Savoir Faire

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In a corner, on the floor of Mandie's room, Obi Wan woke with a start. The disturbing darkness he had felt last night was suddenly looming over him. He looked up to see Corbin, glaring down at him with a blaster aimed at Obi Wan's head.

"What are you doing in here, you little shit?" Corbin hissed.

Mandie stirred in her bed and sat up. She gasped when she saw Corbin with the blaster.

Obi Wan gestured quickly and Force pushed Corbin, sending him hurling against a wall. In a split second, the young Jedi was on his feet and stretched out his hand, tearing the blaster out of Corbin's grasp. It flew towards him and he calmly plucked it out of the air.

Both Corbin and Mandie stared at him in shock.

Obi Wan now had the blaster pointed at Corbin and adjusted the power to stun.

"Calm down," he told Corbin with unwavering authority. "Would you like to tell me what this is all about before I call security?"

"I'll tell you what this is about!" Corbin said, shaking with anger. He roughly dragged his hand through his long black hair to push it out of his face. "I get shut out of the ship all night because some cretin ordered it sealed before I could get back on. Then when I finally do gain access, I come in here to check on Mandie and find you sleeping in her room! Seems you must have had a cozier night than I did."

Mandie scrambled out of bed and over to Obi Wan's side. "It wasn't like that and you know it!"

"I had the ship sealed last night with good reason," Obi Wan told Corbin calmly.

"You?! I spent the night out on a tarmac because of you?" Enraged, Corbin flew at him again, but Obi Wan used the Force to pin him to the wall. His gaze piercing, he stepped towards Corbin and subtly waved his hand in front of his eyes.

"You will be calm now."

"I will be calm now," Corbin repeated with a deadpan expression.

Obi Wan lowered the blaster and tucked it into his belt. "Good," he said simply. He glanced at Mandie and smiled slightly. Her eyes were wide with wonderment. "Now, if you'll let me explain," Obi Wan continued. "Last night, while in town, someone tried to kidnap Tia. My master thought there might be a possibility that who ever attacked her might come after Mandie as well. To keep her safe, I had Captain Fostey seal the ship for the night." Obi Wan studied Corbin's reaction carefully to this bit of news. He looked appropriately mortified, but Obi Wan felt little emotion surfacing inside him.

"How awful!" he exclaimed. He faced Mandie. "Is she all right?"

Mandie nodded. "I spoke with her. She's fine."

They were interrupted by a soft metallic knocking on the door. Mandie hurried to answer it.

HJK-260 bowed slightly as the door opened before him. "Begging your pardon, Miss, but I've been sent by Captain Fostey to inform you that Miss Tia and Jedi Jinn have arrived back at the ship and we will be departing Istse in one standard hour."

"Thank you HJ," Mandie said with an excited smile. She closed the door as the droid hurried off and turned to face Obi Wan and Corbin once more.

Now Corbin faced Obi Wan. "I understand fully now and I can see you acted accordingly to ensure the safety of my girlfriend."

Something felt different about Corbin, Obi Wan thought. His presence was darker and more sinister than the simple hostility Obi Wan had sensed in him when they had first met. He noticed the bruises purpling his knuckles and the torn sleeve of his coat. There was also a small scratch on his chin which was not there when Obi Wan had seen him last.

Mandie's eyes narrowed. "I'm not your girlfriend anymore," she stated.

Corbin glared quickly at Obi Wan, then nodded in acquiescence at Mandie. When he spoke, his voice was relatively nonchalant. "I see. I actually came to that conclusion some time ago. Hopefully we can remain friends. You must forgive my ill-temper. I did not sleep well last night."

Obi Wan folded his arms across his chest and slipped his hands into the sleeves of his cloak. "What have you been up to?" he asked Corbin quietly.

Corbin gave him another scathing look and half snarled his reply. "I told you, I spent the night outside." He locked his dark eyes on the Jedi, oozing hatred. Obi Wan stared back at him, unperturbed.

Mandie stepped forward. "You owe Obi Wan another apology," she said suddenly.

