"Then what happened?"
"We fought," said Obi-Wan. "I was stabbed through the shoulder."
Qui-Gon looked alarmed. "With a lightsaber?"
Obi-Wan nodded.
"Yet you're still alive?"
Obi-Wan looked at Leyana. "Well, that's where it becomes a little more complicated."
All eyes now turned on her, and she stared at her hands, trying to block out the inquisitive stares.
"What happened?" Shara asked gently.
"I healed him," she whispered, still focusing on her hands, afraid to look up. " I don't know what I did or how did it, but I healed him."
She could feel Shara's eyes on her, and when a slender hand reached under her chin, forcing her to look up, she reluctantly met the other's gaze.
"Listen to me." Shara's voice was soft, quiet, for Leyana's ears only. "You saved a life Padawan. You did an extraordinary thing."
"But why?" asked Leyana. "Why did I do it? How did I do it?"
For a split second she thought she saw a hesitation in her Master's eyes, but then it was gone, and the honesty in that purple was comforting. "I don't know. But I don't think it matters. The important thing is that Obi-Wan is alive, and you are safe."
She smiled, nodded, found strength.
"Master." All eyes turned to Obi-Wan. "I don't think this blow was meant to kill. Our enemy was extremely skilled, and if his or her intention was death then why not aim for the heart? It would be too risky to leave me with only a shoulder wound."
"Hmm." Qui-Gon leaned forward to look under the bandage, revealing a patch of shiny, red skin.
Leyana closed her eyes. There was something someone had said to her, something that fitted Obi-Wan's theory, if she could only remember…someone's playing with us…her Master's words in the lift sifted into her memory, and she realised, with a wave of nausea, why Obi-Wan wasn't meant to have died.
"It's a game," she whispered.
Shara glanced at her. "What?"
"It's a game," she repeated, louder this time. "It's like you said. Someone's playing with us. The notes, the lift, the attack on you, now this. They're pushing us, seeing how far they can take us."
Shara's eyes flashed with fury. "Those burns on my arm. They were lightsaber burns, just not from my lightsaber."
"He told me soon," Leyana said. "Just before he leapt through the window. Soon." She looked fearful. "What do you think that means?"
"It means," said Shara "that you are in very possible danger, and you shouldn't take any risks."
"I agree," said Qui-Gon. "We should all be more alert, and not go anywhere alone." Here he shot a pointed look at Shara. "Caution is of the greatest importance. I think Shara and I should look outside, talk to a few of the workers. You stay here with Obi-Wan."
Leyana nodded and took a step closer to the bed. Obi-Wan looked at her. "We'll be alright."
***
As soon as they were out of earshot, Qui-Gon turned to Shara with a grim look.
"You lied to her."
Shara moved past him, towards the lift. "I thought it best not to tell her."
"You lied to her," he said flatly. "You know perfectly well what it means. You should have told her."
"I think it is best to let her find out for herself," she replied calmly.
He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. "You deliberately let her walk into danger?"
She wrenched her arm free angrily. "I would not call it danger Qui-Gon. It is an emotion. They can conquer it, but I want her to do it on her own. She needs to face life without my help."
"And if they can't? If they make the wrong decision?"
"They won't. Have a little faith."
"Love can be powerful."
"They are young. Love will come and go."
He looked at her and shook his head. "I hope you are right. For all of us."
***
Obi-Wan watched as she took another step towards the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Sore," he admitted. "But alive."
She smiled "That always helps."
She sat down on the bed beside him, and he wondered at her ability to be so strong, yet look so fragile. He felt that if he touched her, she would shatter like glass, so delicate, but he had seen her in battle, in training, and knew she had every strength of a warrior.
She took one of his hands in hers, and he tried to ignore the little frisson that swept across his skin.
Their eyes met.
He felt a sudden yearning, unlike anything he'd yearned for before. Those soft, shapely lips. So beautiful. His gaze slid back to her eyes. Their faces moved closer, eyes locked together. She was so close now. He could feel the warmth of her breath, smell the sweetness of her skin. He closed his eyes, lost in the sense of her. Her lips brushed his own, and he longed to press harder, to capture her beauty and take it inside of him, but at the same time he was pulling away, and she was breaking their hands apart, backing away from the bed.
For a moment they just stared at each other, then she turned and walked away.
Slowly, he raised a hand to his lips, tracing a pattern where he had almost gone too far.
***
