"How do you even kill a Sith?" Jango asked as they prepared to take off in Slave I. "Wait. How do you even find a Sith?"
"That doesn't matter now. What matters now is training you to fight so I don't have to take the Sith alone."
"What, do you mean you're actually not going to go back to Coruscant and get yourself a battalion of Jedi warriors to help you?" Jango asked. He was only being mildly sarcastic. He hadn't expected Qui-Gon to actually want to lone wolf this fight. "That's suicide, Qui-Gon. There's only two of us. From the way you used to make the Sith sound—"
"Sith Lords are very powerful, very dangerous. They are well versed in the dark side of the Force. Their use of their aggression and fear and anger in battle makes them strong. But we don't have to be stronger, just smarter. Faster."
"Still, I was joking, Qui-Gon. Two of us against a Sith—"
"Old friend, if you want to rescind your offer of help, I won't hold it against you," Qui-Gon said. "But I could certainly use your help on this."
Jango thought for a moment. "I won't abandon you, Qui-Gon, but I think I've got something in my hold that may be of help."
Qui-Gon raised a suspicious eyebrow as Jango led him below deck.
There in a cage, looking about as angry as any Jedi Qui-Gon had ever seen, was the girl that had managed to climb aboard before Jango had left the Jedi Temple.
"What are you doing with another—" Qui-Gon started, indignant, but Jango pressed one gloved finger to the man's lips to hush him.
"I went looking for you at the Jedi Temple." Qui-Gon looked surprised, to say the least. "Perhaps not my smartest move, but I did not have much choice. I didn't know where else to start looking for you. They did not take kindly to me trying to leave once they'd informed me that you were no longer there. This little one thought she could take me."
"He shot me," growled the girl.
"And who might you be, young one?" Qui-Gon asked.
"My name is Hanli Bewin, Master Jinn," she said quickly. "We've met briefly in passing, I believe."
"Ah yes," Qui-Gon said. "Well, I've got a special mission for you now. If you want to get out of that cage, that is."
Hanli glared up at Jango.
"Oh, I want to get out of the cage, Sir," she said.
"You won't be able to harm my bounty hunter friend here," Qui-Gon said. The girl's expression noticeably fell, but she nodded her agreement. "We need him far too much. You'll be helping us rescue my Padawan Learner."
"Kenobi? But— But I'd heard he was dead!"
Qui-Gon shook his head. "No, but he is in grave danger. We must hurry."
"Shouldn't we involve the Council in this, Master Jinn?"
"There is no time. The Council will debate the appropriate course of action for weeks while Obi-Wan is tortured endlessly by a Sith Lord."
Her eyes widened as she nodded. "I… I will help in any way I can, Master, but I fear that a fight against a Sith is not one we can win."
"We needn't win anything," Qui-Gon replied. "We just need to distract the Sith long enough to secure Obi-Wan."
"This will not be an easy task," Jango said as he unlocked the cage. "I've heard of this man Sidious. He's not the kind of man I'd want to have any dealings with."
"And yet you sold a Jedi to him," Hanli snapped as she pushed her way out of the cage. She stood and stretched before turning to Jango and holding out her hand. "My lightsaber, bounty hunter."
Jango reached into one of the pouches that hung from his belt and retrieved the small cylindrical weapon. She snatched it from his hand before he could even finish extending it toward her, examined it briefly, and snapped it to her belt.
"There's no way this will work, you know," she continued. "Even Master Yoda isn't strong enough to take down a Sith Lord."
"We don't have to take him down," Qui-Gon said. "Just distract him for long enough to get Obi-Wan away."
Hanli scoffed and put her hands on her hips. "Oh yes, distract a Sith Lord. Easy as pie."
"Hey, we don't have to let you help," Jango said, folding his arms across his chest. "You could spend the rest of our adventure in the cage." His eyes widened and he grinned deviously. "We could use you as bait. Leave you on his doorstep and while he examines his new Jedi we save Obi-Wan."
"Except then I'm stuck with a Sith lord," Hanli said. Qui-Gon sighed.