Corbin pried his eyes off his rival and faced Mandie. He smiled at her sweetly. "I suppose I do." He extended his hand towards Obi Wan so suddenly, the Jedi almost flinched. Obi Wan eyed him warily before shaking his hand. "Forgive my outbursts," Corbin continued. "As I've repeatedly stated, I did not have a pleasant night. Let's just forget about calling security, shall we?"

Obi Wan nodded. He had no proof that Corbin had done anything wrong. Only his sense of it. He was better off letting him go for now. Obi Wan fished Corbin's blaster from his belt and handed it back to him.

Corbin smiled slowly and stepped forward tentatively, taking his weapon. "I'll just be going then." He nodded briefly at Mandie and strode out of the room.

Obi Wan stood thinking, trying to analyze what had been revealed to him about Corbin by his senses. Mandie suddenly grabbed his arm and began hauling him towards the door.

"Come on, Tia and Qui Gon are back! What are you standing there for?" She glanced back at Obi Wan, then stopped short, her eyes growing wide. She stepped closer to him and began examining his neck.

Obi Wan's brow furrowed. "What are you looking at?"

Mandie started to laugh, and propelled him towards the large mirror over her vanity. She reached up and twisted his head to the side and pointed at his neck. "That!"

Obi Wan saw the large purplish-brown mark on the side of his neck. "What is that?"

Mandie peered into the mirror with Obi Wan. "I did that yesterday. Remember? It left a good mark," she told him proudly.

Obi Wan started to shake his head, but then remembered the sweet stinging pain and incredibly arousing sensation Mandie had caused when she had gnawed on his skin. He sighed heavily.

Mandie set about adjusting the collar of his cloak to help conceal it.

"Don't worry about it," Obi Wan said. "If Qui Gon asks, I'll just tell him it was a lightsaber burn."

***

Qui Gon strode down the hallway to the room he shared with Obi Wan. The ship would be leaving soon, but before it did, he wanted to file an incident report with the local authorities. Then he needed to find Obi Wan and have him confirm the navigational coordinates for Aurelia, check the cargo hold and account for the crates that were to be transported, then he planned to do a thorough search of the ship and question each passenger and crew member who had left the ship last night to see if he sensed anything unusual. He sighed heavily and opened the door to his room. All he really wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep until they reached Aurelia.

"Master!" Obi Wan called.

Qui Gon turned to see his padawan jogging down the hall towards him. "Hello Obi Wan," he said quietly.

"How's Miss Orman?" Obi Wan asked as he followed Qui Gon into the room.

"She'll be all right. She was more frightened than hurt really."

Obi Wan shook his head. "Did you see anything?"

"No, and I was only able to sense her attacker. I'm not exactly sure that would be considered admissable evidence. But I know I would be able to identify this human if I sensed him again." Qui Gon frowned and put his hands on his hips, his voice low. "I wish we weren't leaving so soon, but maybe by doing so, we'll be leaving the kidnapper back on Istse. Unfortunately, I get the feeling that all is not right on this ship."

"I know what you mean," Obi Wan sighed. "Feelings, strange sensations, disturbances, but nothing tangible to justify them."

Qui Gon peered down at his apprentice. "You sensed something?"

Obi Wan nodded. "Last night, shortly after you contacted me. There was a faint tremor of darkness. It was very unsettling. Then this morning," Obi Wan paused and drew closer to his master. "Corbin Roos showed up in Mandie's room threatening me with a blaster. He feigned jealousy but there was something more malevolent about him suddenly. His presence felt like the disturbance from last night."

"Corbin Roos? The young man we encountered in the hangar?" Obi Wan nodded. "Where is he now?" Qui Gon asked.

Obi Wan frowned. "He left her room. I haven't seen him since. I just have a bad feeling about him."

"Why do you think he threatened you?"

"I'm not really sure, but I know it had nothing to do with Mandie." He paused and sighed heavily. "Master, I ordered the ship sealed last night, but Corbin was angry with me even before I told him that. He wasn't accounted for and he says he spent the night on the tarmac, but I noticed his coat was torn and his hands were bruised and his face was scratched."

