Content Warning: This chapter features a scene ending in a shut door, and some unintentionally suggestive comments. All with humorous intentions, but if it's not your thing, I am sorry.

Chapter 30 - Excuses

The Jedi were using an abandoned waystation about a quarter mile from the slavers' compound to set up their operation. Knights and a few Padawans were carrying equipment and screens everywhere, but Obi-Wan's eyes didn't rest on any of them. After scanning the room, he turned to Yoda and asked, "Siri. Where's Siri?"

"Siri here, you will not find." Yoda smirked. "Zora, that way is."

Obi-Wan followed the Grandmaster's stick to a room behind a closed door. He went to it and knocked.

A few seconds later the door opened and the sight of the woman behind it took the young knight's breath away. While Siri had blond hair and smooth white skin, with gentle baby blue eyes, Zora had hair dyed a rusty red. She had dark tattoos over her exposed flesh. Even her face was marred by jagged points of ink specifically designed to match those on her armor. Her eyes, while the same color, were haunted and fierce.

"Sir-i," The girl glared at him in disappointment. The end of the word caught in Obi-Wan's mouth.

'Poor Boy,' Yoda thought. It really was starting to look like a miracle of the Force itself that Abigail even existed.

Obi-Wan gulped. "Aa-Anakin wanted me to wish you well." She seemed to smile a little and Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief. "He said to serve them well-done, which is a code word for 'kick their butts.'"

"Is that really why you've come? To deliver a message," She asked.

Obi-Wan looked to be zapped by some stray electric charge. "No. I… I wanted to show my support as well. Only I didn't know if you'd want to hear it, S-ss-Zora."

'Hmm. Learn, the boy does.' Yoda cocked his head.

Her smirk became devious, and she placed a hand up near his neck. "Wanna come in?" she moved closer to whisper.

"Ah-I don't know. It depends on what my girlfriend would think," Obi-Wan said in a flirtatious voice.

This made her laugh. Obi-Wan's eyes went wide as she pulled him into the room, shutting the door again behind them.

Yoda chuckled as he went back to work. He knew the woman was tense. Every Jedi in the immediate area could probably feel her anxiety, and he hoped spending some time with the young man would help.

"Where has Obi-Wan gone? He was just here." Master Even Piell asked, looking around.

"With our Shadow, he is." The man still stood there with a questioning gaze, so Yoda added, "Playing Dejarik, they are." They say he's too old to know what's going on with today's youth. Yoda says today's youth doesn't know how to be subtle.

"Dejarik! Is now really the time for games?" Even protested.

"Help prepare her mind for what's ahead, it will." Yoda stated.

"Oh, well. I guess I can understand that. He asked to sit with us in the control room. I was going to tell him I have a seat prepared."

"Send him along, I will," Yoda said.

Master Ki-Adi-Mundi sat in what was a hastily set up control room for their operation in the nearby slaver's compound. In front of him was a computer that connected to a wire their shadow agent would wear. On the other side was a screen with a map of the area and a little gold dot to indicate Knight Tachi, still in the building they were in now.

"No. That chair is reserved for Knight Kenobi." Even waved off another knight.

"Where is Knight Kenobi? I thought he'd be here." Ki-Adi asked.

"Yoda says he's helping Knight Tachi prepare with a game of Dejarik. He'll be here when they are finished," Even answered.

"Oh, that will be good for her. A logical game to center the mind. I should've suggested it." Ki-Adi added. "Help me test this equipment, will you?" He waved to the computer nearest to him.

By the time they were finished testing the transmitters and receivers that would communicate with Knight Tachi, Obi-Wan entered their control room.

"Ah, Knight Kenobi. Come here. I've reserved a chair for you." Even said. "Yoda told us what you were doing with Knight Tachi."

The knight's eyes grew bigger in an expression of surprise. "H-He told you?"

"Yes. Though I would have thought it would take you longer. It usually takes me a good hour, or more sometimes," Ki-Adi stated.

Obi-Wan blushed.

"I'm sure a knight with Tachi's experience," Even defended. "He lasted as long as he could…"

Obi-Wan turned to him, still looking surprised. 'But was he not expecting Master Piell to defend him,' Ki-Adi questioned himself.

Ki-Adi interrupted his friend. "I wouldn't assume anything. After all, Kenobi was trained by Master Jinn. Did he teach you his Zeltron Gambit move?

"What!" Obi-Wan questioned. "No… I mean, he never said anything about…"

"I should offer you a lesson then. If the situation were to repeat itself, it could be helpful. Yes, come to my quarters tonight."

"Oooh, can I attend?" Even asked.

"Well I don't mind, if it's okay with Kenobi…" He left it hanging, looking at the knight.

Obi-Wan was looking back and forth between them, completely speechless. "Uhhhhhhhh,"

"It'll be great! The three of us will have such fun. I do try to stay practiced, but it's hard when you only have yourself to play with."

Kenobi blinked several times.

"The question remains, was Siri completely satisfied with your earlier efforts? If she still needs it, I could offer to…" Ki-Adi asked.

"No!" Obi-Wan shouted, interrupting Ki-Adi.

The master's brow crossed in confusion.

"Unnecessary that is. Leaving now, Zora is." Yoda walked through and interrupted. For some reason Obi-Wan was not giving him eye contact.

Yoda didn't care though. He walked up to a screen in the room, and the yellow dot that represented Knight Tachi was moving.

Zora looked up at one of the suns as she stepped out of the small shuttle, stripped of any markings indicating its origin and beaten up to make it look like a stolen ship. It was the best the Jedi could do without much notice.

A blaster went off and she stepped aside in just enough time to avoid it. She pulled out a vibroblade and jumped around to hold the shooter by the neck.

