Consequences

Rating: T+
Summary: All choices have consequences whether they be good or bad
Disclaimer: All cannon characters are owned by the Great Flanneled One, and now Disney. All Enterprise characters are owned by the Great Bird of the Galaxy. All others are mine. I make no money off this.
Note: This is a sequel to Choices

Timeline: 40BBY

Speech: " "
Training Bond communications: /
Internal thoughts: italics

Chapter Six

It had been a long time, but Qui-Gon actually felt better, and at least more centered, or at centered as he would get considering the delicate job ahead of him. Rising from his knees on the blanket he placed on the floor, he closed his eyes to see if he could tell just how long he had been mediating. From what he had seen so far the humans here had a totally different way of writing. There was no aurbesh here, and then their numbers were just as odd. Over the years he found it was always difficult telling which shift was on duty at any particular time. Stepping into the corridor, he watched as some men and women who were on duty were moving in different directions. Not recognizing anyone, he turned back towards sickbay.

"Good morning," Phlox's voice was just as annoyingly cheerful as it was the day before. "Tell me, Mr. Jinn, have you had any dizzy spells since you were released?" He came up to him with an object in hand. It looked like a hand held scanner. He watched as the Denublian moved it up and down. When finished he backed up while looking at the readout it produced.

"Not really; then again, I didn't move around much after I was in the cabin that was assigned to me." Qui-Gon couldn't help but look towards Obi-Wan. For the first time he realized that his Padawan wasn't dressed in at least his under-tunic. "What happened to his clothing?"

"They were a charred mess. When your apprentice is up and around the Captain will make sure he's issued some clothing, without ranking insignia of course."

Qui-Gon nodded, slowly this time. He really didn't want to take any chance of him blacking out. Reaching out, he touched Obi-Wan's cheek with a finger. "Has there been any signs of recovery?"

"I'm sorry, but no." Phlox shook his head. "It's almost as if his mind is too scattered to work properly."

This time Qui-Gon tentatively reached out and touched Obi-Wan's mind. There was a flash of color and the sound of many voices. Opening his eyes, he found the healer removing his hand from Obi-Wan's face.

"Mr. Jinn, you are not doing anything until you get some nourishment. Which reminds me, when was the last time you ate?"

Qui-Gon had to think for a moment. "I believe yesterday morning, that is depending on how long we were stranded."

"Not all that long. Which means it's been over a day since you've eaten. If I have to, I will give you a medical order for you to report—," Phlox stopped as he looked over Qui-Gon's shoulder. "Oh good, Commander Tucker. You're here. Why don't you take our guest down to the mess hall for some breakfast."

Qui-Gon turned to look at the newcomer. The shorter man had sandy blond hair and was about Obi-Wan's height and build, but at the same time he looked filled out.

The Commander approached and held out a friendly hand. "I'm Commander Tucker, welcome aboard the Enterprise."

"Qui-Gon Jinn." Qui-Gon bowed his head then reached his own hand to take the one offered. "You are…?"

Trip smiled. "Chief Engineer. C'mon, I'll take you down to the mess." Once out in the corridor the younger man asked, "So, how did you get this far out?"

Qui-Gon frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean by that, Commander."

Trip stopped, which forced Qui-Gon to stop. "Really? How? Not even Travis made it this far out and he's a boomer."

Qui-Gon furrowed his brow. "Commander…."

"Trip."

It took a minute before Qui-Gon realized that the Commander was offering his friendship to at least keep the discussion from getting into a heated argument. Taking it for what it was worth, he answered in kind, "Trip, you may or may not believe what I'm about to tell you. It looks as if my Padawan and I are not from this area. Where we're from, humans make up an integral part of the galaxy and Republic."

For a moment it looked as if the engineer digested the information. "Have you ever heard of Terra?"

"Not before yesterday when I woke up in your sickbay. Your captain explained everything to me."

"Good." Trip nodded. "C'mon," he started back down the corridor. "What about where you're from?"

