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Chap 11

/Obi-Wan…/

"Sense him, do you?"

Qui-Gon remained silent, sitting cross-legged and bare-chested before the elder green Jedi Master. Yoda furrowed his brow in concentration, his mind and energy with the tall man before him.

Yoda suspected that Obi-Wan was at incredible distance, perhaps on the rim itself. Thus, he called the force to him and funneled it, sharpening it, molding it to Qui-Gon, in an attempt to reach the boy through a faltering learner bond. Yoda allowed his concentration to slip for a split second, upset that the bond had faltered at all. Yoda had sensed that there were issues between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, but such a rift – The green master was called back to attention when Qui-Gon grunted. Rivets of sweat began to drip down him, his hands twitching slightly.

Quickly, his eyes flew open.

"I felt him, master! I felt him," He whispered, "He did not fight me, and it was only but a moment –" He closed his eyes, the extremely brief touch of his padawan's mind a soothing balm to his haggard emotional state. His padawan was alive. Thank the force. As long as he could find him, get to him –

Make amends.

Yoda stood. Qui-Gon blinked as the elder master jabbed him affectionately with his gimmer stick. The small creature was about to speak when the sound of running feet echoed into the chamber.

"Masters," Mace Windu said heavily, a sheen of sweat on his brow as he jogged into the council chambers. Yoda frowned, his ears perking.

"Disturbed, you are," Yoda said, turning.

"There's a situation."

Yoda raised his head, closing his eyes… yes. A disturbance. Nearby. Faint, but readable in the swirling nature of the force. He opened his large, luminous eyes.

"The senate."

Windu nodded, struggling to catch his breath.

"Some kind of terrorists-"

"Gather the Jedi Knights at the temple, and masters. Allowed, such a thing will not be in our presence." The small master said with a touch of something dark in his voice.

Qui-Gon stood, towering over the small master. He frowned, pulling his hair away from his face.

"What do you sense, master?"

Yoda looked upwards to Jinn.

"Darkness and blood."

0ooooooooooooooooooo0

Obi-Wan rested his back against a winding pale red tree in the gardens, his mind a whirl.

He swore he felt him. For the first time in months since Kinah, and Tahl, he swore he felt his master's presence in his mind.

He wasn't quite sure what he thought about that.

Despite his time on the beautiful, sunlit world of Ghan and the proud people who inhabited it, he hadn't forgotten those last few days at the temple. The pain, knowing he wasn't good enough. The confusion of the saber tournement. The way his master held Kinah before he passed out. Each memory was like a dagger, piercing and unrelenting, reminding him that he lived still in Xanatos's shadow, and now the shadow of Kinah and Tahl.

And yet, and oh, he hated himself for it, he missed his master. More than anything, missed his calm smile, his poise, missed his lessons, missed being important…

The boy was pulled out of his musings when several figures entered the yard. Obi-Wan sensed through the force, and after a few days, he could now identify the cool, gray swirling signature as Spire, her presence both soothing and unnerving within the force. As the figures came into view, Obi-Wan saw Spire, her posture stiff, walking beside an extravagantly decorated Bareli, followed by a few men and woman Obi-Wan did not know. The party veered off to the left, out of Obi-Wan's sight.

"Something troubles you."

Obi-Wan started, swooping his face upwards. Spire stood before him, hands clasped behind her. Her posture and body language were confusing – she seemed to ask out of concern but her posture was not comforting, but tightly reigned, at attention. He supposed he had never seen her any other way.

"I felt my master in my mind," he said bluntly, gripping his knees.

Spire's expression did not change. "You are surprised? He is most likely concerned for your welfare and is searching for you."

"And why would he do that? He has other padawans to attend to."

"Has he really done that much damage?" Spire asked, still looking down, but her eyes seemed to soften just a bit. The boy said nothing. Spire inhaled deeply, tilting her head back as the sunlight bathed her face. She held herself there for a moment, then looked back to the boy.

"Come with me."

She did not offer her hand, so Obi-Wan pulled himself upwards, mimicking her and clasping his hands behind his back. She led him from the garden, into the corridors. He followed silently, behind and to the left. Spire glanced back at him.

