Author's note: My apologies to those who have been waiting on the continuation of this story. The floppy I had it on decided to refuse to open anymore and I was so upset I just gave it up for a while. A recent review by Anotherchance convinced me to keep going. Thank you, Anotherchance, you have lived up to your name on this one for this fic.
Side note: I'm also writing a lot of little fics with a joint author, Layren. We have come up with a series called Endurance. The first of these, Growing Pains, should be up by the time this chapter is also added. Feel free to check those out as well.
Qui-Gon groaned in his half-sleeping state. His chest burned from the wounds he had recently received and his older injuries ached. He hoped somehow that Kyran and Master Dooku would hurry up and find him. He had lost so much blood that he was too weak to even lift his head.
Raftla'ka gently stroked his hair. She was humming an older lullaby from her homeworld, Ryloth, to him to help calm him. In the past few hours his condition had worsened considerably and she had grown enough concern for him to drop most of her cold demeanor to attend to him.
"Tell me…again…" Qui-Gon panted, suddenly desperate to hear her voice. "Tell me again…of your days as a dancer on Yenna Prime."
He could feel Raftla'ka smile in the darkness the kept them company. "Yenna Prime was a small planet that housed a few thousand beings of differing species that had only one thing in common: the desire to see a professional Twi'lek dancer…" She began.
Kyran jumped up from his seat as soon as their ship touched down on the satellite near Coruscant. He grabbed the two breath masks that were kept above the ramp and shoved one at Master Dooku as he slid his on his own face. His anxiety for Qui-Gon only grew by the hour. Every time he checked on his friend through the Force, his friend's presence was dimmer. Qui-Gon was dying and needed help.
Master Dooku fitted the mask onto his face and drew his lightsaber, but did not yet light it. His voice filtered through the mask, he said, "Try not to kill anyone but don't let anyone stop you from doing what needs to be done, Kyran."
Kyran nodded, his green eyes hard. If anyone tried to get in his way to Qui-Gon, then they would not last long against him, so great was his resolve.
"Let's go get Qui-Gon," Dooku ordered.
Kyran rushed down the ramp into the thin atmosphere, feeling a bit chilly but warmed from the inside at the thought of finding his friend. There was a lone, small building on the surface near them with a stout door that obviously led down into the satellite to where the underground base was. Oddly enough, there were no guards visible.
Dooku glanced at Kyran. He had noticed the absence of guards as well. Silently, he motioned Kyran to take the right of the door as he took the left. Moving swiftly, the two Jedi approached the door cautiously, though nothing threatened them.
Dooku opened the door and peered inside at the turbolift waiting there. He shook his head and stepped into the turbolift, Kyran following.
"This is too easy," Kyran voiced what Dooku was thinking.
Dooku nodded. After a few moments, he felt the air warm on his skin and he experimentally took of his mask. Breathing in deep, he found the air was once again properly mixed.
Kyran removed his mask, letting it dangle at his neck. He shifted his grip on his lightsaber. "I wish we knew exactly where Qui was being held," he said wistfully.
"Keep your mind on the here and now and on what we can accomplish," Dooku entoned, distracted by reaching out with the Force to get a reading of the base. He sensed several beings nearby but no more than twenty. "Not a lot of people here for a base," he commented.
Kyran nodded. "Makes one wonder if Baine really thinks he has a chance on Yenna Prime or if he's just frustrated and wants to take it out on someone." His eyes glanced over to Dooku as he added the last part.
Dooku met his glance. Calmly, he said, "It does indeed."
The turbolift stopped.
"Ready yourself," Dooku commanded, bringing his own lightsaber up into a guard position, though still leaving it unlit.
Kyran mimicked his stance as the doors opened…to reveal a deserted corridor.
Kyran frowned but refrained from commenting as he and Master Dooku walked slowly down the hall. Occasionally they would pass a closed door with no windows in it of any kind. Kyran and Dooku would stop and use the Force to search for Qui-Gon before finding nothing and passing on.
They were almost to the end of the corridor when Kyran held out a hand. "I feel him. Right here."
Dooku nodded and examined the controls of the door. With his usual abruptness, he took his lightsaber, lit it, and melted the controls. Using the Force, he grabbed the door and forced it open.
A blue skinned Twi'lek woman crouched in the light flooding the small room, kneeling beside a pool of blood that Qui-Gon lay in. His eyes were closed and he made no sign of knowing they were there. Kyran saw that his skin was waxy and had an unnatural, unhealthy pallor to it.
The Twi'lek slowly stood to face them, her clothing ragged tatters. Her luminous yellow eyes regarded them for a moment before she bowed slightly. In a deep voice, she said, "You must be Qui-Gon's rescuers. You came almost too late. He is unconscious and I'm not sure he will awaken."
Kyran rushed in to see his friend's condition up close. The Twi'lek backed away, moving slowly as if she had not had the freedom of movement in a long time. Her skin stretched taunt over her bones but she still possessed a grace about her bearing.
Dooku bowed his head slightly to her. "You must be Raftla'ka," he said. "I am Jedi Master Dooku and this is Jedi Padawan Kyran Josel. You…"
A chuckle behind him interrupted his words.
"So I see you have decided to answer in person, Master Dooku. That is very good, very good."
Dooku turned slowly to face a grinning Baine. Coolly, he replied, "My only answer to you is that I will not change my decision or my stance on the Yenna Prime matter. Instead of merely being an outlaw on your planet, you are now also a kidnapper and attempted murderer and I will bring you in to the Jedi Council to be charged formally."
Baine stopped smiling and looked perplexed. "Is that your answer then?"
Dooku nodded.
With startling swiftness, Baine whipped out a small holdout blaster and fired. By all rights, Dooku knew he should be dead at that close of range. Instead, Raftla'ka had charged out of the shadows and leaped in front of him, taking the blast meant for him. She did not immediately crumple to the ground. She let her charge take her straight into Baine, her talons outstretched. They fell in a heap, out of Dooku's line of sight at the door. By the time that he had quickly made his way to the corridor, Baine was dead by Raftla'ka's claws, his face, throat and chest raked open.
Dooku bent over the fallen Twi'lek.
She labored to breathe. "I've…been waiting for that…for over a year now…" She gasped. "Tell…Qui-Gon…that I…helped myself…after all." Her eyes widened slightly and she relaxed, dead, next to her husband.
Dooku gently closed her eyes in respect.
"Master Dooku?" Came Kyran's voice from the room.
Dooku rapidly stood and returned to the prison room where his apprentice had been kept. He took in Qui-Gon's appearance quickly and hooked his lightsaber to his belt.
"I'll carry him. He needs the Healers," he said as he bent down and picked up his limp padawan.
No one challenged them as they returned to their ship, Kyran and Dooku sharing Kyran's breath mask as they jogged in the thin atmosphere, Dooku's on Qui-Gon's face. Within twenty minutes of touching down, they were off again, racing against time to get Qui-Gon healed at the Temple.