"Humanity? Humans populate many planets. It's said that they started out on Coruscant many millennia ago."

Trip nodded as they passed through another door and into a refractory of sorts. After being shown how to order a meal, they went and sat down. "The Cap'n has a personal mess," the engineer explained. As Qui-Gon sat down he continued, "What kind of engine does your transport have for long distance travel?"

"We use hyperdrive technology." Qui-Gon picked up one of the utensils and at first picked at the food before him before taking a taste. Finding it edible he began eating.

"Hyperdrive? Interesting. I remember reading papers on it dating about a century ago. No one could figure out if it was possible or not. Then Cochran came along and we figured out how to warp real space for travel, without the help from the Vulcans I might add."

"Warp?"

"Yeah, the Vulcans had this technology a lot longer than us. Their engineers state that no one can go faster than warp 10 because that's time. Right now we don't really care. We're just happy to reach 4.5."

This time Qui-Gon smiled. "I have a feeling that Obi-Wan will want to see your propulsion systems."

Trip waved a fork in Qui-Gon's direction. "I don't mind showing him." He paused to take a bite. "I'm going to try and get yours up and running again. Never seen an engine like that before."

Qui-Gon gave Trip a pointed look. "Obi-Wan knows a lot more about those types of engines. It would be much safer if he was there."

"I've worked on technology from the 31st century." He paused, "which is about nine hundred years in the future."

"I suspect it's still based on your form of propulsion. If the hyperdrive is unstable, it could explode at any time."

"And I suspect your transport would still be intact. Here? We've got matter and anti-matter on board. If one drop of anti-matter gets in the wrong place this ship is gone. I know it's dangerous work, but it's what I love to do. I promise you, I will get your transport up and running so you can go home."

Qui-Gon leaned back in his chair. "Yes, home."

They went quiet for a while before Trip looked back up. "You know something, I just remembered that when we…Mal…Lt. Reed and I went to check out your ship, we found two cylindrical objects that were about yay long," he held his hands up about twenty to thirty centimeters apart from each other, his fork was sticking out between his index and middle finger of his right hand. "And about so big," he created a circle with his fingers. "Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Qui-Gon leaned forward. "Yes, Commander, I know exactly what you're talking about. Where are they?"

"Armory closet. Mal's very picky about objects that have a live power cell floating around the ship. He's pretty sure they're weapons, and if they are he's going to make sure that they stay in the closet while on board. No one carries any unauthorized weapons, except security, and even then not all of those officers carry."

"Your friend is correct. You mentioned you found two of them?"

Trip nodded.

Qui-Gon felt relief surge through him. "Good. Like I stated before, your friend was correct. They are weapons that take a great deal of time to master."

It was apparent that Trip didn't fully comprehend the magnitude of the weapons they found. And if Lt. Reed was a weapons officer, Qui-Gon knew he would want to know everything there was about their lightsabers.

Once the meal was completed they left the refractory and headed back to sickbay, and found T'Pol already there. Even though she still shielded herself, Qui-Gon could tell that she had prepared for whatever was to happen. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Trip back away, but he didn't leave sickbay.

Phlox smiled once again as he approached, "Mr. Jinn, I want you to stand here," he indicated the side of the bio-bed, and near Obi-Wan's head. "While you're searching for your apprentice I will be keeping tabs on your vital signs. If there are any signs of things beginning to go wrong, I will have Sub-Commander T'Pol bring you out. Do you understand?"

"I understand all too well, Healer." Qui-Gon acknowledged him.

Running a scan over the Vulcan, Phlox continued, "Have you had time to prepare, Sub-Commander?"

"Of course." Turning to Qui-Gon she continued, "Master Jinn, I am ready whenever you are."

