Ch. 14: "Only Got Myself to Blame" - *N Sync, Drive Myself Crazy
Obi-Wan woke early and got moving before the sun had completely risen, getting his breakfast to go. As he started to recognize the landmarks the proprietor of the inn had given him, he slowed. The Force urged him on, on the other hand. He took the left fork, which he would have missed without the Force, and kept going.
He rounded a turn and slowed at the sight of a boulder-strewn slope, going slowly to scan the side of the mountain. He listened to the Force just as hard, stopping when it nudged him. He dismounted the scooter and scanned the slope again, slower this time. Dorlisa's yellow dress should stand out against the rocks here. The Force nudged him again, and he looked higher up than he had been.
There she was, like the Hanani had described. She wove through the boulders, most of them larger than she. Her dark hair hung lank and messy around her shoulders, her yellow dress dirty. He cast around, visually and with the Force, to find the safest way up to her. He paused long enough to send his success through the blond to his Master. Then he started up, going slowly, picking his way through the rubble and rocks. He angled his path so that he would reach a point the same time she did. He froze once, when she stepped wrong and sent stones raining down on him. She staggered, but regained her balance. He released his held breath as she started forward, and went after her again.
Finally, he caught up to her. "Dorlisa?" he called, and she turned to face him.
Her eyes looked dull, dazed, but slowly cleared as she stared at him. "Who are you?"
"My name is Obi-Wan. Your father sent me to find you."
She blinked, the last of the daze clearing from her eyes. "I can go home?" she asked plaintively.
The mountain shifted under his feet, and the Force urged him to move. He grabbed her against him as he gathered the Force around them and jumped. He landed a fair distance down slope, and an ominous rumbling warned him he didn't have much time.
He jumped again. This time he landed on moving, loose rocks and his feet went out from under him. He landed hard on his back, still holding the girl. With a groan, he started to climb to his feet.
A shove through the Force caught him off guard, and he staggered, losing more time. A boulder hit his leg and it snapped, and he fell. Using the Force, he lifted Dorlisa and set her down a fair distance away from the slope, near his scooter. Then the boulders slammed into him and buried him. He tried to send a warning through the bond, but rock hit his head and he blacked out.
Qui-Gon stopped when he felt that particular brand of excitement that meant Obi-Wan had some success. So he'd found her? The tension that accompanied the excitement made him certain something else happened.
They'd found nothing around the area where Kalifa had found the sweater, and they'd heard nothing from the guards searching where the Scavenger had found the transport. Qui-Gon figured that meant no news. But this could mean an end to that. Qui-Gon concentrated, feeling also his Padawan's urgency and sense of impending danger. He felt next a sense of purpose, then a fatalistic determination, and lastly, a warning of danger. With a burst of pain, the bond went silent.
After a moment of trying to reach his Padawan, Qui-Gon commed Kalifa, who had broken away from the negotiations to help search.
"Qui-Gon?"
"Something has happened to Obi-Wan," he said, his voice steady. "I believe he found Dorlisa, but I don't know what happened."
"Good news about Dorlisa," she said. "Do you know where he is?"
"Not exactly, but I can find him."
Kalifa remained quiet for a moment. "I'll take over here," she said. "If he did find her, it's worth going to check on. Miqueta can get you a transport, and I'll work my way in your direction."
Miqueta didn't question him, arranging for a transport to meet him at the cross streets. "Let us know if she is found," she said, signing off as the one-man transport arrived.
The driver got out, holding a map. "This is the road he took out of the city, and the guidance device will take you as far as he got before the interference kept it from transmitting. Comms are set so that if we hear anything, you'll get it until you're too far out to hear us."
Qui-Gon bowed and took the marked map. "Thank you," he said, and got in. He wound through the streets, following the guidance device's direction. Once most of the houses were behind him, he set the transport as fast as it would go, ignoring the side roads Obi-Wan had gone down and returned on.
It had started to get dark when the comm crackled to life. "Master Jinn," Kalifa said through steady static.
"Yes."
"He's in a small mining town called Shaft, badly injured and under care. Dorlisa is with him. We're setting out as soon as the Adolar can get away, and we'll meet you there. I've sent directions to your device."
"Thank you," Qui-Gon said, and the device beeped. He pulled over and transfered the directions from the device to the map, just in case. The static meant he would soon reach the extent of the transmission. Turning on the lights as the sun sank, he drove on. He'd gone a few more hours when the lights flickered and went out. Qui-Gon stopped the transport, wrapped his cloak around him, and meditated to try to reach Obi-Wan. He had no luck, so he made himself comfortable and went to sleep. As soon as the sky brightened enough that he could see, Qui-Gon started off again, pushing the transport to its highest speed.
The Force warned him an instant before the road made a turn into a canyon, and he slowed enough that he could stop before he hit the large transport in the middle of the road. Beyond it, he could see men working to get the larger boulders off the road, and Obi-Wan's scooter shoved to the side, much more battered than it had been when Obi-Wan had left.
"Can I help ye?"
Qui-Gon snapped his attention to one of the men. "Yes. I need to find Shaft. My friend was caught in the slide."
The Hanani nodded. "You'll be from the capital, then."
"Yes."
"Got a map on ye?"
"Yes."
The Hanani joined him as Qui-Gon spread the map over a large boulder on the side of the road. "You'll have to go back a ways, but the other road is open. You should get there soon enough." He pointed the way Qui-Gon would have to go.
"Thank you," Qui-Gon said and bowed. The Hanani waved him off and went back to work. Qui-Gon turned his transport around and started for the other road.