7

"Yes, it is bad there. But to be Phindian is to hope."

"Yes," Qui-Gon said quietly. "You must always hope."

Qui-Gon did his best to blend in with the crowd. It was not hard. The marketplace was packed with rushing Phindians looking for something to buy. There was a cold desperation in their eyes. They knew that if they did not get something to eat soon their children would starve. They would die… Children weren't supposed to die. Children were supposed to live. They had little money, but even that was useless to them now. If no food was on Phindar how could round metal discs feed them ?

Qui-Gon felt their fear and despair through the Force. It dampened his previous good feelings and he began to worry again. Guerra and Paxxi were silent beside him. Their eyes were full of determination and sadness. Qui-Gon felt their resolve strengthen. He also felt the hope in them. It was small, but if fueled the fires to their hearts. Could a being survive off of hope and love only? No. Hope and love only provided the means in which to live.

Three pairs of eyes scanned the gathering crowd. The amount of people was growing tremendously, but there was nothing to buy. Some waited in line, knowing that there was nothing. Waiting was something they could do with their broken lives. Life had lost all meaning save for the accumulation of basic needs. If even these could not be obtained then there was no purpose. Waiting in line was their way of fooling themselves. It was like when someone was looking for something lost and they already looked one place, but they check again half-expecting it to be there.

Assassin droids monitored and the sun glinted off their metal shells. The Jedi put his hood over his head and acted inconspicuous. No one noticed that he wasn't Phindian. They were too busy with their own troubles.

Qui-Gon was starting to get impatient. Duenna was at least ten minutes late. How could she dawdle when Obi-Wan's life was at stake? He started to get anxious, but his exterior revealed nothing so far. He had the allusion of calm. The brothers either had the same or were not worried. Qui-Gon set his mind to finding Duenna in the crowd, but doing so as to not draw attention. While his attention was mostly focused elsewhere someone bumped into him and he stumbled back a step. The figure had stopped when he had hit Qui-Gon and looked as if he were deliberating the next course of action. The Phindian was young. He looked younger than Guerra and Paxxi, but his eyes were blank. He was lost and confused. Qui-Gon knew right away that this young Phindian had been Renewed.

Qui-Gon was at a loss on what to do. His ethics and morals told him to help the individual, but what help could he possibly give? How could anyone help the Renewed? They were a lost people. Lost forever… Qui-Gon's thoughts drifted once again and he felt a tinge of fear course through him like adrenaline. The Renewed Phindian looked at Qui-Gon as if he were a wall. He didn't understand why that wall was there and he wondered if the wall would move. Qui-Gon was going to step out of the way when he heard Paxxi cry out,

"Nivva!"

Qui-Gon turned and watched Paxxi's eyes widen in horror. Paxxi pushed past Qui-Gon and grabbed the Renewed Phindian by his shoulders.

"Nivva! It's me Paxxi!"

Nivva's confusion grew. Now there was another wall in front of him, but this wall was much different from the other wall. This was one of those strange walls that called him Nivva. He didn't like these walls. They touched him and scared him. They pretended to know him, but he didn't know them.

"Nivva. Not you too. Please? Nivva. Say not so!"

Guerra put a hand on Paxxi's shoulder and drew him away from the Renewed Phindian. Nivva, seeing that all the walls were out of his way for the moment continued to walk forward. Soon he was lost in the crowd.

"Guerra! They got Nivva!" Paxxi whined.

"It is so. No lie." Guerra said sedately.

The two brothers embraced each other in their usual hug, but they only squeezed twice instead of their usual three times. The two let go of each other and turned downcast eyes towards Qui-Gon.

"Nivva was part of the resistance," Guerra began. "He was like us, a thief, but he had the strangest laugh. We'd try and find jokes to make him laugh just so we could laugh when he heard him laugh. It was high pitched and squeaky and sometimes he sounded like a mynoch."

The two brothers slightly smiled.

"He idolized Paxxi. I don't know why. I was the better thief…"

"Not so, brother!" Paxxi interjected.

"..Better at running, at making jokes, better looking too."

"Not so! Not so! You lie brother."

Guerra smiled.

"Well maybe a little." Guerra admitted.

The brothers laughed quietly, but even that small sound seemed utterly out of place in the marketplace.

"Nivva used to wear the same clothes as Paxxi, walk the same way, talk the same way…"

"Yes, every other word was 'not so!' or 'you lie!'. Even if it didn't make sense."

"He was young to join the resistance, but he was like the rest of us. He had been hurt by the Syndicat. His parents were still alive and so were his siblings. They were not.." Guerra shuddered. "Renewed. He lived a happy life."

"Not so." Breathed Paxxi.

"You are right brother. Not so. He was tired of accepting the oppression and starvation. He was tired of doing nothing."

"So he left."

"And joined us."

Qui-Gon looked at the Derida brother's faces and then all around him. In this marketplace alone were more woeful stories to add to the already thick volume of those who suffered from injustice and cruelty. He hoped that Obi-Wan's fate would not be that of the Phindians. It was too soon for the boy to die. It couldn't be the will of the Force. Obi-Wan will do great things when he was older. He felt it.

"It's funny," Paxxi began. "He always said he would kill himself before he would allow them to renew him."

There was a deep silence and Qui-Gon closed his eyes. He felt their grief sharply .

"He always hated the renewing most of all." Guerra said softly. "He said it was worse than death. He said you died, but your body still walked around."

As Guerra spoke the words the image of Obi-Wan came unbidden to Qui-Gon's mind. He still wore his Jedi robes and his hair was still in the padawan style, but his eyes were blank. They passed over everything without a second glance. His padawan… Renewed.

