He sat crouched just inside the small hangar bay. Carefully he made his way forward along the wall. At the front of the bay a hatch lead to the rest of the ship. It was open and Obi-Wan slipped through it.
He moved along a narrow corridor looking for any sign of Amira. He passed several compartment doors as he moved towards the front of the ship. Something told him to stop. He stood still for a moment and let the Force guide him. She was near.
His heart rate increased and his senses focused. He backtracked and stopped in front of a locked metal door. He again used his lightsaber to incinerate the lock and he entered. The room illuminated when he stepped through the door.
Curled in the fetal position Amira lay unmoving on the metal decking. He was at her side in a moment, "I'm here." He turned her gently, cradling her head and shoulders in his arms. He didn't breathe for several seconds as he held her. Her body was cold. She was bloodied and bruised. Heleaned over herand whispered;his voice wavering, "Amira no."
He laid her down and removed his robe. Gently he began wrapping it around her. Carefully he pulled her into his arms. He wiped a tiny bit of blood from the corner of her mouth with his fingertips.
He gazed sadly at her noticing the bruises on her neck. His fingers traced the bruises, with unshed tears stinging his eyes he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead whispering, "I'm sorry."
She remained motionless. He closed his eyes and rested hisface against hers. From the darkness and through the pain she began to sense someone was with her. It was not him, not the Sith. The touch was gentle and loving. She swam through the murky darkness towards consciousness, towards the voice, his voice.
She stirred and said his name, "Obi-Wan" her voice was weak but she continued, "It's a trap, you should not have come." He raised his head to look at her. Her eyes were open and staring into his.
He smoothed the hair out of her face and smiled, "You needed me." She whispered, "I have things under control." He laughed for the first time since her abduction, "I can see that, I hope the other guy looks worse than you."
She smiled weakly and moved to sit up, she cringed from the pain, "I wish, but I seemed to have misplaced my lightsaber." He helped her sit up and then knelt on his knees next to her. He pulled her weapon off of his belt, "You mean this? You know I am always reminding Anakin not to lose his. I expected more from you Jedi Organa, this weapon is your life."
She laughed half-heartedly and took the weapon from him. It felt good to have it back in her hand. She stared at it silently. Then she looked up into his eyes and said, "I'm sorry…I failed…" He stopped her by placing his fingers on her lips, "You are still alive that is all I hoped for."
She looked at Obi-Wan and she saw something in his eyes he'd never allowed her to see before…his love for her. She saw it and felt it. The Force flowed between them giving her strength. He asked, "Can you stand? I need to get you out of here?"
She nodded and stood up slowly, "I'm not going anywhere. You are not facing this Sith alone. He is here to destroy you. He is avenging Darth Maul." Obi-Wan, un-phased by her revelation, replied, "This is my battle to fight and I will not risk any further harm coming to you."
She placed her hand on the side of his face and said, "Ben, I will not leave you to face him alone. He would hunt me down and destroy me anyway. There is nowhere I can hide and he will not stop until he has met his objective. He replied, "I've been here before, I watched Darth Maul kill Qui-Gon…I could not bear to see you killed. If there is a chance that you will walk away from here…"
She stopped him speaking softly, "I cannot walk away. I am a Jedi. It is my duty to offer whatever assistance I can, it is the Code. You did not leave Qui-Gon's side." He weighed her words for a moment and said, "I was not injured as you are."
She tested her arms and legs and moved her stiffened muscles, "I could use that vacation now." He looked into her eyes, "I need you to be honest with me." She replied, "I could use a healer and a bit of Bacta, but I should be able to block most of the pain at least long enough to give us the advantage in a fight."
He looked at her and frowned not quite believing she was as strong as she claimed. She replied, "Ben, I'm ok." He nodded and walked away from her and paced the cell examining the room carefully, "You are right we stand a better chance together but it's not going to be easy. Our emotions…he will use them against us."
She nodded, "I understand. What do you propose?" He turned to look at her. She looked frightful. Blood and grime were smeared across her torn nightdress, her hair hung limply in her face. She felt his dismay and flashed a reassuring smile and thought his way, "I'll be fine."