"Thank you Sub-Commander. I will not intrude on your thoughts or memories, that I promise you." With that said, he reached up and brushed his fingers gently across her forehead. At first he could sense her tightening her shielding as a reflex, but that was normal. As promised he did not try to force her to open up to him. That was not what he needed. As soon as he felt the anchor take hold Qui-Gon brought himself back to conscious awareness. He could sense the faint link, but that's all that he needed. Nodding to the healer, he then placed his fingers gently on Obi-Wan's forehead, similar to what he just did with the Vulcan.

From there he delved deep into the shattered remains of Obi-Wan's mind. He thought he'd be stronger, but with the events that happened less than a month ago made him weaker physically than he had been. Qui-Gon knew he had to find Obi-Wan, like before. Why? He asked himself again. Once again he wished they were in the Mind Healer's ward. Those dedicated healers were trained to handle something like this.

/Where are you, Obi-Wan,/ he called out in all directions.

As if in answer to his presence, shattered fragments of images and voices rose up and swirled around him like an eddy in a river. It was everything from a newborn babe's cry to a lightsaber battle.

/Master?/ the answer was so faint that Qui-Gon almost missed it with the cacophony of sound and images swirling around him.

/Where are you?/

/I don't know./

/Have no fear, Padawan. I will find you./ Once again Qui-Gon was more than relieved that the anchor was still in place. With everything Obi-Wan had been through for the past couple of months he wasn't all that surprised at the confusion he was dealing with. Touching their tenuous link, Qui-Gon once again sent paternal warmth to the one he had been tasked to oversee his training until adulthood.

Following the fraying bond a half formed image emerged before him. Qui-Gon found himself in a crude shelter and in the presence of four adults. One, a young woman held a squirming bundle, infant, he corrected himself. Even though he couldn't understand what was being said he knew the life if the infant was at stake. The woman held the baby tight against her chest, tears streaming down her face, but her shoulders set in an act of defiance. Two other women came forward and pointed to the infant. Before they reached her, the woman's shoulders slumped in defeat. She said something then went out the entrance and into the night.

Leaving through the same entrance, Qui-Gon found himself in his bedroom inside the Temple. In the far corner of the room was a form huddled in what looked like a cloak. /Obi-Wan, I'm here to take you back./

The figure startled and sat up a little bit straighter. Qui-Gon moved across the room and held out a hand. Obi-Wan had to be the one to do this. Eventually a hand reached out and they touched. A spark flew between the two and their bond intensified. With a smile the two left what was considered a relatively safe place and rose back up through the maelstrom of Obi-Wan's memories and emotions.

"Doctor," T'Pol spoke for the first time in what felt like several hours. She blinked and looked around, only to find that Commander Tucker had left some time earlier.

"Yes, Sub-Commander?"

She turned her attention to the Denublian, "Master Jinn is returning. He is not alone."

"Good, it sounds like he found his apprentice." The two shared a look. Even though Phlox didn't have any telepathic abilities, he understood the dangers, especially at this time.

T'Pol nodded at the unspoken comment then turned back to her monitoring the faint link she had with the human. The whole process was quite interesting. From what she could tell, it was similar to the bonds her people had, but different at the same time. Before she could examine it further, Qui-Gon began regaining consciousness. There would be time later to discuss and indulge in her curiosity.

Qui-Gon opened his eyes and looked down at Obi-Wan. Removing his hand from his Padawan's forehead, he reached down for his wrist.

As if in answer to an unspoken question, Obi-Wan's eyes struggled open. His normally bright blue-green eyes were dull with confusion. After a few minutes recognition set up when his eyes haphazardly set up Qui-Gon. "Mmm…," whatever it was came out in a slurred mess. The arm that reached up was jerky, as if he couldn't quite control his muscles.

Taking the hand, Qui-Gon closed his eyes momentarily. "Easy, Padawan. You're in a medical facility."

Obi-Wan's eyes went from confusion to fear.

"Rest," Qui-Gon answered while giving Obi-Wan a mild sleep-suggestion.

