Chapter 21
The beeping immediately drew Obi-Wan's attention away from his Padawan, and back towards the console, his eyes growing sharp, focused.
"It's done…" Jaina blinked through the sleepy haze, rubbing at her eyelids and hurrying back towards the terminal. "That means it's done analyzing all the files I extracted."
The Jedi Master watched his little Padawan rush towards the console, a mixture of curiosity and concern warring within him. His own weariness temporarily fading, Obi-Wan followed after her, coming to stand behind her shoulder as she scrolled through the data. "And?"
"...it looks like all files acquired from the mainframe seem to be intact, at least the 61.92% I successfully transmitted," she murmured. "None of the files have been corrupted."
"Yes, it's all here, there are hundreds of files sealed by Durd, Doctor Vindi, and Doctor Fhernan, and..." Jaina trailed off, blinking dazedly for a split second.
Obi-Wan tilted his head, his face shifting in concern as he noticed the subtle change in her demeanor. "Jaina?" he said gently. "Are you all right?"
He moved closer to her, his expression growing softer as he took a closer look. His Padawan was quiet again, and he could sense her sudden disorientation. "Jaina," he repeated softly. "Speak to me."
"...Sorry," Jaina mumbled, shaking her head and bringing a hand to the bridge of her nose to rub at it tenderly. "Must be more tired than I thought." She gazed back at the screen.
"No, no, you can't just brush it off this time," Obi-Wan said gently—but with a look of seriousness in his eyes. "What's wrong?"
The Jedi Master reached out to gently touch her arm, his eyes locking with hers, his face shifting into a concerned expression as he noticed just how pale she had gotten. "Jaina, what is it?"
"I feel…just a little lightheaded all of a sudden," she murmured, pressing her fingertips into her eyes.
Obi-Wan's eyebrows lifted, his heart pounding as a cold realization dawned on him. "Jaina..." he whispered.
His heart was racing now. His eyes frantically searched hers as he swallowed the lump of concern now in his throat.
He took a sharp breath in, afraid to be proven right.
What—what had she been exposed to...?
Feeling something wet beginning to drip down her nose, Jaina brought a finger beneath it, her eyes growing wide at the blood that trickled on to her finger. "Oh—oh stars, is that—"
His hand immediately reached for hers, his expression shifting to one of both alarm and urgent concern.
"Jaina, you're—you're bleeding—" Obi-Wan gently grabbed her chin and lifted her head up, studying the trickle of blood with growing dread. "Let me see, let me see," he muttered, his voice steady despite the fear coursing through him. "Is your nose hurting, or is it your head?"
She blinked.
"Jaina, Jaina, focus," he said urgently, his fingers remaining clasped around her chin to keep her gaze on him. "I need you to focus. I need you to tell me exactly what you're feeling right now. Is your head hurting? Is it your nose?"
The Jedi Master lifted a hand and gingerly touched her forehead, his fingers skimming over her warm, moist skin as he searched for any sort of physical indication of what was wrong.
"Talk to me, Jaina." Obi-Wan could feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest now, praying that it was a simple headache, or a nosebleed, a result of fatigue.
Anything. Anything but the horrifying scenario now taking shape in his mind.
"Jaina, did you touch anything in the lab?"
She winced softly, bringing her fingers back to her eyes.
His heart sank at the sight of her grimace; he knew his little one, knew her expressions and reactions like the back of his own hand.
This was bad.
"Jaina." He gently pulled her fingers away from her eyes. "Look at me. Look at me. Concentrate. What did you touch?"
"Nothing, I didn't…" Jaina trailed off, bringing a hand to her forehead and slowly sinking to her knees.
"No no no no—" Obi-Wan pleaded softly, his arms immediately snaking around her waist to hold her upright. He gently lowered his little Padawan to the floor, cradling her small form to his chest.
"Jaina. Jaina, you cannot fall asleep now," he said urgently, cupping her warm, flushed cheek with his other hand.
Her temperature was climbing.
"Answer me, what did you touch?!"
"Nothing..." Jaina mumbled, wincing softly and rubbing at her temples. "Just…crawled through the vents…took the files…the samples…didn't touch…"
Obi-Wan was at a loss. How then was his own Padawan beginning to show symptoms of a mystery illness whose data they had only just acquired—
He froze, his voice barely above a whisper. "…one of their projects is...already airborne?"
Jaina's own eyes widened as she fought desperately for lucidity. "…the…the Damotite lab…they were…wearing suits…"
The realization was now setting in, and it was horrifying in more ways than one.
His worst fears had just been confirmed—whatever she had been exposed to while in the bioweapon lab—
The rest of his thoughts trailed off as he saw her eyes closing, her head lolling forward against his shoulder.
"Jaina," he whispered urgently, tenderly wiping at the small stream of blood beneath her nose with his sleeve. "No no no, stay with me, stay awake."
Jaina winced, groaning softly and rubbing at her throbbing temples. "…How much longer…until we get to Coruscant…?"
A pit of concern began twisting and sinking in his stomach as he considered her weakening condition.
He gently tilted her head back up, searching her face for any other sign of the virus's symptoms. The blood from her nose had slowed, but her complexion now had a clammy, ashen tinge to it.
"Four hours until we drop out," he quietly answered, as her body was wracked with a sudden, terrible cough. "Jaina. Four hours . You have to stay awake."
"Keep your eyes open." he whispered urgently. "Keep them open. Do you hear me?"
Jaina's eyes fluttered closed, then opened once more. She nodded weakly.