"You are not my padawan and I am certainly not a Master. Walk beside me, Obi-Wan," she scolded. He sped up to walk beside her. She pushed a large door open, one he'd never seen and suddenly he was all but blinded by sunlight. He staggered after her, the breeze strong against his skin, ruffling his hair. As the boy's eyes adjusted, he found them outside, amidst a lavish yard. He whirled around and his jaw dropped. The building that housed the Scion was large, very large and beautiful, it stretched high into the sky. Banners with the symbols he'd seen inside were streaming in the breeze, accenting the decorations of the architecture.

"Boy!"

Obi-Wan whirled. Spire was at the edge of the lawn, standing beside some kind of vehicle. The padawan jogged to her. She opened the side of the craft, and motioned the boy inside. She joined him after he was in.

"Where are we going?"

"To meet an old friend of mine."

"Oh…"

Bright sea green eyes peered excitedly out the window. The city of Bastieel was alive, but in the same sense as Coruscant. Coruscant was a city of proud metal that towered above its inhabitants. Bastieel was more colorful, its buildings a fusion of technology and ancient carved stone. People with smiling, happy faces were speedily passed by the vehicle. Obi-Wan reached tenderly into the force and found no darkness, only light.

"It's the glory of this place," Spire said, not looking at Obi-Wan but glancing out the opposite window. "Peace and tranquillity reign here. No murders, no hatred, little greed and general good lives are led. Its something you rarely find in many of the republic's worlds."

The craft made a sharp left, the inertia pushing Obi-Wan against Spire. She glanced at him, but said nothing.

"Come."

She exited the craft, and Obi-Wan followed. A huge steel gate stood tall before them. On either side of the gate was weathered, ancient stone with foreign carvings inlayed deep and inked with a color the shade of blood.

"This place looks important."

Spire said nothing, but went up to the gates and stood before the lock. The lock seemed made of stone as well. Spire knelt to one knee, and placed her brow to the stone. A moment later, the gates began to creak open. Spire stood and turned, motioning for Obi-Wan to follow.

They entered a grassy lawn, its edges mounted with large craggy rocks. Several statues of what looked like ancient knights lined the path to the entrance way.

"Who are they?" Obi-Wan asked as they ventured into the park, or whatever it was.

"Brave knights whose lives were lived for the people of Ghan and its allied nations. Scehault Knights."

As they walked, their shadows grew longer as noontime passed. The grasses grew taller and the rocks came closer to the path.

Spire walked off the path, into the rock and grass. Obi-Wan felt a tingle of something on the edge of his force sense. There… was something here.

"Have you noticed a theme in Ghan?" Spire asked, "The star? The feline? The colors?"

"I thought it was just regal, red and gold," Obi-Wan answered, thumbing his lightsaber in tension. Oh yes. There was something here.

"Be without fear, Obi-Wan," Spire said softly. "And stay very still."

Spire knelt, settling to her knees and lowering her head, clasping her hands before her. Obi-Wan also sank to his knees, nerves trembling. He felt as if he was being watched…

His heart jumped into his throat with fear as a large, and I mean… large… feline soundlessly emerged from the tall grasses before them. His eyes flitted nervously to Spire, but she paid no heed to the approaching large cat. Obi-Wan fought the urge to scamper away as fast as his thirteen year old legs would carry him. Surely Spire knew the cat was there?

The feline's dark eyes noted Obi-Wan, but trained on Spire. The large cat came forward, his weight shifting, muscles shuddering as it moved. It came to a halt before Spire, and sat heavily on its haunches. It regarded Spire silently, who's head was still down. It cocked its head, its fur wavering lazily in the wind.

Though the force, Obi-Wan heard Spire speak –

/Good Father…/

The feline then gently butted his head into Spire's. Spire unclasped her hands, and brought one up to gently touch the creature's face. The cat then straightened, accessing the boy. Spire turned.

"Obi-Wan. This, is a Scehault lion." The cat turned, his eyes drinking in the sight of the padawan. It was unlike any cat he'd ever seen –

It was a golden tan color, with darker but not so noticeable tan stripes down its backside and shoulders. It looked like an adolescent lion, it did not have a full mane, but tuffs of a deep red fur that spanned its forehead to the middle of its spine. A unique design of red short fur lined its golden face, encircling its eyes. Another design that reminded Obi-Wan of the star of Ghan was displayed on its shoulders. It was large – standing over four feet tall and many feet in length. It looked massive, and now that Obi-Wan stared into its dark eyes, it seemed somewhat… intelligent.

