Away: Chapter Four

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewing! Like I said before, I really appreciate it.

If you're reading this, review and tell me what you think... or else the ewok gets it. Pulls out blaster Nah, too messy.

There are two more chapters after this one.

After the commotion in the middle of the night, Obi-Wan had managed to rest. Rising at 0500, he and the rest of the Jedi found that the refugees were sleeping soundly, and after such a tiring night, would probably rest for a few more hours. The only work Obi-Wan would be doing for the next couple of hours was paperwork. And, he realized with a smile, he would have time to comm Siri.

Sitting down with his work, he dialed in Siri's frequency. He smirked, knowing that using his own comm instead of a Republic issued signal would make Siri know it was him.

"Obi-Wan!" Siri's voice was relaxed.

"Hi, love. How are you?"

"I'm good." He heard her stifle a yawn. "Tired. About to go back to bed."

"You're incredibly lazy."

"Well, I wouldn't be if your daughter ever slept. How are you?" This time, her yawn was more audible.

"Good. The mission's going well. We had to move some of the refugees. Just so you know, we're a little north of Tyrena right now."

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes. We had weather problems, so we transported everyone. I'm working on some temporary placement forms for some of the children--"

Obi-Wan stopped mid-sentence, knowing that Siri flinched when she heard that.

"How many are there? How bad is it?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I'd say about 250, may be more, may be less. We don't know how many are just separated, or really are orphans. I've seen this before, but..."

"But now it comes close to home," Siri answered him quietly.

"Yes, it does."

"Obi," she paused, "I think about it too. I wonder what will happen to her, if anything happens to us--"

"If anything happens, she'll have countless aunts and uncles to look after her." There was silence on both ends for a moment. Obi-Wan winced. He hadn't meant to upset Siri. But seeing the eyes of all those children, separated from their families, grieved him to no end. He tried to force the image out of his head of their child, lost and alone, that he had been having over the last couple of days. It bothered him to fill out the forms, each child just a number and a short summary of whatever medical information they could gather.

"I miss you--"

"Are you crying?"

"Kenobi, I-- I'm sorry. I can't help it. I was just thinking about the war. I feel her, I feel her all the time. What if she gets hurt, and we can't help her?"

"She'll be fine, love."

How many Corellian parents had said the same thing?

"I know. I'm sorry." Siri cleared her voice. "I have a doctor appointment today. I should probably go," she awkardly tried to change the subject.

"Siri, I love you."

"I love you too."

Obi-Wan was annoyed with himself -- this was the first time he'd managed to talk to her in three weeks, and he had made her cry. He turned back to his work, now even more distressed at the lack of warmth coming from it.

Three standard hours later, the morning meal was served in Camp 912. Obi-Wan leaned up against a wall, bowl of food in hand. He was talking to Mace Windu, who was planning to take inventory with Obi-Wan later in the day. Any passerby would have wondered why Obi-Wan tried to contain his excitement more and more as the two Jedi talked. Mace walked away, back to his make-shift office. Suddenly, Obi-Wan recognized the girl from the night before who had been so upset. She was alone, but looked at ease. He smiled and trotted up to her.

"Hello. How did you sleep?"

She smiled. Obi-Wan reasoned that she was about 19 standard years old. "Fine, thanks. It was much more comfortable than sleeping in a lake." Both of them laughed. He was happy that her mental well-being was better.

"How are your father and husband doing?"

"They're all right," she said softly. "Father has a lot of bandages covering his face right now, but he'll be fine." She paused. "My husband Wanolch is being questioned right now. I'm a little nervous."

"Don't worry about it," Obi-Wan said. "My friends understand. The clonetro-- that is, the officers, were completely out of line."

She nodded. "It's so overwheleming, just being here."

"Things should get a little more settled this afternoon. The Refugee Movement from a planet called Naboo will be here later today. They can help you and your family get things in order."

"Thank you, so much. Your group is going home?"

Obi-Wan smiled. "Yes, we're going home a couple of days early. My advisor informed me just a few minutes ago."