Qui Gon stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Interesting to say the least. I believe I should seek out Mr. Roos and see if he seems 'familiar' to me."

Obi Wan's eyes narrowed. "You really think he may be the one who attacked Miss Orman?"

"It adds up, Padawan. I just don't think it was a local. This person had to have been out last night at precisely the same time, had to have known where we were,and had to have known about Tia to the extent of trying to ransom her. If it wasn't him, more than likely it was someone from the ship."

Qui Gon pulled off his cloak and draped it over the foot of his bed then walked over to the water carafe on the table and poured himself a drink. He dropped into the nearest chair with a sigh. His expression was distant and unseeing.

Obi Wan walked slowly over to him. "Are you all right?"

Qui Gon looked over at him and smiled easily. "Yes, why?"

Obi Wan shrugged. "I'm not sure what it is I'm sensing from you, but it doesn't feel...normal."

"Maybe because you can't remember ever sensing in me what I'm feeling right now," Qui Gon told him. "Don't let it trouble you, Obi Wan. I can assure you, I'm just very... relaxed."

Obi Wan stared hard at Qui Gon. "You're beyond relaxed, you're--" He suddenly stopped himself as realization dawned and bowed his head. "Forgive me, Master. It's not my place to question you further about this." He chewed his lower lip for a moment, then turned and started for the door.

"Obi Wan, sit down," Qui Gon quietly commanded. His apprentice turned slowly, his head still bowed and slid into a chair across from his master's. Qui Gon sighed heavily. Naturally the boy would have sensed something. No, Qui Gon corrected himself mentally, not a boy. A young man, and he deserved to be treated as such. "The last thing I want is for you to feel you can't talk to me about certain things."

"I don't feel that way," Obi Wan countered. "I know I can talk to you."

Qui Gon fixed his eyes on Obi Wan. "Let's clear some things up then," he began softly.

Obi Wan nodded, glancing up briefly. "Is what I'm sensing about you correct then? You and Miss Orman?"

Qui Gon felt a brief twinge of guilt and immediately pushed it away. He nodded slowly before realizing the guilt he had felt was Obi Wan's and not his own. He furrowed his brow, curious as to what his apprentice had done to feel guilty about, then noticed Obi Wan's hand sliding subtly up the side of his neck.

Qui Gon frowned deeply. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

Slowly, Obi Wan began unconsciously rubbing his neck. "When...when you were with Miss Orman...last night, did you feel it was because she hindered your 'better judgment' in a way?"

Qui Gon sighed, resisting the urge to smile. "Perhaps to a certain extent, but for the most part, no." He folded his hands together on top of the table and leaned forward slightly. "If I were to ask you the same question, how would you answer me?"

Obi Wan's eyes shot up to his master's. He dropped his hand from his neck with an exasperated sigh and nodded reluctantly.

Qui Gon leaned slightly to the side to get a better look at what it was his apprentice had tried to conceal. He swallowed down his amusement, sensing the boy's obvious embarrassment.

"I realize now, the truth behind what you had said before regarding 'better judgment'," Obi Wan began to explain. "I was more than a little distracted by Mandie when I was supposed to be watching the cargo. I'm not really sure what happened, but I found it very hard to focus on the cargo with her so close to me."

Qui Gon leaned back. His padawan expected a reprimand, but Qui Gon knew he was in no position to chastise him. Besides, Qui Gon reasoned, Obi Wan was always much harder on himself for his perceived shortcomings than Qui Gon could ever be. He studied his contrite apprentice for a moment, then sighed heavily.

"Obi Wan, you're almost seventeen," he began. "At that age, you most likely have just as many hormones speaking to you as midi-chlorians. It's natural for you to feel the way you do now and I'm fully aware of how difficult it is for you to deal with it sometimes. Just remember, there is a proper time and place for everything. I'm also fully aware," Qui Gon paused for emphasis, "That you are, under normal circumstances, disciplined enough to satisfactorily fulfill a responsibility when it is given to you."

