"Has Doctor Nema given any indication of how long I am to be kept in isolation?"
"No Master," Anakin said. Only the top half of his torso was visible through the flexiglass barrier. Smudges of soot still covered his hands and face from helping Master Fisto clear the damaged factory. He had only been in the observation room for a few minutes after his return, and already he was munching his way through a nutribar. The boy never seemed to stop eating. "The doctor said that she needed to examine the other bodies we found in the wreckage. She…she seemed a little tense, Master."
"Hmmm well, with the way today is going, she's probably found some kind of new and horribly lethal virus that I'm now infected with. And I had hoped the next few weeks would be a little more relaxing. Never mind; how is the woman we found? Did she survive?"
"She's in the iso-chamber right next to yours, Master…look," Anakin said and, hitting a few buttons, a section of the room's panelling flickered and then turned transparent, revealing an identical chamber of smooth grey walls and soft lights beyond his own. In the middle, lying on a medibed, was the outline of a pale-skinned human.
"Why isn't she in a bacta tank?" Obi-Wan asked, moving closer to the glass. The woman appeared bare, except for her modest undergarments. Blistered, angry red burns almost wholly covered the arm visible to him, curling their way over her shoulder and chest. Smaller welts were peppered up her neck and along the side of her face and head. Her hair, which he had remembered as being a pale brown, was completely shaven off now.
"Doctor Nema said that she'd tried applying bacta, but there was a bad reaction to it," Anakin replied. "I don't think the doctor wants to do anything else until they know what went wrong."
"And the ship?"
"The Temple engineers are looking over it at the moment, Master. They're trying to compare the design to the ones stored in our Archives. They're hoping to narrow down what system the spacecraft came from, but they've not found anything like an IFF, identichip or registration data."
"Hmmm, that is unusual," Obi-Wan said, considering the implications. It was near impossible to fly within the Core system in an unregistered ship. "I had thought you would be down there helping them out? It's not like you to pass up an opportunity to pull apart a ship."
"I just wanted to make sure you were alright, Master," Anakin said through a mouthful of food, ducking his head a little. Obi-Wan felt a swell of affection run through him at the admission.
"Oh well, I'm sure I'll be fine," he replied with a smile, just as Doctor Nema walked into the observation room. "Ah, and just on time. I hope you didn't find anything too concerning in your-"
Behind Doctor Nema, the Jedi Council members began entering the room. Master Yoda, sitting on his levipad, hovered between Mace Windu and Ki-Adi-Mundi. Anakin moved aside as the others filtered in, almost comically crammed into the rather small room.
"Why do I get the impression that you're not here to deliver pleasant news, Doctor?" Obi-Wan said, a sinking feeling filling his stomach as the Jedi Masters turned to regard him.
"News, we have. Remains to be seen, it is, if good or bad," Master Yoda said, exuding the kind of serene calm that revealed absolutely nothing of use.
"Doctor Nema was just informing the Council of a discovery she made while examining the woman you rescued. We need to observe her findings ourselves," Master Windu added, and just like that, all eyes - including Obi-Wan's - were directed towards the frail form in the opposite room.
As one, Obi-Wan felt the Council members reach out with the Force towards the unconscious figure; the strength of such focussed energy, even in passing, caused his skin to prickle. He had no idea what they could possibly be searching for. The woman gave off about as much presence as the rubble she'd been pulled from, so it was unlikely they'd be able to discern anything from her through the Force. Unease slowly began to ripple in the air, and then one by one the Masters withdrew their senses. There was a long period of silent reflection, as though no-one was willing to speak first.
"Perhaps she is unconsciously blocking our ability to sense her?" Depa Billaba said. "We have come across some species who have developed such abilities as a survival mechanism. Could it not be that she is simply the most advanced of her kind?"
"That doesn't explain her blood scans," Doctor Nemo replied, touching the control panel in front of her. The observation window lit up with the cellular analyser display; the glowing orange matrix representing the basic structures of a humanoid cell. There, clearly shown, was the vacuole, the lysosome, the round sphere of the nuclei nestled at the cell's core…but where in the stars were the midi-chlorians?
"That's impossible," Obi-Wan said as he approached the observation window. "Perhaps the blood sample was contaminated in some way?"
"This sample was taken less than an hour ago, Master Kenobi," Doctor Nemo confirmed. "I have run similar comparisons on the bodies recovered from the ship. There was no trace of midi-chlorians in any of the remains."
"Midi-chlorians exist in all living things - this is one of the core truths of our universe. Is it not, therefore, more likely that she is simply an advanced form of synthetic life?" Master Mundi asked, his long fingers brushing through his tufted beard in contemplation.
Doctor Nema tapped the console a few more times, pulling up a full body display. "Her structure is entirely organic. A basic DNA scan gives a 99.82% match to another sample from our Archives. That sample," she continued, pulling up the two strands of DNA on the screen, their glowing blue spirals side by side on the glass, "was taken from a native Coruscanti farmer before the collapse of the Old Republic, almost 20,000 years ago."