She walked over a series of counters that had limited, yet hearty morning meal food. Finishing his meal, Obi-Wan started toward Kit Fitso's quarters. While the Jedi did have responsibilities with people who had been misplaced by the war, the Nubian Relief Movement was better trained and better equipped for these situations. They were an organization that specialized in finding jobs and permanent residences for refugees. Kit, Mace and Obi-Wan were in charge of taking inventory of supplies, so that the Relief Movement would know what products were still needed. Obi-Wan knocked on Kit's door. The man opened it with a grave look on his face, walked out, and closed it.

"Is everything all right?" Obi-Wan was startled.

Kit let out a heavy sigh. "I started to take numbers of the emergency supplies. And you want to know what we're out of?"

"What?"

"Gauze bandages. And do you know why?"

"Probably not, but why?" Obi-Wan braced himself.

"Because Anakin wanted a hat."

Obi-Wan shut his eyes tight. "He wanted a hat?"

"Yes. He's in my office right now. I'll find Mace to help me with the rest of the medical inventory, if you can talk to Master Skywalker."

"Certainly."

Obi-Wan strode into Kit's office. Anakin sat in a chair facing Kit's desk, swung around to face Obi-Wan. Over the years, Anakin had developed a certain look when lying about his innocence. He would wear a humorless yet content smile, and would stare Obi-Wan right in the eye. However, he usually ended up blinking an awful lot, and Obi-Wan had of course caught on. Still, Anakin reasoned, it might work one day.

Obi-Wan towered over him, his arms crossed. "Anakin, do you have any idea what kind of tragedies could occurr if someone is seriously injured today before the Relief Movement arrives this afternoon?"

Anakin nodded his head thoughtfully, as if actually thinking about what Obi-Wan had said. "Yes, I see the need for concern. But really, wouldn't some bacta with wet-cast do the same job?"

"That's beside the point, Anakin." He paused, thinking of how to phrase his next question. "Master Fitso told me you were making a hat. Is this true?"

"Well... it IS a pretty hat," Anakin answered. Realizing that Obi-Wan's shade of red wasn't usually this bright, even when angry, he decided to explain himself. "Uhh, you see, it was mostly Aayla's fault. This morning, before everyone woke up, some of us got bored, so we decided to play a little sabaac..." Obi-Wan started to mumble meditation exercises to himself.

Anakin continued. "Me and Aayla were the only ones still in. I knew I had her beat, but I had nothing to bet with. All she had was a broken hydrospanner, but I had to win anyway. So, I went looking for something, and I found some gauze no one was using. I made it into a big ball -- it was a LOT of gauze, Obi-Wan -- and hollowed out part of it. I came back, and everyone asked me what it was--"

Obi-Wan stared straight ahead.

"-- and I told them, it's a hat. And Aayla forfeited. Can you believe that? She said that there was no point in playing anymore, if that was the reward, but I bet she was just jealous and scared to lose to me. Can you believe that, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan's expression was blank. "You'll be helping the Relief Movement unpack all of their supplies when they get in this afternoon. You'll be assisting them in categorizing every single speck of dust that comes off that ship. Do you understand?"

"But--!"

"General's orders," he said sternly. And he walked out to find Mace and Kit, mumbling about gray hairs.

Siri sat on a metal table in the Healers' Ward, putting her arms back through her tunic.

Bant, Obi-Wan and Siri's childhood friend and Temple healer, looked at a displayed file. "She'll probably be up to full-term weight in two weeks."

"What?" Siri quickly swung her head toward Bant.

Bant nodded. "We might have been off a little on her conception date, and she is growing rather quickly," she smiled. "She might be a little early."

Siri's eyes grew wide. Two weeks until you're here? "Are you sure?"

"Well, she'll certainly be here before your original due date, yes."

Siri bit her lip, taking it all in. If this was true, then their baby would be almost a month early. "Obi-Wan will be back in one week," she said to Bant, grinning. "I have to see if I can talk to him again today." The two friends embraced. Walking back to her quarters, Siri dialed Obi-Wan's frequency -- and he had dialed hers' at the same time.

"Hello," each one answered, confused.

To be continued. Huzzah!