SIXTEEN

Iya remained at Obi-Wan's side as Qui-Gon carried on his conversation with the Jedi healer out in the hallway. His hand was still tucked in both of hers, slender fingers loosely curled. He had rather exquisite hands for a Jedi; even more so for a human male at that. They were slim hands not given to thick palms or stubby fingers. Yet she could tell even in this slack posture that they were also powerful hands, strong from training and graceful from handling a lightsaber.

The rest of him was similarly compact yet strong; the outline of muscles hardened from years of conditioning just visible beneath the thin blanket that covered him. He had the sort of jaw-line that Iya could easily imagine set in stubbornness, and yet his features were rather youthful, belying his twenty-two years. She studied him carefully; in all of her sessions with him, she had never been focused enough to get as good a look at him as he had of her.

Iya recalled her first sight of him at the reception, walking alongside his master, his stride easy and loose, giving him the appearance of more height than he actually possessed; confident without being arrogant, comfortable in his role and what was expected of him.

His master…

My father.

Iya unconsciously tightened her grip on Obi-Wan's hand, pausing a moment to glance back through the small pane of glass set in the door; she could just see the back of the Jedi Master's head as he continued his discussion with Obuk. She wasn't quite sure what she'd been expecting in a father, should she ever find him, but she wasn't sure she expected him.

Qui-Gon Jinn was certainly a very interesting individual. The few conversations they'd shared so far had revealed him to be an extremely intelligent, compassionate man, marked by the calm and peaceful demeanor most Jedi displayed. He was a tall man; finally she began to see where she'd inherited some of her features; she shared his tall build and intensely blue eyes and gentle humor. He was, Iya decided, the sort of man she could grow to like…even love…as a father-figure, and she smiled a little. Finally she belonged somewhere.

Just as this one did, she thought as she gazed back down on Obi-Wan's silent form. She knew little enough about the ways of the Jedi but one thing she did know was that the masters and the apprentices among them often formed their own family relationship of sorts. The ties that bound them were stronger than death, or so it was fabled. And from Qui-Gon's steady, quiet, troubled concern over Obi-Wan's condition, she judged the stories to be quite true.

"Kasha…" She murmured the Bahreeni word for 'brother.' "Well…sort of."

"He would like you, I'm sure."

Iya was startled to see her father return to the room, his robe swaying with the motion of his steps. For all his imposing height he too was graceful, like his student, lithe and catlike. Quite likely he could sneak up on most anyone with little difficulty.

"I…don't know about that. I'm not used to having much in the way of…family." She said it awkwardly, stumbling over the last word as she suddenly realized what that sounded like, closing her eyes and inwardly cursing herself for the hurtful implications of her statement.

Qui-Gon indeed did feel the initial stab of guilt, but at the same moment he felt her contrition and he knew she had not meant it as an accusation. Still…Code or not, Ina's pleading with the Council on his behalf or not, perhaps he should have stepped aside and returned to Bahreen with her and raised his daughter with her. Perhaps if he had…

Iya saw him close his eyes tightly and through the Force she could sense his feelings and thoughts, swirling tightly around him like a tidal pool, emotions and regrets that had been buried for two decades. Releasing her hold on Obi-Wan's hand, she crossed the few paces' distance between them and reached up to place a hand on his chest.

"Dajo." She said softly, speaking the affectionate Bahreeni term for 'papa' and Qui-Gon's breath stilled in his throat for a moment. Had he really heard what he thought he had? Traditionally the term was reserved for the use of the eldest child of the House. "Nanii v'n ketero v'ndi chah." (Mother would want you to be at peace.)

Jinn was hard pressed now not to break down entirely; true it was that for the Jedi there was 'no emotion, only the Force' but he was only human. Force take him, he was only human and he had the scars and tears to prove it. It was enough that he could hear Ina's voice in his daughter's, and he abruptly but not ungently pulled her to himself in a tight embrace; his strong arms enfolding her to his heart.

They stood there like that for a long moment, just listening to each other breathe and feeling the other's heart; Qui-Gon slowly releasing the long pent-up feelings into the Force as they did. Finally Qui-Gon loosened his hold on his daughter and placed his hands on her shoulders, bringing her a pace away to look at him.

"You've had a lonely growing up, Iya. I promise you it will not be so any longer. You'll come back to Coruscant with me and Obi-Wan; I know that the Council will not refuse you a place among us, even though you won't be able to take the training." He sounded a bit more confident than he felt; he was not certain how the Council would react to the news of his fatherhood, albeit an absent and hidden one. Still, he felt sure that it was the will of the Force that had returned them to one another and he could not imagine the Force splitting them apart again now. "Would you like that? To come back with us?" He was surprised at the hesitation in his voice and realized he was afraid she would turn him down!

Iya looked up at her father sharply. Such an invitation! To go to the Jedi Temple had been a dream, just to see for herself…but to live there? To start over again and perhaps give her father a second chance… His midnight blue eyes were so hopeful looking, waiting patiently for her answer.

"Yes." She said softly, respectfully. The smile that graced her father's face was something she hadn't been prepared for, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"He will like you." Qui-Gon repeated, knowing Obi-Wan's mischievous side all too well. "Your memory of a hair-pulling doesn't surprise me at all." Iya looked at him in surprise and Qui-Gon spread his hands slightly. "One thing you will learn at the Temple is a finer control of your abilities. Your thoughts are very strong and undisciplined." He chuckled a little. "Not unlike a young Padawan who broke several windows while learning how to Force-hit." Obi-Wan, obviously. "Are you ready to try to locate Obi-Wan?"

Iya nodded, already feeling herself instinctively gathering up all her energies. Qui-Gon handed her a datapad, the same one that Obuk had give him. "Look that over and see if it makes sense to you with what you know how to do. I'll be there…" Qui-Gon motioned to the small balcony that lined this room as well. "…when you're ready to proceed."

++++++

It was not unlike being chained to a wall or something. The dark force used by the senator-elect to confine him here held him absolutely motionless; even Obi-Wan's field of vision was limited by his inability to move. And he was quite alone. Wherever she had disappeared to, he had no clue but he wasn't overly anxious for her to return either.

His thoughts were in a jumbled mass; everything from what he'd been told by Nacena to worries for his Master's safety to wondering about the Hopefuls. Why had that young one directed him to the Blue House to begin with? Especially one so prescient with the Force?

And what could he possibly do to change the situation? That he was captive here was bad enough. That he was…a ghost or whatever was ridiculous. That he was allowing his emotions and frustration to run away with him now was intolerable.

Obi-Wan closed his "eyes" and allowed himself to react naturally, as he had been taught, to reach deep down into the core of his being and touch the Force. It wasn't the first time since his disembodiment that he had attempted to find his center, but for some odd reason this time it was the most successful. Stretching into the feeling, he allowed it to permeate his thoughts, ordering the disorder and calming anxieties.

That done, he tentatively stretched out, flinging a line into the master-apprentice bond. He hoped.

Would it stretch far enough to reach Qui-Gon in an alternate state of existence?

"Luminous beings we are," Yoda had taught often and taught well. "Inside this shell we live, hmm?"

Well…

Obi-Wan strained as hard as he could, putting as much of himself into the Force-fed contact as possible. One luminous being should be able to reach across any distance to find another of his kind, right?

Right?

Master! He called out desperately. Master, I'm here!

Force, would Qui-Gon even hear?

Obi-Wan felt himself weakening; he knew he would not be able to keep this up for long. Gathering himself up for one last strong attempt, he fairly strained against his restraints with the effort.

MASTER!