Langara was a small planet located in the Mid Rim. Spared by the war, it was a natural paradise of tall mountains and stormy creeks, luxuriant forests and grassy meadows. It resembled Alderaan and Naboo, but Qui-Gon was not there to admire the landscape.
He was there to find Ben Kenobi, in the hope he really was the man he saw in his vision.
Qui-Gon stepped down from the gunship he had used to travel from the starcruiser to planet surface and scanned the busy Langara City Spaceport for the nearest exit.
The Central Hospital where Kenobi worked was located nearby and he could be there in less than an hour if he caught an airtaxi.
There, he was lucky. A public speeder had just landed on the other side of the landing platform he was in. Qui-Gon started running in that direction waving his hand to attract the driver's attention.
The doors of the speeder opened and two passengers stepped down. One was a woman dressed in a tight leather jumpsuit, bald and with skin as white as Qui-Gon had ever saw.
The other passenger instead was a normal human, with ginger hair and a beard.
Qui-Gon narrowed his eyes as he quickened his pace. Was it a trick of his mind or was the woman actually leading the man by his elbow as it was usually done with blind people?
A shuttle landed just in front of Qui-Gon and he had to stop running to avoid being hit. By the time he circled the ship, the man and the woman had disappeared from his sight.
Cursing under his breath, the Jedi master crossed the last tract of the landing platform and letting the Force guide him he ran down the steps leading to another level of the spaceport.
There! The bearded man was over there, standing still near a pillar, while his exotic companion was nowhere in sight.
Qui-Gon moved toward the man, elbowing his way through the crowd, his eyes never leaving his target. He had almost reached the man and was about to touch his shoulder when he felt something sharp being pressed against his ribs.
"Don't move," a female voice hissed.
He froze, just as the other man turned around.
Qui-Gon's heart surged. It was him! The man of his vision. He had found him.
"Ben Kenobi?" he asked, ignoring the vibroblade pressed against his side.
"Yes," the man answered, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "Do I know you?"
Before Qui-Gon could answer, Kenobi's companion, the white-skinned woman stepped between him and the healer, her blade still drawn.
"What do you want?"
Qui-Gon raised his hands, palms up to show the ill tempered woman he meant no harm.
"My name is Qui-Gon Jinn and I just need to talk with you."
A stunned expression appeared on Ben Kenobi's face. "Master Jinn?" he wondered.
"Former Jedi initiate Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
"Yes, that's me, Master Jinn."
"What's happening here? Do you know him?" the woman asked to the healer, staring suspiciously at Qui-Gon.
"Yes, Asajj, I know him. He is the Jedi master I told you about…"
"The scum that refused to take you as his apprentice? How do you dare to show your face again?" the woman snarled as her eyes flashed with rage. Despite all of his experience Qui-Gon had to force himself not to take a step back from her anger. She was powerful in the Force, and she was a Grey One, since both light and darkness were in her. Kenobi instead was pure light.
"Yes, darling, it's him. But now please, calm down. He is not here to hurt us." Kenobi turned to face his companion and they looked at each other for a while in silence, making Qui-Gon wonder if they were having a mental conversation.
After a while Kenobi turned toward the Jedi master and asked, "What do you want to say to me, Master Jinn?"
"Actually, I wanted to ask you to come to Coruscant with me. The Jedi Council would like to meet you."
"Really? This is quite fortunate because we were just going to leave for Coruscant too," Asajj commented, her eyes still wary.
"This is not luck, Asajj. I have the feeling Master Jinn is here to find me for the same reason I was going to ask to see the Jedi Council."
Qui-Gon arched an eyebrow at Kenobi's matter of fact tone. "I have been having visions-"
"-of a woman named Padme dying in childbirth. I have them too."
The Jedi took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes to centre himself. "I think it would be better if we had this conversation in another place. There is a Republic starcruiser in orbit, waiting to take us to Coruscant. If you just would follow me…"
Qui-Gon gestured with his hand toward the landing platform where he had left his gunship and both Kenobi and his companion nodded, picking up their bags and falling in step with him.
The trip to Coruscant was mostly a silent one. Since it would take only a few hours to reach the planet at hyper speed, they all settled into a small lounge room, with several couches and tables scattered around and a big window.
Asajj found the room anachronistic and useless on a battle ship, but perhaps even the clone troopers needed some relaxation now and then. Whatever the case, the place and its couches suited her fine. Ben was still exhausted because of his recent lack of sleep and so, as soon as they were settled, she sent a strong sleep compulsion through their bond and knocked him out.
Her mate slumped against her shoulder like a log, and she lowered him on the divan, taking off his shoes and raising his legs on the cushions, before covering him with his robe.
"What did you do to him?" the Jedi asked her, accusation in his voice.
"I put him to sleep," Asajj growled back. "He is exhausted by all this visions mess. Or do you think those dark shadows under his eyes are permanent like my tattoos?"
"No… of course they are not," the Jedi commented as she settled on an armchair. "Can you tell me something about these visions he is having?"
"No. You will have to wait until Ben wakes up."
"Then maybe you can tell me something about yourself-"
"Listen Jedi, I'm on this ship only because of Ben," Asajj all but snarled. "I don't want to talk to you nor do I want to be near you or your kind. I'm here just to make sure you won't hurt him again." She moved aside the robe she had donned before boarding the ship, uncovering the lightsabre clipped to her belt. "Do you see this? I can use it well, so now shut up and leave me in peace."
Asajj smirked as she saw the Jedi swallow hard, uneasily. Good. Let the damned man be uncomfortable. She was sure that it was because of pompous banthas like him that her former master, Jedi Knight Ky Narec, had been left alone on Rattatak. Only an overbearing idiot could have refused to take Ben as his apprentice claiming he was full of anger. Ben! Full of anger! Ha!
The Jedi looked at her again and Asajj Ventress sustained his glance swearing that if he continued to stare at her like that, before they parted ways, Qui-Gon Jinn would discover what "full of anger" really meant.