As soon as Obi-Wan was asleep, Qui-Gon turned and found T'Pol had not moved. "I wish to thank you, Sub-Commander," he addressed her with gratitude in his voice. With what turned out to be only part of their ordeal over, Qui-Gon severed the link with the Vulcan. She nodded, and turned towards the door. He knew she was full of questions, but was kind enough to not inundate him with them. Turning the rest of the way around he caught Phlox's serious look.

"Yes, Healer?"

Phlox indicated with a wave of his hand. "Come." Over at a control panel he did another scan, then turned his attention to Qui-Gon. "Before I start, I want to ask you what you did to get Obi-Wan to rest."

"It was a mere suggestion." Qui-Gon shrugged, though at this point he didn't want to give out any more information until he knew everything was safe.

Apparently Phlox realized he wouldn't be getting any more information at the moment. "Well, the human mind is an interesting creature. It can be very plastic, or rigid. So with something like this," he indicated Obi-Wan with an incline of his head, "one can never be too sure what to expect."

"Were you expecting Obi-Wan's reactions?"

"To be honest with you," Phlox began, "He should be dead. Your apprentice absorbed a lethal amount of electricity for an extended period of time." He turned back to the panel, "I'm surprised that he even moved his arm, let alone try and say something."

Pressing several buttons an image of a brain appeared on a screen. "This is an average human brain, Captain Archer's to be precise." Phlox entered in several more commands an another image came up, this one was more active. "This is yours when you came in. I had to be careful because you were, and still are to some extent, suffering from a concussion." The third image had large areas that were dark, "And this is Obi-Wan's. This is one of the hardest things to tell friends and family, but he will not improve. I'm sorry."

Qui-Gon closed his eyes for a moment. From the Healer's viewpoint it did look hopeless, but also knew that if they managed to get back to the Temple things would be all right. There had been other Jedi whose injuries were far worse that Obi-Wan's, and yet the Mind Healers were still able to restore everything. "I agree, it does look bad. My one question is how long can he be like this before permanent damage sets in?"

Phlox actually rolled his eyes. "I may embrace the unexpected, but what you're talking about is beyond our realm of medicine. It would have been more merciful if you had let him die. His quality of life will not be the best."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "No, I will not allow that to happen to my Padawan. We are not average humans," he indicated the still form on the bio-bed. Even though they weren't supposed to exhibit their abilities to manipulate the Force, Qui-Gon thought that it was needed for an explanation. Reaching for an object on the counter, he picked it up with his hand and then levitated it.

Phlox's eyes went wide as he watched the object float. "Telekinesis. And what you did earlier?"

"That?"

Phlox nodded, now with an eager look on his face.

"Using what we call the Force, I can suggest for him to do certain things. It's one of those things where it's a fine line between helping and controlling someone else."

"And is this ability only reserved for humans?"

This time Qui-Gon actually smiled. "Definitely not. There are many different species that have the same abilities."

"And this force? What is that?"

He knew it should have been expected, but Qui-Gon was still surprised with the Healer's questions. "The Force, the midi-chlorians, are what give a Jedi their power. The Force is everywhere, but it's those same midi-chlorians that give us the ability to actually access the Force." He paused, "You're not fearful of my abilities?"

This time he actually smiled, "Whenever possible, I embrace surprises. Although I would think of someone with these abilities were based on doing nefarious deeds then it would be a thing to fear."

"You are very wise." Qui-Gon looked back again to Obi-Wan. "When will he be released."

"Personally I don't think he should be, that way I can keep a close watch on him. But I also suspect that you also want to keep watch over him."

"Correct. With our abilities there might be things that only I can control." Qui-Gon moved back over to the bio-bed and traced what was left of Obi-Wan's braid. It was half its normal length.

"Now, I know your concerned for Obi-Wan, but at this point he is in the best of hands. Not only that, but you're in the way. I will inform you if there is any change." And with that Phlox began ushering him towards the exit and then out into the corridor.

