THALIA

"I would first like to begin by welcoming you to Troska. We have worked hard for our neutrality, and as a result we are able to be a refuge for anyone who is in need. In saying that, you and your people will always be welcomed into Troska if you find yourselves in need of a home." Thalia began, standing at the head of the long table. She looked down the long line of faces staring back at her.

"At this time, our galaxy is in danger of war and it is our objective this week to find common ground between two parties. At a time like this we must remember that we are all the same underneath our government's flags. Everyone here wants the best for their planet, their people and their homes. There are many things we will disagree on, but there is much more that we can agree on. We need to focus on what makes us similar, not what separates us. So please, I urge you this afternoon to engage with each other, not as the opposition but as people, with no political standing, no prejudices, but as strangers who you just might find you share a passion with."

There was a polite applause at the end of Thalia's speech before everyone turned to those opposite them and struck up polite conversation, mostly about the weather.

"You never know." Obi-Wan said as he leant over to speak into Thalia's ear. "There may be a surprising outcome this week."

"One can only hope at this point." She replied.

As the banquet continued, Thalia tried to read the expressions of her guests to see where their opinions might be lying. It seemed to be a mix. Padme was chatting away with Mina Bonteri while Palpatine was deep in conversation with Dooku. At least some of them were getting along. Other were trying their best to not even look in the direction of their opposition.

At the end of the banquet, the representatives each retired to their rooms and Thalia watched the last of them leave before rising from her seat.

"I think some fresh air is in order." She announced, and beside her, Obi-Wan rose from his place and offered her his arm. She slipped her hand round to his elbow with a smile and together, they made their way out onto the balcony as the sun was beginning to set just behind the snow-capped mountains outside the city.

There was a comfortable silence between them as they walked the length of the balcony. They stood by the wooden rail together, looking out over the town below.

"See the Blueblossom Trees?" Thalia asked, pointing down to where a weeping willow stood proudly, adorned with tiny blue flowers. "They begin to flower when Spring is near."

"They are beautiful." Obi-Wan nodded. "Although, I don't think they compare to the fine honey-suckle you have in your garden."

"I can't believe you're still bringing that up." She laughed and was about to continue when she felt Obi-Wan tense beside her.

His head whipped around and Thalia turned too, to see someone she thought she'd never see again. Moralo Eval was charging towards them. Thalia's blood instantly ran cold. He was supposed to be in a Coruscant prison. Was this the assassination attempt she been warned of?

Obi-Wan pushed her behind him as he ignited his lightsaber. Eval whipped out two blasters and began firing at the Jedi, who deflected the blasts with incredible accuracy. Thalia backed away from the pair, before turning towards the steps that lead down into the courtyard. She leapt down them three at a time and was almost at the bottom when a blur dropped to the ground in front of her.

"Well hello there, little lady." Came the gravelly voice of Cad Bain and Thalia skidded to a halt.

"Stay back." She choked as he began to advance up the steps towards her. Bain chuckled and aimed his blaster at her. Thalia threw her hand out in front of her and a force blast sent Bain flying backwards, sliding across the sandstone floor of the courtyard.

She didn't wait for him to get up, she leapt down the last few steps and sprinted across the courtyard. She was almost at the entrance way, almost to safety.

"Ah!" Thalia cried out in pain as she hit the hard ground. Bain had jumped her and the pair sprawled onto the ground in a heap. She tried to scramble to her feet, but he pulled her down and managed to press a blaster to the back of her head.

"Get up." Bain growled angrily, and when Thalia didn't budge, he grabbed her hair and pulled her to her feet. "Move." He ordered and he pushed her back towards the stairs.

Each time Thalia fought against him, he wrenched her head back further causing her neck to sear with pain.

When they reached the top of the steps, Thalia saw Obi-Wan with his lightsaber pointed at Moralo Eval who was backed against a wall.

"Drop it! Or I plug her full of lazer bolts." Bain growled and Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed slightly, not taking his eyes off Bain as he began to slowly advance on him. "I said drop it." He yelled, pushing the barrel of the blaster under Thalia's chin and her breath caught in her throat as the cold metal pressed against her skin.