"You insolent scum! I am a superior. You'll be lucky if the boss doesn't hear about this."

It was unclear if his arms went up because of her threat to his job, or the knife she still held against his throat, but he quickly surrendered.

"Lead me in. I want to see whoever's in charge here," Zora ordered, still holding her blade against the guard's back.

He walked slowly up to the door of the compound. When the droid asked for a password to enter he looked back at Zora. She pressed her blade harder against his back and he said his code-word. "Xantian Goat."

The large door opened and she walked him inside, careful not to scowl yet at the setup.

"Gintee. Gintee, what are you doing in here?" A fat man rounded a corner demanding.

"I-I ah," the guard, apparently Gintee, tried to speak.

"I am Zora, second hand to the Great Krayn himself. I have come to inspect your operation here to see that it meets his standards."

"Oh…" His mouth dropped. "I am unaware that we've had any decreases in output." His eyes seemed to scan her, wondering perhaps, if she was all she claimed to be.

"Your output remains ideal. It's the political situation here. This world will soon join the republic, making your operation officially illegal. I need to make sure you won't get shut down right away for amateur missteps."

"Okay," he nodded. "What can I do for you?"

Zora's instincts screamed to her that this was too easy. "I want to see your operation. Take me on a tour of your facility," she ordered.

"Alright, right this way. Gintee. Back on duty, before I decide I should have sold you when I had the chance." He turned back to Zora. "Honestly, some of these riff raff. The service."

The guard looked worried. Zora looked into his eyes. "Well done," she said to the fat slaver. "Keep them disciplined, so they don't learn to disrespect you."

He nodded, "My name's Stalling. Zora. That yours? Come this way."

Stalling pulled out a set of keys and led her down the hallway.

Gintee stood there staring open mouthed at them as they walked away.

Later that day Knight Tachi had managed to drop several covert cameras around the compound. The Jedi were already using them to identify several of the slavers from the Republic's criminal databases. Their shadow checked in one last time for the night, and after that there was very little activity in the compound to monitor.

The Jedi slowly made their way out, back to the quarters, set up nearby. Knight Kenobi, ever diligent, stayed back staring at the screens.

Yoda walked up to him. "Proud of you, I am. Difficult, I know this must be."

"Umm-hmm," the knight hummed awkwardly.

"A misun…"

"Is that a comm." Obi-Wan was distracted by a blinking light on one of the machines. "It's the ship. Someone over there is trying to comm us."

Obi-Wan pushed the button and a bluish holo was projected into the room. "Windu here."

"Present, Yoda is," said the grandmaster. Obi-Wan shrunk to the background to allow them to talk.

"I have business to discuss with Knight Kenobi concerning Initiate Skywalker," Mace specified.

Obi-Wan's head went straight up. "Kenobi here. What is it? Is there a problem?"

"No, as I say this Anakin is onboard, and with the other Younglings," Mace reassured.

Obi-Wan sighed.

"Earlier today, as we were having lunch with the local Mayor, he snuck out and left the group, despite everyone being told to stay together," Mace went on.

"I don't understand. You said he is safe and sound now. What is the problem?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I found him sneaking back in five minutes later, and I told him we would be having words. He went across the street to speak with Mr. Lars, I sensed."

"Oh well, Mr. Lars wouldn't have harmed him," Obi-Wan said.

Mace huffed, "He needs to be disciplined."

"Why? It's not like it'll happen again. I mean, he probably missed his mother, and he'll be seeing her soon."

Mace folded his arms. "He cannot just be allowed to think he can disobey rules whenever he pleases."

"Uh, yeah." Obi-Wan started to sweat. He stretched his neck to see out the door in front of him, behind Mace's Holo image.

"Am I interrupting something?" Mace asked unsympathetically.

"No. Uh…" Obi-Wan stammered. "Go ahead. Do what you think is best. I gotta go." Obi-Wan quickly scrambled out the door behind him.

Yoda stepped past the Holo. "Too, I must go. A misunderstanding, I must clear. Laugh at it, you will." And Yoda followed Obi-Wan out the door, leaving the Holo running.

"Obi… Oh, forgive me, Master Windu. I was just looking for Knight Kenobi. I thought he was in here. Is there something I can do for you?" Master Piell entered from behind Mace's Holo, and stepped around to the view of the camera.

"No thank you. I was just hoping to get an update on today's progress," Mace said politely.

"Ah, that I can help you with. Agent Tachi has fully integrated into her role and she was accepted at Krayn's compound as his second in command. Tomorrow, when we get jurisdiction, she will try to open the door for us, but if she is unable to, she already told us one of their passwords."

"Oh, that is good news." Mace nodded.

"Yes, and Master Mundi and myself are going to help Kenobi improve his Dejarik game. That's why I was looking for him. Was able to stop in town a little while ago, and I got us some snacks." He held up and waved a bag proudly.

Hello,

This chapter feels like it took longer to write. I'm sorry to leave you waiting.

First I was held back by a question of how suggestive I wanted it to get. The easiest way to end an essential scene where Obi-Wan sees the whole Zora costume, was with a closed door. And that would make Yoda look like he was encouraging that when he pointed Obi-Wan on his way. Eventually I just decided to embrace it, and then it became a challenge for myself with how awkward I can make poor Obi-Wan in a single scene. Dejarik is a chess-like game, played on the Millenium Falcon in A New Hope. And the description of Siri's Zora costume came from one image on Wookieepedia. I apologize if anything is incorrect.

I know some of you will want to comment in the reviews on the uh-activities of this chapter. Please do keep your comments clean. This fic is labeled T for Teen, and anyone 13 and up can be on here reading what you post.