References made to Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice "The Defenders of the Dead" by Jude Watson. Slight Spoiler.
CHAPTER TWO
Obi-Wan's fingers lightly traced over the largest rose carved into the filigree heart he held in his hand as he sat in the lounge of the councillor's ship.
He and his Master had been searching for the princess for over a year now and he was beginning to wonder if they would ever find her. All the leads they had discovered took them to dead ends. It was as if someone or something was orchestrating the whole mission and planting the evidence that led them on such wild bantha chases.
The latest clue discovered was outside of the palace gate, where a single drop of blood had been found on a stone that sat next to a path wandering into the Theed forest that stretched beyond the palace grounds.
The drop of blood did not belong to the princess. However, it did belong to a race of beings who had not been known to have ever set foot on Naboo. The Gorax. Though it made little sense that a Gorax would have come to Naboo to kidnap the princess, Qui-Gon had insisted on following up on every possible lead.
Obi-Wan tucked the locket and chain back into his tunic, glanced out of the port window and released a sigh. It was going to be another dead end. He could feel it in his heart. The Gorax were solitary and primitive hunters from Endor. They dwelled in underground caves and there could be no possible motive for taking the princess of Naboo. There was also the fact that they were a nocturnal species, and the princess supposedly had been taken during the daylight hours.
But, they were getting desperate.
He could sense this desperation in Qui-Gon's voice as he informed him of their latest destination. Never before had the Force led them astray as it had been, and never before had he seen his Master lose hope. Obi-Wan looked up from his perch, hearing the approaching footfalls of his Master.
"Obi-Wan. I'm afraid that if this next search does not lead us to discover the princess or reveal any solid evidence, we are going to have to go back to Coruscant."
"But Master!" Obi-Wan broke in, revealing much more emotion than he had intended.
"No arguments from you, Padawan. Master Yoda needs us back at the Temple. There are more important missions that we must attend to."
'More important than a young girl's life? How could his Master be so cold?' Obi-Wan watched as Qui-Gon moved back toward the cockpit and he checked his mental shields.
He had not felt this concerned over the outcome of a mission since he was thirteen and had renounced his Jedi vows in order to join a group of teenage rebels fighting a civil war. At the time, it seemed like a just cause and Qui-Gon had been so unreasonable. But then, Cerasi, one of the rebel leaders and Obi-Wan's good friend had been killed, and the others soon turned against him. For the first time in his life, he had felt utterly alone.
Obi-Wan's hand absentmindedly patted the locket that was hidden inside his tunic. He would not make the same mistake as he had made with Cerasi. He was not going to let the princess die. She was alive. He could feel it. However, he also would not go against Qui-Gon and the Jedi Council again. He had already learned that lesson.
But he could not help but feel that if they had somehow missed something. If they did not find anything on Endor and abandoned this search to go back to the Temple, they would be making a terrible mistake.
Obi-Wan's feet tripped on a tangled mass of vines as he tried to keep up with Qui-Gon's running stride. He could still hear the roaring cry of the Gorax behind them who had pursued them out of his cave into the darkness of the forest.
The last two days had been quite challenging. Consulting with the Ewoks who thrived on the planet, they were lucky to even be able to locate a Gorax, and then when they did, Obi-Wan could not help but be somewhat intimidated by the creature's size. The one they had found stood around ten meters tall. And then there was the difficulty in explaining their reason for seeking him out. The Gorax language was so crude that even Qui-Gon had trouble communicating with the giant.
While attempting to do so, Qui-Gon must have said something wrong, because the next thing Obi-Wan saw in the dimness of the cave was the firelit reflection of a club swinging toward his head. He had ducked just in time, thank the Force, but the huge beast retaliated quickly, bringing forth a stave, his angered roar loud enough to crumble down rocks from the ceiling of the cave.
The size of the beast, the difficulty communicating with him, the complete lack of motive for a kidnapping, and the threat of the cave collapsing upon their heads, the Jedi felt retreat was best. They moved quickly through the forest, with the furious Gorax hot on their trail.
Obi-Wan called upon the Force and leapt over a fallen tree, keeping Qui-Gon within his sight. They came to an open field and immediately headed toward their ship. Once inside, Obi-Wan began the takeoff procedures while Qui-Gon contacted the council.
The younger Jedi listened with trepidation and concern. This was their last chance. They would have to go back to Naboo and inform the still-mourning parents that their daughter was lost to them, possibly forever. They had failed.
The ship lurched up into the atmosphere of the forest moon as Obi-Wan slammed the throttle forward, with much more aggression than he should have.