"The Scehault lions are the symbol of Ghan, our honor, our nobility. They have lived on these lands longer than the alliance has been in existence. You've noticed their statues, it says they protect us from evil."

The boy nodded, still in awe of the huge beast before him.

"You… called him good father?"

Spire nodded. "When I first came here, I was distraught, just as I sensed you were earlier. Bareli brought me here to inspire courage… and I was much surprised to realize that these creatures not only have a level of intelligence, but they are force sensitive."

The padawan nodded, still on edge. The Scehault huffed.

/Young Boy Far Home/

Obi-Wan jumped, the voice a low growl in his mind. The feline blinked, cocking his head, one ear flattening.

Spire joined in the conversation, nodding.

/He travels far for our wisdom/

The lion stood, padding around them. Obi-Wan willed himself to face forward.

/He Hurts, Pain/

Spire reached out, touched Obi-Wan's shoulder. The boy inhaled, it was the first kind gesture he'd ever received from her.

/He runs from it, his father wounds him, blind/

Obi-Wan swallowed hard.

The feline was behind him and the boy could feel its hot breath on the back of his neck.

/Honor Calls Boy Home. Home Holds Cure. Blind Will See Again/

"How can he know?" Obi-Wan asked, suddenly shaking with emotion. Spire squeezed her hand gently. The lion growled low.

/Scehault Knight Will Follow/

Spire dropped her hand immediately.

/Good Father… I serve you and The Code, I cannot-/

The cat stood before Spire, his eyes bright.

/Follow And Protect. Follow Code/

The lion put up a massive paw, and Obi-Wan struggled to remain still. A large, black claw emerged from its fore toe, and it touched it to the boy's brow. It felt cool on his skin. He trembled.

/He Child Of Light. So Are You Again. Protect Him As I Protected You/

Spire was not pleased, that much Obi-Wan could tell. Her calm demeanor evaporated some, but she nodded stiffly and bowed her head again, her thick brown hair falling before her eyes.

/You know I can't go back there, they won't even look at me after what I've done…/

The large cat moved forward, and rested his jaw and head past her shoulder, his soft neck against hers. A low purring emanated from the creature, and Spire sighed.

0oooooooooooooooooo0

Obi-Wan sat in silence as the craft carried he and Spire back to the capitol building. He let his head drop back against the plush of the seat, the dying light of sunset warming his face. Spire sat stiffly, arms crossed as she stared outside with a furrowed brow. The padawan sighed, recapping on the last few hours. He could practically feel the breath of the Lion on his neck. As they passed the streets of Bastieel, now he could recognize carvings, paintings, sculptures of the Scehault Lion everywhere, now that he knew what they were.

Closing his eyes, the swaying of the craft lulled the boy into a half sleep. He drifted, not really aware when suddenly,

"Augh!" Obi-Wan cried out, grabbing at his head. Spire jumped, eyes widening.

"What is it!" Spire inquired with a hint of panic in her voice, watching the boy wince in pain.

Obi-Wan didn't know, didn't know, it hurt, it was pain it was –

Not his own pain.

He didn't know what was going on, but for the second time that day, he felt the presence of his master in his mind. And this time, it was not pleasant. Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong.

Suddenly, a wall erupted in his mind, crude, but effective. It blocked the intolerable pain that was streaming into his mind. He struggled to consciousness, trying to fight the darkness that was descending –

He came too in the back of the craft, cradled by Spire's lap and arms.

"W.. what was that?" The boy murmured, bringing a hand to rub his head.

Spire looked down.

"I believe your training bond is not as severed as you believed it to be."

Obi-Wan eyes got large as dinner plates.

"Master! My master, something is wrong-"

"Yes, I gathered."

"I have to help him! I have to –" the boy stopped. He blinked furiously, "I – I don't know what I can think about his ignoring me, the way he treats me, but I still – I still care for him. I care a great deal."

She nodded down at him, "I understand."

"Can I go back!"

"It is your choice."

Obi-Wan paused, "W-Will you come with me?"

Silence filled the cabin of the craft. She did not respond. At that moment, the vehicle slowed, and came to a stop. Spire lifted the boy, and stepped out into the new dusk. Obi-Wan followed, wobbling somewhat from the onslaught. He paused, to try and collect his thoughts, his feelings, and turned again to Spire, but she was already at the doors and entering the building. She did not turn around to face him.

Obi-Wan looked into the new starry night sky. His master was out there somewhere, and something… was not right.