Qui-Gon's heart clenched painfully. His anxiety from the previous night came back and he started to pace around. He hoped it didn't look too suspicious. He couldn't stop pacing no more than he could stop his rapid pulse. He felt like he had to do something and soon. Now. Before it was too late. Where was Duenna? Why was she late? Every second ticked by painfully and was putting the notoriously calm Master on edge.

His hand rested on his lightsaber. He'd single handedly charge Syndicat headquarters if he had to. All of the lessons on patience were doing him no good now. How many times had he himself told a young initiate or even a fellow knight to be patient? How many times had he told his former padawan that? He could recall many instances…

Xanatos's leering face came back to Qui-Gon's mind. Blue eyes made of ice regarded him with scorn, but they were also filled with amusement. 'See now the hypocrite you are?' His voice asked. 'Patience? Where is your patience now Qui-Gon Jinn?'

Qui-Gon shook the image away, but he swore he could still hear his old padawan laughing at him. Qui-Gon had it. He was going to rescue Obi-Wan. Now. He'd find out soon enough what his apprentice's fate was. He stopped pacing and faced the Derida brothers.

"I'm going to headquarters myself." He said darkly. "I'll find a way."

The brothers shook their heads.

"No, no, Jedi-Gon. You can't." They said and grabbed his arms.

"He's my apprentice." Qui-Gon said simply.

"Wait for Duenna. She'll come. It's hard for her to get away, but she can. It takes time Jedi-Gon. Just wait."

Guerra and Paxxi began to look over the heads of their fellow Phindians for Duenna. Their gazes were desperate. They knew they couldn't stop Qui-Gon from going. Guerra breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her. She was cloaked, but he still recognized her.

"There she is!" Paxxi cried.

Qui-Gon immediately turned his head to see Duenna walking at a brisk pace towards them. One of the knots in his stomach unclenched, but another one formed. He was almost on the verge of becoming frantic.

"Any news of Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon immediately asked.

He knew he wasn't being very respectful, but it seemed unimportant at the time. She looked sort of frazzled and it was obvious that her brisk pace had worn her out. She was an older woman after all. He regretted his lack of courtesy and made a note to apologize later.

"I'm sorry. It was difficult to get away. Headquarters is on high alert. The Prince arrives tomorrow…"

Damn the woman! She was rambling on about Prince Beju and anything besides his padawan. She was purposely withholding Obi-Wan's fate. Qui-Gon's anger began to simmer.

"And Obi-Wan, what of him?" He asked edgily.

Qui-Gon had to give Duenna credit for not shrinking back. An impatient Jedi Master was not taken lightly.

"I was getting there! Be patient Master Jedi!" Duenna said.

Qui-Gon felt those words like a slap in the face. PATIENCE? NOW? Qui-Gon didn't notice Duenna's eyes drop slightly.

"They acted so fast. I've never seen them act so fast." She said softly.

Guerra and Paxxi exchanged a look.

"He was taken to a cell." She said.

"Where?" Qui-Gon demanded.

A cell? That was good. There might still be time to rescue him then. If Obi-Wan was taken to a cell then it means that they didn't immediately kill him. Qui-Gon's fear began to unravel. It would be all right.

Qui-Gon felt a gentle hand on his arm and he saw Duenna looking into his eyes.

"He's there no longer."

Those four words were like a dagger into his heart. He was dead. His padawan was dead. He failed him. That's why she was so slow in telling him what happened to Obi-Wan. She was having a hard time saying it. Obi-Wan is dead. Qui-Gon looked into Duenna's eyes to find the truth. They were full of pity. No… It couldn't be. He wouldn't believe…

"What happened?" He managed to choke out.

He had to know for certain. He had to know if he would be taking a boy or a body back to the Jedi Temple with him. There were no tears on Duenna's face, but there was a deep sadness. She was silent for a long time as if she was gathering up the courage to say it. Qui-Gon almost took her by the shoulders and shook her to get the information out of her.

"What happened?" Qui-Gon repeated.

Duenna looked deep into Qui-Gon's nearly frantic eyes and then lowered them to the ground.

"He was renewed."

Qui-Gon froze and almost shut out what she said next.

"….Last night. He was renewed and transported off planet at dawn." She concluded and looked at the ground.

Duenna did not want to see the look in the Jedi's eyes. She already knew what it felt like to loose someone to renewing. She already knew what she would see if she looked at him. She knew of the wound that would haunt him every day of his life and the helplessness that would come from it. She knew many things.

Instead of looking at the Jedi Duenna looked at her sons. They were both supporting each other under some sort of weight. Guerra, her Guerra, was mouthing something incoherent and Paxxi shook his head slowly. They were her sons and at that moment she felt an unsettling feeling rise within her. As she watched the two console each other a frightening thought entered her mind. You will lose all of your children.

At that moment Duenna wanted to take her children into her arms and hold them forever, but she could not. She had to get back or Terra would start to suspect. Beautiful Terra. She believed, as she always had, that her Terra would come back to her. It would only take time. Perhaps she should tell the Jedi that. She should tell them that she still had hope and that he should too. But there was no time.

"I'm… sorry." Duenna said softly, still not looking at Qui-Gon. "I must go back. I will inform you of anything more I learn of Obi-Wan…"

Qui-Gon barely nodded and Duenna disappeared into the crowd like a wraith. Qui-Gon felt like he had to sit down, but he remained standing. The fear that threatened to consume him had evaporated, but something just as debilitating took its place: despondence. He couldn't figure out whether it was worse living in frantic uncertainty or with the horrible truth. His padawan is gone.

He had the vague recollection of Guerra and Paxxi leading him back to Kaadi's house, but his mind was only focused on one thing. Obi-Wan is gone.

A/N: Yes, yes, I know. A month. I actually had it written at least a week ago, but I didn't post. No, I'm not trying to torture you guys... Well, maybe a little. Thanks for the support.