"Enough," he said. "This is getting us nowhere fast. We have to get back to Coruscant."
"Why Coruscant?" Jango asked.
"The Sith are attracted to power. This Sidious has likely positioned himself in the Senate," Qui-Gon said. "We'll find him on Coruscant."
"Then we should alert the Council. They can—"
"I will not endanger any more Jedi to save Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "Too many have lost their lives already because of this."
"Then why do I have to help?"
"Because you attempted to kill my ally and because it's the less cramped of your two choices," Qui-Gon replied without missing a beat.
))((
The strange man in the purple robes— who insisted that Obi-Wan call him 'Sheev' despite the fact that Obi-Wan could not actually speak— watched intently as Obi-Wan sat attempting to read a datapad. The words kept rearranging themselves in his mind. It was no use. He couldn't focus.
"Take your time, young Kenobi," said Sheev. Obi-Wan tried not to look at him. Didn't he ever blink? "You did not learn to read in a single day the first time around, there is nothing that says you will understand everything again in one day."
He didn't trust Sheev, but he was grateful that the man was kind, if a bit too brusque and a bit too touchy-feely.
"I want you to work with these holo-tutors after I leave. It is very important to me that you learn how to speak once more."
Obi-Wan nodded. He'd long since decided it was smarter to go with whatever Sidious or the others wanted of him. Struggling just made things worse.
It was quite late when Sheev finally took his leave and Obi-Wan found himself alone in the flat once again.
He decided to spend that alone time with his nose pressed up against the window, watching speeders and shuttles zoom past. Their pilots gave no thought to what was happening in the buildings they passed. Obi-Wan couldn't really blame them, though he wished just one of them would notice him watching and maybe get close enough to see the bruises that covered him, the sadness and pain in his eyes…
He sighed as he walked away from the window. The datapads that Sheev had left for him with instructional holograms lay in a neat pile on the dining table, precisely where the old man had left them. Part of Obi-Wan wanted to check them out, but another, stronger part of him didn't want to put forth more effort than was ever necessary. If learning to talk wouldn't save him from pain, he didn't want to learn to talk again.
))((
He looked so peaceful, all slumped over in his seat. Jango was loathe to wake the Jedi Master in his co-pilot's seat, but it was necessary. They were approaching Coruscant. Jango needed to know where to land.
It was the calmest he'd seen his friend since their paths had crossed just days before. If he dreamt, they were pleasant dreams. His lips fought to curl into that crooked little smirk of his more than once as Jango watched him.
He raised his hand to prod the Jedi Master more than once before Hanli came barreling into the cockpit. "Oh for the love of the Force," she said, rolling her eyes as she saw Jango hesitating. She walked over and nudged the sleeping Master firmly yet gently. He roused nearly instantly.
Jango sighed and glared at the younger Jedi before turning his attention back to Qui-Gon.
"Where am I going now?" he asked. "We're fast approaching Coruscant and I've rather thoroughly burned all my bridges there."
"I have a flat," Qui-Gon said, stifling a yawn. "Near the downtown renewal zone." He could feel Hanli's surprised gaze on the back of his head. "I have often found it necessary to have space to myself, away from the Temple. So many Force-sensitive beings in one place can prove a bit… Overwhelming. Especially when I'm trying to deepen my connection with the Living Force."
Qui-Gon punched the coordinates into the computer for Jango and turned his attention back to the younger Jedi. "Someday you may understand, but I don't expect you to now, young one."
It would be the first time in a long, long time that he would visit the space without Obi-Wan. He wasn't ready for how empty the space would seem.
Once they had landed and had debarked, Qui-Gon closed his eyes and reached out with the Force, probing as much of the planet as he could reach.
Obi-Wan. His eyes snapped open as he felt the familiar presence of his Padawan. It was far away and weak, but it was most assuredly Obi-Wan. He kept his focus on that presence, unwilling to let go now that he was close enough to feel him again.
-We're coming for you, Obi-Wan. I promise you.-