For a moment Qui-Gon stood there. He turned to look back at the door and then down the corridor. He wanted to remain beside Obi-Wan, but he also knew he needed to retrieve their belongings from their transport. The problem with that was that he had no idea where the hanger was located. Every transport he had been on was different, but this was nothing like he had ever seen before. Eventually he decided to go back to his temporary quarters so he could figure out his next moves. Turning around, he almost ran into the small human female he saw when he first woke up after the crash. He reached out and grasped her shoulders so she wouldn't fall down.

"Sorry, Sir," her voice flustered. "I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going." Her eyes widened when she realized who it was she ran into. "It's good to see you up and about," she eyed the universal translator he carried with him. "And I'm glad that the translator is working."

Qui-Gon looked at the piece of technology he carried with him. If there was one thing he could bring back from wherever they were, it would be this technology. It would make things so much easier in dealing with some of the more remote civilizations scattered throughout the galaxy. "Thank you." He paused, "And you are?"

"Ensign Hoshi Sato. I'm the communications officer. Now if you will excuse me, I need to get back to the bridge."

Stepping to the side, Qui-Gon asked before she left, "If you could direct me to my transport it would be greatly appreciated."

"Of course," Hoshi smiled. With a hand she directed him to the turbolift. "All you have to do is tell the lift where you want to go. I suspect you need to go to the hanger bay. To get back to your cabin, you have to state what level it's on."

"Which is?" Qui-Gon gave her a smile.

"Deck 5. Now if you'll excuse me." She hurried down the corridor and disappeared around the corner.

As soon as Qui-Gon was alone he looked down the corridor before finally making his decision. Stepping inside the lift he directed it to the hanger bay. When it stopped the doors opened to reveal another corridor. Not knowing where to go, he reached out to the Force and soon found the Commander from breakfast along with someone else nearby. He had a feeling that the commander was where he needed to go because of his comments earlier in the day. Reaching one of the doors closest to the commander, it opened revealing a sizable room. Sitting in the middle of it was their transport.

"Mal, could you get me that wrench?" Trip's voice came from inside. Moments later a thinner, dark haired human emerged from inside the ship, shaking his head. He stopped when he reached the bottom of the ramp. "Commander," he called over his shoulder. "Do you think you could come out here?" The man's accent was clipped compared to the engineer's.

Trip emerged from inside and stopped. "Oh." He turned to the other human, "Don't worry Mal, that's Qui-Gon. He's one of the humans we rescued from the planet."

Malcolm nodded.

"Commander, I wish to retrieve some personal items," Qui-Gon broke the awkward silence. When they didn't move, Qui-Gon brushed past them and into the ship. He also wanted to see the condition of the interior and how long it would take to get it flight worthy once again. Moving to the cockpit he grimaced at the condition he found it. At least the co-pilot's instrumentation was still in working order.

"He's alive, that's what's important," Trip's voice came from behind.

Qui-Gon turned around. "You're right Commander, it could have been much worse." Leaving the small room, Qui-Gon went back down to the small room where they had their personal effects stored. Obi-Wan's datafiles were stacked on the table in random order. It was obvious that they had been scattered around the room. Pulling from a secure location, he retrieved the reader and a sack where he could gather the files. He would use his spare time to sort them out for what he needed for his report to the Council and Obi-Wan's homework. He would retrieve their sleep clothes later.

"Mal and I were wondering what's on those."

Qui-Gon found Trip leaning against the door frame, his arms folded. It was obvious he was followed. "Everything from lessons to report information." He looked around the room one last time to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Passing the engineer, Trip stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Where are you going to be?"

Qui-Gon leveled a steady gaze at the commander. Sensing nothing malicious he sighed. "I wish I could be in your medical bay, but most likely I'll be in the cabin I was assigned."

"Well, I'll be here as much as I can. I'm not going to do anything until I get a status report on what's wrong with the engines."

"Thank you Commander. I believe you know how to contact me."

TBC…

Yes, you're getting a posting early. I thought I'd give everyone a nice Christmas (if that's what you do) present.

Enjoy!