Obi-Wan's eyes locked on hers before he dropped his head and retracted his lightsaber. Moralo Eval leapt forward and took the lightsaber before pulling the Jedi's hands behind his back and locking them into a pair of handcuffs.

"In there." Bain ordered, nodding to a small door to their left which lead to an indoor balcony overlooking the ball room.

Thalia was pulled through the door and forced onto her knees as Obi-Wan was thrown to the ground beside her.

"Let's try and get through this as quickly and painlessly as possible." Bain said, pulling a holo-diary. "This here's a treaty handing over your rule of Troska and it's Crystal Caves to our client, along with your leadership of the Council of Neutral Systems. Sign it." He finished simply, pointing his blaster at her once again.

"If you think your little imitation if going to work, you're sorely mistaken. I have taken measures to ensure that you do not succeed." Thalia spat.

"What, like you're one-man security team over here? Where's the rest of your Jedi protection?" Bain scoffed, jabbing a blue finger at Obi-Wan. "To overthrow a government, you need to be smart, and lucky for our client, we've been doing this long enough to know when to pick our target."

"I'm not signing any treaty. So, you can tell your client to crawl back into what every Sarlacc hole he came out of." Thalia replied, batting the Holo-diary away from her.

Bain growled angrily and shoved it into her hands before pressing his blaster against her forehead, slowly inching his finger towards the trigger. "Sign it. Now!"

"No." She replied steadily. They wouldn't kill her. They needed her alive.

"Fine." Bain scoffed and nodded to Eval, who pushed Obi-Wan in front of her and pressed his own blaster again the Padawan's back.

"What if she doesn't sign?" Eval asked Bain under his breath.

"She'll sign it. Our client says she's fond of the Jedi." Bain chuckled and Thalia's eyes locked onto Obi-Wan's, which for the first time had a trace of fear in them. Suddenly, she was in unknown territory. They had no reason for keeping Obi-Wan alive like they did her.

"Sign it!" Bain ordered, but Thalia was frozen. When she didn't move, Bain nodded at Eval who moved his blaster to the Jedi's shoulder and fired. Obi-Wan cried out in pain and clenched his teeth as blood began to stain his white robes.

He gasped and managed to take a couple of steadying breathes before Eval's blaster moved back to the middle of his back.

"Sign it!" Bain yelled as tears threatened to escape Thalia's eyes. She was faced with an impossible choice. She looked down at the Holo-diary, at the thin line that only required her name.

"Don't Thalia." Obi-Wan gasped and she looked back at him in despair. She knew what she wanted to do, but it wasn't what she needed to do.

She blinked the tears from her eyes and set the Holo-diary on the floor. She held her hand out, over the device before looking up to meet Obi-Wan's eyes and clenched her fist shut, shattering the Holo-diary into pieces.

"Never." She growled and looked up at Bain's face, which had contorted into pure rage. He swung his blaster away from her and aimed it at Obi-Wan who's expression was still and calm as he kept eye contact with Thalia.

There was the sound of a blaster fire and Obi-Wan's body tensed, before he sprawled to the floor in front of her.

Thalia let out an anguished cry and fell towards him.

"What do we do now?" She vaguely heard Eval ask above her sobs.

"We go to plan B. Let's get out of here." Bain replied and the two Bounty Hunters ran from the scene.

"No, please, no. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Thalia cried, pulling Obi-Wan into her lap, as she rocked back and forth, her body shuddering as she sobbed.

She gently placed a hand on Obi-Wan's cheek, looking at his still face. She felt sick. How could she have done that? It was the wrong choice. She leant forward and pressed her forehead against his own as her tears stained his cheeks.

"Please, Obi." Her breath shuddered as she whispered to him. She placed a hand on his chest and focused the force to work through them. She wanted to heal him, just as she'd done in the elevator.

"Please." She whispered as nothing happened. "Please." She screamed but it was no use. He wasn't coming back. She wrapped him in her arms and held him close as she gently rocked back and forth.

She barely registered hearing footsteps behind her and only opened her eyes when a firm hand appeared on her shoulder. Master Windu was crouched in front of her while Qui-Gonn knelt beside her and gently tried to prize her arms away from Obi-Wan.

"I'm so sorry." She cried to Qui-Gonn, who managed to pull her away from his dead Padawan. "It's all my fault."