TWELVE

"Any change?"

Inais Cherida's soft voice brought Qui-Gon out of his reverie and he raised his head to gaze at her from where he was sitting. His blue eyes spoke before his voice did, giving the answer to her question in their expressive depths.

"None. It's as simply as if he's…stepped outside and closed the door." Qui-Gon tried to describe the feeling as he shifted back to gaze upon the bed in front of him and its silent, motionless occupant.

It had been nearly ten hours since Obi-Wan had been placed in that bed, and there had been no movement, no flicker of response in that time. Qui-Gon had barely eaten, refused to sleep as he kept watch over his Padawan. He knew that precious time was escaping from him in the matter of the Dark Side's practitioner here, but he dared not leave Obi-Wan's side until he either awakened or Healer Obuk arrived, whichever came first. He'd summoned his old friend from Coruscant as soon as the unconscious apprentice had been settled here in private chambers, attended nominally by the House physician and watched closely by his master.

In his mind's eye, Qui-Gon replayed the awful moment of discovery, of coming to a sudden halt upon seeing the young Jedi lying lifeless on the floor, deactivated lightsaber only inches away and surrounded by the children, the Hopefuls. Feeling the sudden tight squeeze in his chest, instinctively knowing that this time Obi-Wan was seriously injured. Three of the children moved aside for him silently as he approached, quickly kneeling down beside his apprentice. To his utter amazement, one of the young ones, a three year old from the looks of it, was sitting beside Obi- Wan with her small hand on his chest, and in the Force Qui-Gon could feel the undisciplined, rudimentary attempts of the child to help him. The sensation was akin to that of hearing a small cry aloud for Obi-Wan to wake up but the compassion present in one so young was what made Qui-Gon swallow a sudden lump in his throat. Looking up at the Jedi Master, her eyes wide and wonderful and serious, she'd simply said,

"Hurt."

Qui-Gon had felt an icy stab of concern; was his Padawan in pain? The distraction of the child had only been a brief moment, but enough that Qui-Gon chastised himself. Quickly he'd pressed his fingers to Obi-Wan's neck, seeking a pulse; at the same moment he reached out into the bond to assess what he could of his Padawan's injuries. What he found both pleased and dismayed him at the same time. Pleased to feel the apprentice's heartbeat throbbing beneath his fingertips, albeit a little erratically and dismayed to find that once more, the bond seemed to have been shut down so completely that Qui-Gon could not even sense his apprentice's lifeforce. It was in worrisome, puzzling, direct contrast to the evidence of life that beat out its irregular rhythm beneath the light pressure of his fingers.

As of this moment ten hours later, Qui-Gon thought somberly, that had not changed at all. Obi-Wan was close at hand's touch, yet was unbearably beyond his reach, and that more than anything else troubled the Jedi Master. A broken body could be rescued often much easier than a broken mind or spirit; in Obi-Wan's case the body was relatively unharmed but who knew what sort of duress he'd been placed under at the hands of this wielder of evil... As he had countless times before, Qui-Gon reached out his hand and rested it gently on Obi-Wan's forehead, hoping somehow that wherever the apprentice was, he could sense his master's care and concern.

"We must have faith," Cherida's voice was soft and lilting, lending her words the air of something wonderful and wise. "The Force does not forget its own, Master Jedi. Your Learner is not lost to its Will."

"Faith is a powerful ally." Qui-Gon agreed, looking at her briefly yet keeping his hand where it was, lightly touching Obi-Wan, barely brushing up against the short ginger hair in the hopes that somehow there would be a response. "So too is trust." After a brief brushing of his thumb along the padawan's brow, he moved his hand so he could shift in his chair, face the House's mistress fully. "Trust has existed between the Jedi and the Bahreena for centuries."

"We are honored by your confidence."

"Hmm." Qui-Gon murmured thoughtfully. "And yet, despite that trust, we were brought here under false pretenses, is that not true?"

Inais Cherida paled so rapidly that there was no doubt that Qui-Gon's instincts had led him correctly.

"Master Jedi…" She fumbled to find her voice. "What are you saying?" He could feel the fear rolling off her in a sudden wave, although his impression was that the fear was not necessarily directed at him.

"I'm simply saying that I'd like to speak to Inais Roeh. I'm sure he can answer the questions I have."

"As you wish, Master Jinn. I will have him summoned here to talk with you."

He watched briefly as the mistress fled in search of her husband, then turned his attention back to his insensate apprentice, hearing the soft sounds of respiration but wishing with all his heart that he would hear something more…thoughts…voice...something.

