Qui Gon looked at Leila out of the corner of his eye.

She had not wanted to come with him on this mission and that in itself had hurt. But Yoda had taken her aside and spoken quietly to her and she had last agreed to go. But she had not spoken to him since he had told her that he had refused Obi Wan.

"Leila, you'll have to talk to me sooner or later."

They where on the ramp of their ship, the Monument, an old Cireelian barge, pocked and scared from meteor hits.

Leila stopped in the doorway and turned to look at him. Her eyes where frosty and her voice tinged with politeness. She spoke to him as she did any other stranger. "What makes you think so?" Then she disappeared inside.

Qui Gon almost cursed in his frustration. But stopped himself in time. He entered the ship and started off in the same direction Leila had gone.

Everywhere on the Monument enormous Hutts slithered about like giant slugs. Whiphids stalked the corridors and tall Arconans with triangular heads and glittering eyes moved in small groups.

Qui Gon sighed as Leila opened the door to their stateroom and sat down on one of the beds. She drew her knees up and rested her chin on them. She closed her eyes. If Qui Gon hadn't known better, he would have thought she was meditating. He sat down on the bed across from her and waited patiently. He didn't have to wait long.

Her violet eyes snapped open. "What?" she snapped.

He held her gaze. "We need to talk."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"I have much to say to you," retorted Qui Gon.

Large tears filled her eyes but she didn't move or speak.

"Leila…" Qui Gon's words trailed off. he sighed. "I'm sorry."

She looked at him for a long moment. "For what?"

"That I could not take Obi Wan as my Padawan. I…"His words trailed off again.

"You haven't let go of Xanatos yet."

"Leila," warned Qui Gon. He refused to discuss Xanatos with most everyone. He occasionally talked about him to Leila but today was not one of those days.

Anger blazed through Leila's eyes and she leapt to her feet in a single gracefully movement. "You haven't! And don't even say that you have. You've let him destroy far more than you know. including Obi Wan's dreams!" She ran to the door and jerked it open. She turned, her crystal eyes filled with tears. "What will you do one day if he comes between us!"

Leila!" cried Qui Gon as he stood.

She turned and ran down the corridor. Her tears where blinding her so she didn't see the human woman with red hair and bright green eyes. She ran smack into the woman.

The woman caught her before she fell backwards. "I'm…"

"I'm sorry. Please, excuse me." She started to slip past the woman but the woman stopped her.

"Are you one of the Jedi?"

Leila looked at her. "I am." She quickly dashed her angry tears from her eyes. "How can I be of service to you?"

"I'm Clat'Ha, the chief operations manager of Arconan Harvest."

"I'm Leila Jinn."

Clat'Ha tilted her head. "Then you're the one I'm looking for. I found the young Jedi boy. He said he's going to work for the Agricultural Corps."

Leila gasped. "Obi Wan!"

"Yes," said Clat'Ha. "He tangled with a Hutt."

Leila went pale and she gripped the woman's arm in a painful grip. "Where is he?"

Leila burst into the room and ran over to Obi Wan's side.

He was lying on the bed, either sleeping or unconscious.

Leila knelt by him. "Obi Wan?" She touched his forehead. "Oh Obi Wan!" she pressed her cheek to his hot forehead for a moment. Slowly she rose to her feet. "What happened?"

Clat'Ha shrugged slightly. "I found him. All he said was that he tangled with a Hutt."

"But why did the Hutt hurt him?" asked Leila.

"Why do the Hutts do anything they do? The boy stepped right into the middle of a war. He's lucky to be alive."

Leila faced her. "What war?"

"Offworld's war. You haven't heard of them either?"

"I've heard of no war."

"They're one of the oldest and richest mining companies in the galaxy. Miners who get in their way tend to die. No one knows who owns Offworld."

"Who's the leader here?"

"The leader of the ship who is going to Bandomeer is a Hutt by the name of Jemba."

"Did Jemba beat him?" asked Leila quietly.

"There's no way of knowing until later," said Clat'Ha. "He's ruthless enough to."

"What makes him so ruthless?"

"Half of his workers will be the Whiphid slaves. And strange accidents happen around him all the time."

"Accidents that aren't really accidents?"

"Exactly," said Clat'Ha. "I think Obi Wan stumbled onto their side of the ship by accident."

Leila's eyes flashed. "Well, we'll see what they have to say when I 'stumble' over there."

"Is he alright though?" asked Clat'Ha anxiously. "He kept calling your name over and over in his sleep."

Leila looked at him sadly and touched his forehead. "That's no sleep, Clat'Ha. He's got a fever."

Qui Gon looked up as the door flew open and Leila ran into the room. He came to his feet instantly when he saw the look on her face. "Where's have you been? What happened?"

She ran to him, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I need your help."

Qui Gon caught her. He turned her face to his. "What's happened?"

"It's Obi Wan."

Qui Gon's eyes narrowed. "What of him?"

"He's here."

"On this ship?" In truth, Qui Gon had spent the last hour thinking of the boy.

"Yes. And he's hurt."

"How?" demanded Qui Gon instantly.

"A Hutt. I'm frightened for him, Father. He's got a fever."

Obi Wan was dreaming. He was back in the Temple and walking among the star maps. He stopped before the system of Bandomeer. And a hologram appeared in front of him, of a long dead Master. "Bandomeer: the place where you will die if you're not carefully." The hologram faded and Leila took its place. She was speaking to him, but for the life of him, he couldn't hear what she was saying.

Qui Gon touched the boy's head. "He's got a bad fever." He instantly wrapped Obi Wan in the thin blanket from the bed and lifted him. "We must take him to the sickbay."