Obi Wan lowered his head. "Yes Master, I am," he replied softly.

Qui Gon folded his arms across his chest. "Very well then," he said quietly. "I know you'll take your duties more seriously next time."

Obi Wan nodded, but Qui Gon noticed he still looked upset.

The Jedi Master frowned. He reached out with the Force to gain insight as to just what his padawan was feeling and was a little surprised to sense an intense curiosity as well as an almost imperceptible trace of envy.

"Obi Wan, listen to me. I want you to be honest with me. You know how Tia and I passed a good portion of the night last night but I'm sensing that there is something concerning that fact that bothers you. Is there anything you want to discuss with me about it?"

Obi Wan finally looked up at Qui Gon. "Master, I'm hardly in a position to discuss such things."

"Does knowing what you do now make you uncomfortable?" Qui Gon continued.

"No, Master." Obi Wan lowered his eyes once more. "And I'm not judging you, I promise. I cannot pass judgment on something I have never experienced for myself. I'm not shocked or really very surprised at all. I know how fond of Miss Orman you are." He looked up slowly and swallowed hard.

"Then what is it, Padawan?" Qui Gon asked gently.

Obi Wan inhaled deeply. "It's nothing really, it's just that...I wonder what it's like. I sense what you're feeling affected you profoundly and I know what you shared with her must have been very personal and very special to you and I'm awed by it."

Qui Gon leaned forward. "Is there anything you want to ask me? I'll try to answer your questions as clearly and truthfully as I can. Just keep in mind, I'm not exactly an expert myself."

"We've had this talk before, Master," Obi Wan said, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement.

"Yes," Qui Gon agreed. "But you were very young then. I thought perhaps you might not have understood...everything?" The last word was clearly a question.

Obi Wan gazed affectionately at his master. "You were very thorough and very comprehensive, Master," he assured.

Qui Gon sat back and seemed to sigh in relief. He looked over at Obi Wan and smiled. "Then if you're so sure there is no way I can further enlighten you, be off then. You need to confirm the coordinates for Aurelia in the nav computer and I have an incident report to file."

Obi Wan stood up and grinned. "Yes Master."

***

"I realize it would be a greater risk, but it's our only chance!" Corbin growled into his comlink. "These damnable Jedi are hindering my best efforts. The only way to overtake them is to overwhelm them. There's only two of them, but I can't go at this alone anymore!"

"You're asking us to intercept a ship on a Federation secured trade route," a voice contested strongly.

"I'm not asking!" Corbin seethed. "I'm telling you it's the only way. When are we going to get an opportunity for a take like this again? And a possible ransom fee? It would be worth any risk Federation patrols would pose."

"I though we agreed the ransom was to be carried out on Istse? What happened there?"

"She got away from me. I couldn't get her to our contact. Then that Jedi found her and there was no getting near her after that," Corbin explained.

"And what about the other girl?"

"I couldn't get to her either. I was locked out of the ship all night and when I went to get her, the other Jedi was there with her."

The static-filled voice cursed in Aurelian. "All right then. We'll intercept the ship just outside of the Verma system. We'll issue a distress signal to get the ship out of hyperspace when it reaches Verma. You just keep the homing device activated. We'll take it from there. Over and out."

Corbin sighed heavily and turned off the comlink. Now all he had to do was stay out of sight of the Jedi until Verma. And by that time, it wouldn't matter if they saw him or not.

***

Mandie sat across from Tia in the dining area, watching her wolf down a breakfast like she hadn't eaten in days.

"Didn't you eat last night?" Mandie questioned.

Tia nodded. "Umm hmm. We had some food brought to the hotel room from the restaurant. My jaw was still a little sore then and had a hard time chewing and frankly I wasn't very hungry at the time."

Mandie peered at her sister's slightly discolored eye. "You look sore."

Tia dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "No, It doesn't hurt anymore. It was a lot worse yesterday. Qui Gon did something to it and it's been healing right up."

"You're not hurting anymore? You seem a little stiff and you're walking kind of strangely," Mandie continued.