Wake up, my Padawan. He thought desperately.

++++++

Mace Windu felt it like a cold finger being run the length of his spine, a long shiver that made him sit up in the middle of the night, setting every nerve on edge. The same sort of restless unease that was often preceded the knowledge of a fight, knowing the strike was coming but not when or where…

There was a shift in the Force; most of the Council knew of it, and some of the Masters. None of the Padawans. It was a foreboding of something terrible; the Dark Side was on the rise, and they knew it. Everything in the galaxy was shifting along with it, sliding toward such a state of imbalance that could only mean one thing…complete, total and utter disaster.

It wasn't any long, slow slide either; the warnings were too strong to be taken as anything but an urgent message from the Force. And so the Jedi continued to stand in the gap, protecting the peace the best they knew how. 'Always in motion, the future is.' Wasn't that one of Master Yoda's nuggets of wisdom?

Windu knew exactly where to find the wizened Jedi master. After such a summons, he was likely already waiting for Mace to arrive in the meditation chamber despite the unholy hour. Throwing on his outer robe and tying it securely he made his way to the meditation room that Yoda liked best.

He was not disappointed; the diminutive Master was already seated, eyes closed. Mace waited silently, unwilling to disturb Yoda's meditation.

"Awakened for a purpose we were." Yoda murmured; eyes still closed.

"Yes. I've felt it too."

"Coming quickly this danger is." The green-skinned Jedi now opened his eyes and regarded his friend frankly. Mace took a seat on one of the low circular pads and returned the look fully.

"And what of Qui-Gon and his padawan?"

"Hmm…" Yoda closed his eyes again, casting into the future to see what answers he might receive from the Force. "Changed not that has. Save Obi-Wan he cannot until face his past he does." Reopening his eyes and fixing Mace with a concerned look, Yoda continued, "Only too late I hope he is not."

++++++

It was the oddest sensation. He could hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears and yet…he couldn't feel his ears. Or his hands or his toes or anything else for that matter. He seemed to glide rather than walk; that part at least he had figured out how to do. He seemingly had no captor, no adversary to face.

Of course he also had no lightsaber and so was perfectly content to remain unseen. He found himself doing all sorts of odd things like walking through closed doors and floating in corners. Things that his mind told him were completely impossible and yet he was expending no extra effort and was still doing them.

He'd gotten quite a shock to find himself hovering over his own body, lying deathly still with his master sitting watchfully nearby. Was this what it felt like to die? Obi-Wan wondered curiously. He'd heard plenty of stories like this one, yet had never expected it to actually happen that way. Still…his heart was still beating. Something rather absurdly un- deathlike about that.

Obi-Wan shifted a little, gliding to the foot of the bed, moving his gaze from his own self to regard his Master. What he saw there nearly broke his heart.

Qui-Gon was stroking Obi-Wan's forehead gently with one hand, speaking softly, fairly willing his apprentice to come back to him. From where he hovered in observance, Obi-Wan could see the distressed expression his master wore; hear the worry in Qui-Gon's voice…see the single tear that slipped down into the brown beard.

Choking back his own emotions at seeing his master so distraught, Obi- Wan impulsively reached out a hand and brushed its insubstantial fingers across Qui-Gon's shoulder. He was rewarded by a strong shiver that suddenly coursed through Jinn's tall frame. Shocked and emboldened, Obi- Wan tried again and once more Qui-Gon shivered almost violently.

"Master! I'm here…" He called out but unsurprisingly the Jedi Knight could not hear him. "Sith!"

"Careful what you ask for, Learner, you might just get it."

Her voice? Obi-Wan whipped around, forgetting for the moment trying to contact his master. She was…well…sort of leaning on the doorframe, only she was also about six inches off the floor.

"Who are you?" He demanded of her for the second time. He was not about to be put off this time. The girl from his visions smiled at his persistence but then was all seriousness again.

"Learner, I can't maintain this for long so listen to me. You are still in danger even here. And by broadcasting your presence you place your master's life at risk as well. Leave him to his grief; with luck it will be short and unnecessary."

As suddenly as she'd appeared, the girl was gone and Obi-Wan was left wondering first of all what sort of danger he'd just placed Qui-Gon in; second of all he realized that he'd listened to her speak without pain or difficulty, and thirdly just what had she meant by 'with luck?'

"Don't you know how to fix this?" He shouted into empty air. There was no answer forthcoming. "Apparently not."

He hesitated, looking at Qui-Gon's anguished face once again before quickly walking through the nearest wall to try to find his way out of the House Inais.