"Additionally," she said after a long stretch of silence, and Obi-Wan wasn't sure how much more 'additional' information he could get his head around, "there are several fascinating physical differences between this woman and a standard human. Several areas of her brain show marked divergence. For example, her hippocampus and cerebellum are almost a third of the size of a comparable Galactic human, indicating a significant impairment in her spatial and navigational awareness and skills. Her amygdala, however, is twice as large - likely indicating a more emotion driven learning and memory system. And that isn't even touching on areas such as her heart and liver functions, bone density, the presence of vestigial organs which we've only ever speculated on as possibly being part of human evolution…" Doctor Nemo stopped, shaking her head as she flicked aside the diagnostic visuals with a swipe of her hand.
"So," Master Windu said, allowing the Doctor a moment to compose herself. "What does all this mean, exactly?"
"What does it mean?" Doctor Nema replied, running a hand over the sweeping cowl of her ceremonial headdress with a sigh. "It means that the very presence of the woman before us runs counter to everything we know about the formation of life in this universe. She exists outside of both the Living and Cosmic Force, yet shares biological markers and an evolutionary path almost identical to one of the most dominant species in the Galaxy. And that she is, perhaps, one of the greatest discoveries we've ever made – and I am afraid that I will be unable to keep her alive for much longer."
"You think she's dying?" Anakin blurted out from the other side of the observation chamber.
"Her injuries are extensive, but would normally be entirely treatable. However, her histamine reaction to the bacta we attempted to apply was so severe, we've had to intubate her to prevent her from suffocating. It's possible that any physical intervention could cause a similar reaction, from basic sedatives to antimicrobials for preventing infection."
"Is there anything you need that could help you to keep her stable?" Plo Koon asked.
"Hmmm…well, I must admit, I could use the expertise of someone like Master Pelri - though I know that her methods are a little…unconventional," Doctor Nema admitted with some reluctance.
"I believe she is currently off-world on a scientific expedition to the planet VK-3NJ67 near the outer-rim. Something to do with a form of sentient fungus," Mace Windu replied
"I wouldn't want to be in the room if Pei Pelri ever found out that we had a medical marvel and didn't inform her," Obi-Wan said, trying to keep the amusement from his voice. He had known Pei since they were younglings, and just the thought of the Sullustan's reaction to this discovery was almost enough to make it worth being quarantined for.
"Request the return of Master Pelri, we shall," Yoda agreed. "Inform the Council, you will, of any further developments."
"Yes Master," Doctor Nema said with a bow, as the Council turned to leave the observation chambers. Anakin and Obi-Wan bowed low as the doors slid shut behind Master Billaba, leaving the remaining three to their thoughts. In the other room, the woman continued to lie motionless on the medibed, seemingly oblivious to the myriad of truths her very existence had shattered.
"She just looks so…ordinary," Anakin said, echoing one of Obi-Wan's own thoughts.
"Perhaps she is ordinary, wherever she is from," Obi-Wan said. "Maybe we'd be the extraordinary ones in her world."
"Well, I just hope Master Pelri will return soon. I would hate for our patient to wake up while we're still without any form of applicable pain-killer," Doctor Nema said.
"Oh, if I know Pei, she'll be back here quicker than Anakin is to an evening meal," Obi-Wan said, trying not to smirk at his padawan's reaction to the teasing. "Speaking of which, how long will I be kept from my regular duties? When I had requested our extended leave in the Temple, I had not envisaged it stuck in an iso-chamber."
"I shouldn't imagine you'll be here for very long Master Kenobi," Doctor Nema said. "Luckily, your biology is far more predictable. We'll continue to monitor your vitals for any indication of an infection but, all going well, you should be clear to return to your duties in a few days."
"Well, I suppose that will give me ample opportunity for meditation - if nothing else," Obi-Wan conceded. While the idea wasn't entirely appealing, a few days of rest and meditation would probably do him good. It would also give Anakin a chance to train with the other apprentices.
"What will I do, Master?" Anakin asked.
"Oh, I have little doubt they'll be plenty of things to occupy your time. I suggest you get cleaned up and get some sleep. It's highly likely that Master Yoda will summon you tomorrow."
"Will you be alright?"
"Yes, of course. Now off you go," Obi-Wan said, shooing him away with a wave of his hand. "Oh, and do remember to get some proper food Anakin. Nutribars are for survival emergences, they are not a snack."
"I will. Goodnight Master," Anakin said with a slight bow, before he swept out of the room.
"Well, I suppose I should follow my own advice," Obi-Wan said aloud to himself. He'd never spent much time in the iso-chambers before. It was an odd thought, going to sleep with the doctor observing him nearby. As if sensing his hesitation, Doctor Nema tapped a few buttons and the panel looking into the other chamber clouded over to a dull grey.
"I'll leave you to rest, Master Kenobi," she said with a smile, and then the observation window turned opaque, blocking her from view. Obi-Wan took a brief glance around the empty little room, which was now his for as long as he was stuck in here. Kicking off his boots and unbuckling his belt and lightsabre, Obi-Wan settled himself down on the padded bed and tried to clear his mind of everything today had revealed. There must be a reasonable explanation to it all, he thought. And if anyone could figure it out, it would be Pei Pelri. That is, if she didn't spontaneously combust with enthusiasm when she heard the news. It was that image which managed to keep Obi-Wan suitably amused until he eventually fell asleep.