Tia blinked back at her innocently. "Am I? It must have been the way I slept last night." She smiled inwardly as she remembered falling asleep with the Jedi's body draped possessively over hers.

Mandie sat back. "You don't seem too terribly upset by any of this," she observed.

"Upset? I am some, but I'm not going to dwell on it. I have much nicer things to think about now." Tia began licking sauce from her fingers and suddenly smiled as another tantalizing memory from the night before surfaced.

Obviously, Tia didn't want to talk about her attack. Maybe she was having a hard time coming to terms with it. "Where did you get that outfit?" Mandie asked, deciding to change the subject.

Tia sat forward with a smile. "My dress got torn, so Qui Gon let me wear his cloak last night. I didn't have anything else to wear this morning, so I had the shop in the hotel annex to send this up.

Mandie smiled. "He gave you his cloak to wear? That's romantic."

"Yeah, I thought so too. I don't know if he did it to be romantic, however. More along the lines of being pragmatic."

Mandie nodded. "I bet he was. You just couldn't tell. He likes you alot. The way he looks at you sometimes....I can tell."

Tia smiled broadly. "Funny how you would have noticed that, and I didn't. Maybe I thought it was just too much to hope for and refused to see it." She shrugged. "Look, Mandie, about Obi Wan," she said suddenly, fixing her eyes on her sister with a solemn expression. "I was a little hasty before. Warning you off of him the way I did."

Mandie lowered her eyes. "While you were gone, Obi Wan and I had a chance to talk. I think we kind of sorted things out."

Tia sighed. "Good. I'm glad." She leaned back and pushed her tray away from her. "I want you to be happy. And if you think you can be happy with Obi Wan, you shouldn't be afraid to." She smiled encouragingly and slowly stood up. "Come on. Let's go check on the star allees. I've been dying to see them."

Mandie got up and followed her sister out of the dining area.

***

Obi Wan sat at the nav computer console and nodded to Captain Fostey who in turn nodded to his co-pilot. The coordinates were set and confirmed. The ship shot into hyperspace and soon they would be coming up on the Verma system. Everything was going as planned. The Trade Federation had sent word, authorizing their new course, and assured them the route they were taking now was secured and free of pirate activity. There were no unforeseen complications or circumstances to be concerned about at all, so why did Obi Wan have such a sense of forboding? He frowned and leaned back in his chair, then turned to face Captain Fostey.

"What kind of defenses does this vessel have?" he asked suddenly. "Besides shields, I mean. Does it have any weapons at all?"

Captain Fostey peered over at him curiously. "Of course. Considering the cargo we carry. There's four gun turrets on the port side. Two aft." He tried to smile reassuringly. "But don't worry, we haven't ever had to use them."

Obi Wan narrowed his eyes. "But they are in working order? Are they manned?"

Captain Fostey nodded but frowned. "Why the sudden interest in our defenses? Are you aware of something that I'm not?" The Jedi always seemed to be two steps ahead of him. He wouldn't have been surprised if this was one of those times.

Obi Wan sighed. "Only a feeling." He stood up and made his way to the door. He wanted to find Mandie.

***

Tia entered the access code into the lock on the first crate and stood back. The seal securing the top to the crate powered down with a hum. Anxiously, she and Mandie pushed back the heavy panel and dug into the packaging material. They reached the wrapped crystals at the same time and lifted two stones out for closer examination.

Mandie unwrapped hers first. She smiled, studying it with an appraiser's expert eye. She glanced up at Tia and nodded.

Tia quickly unwrapped her stone next. She held it up so Mandie could see it better.

"What about this one? It's nice and heavy."

"Perfect," Mandie sighed. She reached in the crate and dug out a third crystal. She smiled happily as this stone revealed to her the same qualities as the previous two. "Oh, Tia! We just can't let them get cut up into jewelry. Look, they're just the right size, just the right weight."

Tia nodded. "You're right." She straightened and looked around. "But don't worry. With a shipment of this size, I think there will be more than enough stones to keep the jewelers and the Jedi happy."

