Chapter Six

Lana ran screaming from the frightening visage behind her. She didn't stop running until she had gotten to the gates of the compound. "Help me! Help me! Oh, help help help!" she said, sobbing as she saw men moving toward her. She glanced behind her at the approaching, distorted figure. Her screams became higher. "Hurry! Help me!"
Kyran growled deep in his throat and continued his own march steadily after his wif,e although he was inwardly trying very hard not to laugh at how easily the guard was taken in by her sobbing.

The guard stood, dumbstruck and staring, not knowing what to do with a sobbing, terrified woman. "Uh, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Help me!" She screamed right in his face, her tone sounding as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She pointed behind her shoulder. "He's after me, he is! Won't leave me alone! You've got to help me!" She threw herself on the guard and attached herself so tightly to him that he couldn't reach for his gun.

The guard stood, stammering. "Uh...ma'am, if you'll just let go of me for a moment, I'll open the door so you can have a safer place to hide...you'll be safe over the side of the fence."

Lana nodded frantically. She let go of the guard and wrung her hands, keeping a worried expression on her face as she checked Kyran's progress toward her. She had timed her little franticness to catch the compound right before the guard's reinforcement would come to assist him on duty. They had to get inside to see if Qui-Gon had made it in yet and, if not, help him to find Obi-Wan. "Hurry! Hurry!" she shrieked as Kyran was only a few steps from her.

The guard quickly punched in the code and ushered her inside. "You'll be safe in there."

"Oh, thank you!" Lana said, then clubbed him over the head with the butt of her lightsaber. He sank to her feet, out cold, as Kyran drew up beside her.

She smiled up at him. "Hello, you big, scary man," she joked as she closed the gate behind him.

"Now, that's not a nice thing to say to your husband." He grinned.
Lana gave him a suggestive look. "Maybe by most women..." She trailed off and winked. Suddenly, a loud scream echoed across the courtyard that they were in. It was filled with prolonged anguish and suffering. She whipped her head toward the sound and noticed a partially opened window on the second floor. "Obi-Wan," she said at once.

Kyran nodded, his expression tight. He and Lana ran into the compound, bypassing startled guards, and headed rapidly down the end of the corridor he found himself in. He wondered if Qui-Gon had heard Obi-Wan's scream, though he was certain his friend had. He turned a corner and nearly ran headlong into his friend who was coming from the other direction.

"Obi-Wan," all three of them chorused.

"Second floor," Lana informed Qui-Gon, then found herself having to sprint to keep up with Qui-Gon as he flew up a set of stairs to the second floor.

Qui-Gon took the steps three at a time. It was easy with his long legs. Obi-Wan needed him. A powerful burst of the Force took care of the few guards standing in place at the front of the door and his lightsaber took care of the lock. He burst through the door—and his heart nearly stopped at the sight of his padawan hanging limply. The smell of burned flesh filled the air.

Lana gasped at the sight of the unconscious Obi-Wan, blood dripping down his back, skin blackened and bubbled with burns, rips in his flesh. Anger surged in her and she scanned the room, though did not see a single person other than a dead body in the corner. "Where is the one responsible?" she whispered, suppressed rage in her voice.
Qui-Gon shook his head. "That doesn't matter." He quickly strode over to his padawan and very gently used the lightsaber to cut him out of his chains. "Obi-Wan?" he murmured gently. "He needs medical attention immediately," Qui-Gon said in a louder voice.

"Well, take him then," came a cold voice from a high window above them. A silhouette of a man stood there. "He has no more use for me. But know this, Jedi, I will rest only when he has died." As quickly as the man appeared, he was gone.

Qui-Gon growled deep in his throat as the person responsible for harming his Obi-Wan was going to be allowed to get away. He sighed. He knew that he wouldn't have time to get to the window and take off after him. He would have to be brought to justice another day, a fact which irritated Qui-Gon greatly. "Let's go home," he said, rather irritably.

Tenderly, Kyran helped Qui-Gon carry the severally injured padawan while Lana had her lightsaber out, guarding them. They met little to no resistance...until they came to the courtyard. The guard that Lana had knocked out was staggering around, his hand on his head, while twenty other men stood, their blasters pointed directly at the three Jedi. "This might be a problem..." Lana murmured as the lead guard yelled, "Halt! You will return the prisoner immediately, or you will all be cut down!"

Qui-Gon inhaled sharply, wondering how they could possibly get themselves out of this mess. He focused on the guard in front of him and arched a brow. "It's alright, you have permission to go."

The guard paused for a moment as he mentally fought off the Force suggestion. As he did so, a lieutenant took up the order. "Yes, you can go. But the boy stays." All twenty trigger fingers tightened slightly.

"Sorry, lieutenant. I'm afraid we're a package deal." Qui-Gon tightened his grip on the boy, refusing to let go.

"Fire!" The lieutenant yelled. Lana's lightsaber was out and flashing, but she wasn't fully trained. She knew that she couldn't protect all three of them. Sure enough, soon a blaster bolt had snuck in on her defenses and slammed into her leg. She grunted in pain, but kept her lightsaber swinging. Kyran let go of Obi-Wan's dangling feet and helped his wife as the three Jedi slowly edged forward into the courtyard.

"We just want the boy!" One of the other officers yelled. "Put him down and you can go free!"

Qui-Gon grunted as he gathered Obi-Wan's weight more fully to himself. He shifted position to where he had a better grip on the Padawan and used the Force to cushion the boy's injuries to keep them from hurting him further. He ran for the gate, determined to get his Obi-Wan out, knowing he'd have to leap over the fence in order to do so and that it would be difficult with his injured Obi-Wan in his arms.

Lana leaped behind Qui-Gon, blocking bolts as she went. She flipped over his head as he neared the gate and stabbed the controls with her orange blade. The gates creaked open slowly.

Qui-Gon nodded at her briefly as he ran, grateful that he wouldn't have to make the jump. He put on a burst of Force assisted speed and made it quickly back to their ship, pausing just long enough to let the ramp down. He knew his friends were close behind him as he gently placed Obi-Wan on the medical bunk and ran to the controls to get them out of there.

Kyran rushed up to the ship, then turned as he heard a cry. Lana had fallen, a second blaster bolt in her leg close to the first. She tried to stand, but her leg would not hold her weight so she started to crawl determinedly through the haze of blaster bolts. "Get us ready to get out of here!" he yelled toward the cockpit, then ran down, scooped up his wife amid the barrage of blaster bolts and sped back up the ramp. "Go, go, go!"

Qui-Gon pushed the throttle as far as it would go, causing the ship to rocket towards the atmosphere. A few more minutes and he'd punched in the coordinates for Coruscant. The stars flared into the starlines of hyperspace. He let out a long, slow breath of relief.