Life's Lesson's Vol. 2 Chapter II

Obi-Wan stood, his cloak billowing out in the wind. He had never seen such destruction before. His eyes took in the death before him, while his senses felt the gaping hollow in the force where so much life used to ebb and flow.

The Padawan's cream colored tunics were stained with blood, dirt and grime, but he had saved a few lives and that was what mattered. He flicked the nic stick away and resumed his search, stretching out with his senses and looking for life signs, no matter how weak.

General Rasho of the People's United Army stood, his eyes betraying no emotion as he told the Jedi what had transpired on his planet. "They offered us advanced plans for orbiting weapon platforms. MAG Cannons. We had jumped at the offer, wanting to bolster our defenses against invasion from some of the other... cultures," he used the word scathingly, "That inhabit this system."

Mace read no lies from this man, only that he was deeply remorseful for what had happened. "MAG Cannons?" He asked slowly, trying to recall some information that had slipped from him.

"Magnetic Accelerator Guns, Master Jedi. Properly adjusted and with a heavy enough slug, they can puncture deflector shields and enter the hulls of ships. They use magnets to hurl a solid metal rod at incredible speeds." Rasho finished, his eyes slowly closing from weariness.

Adi Gallia pursed her full lips and furrowed her brows in thought. "From what I remember, those weapons, though powerful, expend a great amount of energy. You couldn't hope to get off more then two or three salvos before over heating."

Rasho gave her a small grin. "That would be all we would need to take out capital ships and troop transports. Then the snub fighters would clean up the rest. But what I must tell you now has nothing to do with strategy or tactics. The deal we made was... with a Sith Lord."

Mace and Adi looked up sharply, their eyes narrowing. "What deal did you make?"

"In exchange for the plans we gave them... an artifact. An amulet. We did not know it's purpose or how it ended up in the treasure vault in the Army's main office, but when Lord Vindex saw it he wanted it almost immediately. When we handed it to him... it glowed with a strange red light. The arrangement was that we would deliver the amulet to him as soon as the platforms were completed. I could tell he didn't like this idea, but he went with it anyway. After they were completed, he took up the amulet, put it around his neck and just laughed. We didn't know what was happening before he had turned the MAG weapons on us, and fired the slugs into the ground, causing massive earthquakes."

Mace looked out the large window, which was cracked and broken, at the devastation below. "What did this Amulet look like?"

"Circular, with a red gemstone set in the middle. It was made from gold, and had marking etched into it, going around the outside and into the middle." Rasho said, his voice tight.

Mace sighed and opened his commlink to the temple. He spoke the situation "...yes, and from the description I just gave you, I think it is a Sith weapon or artifact of great power. Mmhm, I need it identified right away. Thank you, Madam Nu."

Adi arched a brow and looked at Rasho. "Did he leave the planet?"

"That is unknown as of yet. His ship is still here, but he could have left another way."

"We must find him, Mace." She whispered slowly.

Mace grunted slowly, his mouth a thin line.

Obi-Wan walked into the tenement building the Jedi had set up as their base. The scans from the ship they arrived on showed that it was the most sound building in the immediate area. He walked up the two flights of stairs and looked down the hall. "Which apartment was it...?" he asked himself slowly. When they had landed he had gone into the rescue effort as quickly as possible, leaving his master to place their things in the apartment. It was a very un-padawan thing to do, but as she had a meeting with General Rasho, she would be stopping by the room before him.

"Room two-fifteen or two-sixteen... I can't remember..." He shrugged and opened up two-sixteen, stepping in and looking around. The blue eyed Jedi noticed that the apartment showed signs of being used recently, but he didn't see the bags anywhere. He opened the door to his left, seeing a closet, but again no bags. "Hmm..." Obi-Wan walked to the next door which he assumed to be one of the bed rooms, and opened the door. "Ah-hah!" he said as he saw a bag sitting on the floor. It was standard Jedi issue.

Adi stepped down from the transport, and entered the building, walking up the stairs and walked to her apartment door, opening it up. "Obi-Wan?" She called out, looking for him.

Obi-Wan was just about to grab the bag to change his robes when the door opened. Out stepped a woman, with dark hair, wearing only underwear. His eyed widened slightly as bright blue eyes met his own.

"Sha-Rea...?"

Adi was startled by the scream from next door and stepped into the hallway just as Obi-Wan flew out the door of two-sixteen. He landed in a heap, leaning on the wall. "Padawan..." she started just as she saw Sha-Rea step into the hallway, her hand in a fist, and not wearing much.

"I said I was sorry!" Obi-Wan called out, looking up, his cheeks flushing from seeing her in that state.

Sha-Rea looked at him crossly. "You've got some nerve!!" she snapped, and slammed the door.

Obi-Wan stood shakily and rubbed his sore jaw. He saw Adi looking at him wide-eyed. "Uh... I can explain..."

Adi just shook her head. "It's never a dull moment with you, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan just grinned slowly and made his way past his Master. "I have a good explanation, Master. Really, I do."

Adi just motioned him into the room. "This is one I would love to hear, Obi-Wan." she said, chuckling a bit.

A/N: Sorry for not updating in a while. Read and Review please!

Gene