Mandie looked down at the sharply chiseled crystals in her hands. She held them closer to the cargo hold's light source. She sighed admiringly when both of the stones refracted the light into several tiny multicolored beams.

"Breathtaking!" an unexpected deep voice suddenly exclaimed from the hold's entryway.

Startled, both Tia and Mandie swung around to see Corbin casually walking towards them. He came up beside Mandie and without bothering to ask her, took one of the crystals from her and held it up to his eyes. A slow smile lit his dark features.

"Blazes, Corbin! You nearly scared the life out of us!" Tia chastised. Mandie inched away from him and frowned.

"This shipment will certainly secure the company's revenue through the next fiscal year," Corbin continued, unperturbed. "This stone alone will bring at least twenty thousand once cut. Maybe more, depending on the current markets."

Mandie glared at him, then snatched the crystal from his hand.

"This stone and every one like it will be cut into focusing crystals," she stated. "You can have the smaller lighter ones for your jewelry."

Corbin sighed heavily, shaking his head. "If you continue to insist on destroying the quality of such exquisite stones in the name of charity, this company will go bankrupt. Is that what you want?"

Tia dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand. "Not very likely, Corbin, dear. We can afford to put aside a few selected crates for Mandie's 'charity.' This company has been taking and taking. It's time to give something back."

Corbin sighed. "And to such a worthy cause too," he grumbled. "Stockpiling the Temple arsenal."

"Oh you're just peeved because the Jedi won't let you go to Dorvan," Mandie shot back.

"More than you know," Corbin admitted smoothly. "But I'm getting over it."

The notification signal on the cargo hold's intercom panel began blinking. Tia stepped over to it to answer the call.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Miss Orman, you had better come up here. We're receiving a distress signal from a suspended Aurelian G-2 ship just outside the Verma sector."

Tia's brow furrowed. "I'll be right there. Notify Qui Gon and have him meet me on the bridge." Tia walked back over to Mandie. "Come on. We can check out the crystals later."

Mandie nodded. She quickly began placing the stones back inside the crate, then resealed the panel and locked it.

"Wait!" Tia yelped. She held up the large stone she had been holding in her hand the whole time. "You forgot about this one."

Mandie frowned and started to unlock the crate, but in her haste, she messed up the combination to the lock and had to try opening it again.

"Oh never mind," Tia said, pocketing the stone. "We had just better go." She turned and then gasped sharply.

Mandie whirled around and saw Corbin, his blaster drawn and trained on Tia. Mandie rushed to her side and grasped her hand.

"You're going all right, but not where you think," Corbin growled. He gestured left. "Move, both of you."

Tia and Mandie exchanged glances before starting off in the direction Corbin had indicated.

"What the hell is this all about?!" Tia growled.

"Corbin, what do you think you're doing?" Mandie asked, her voice quivering slightly from anger and fear.

Corbin impatiently pushed them forward. "Very simple, ladies. I need to put you both somewhere safe and secure until my distress signaling pals can get here. I don't want either of you bothering them while they relieve you of your cargo. And I definitely don't want you sidling up to those Jedi before I can get you off the ship."

Tia's eyes grew wide. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Off the ship? What are you talking about?" Mandie demanded.

Corbin turned his dark eyes on her and smiled cruelly. "I'm so relieved we broke up before all this, because it would have definitely put a damper on our relationship if we hadn't. It also makes what I'm about to do a lot easier."

Mandie noticed they were coming up to one of the ship's escape pods. She glanced up at Tia and then back at the pod. Tia warily eyed the sealed hatch of the pod as they drew closer.

"If you think you're putting us in there, you've got another thing coming!"

Corbin laughed humorlessly. "And you are not in a position to make threats, Tia dear. There's no big, bad Jedi here to save you this time. You have to admit, I was doing pretty good until he came after you last night."

Tia's jaw slackened and dropped. She stared over at him as though she had never truly seen him before.

Corbin bowed slightly, tauntingly.