Every part of him wanted desperately for her to rest—wanted desperately to hold her close and just soothe her to sleep—anything, to just make her comfortable, to do anything to just ease her pain.
And yet, he couldn't.
Because if she fell asleep now…he didn't know what would happen.
Obi-Wan shifted his position, gently pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her. He held her to his chest, cradling the back of her head in the crook of his arm.
His voice was a whisper again. "Jaina, talk to me."
"About...what..?" Jaina murmured dazedly.
Obi-Wan shifted his position again, leaning against the wall and pulling her even closer to his chest, as he swallowed away at his anxiety from her slurred words.
"Anything," he whispered, his fingers subconsciously stroking the back of her head. "Anything. Just keep talking. Talk to me, my little one."
Four more hours.
"Tell me anything. I just need you to talk to me."
"I…" Jaina mumbled, her breathing shallow as she let out a small, soft chuckle. "I broke a rule…at home…last week…"
A flicker of a smile tugged at his mouth as he continued to stroke the back of her head, his fingers slowly running through the loose strands of her dark, disheveled curls.
"Broke a rule?" Obi-Wan murmured, allowing himself this moment to tease her. "Now, now. You and I both know that that is highly unlike you."
Jaina chuckled weakly. "Oh, but I did…Master…I…committed the most…heinous…of crimes…"
He raised an eyebrow, the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You did, did you?" He continued to gently run his fingers through her tangled curls. "And what was this unspeakable crime that you committed?"
"I…ate a biscuit…on my bed…" She murmured, her eyes fluttering. "Even if I knew…you'd be furious …if you ever found out…"
A small, almost inaudible chuckle escaped his lips this time, his hands holding her just a little tighter to his chest. "You little menace," he teased affectionately. "I knew you had been sneaking sweets."
Force, how was he smiling right now?
"And the fact that you could have wiped out an entire civilization with an insect infestation caused by a simple crumb of a delicious treat—that didn't bother you?" he whispered lightly.
The smile on his face disappeared the moment he heard another cough rack through her body.
"…don't…know…Master…I was thinking with my…stomach…" Jaina murmured groggily. "…I was hungry…and tired...at the same time..." Her eyes fluttered closed. "So…tired…"
His smile vanished as soon as he saw her eyes close and her head loll against his shoulder.
Obi-Wan's fingers stilled in her hair. "No no no," he whispered urgently, gently tapping her cheek. "Keep your eyes open, my sweet one. Stay awake."
Four more hours.
Four hours until they reached Coruscant.
Four hours until they could seek medical attention.
"Talk to me," he repeated, gently tilting her chin back before he spoke again, his eyes locking with her own hazy ones. "Tell me about your dreams, darling. Tell me what you're looking forward to, once this war is over."
"…eat…more biscuits…in bed…"
Obi-Wan nodded, his lips twitching slightly into a small, bittersweet smile as her words, though delirious, hurt him deeply.
She was talking in her half-delirious state, yearning for the innocence of being a child, of being safe.
And her words tore him apart.
He forced himself to swallow through the lump in his throat—his heart clenching in a sharp, excruciating ache as his mind transported him back to the reactor core on Naboo, clutching Qui-Gon to his chest in his last breath.
No. No. No no no no no. Not again.
"You shall have the most biscuits," he whispered, his vision blurring with unshed tears.
"…double…" Jaina mumbled, her eyes drifting closed once more. "…chocolate chip…?"
"You can have triple," Obi-Wan whispered, his throat constricting more and more with every passing second.
Four more hours.
Four more hours.
"And you may eat them wherever you wish—on your bed, on my bed, even. Wherever," he murmured, his other arm sliding beneath her legs to adjust her comfortably in his lap. "You shall have a whole mountain of them, my little one."
If she was going to lose consciousness, he would make sure that this would be her last memory, an image of her Master promising her all the triple chocolate chip her little stomach could handle.
"…a…mountain…of biscuits…" Jaina mumbled.
Obi-Wan chuckled hoarsely, forcing himself to maintain the lightheartedness in his tone, despite the ache that burned his throat and the tightness that strangled his heart.
"Yes, dearest," he murmured against her hair, willing his voice to stay steady—for her , and refusing to let a single tear fall. "A mountain of biscuits."
He gently adjusted his fingers to tilt her chin once more, gently stroking her round cheek with his thumb. Her eyes were closing more often now—flickering shut and staying that way for longer moments.
"Stay with me," he whispered pleadingly. "I need you to be strong, my little love, I need you to fight."
"Stay awake."
Jaina let out another small groan, her eyes straining to keep open. "…tired…" she murmured, her head lolling back. "…just…five more minutes…Master…I promise…"
Obi-Wan's heart sank. His little one was continuing to mumble like a child. An exhausted, sleep-deprived child who refused to get out of bed in the morning.
She seemed barely conscious now, her tone slow and slurred.
He knew that she couldn't fall asleep, not now. Not when she was fighting for her life, and her brain was desperately trying to shut down to conserve energy.
Four more hours.
Four more hours.
"Stay with me, my little one," he whispered, brushing a desperate kiss to her forehead. "Please."
Force, she seemed so weak, so fragile, so small in his arms…
The little Padawan was struggling to stay awake, to resist the effects of whatever it was that had taken over her system…
…but she was exhausted. And as her eyelashes fluttered against her pale cheeks once more, the Jedi Master could do nothing but grip her little form for dear life, as the insidious sleep engulfed her.
"…I'm sorry…Master…"