"Yes, last night, that was yours truly," he stated, leering. "I couldn't believe my luck when you came out of that restaurant without him." He straightened and laughed at her mortified expression. "You may as well know, I was also responsible for the untimely disappearance of your navigator and first officer. I had everything planned out. See, you weren't actually supposed to have been kidnapped until we were attacked near Dorvan. But, as you know, there was that slight change in plans there and my partners in crime decided Istse would have to do." He grimaced and sighed heavily. "Well, then there was another change in plans and now you're being kidnapped outside Verma during this impending siege. All I have to do is make it easy for my pirate friends to take you."

Mandie stepped up to him. "You actually think the Jedi are going to just let you and your 'pirate friends' waltz off this ship with us?"

"And the star allees," Corbin added. "I know you two think these Jedi are some kind of invincible warriors, but you have to remember, there are only two of them and forty of my men. I think the odds will be in our favor. The Jedi are going to be far too occupied at first to rescue you. Then they'll be dead."

Tia lowered her eyes and chewed her lip savagely, her mind racing. She plunged her hands into the pockets of her coat, feeling very cold. Her hand hit something sharp and hard and she remembered the stone from the crate. An idea occurred to her and she glanced over at Mandie.

Mandie was huddled close to her older sister. She was shaking her head in disbelief. "Corbin, please, don't do this," she pleaded.

"Why not? I don't want you anymore. That scrawny child-Jedi can have you. Though I have to admit, I found it more than a little insulting that you would choose something like that over me." Corbin leaned over and began opening the escape pod hatch with his free hand. He waved the blaster he held back and forth from Tia to Mandie. "Enough talk, ladies. Time to get in the pod."

Tia slowly edged away from Mandie. Mandie looked over at her curiously, wondering if maybe she was going to make a run for it.

Tia shook her head. "I don't think so, Corbin. I tend to get claustrophobic in tight places like that," she said and smiled sweetly. Her hand suddenly flew out of her pocket, forcefully hurling the stone she had been holding at Corbin's face. It struck his forehead with a loud crack and fell to the floor with a thud.

Reflexively, Corbin fired his blaster but the shot impacted well away from Tia and Mandie into the wall behind them. For a split second, Corbin looked back at Tia amazed. Then he began to sway, his dark eyes losing their focus.

"And this is for last night," Tia continued angrily. She hauled back her fist, swinging with all her might, punching him soundly in the jaw, making her knuckles crack.

Corbin swayed even more and teetered back a few steps.

Mandie sprung forward, recovering from her own shock and seized Corbin's blaster, wrenching it from his hand.

"And this is for this morning!" Mandie said through her teeth. She flipped the blaster around in her hand and smacked Corbin as hard as she could on the top of his head with the grip. With that, Corbin finally crumpled to the floor in an unconscious heap.

Tia and Mandie exchanged awed looks and began to laugh in a giddy relief.

"Quick, let's stash him in the pod for now. We've got to warn Qui Gon and the captain about that distress signal," Tia said, already hauling Corbin's limp form over to the pod.

Mandie busied herself opening the hatch. "What a slime," she sputtered indignantly. "I can't believe I ever liked him."

"Never mind that now!" Tia told her. "Grab his legs and pull."

Once Corbin was safely sealed in the escape pod, Tia locked it from the outside and secured it to the ship. She turned quickly and dashed to the intercom panel on the wall only to find it a blackened melted mess. She frowned deeply and looked over at Mandie. "Corbin shot the intercom," she reported. "We're going to have to get to the bridge and fast."

Mandie tucked Corbin's blaster into her belt and grinned. "Let's go!"

***

Using his sense of Mandie's presence as a guide and recognizing the direction he was going, Obi Wan knew she was in the cargo hold. He just needed to see her and reassure himself that she was all right. He couldn't shake the strange darkness he felt and wanted to know that whatever it was he sensed had nothing to do with her.

The Force began to stir in him, however. It was that same disturbance he had felt from Corbin Roos. Obi Wan quickened his pace.

The darkness deepened. Fear suddenly pulsed through him. Confusion and anger. He sensed Tia. Shock? Disbelief. He started to run.

No, no, no, he chanted mentally, trying to focus on Mandie. She was frightened and very angry. Something, someone with her, was the center of these emotions. Corbin was the only logical conclusion. He ran faster.

His heart was beating so hard, his ears were beginning to pound and his rapid breathing didn't seem to be able to keep up with his blood's demand for air.

If you hurt her, if you even touch her....

He realized his own fear for Mandie was amplifying the anxiety he sensed and struggled to rein in his emotions. He knew he needed to calm down and clear his mind. He gathered the Force to him and centered on slowing his heart rate. The Force began to flow into him, filling him with a clearer analysis of the emotions and opening his mind to a more precise image of their source.

Suddenly the ship lurched backwards sharply, causing Obi Wan to veer sideways, temporarily thrown off balance. He recognized the sound of the ship's hyperdrive engines powering down and the sublight engines shifting. He staggered forward a couple of steps, regaining his footing and steadily increased his speed until he was running full tilt once more.

He quickly pushed aside the questions that surfaced as to why they had come out of lightspeed, trying to stay focused on Mandie's presence. He suddenly skidded to a halt. In the course of his distraction with the ship's engines, something had changed about her. He stretched out with the Force, his mind struggling to interpret the meaning behind the shifting of emotions, then drew it into himself, gathering his sense of her back to him.

He was surprised to discover that she was closer to him than he had first thought and rapidly getting closer. Something was still wrong, however even though the fear he sensed in her now had changed in its composition. He could also feel ripples of the same fear in Tia who had to be near her.

Now he could hear footsteps. Someone running. He began to walk towards the sound, cautiously peering around a corner. He was surprised to see Mandie and Tia running towards him.

"Obi Wan! Thank goodness!" Mandie hailed upon seeing him. She increased her speed and passed her sister, rushing to him. Obi Wan barely had enough time to properly brace himself before she flew into his arms and hugged him in a crushing embrace. "Oh, am I glad to see you!" she gasped and began covering his face with kisses. He returned her kisses with equal enthusiasm, so relieved to find her well, despite everything he had felt earlier.

"What's going on?" he panted finally. Before Mandie could answer, Tia caught up to them and snagged Mandie with an outstretched arm, dragging her away from him.

"Come on!" she hissed. "There will be time enough for that kind of stuff later!"

Mandie seized Obi Wan's hand and hauled him after her.

"We're too late!" Mandie exclaimed. "They've already cut to sublight engines."

"We have got to get to the bridge!" Tia half insisted, half explained. She glanced over at Obi Wan. "That distress signal is a trap!"

Obi Wan spared a startled look at her. "What? What distress signal?"

"They're pirates!" Mandie informed. "Corbin set up some kind of a trap!"

"Where's Qui Gon?" Tia asked.

Obi Wan shook his head. "I don't know." He quickly reached for his comlink and yanked it off his belt.

***

The ship was an Aurelian F-Class G-2. Qui Gon studied the vessel on the bridge viewscreen with a deepening sense of unease. It hung dark and suspended; tilted slightly as if powerless and damaged somehow, and apparently malfunctioning.

Captain Fostey continued trying to raise the stricken ship's crew to no avail. The only response was the distress signal, locked onto their frequency and set to repeat itself over and over.

Captain Fostey sighed and looked over at the Jedi. "Still no reply," he informed.

Qui Gon was so submerged into his own thoughts, he didn't respond. The Force was charged with an ever-darkening array of sensations. He struggled to wade through it all to reach some kind of understanding, but all he could sense was something was wrong. He turned from the viewscreen with a heavy sigh.

"Didn't you say Miss Orman was on her way here?" he questioned Captain Fostey.

The captain nodded. "She said to have you meet her here, Master Jinn."

Qui Gon shook his head slowly. He took two steps towards the exit, then glanced back at the viewscreen. "Continue trying to raise their crew," he said quietly, then turned sharply and strode off the bridge.

Where are you, Tia? he thought to himself. He drew the Force into himself, searching. It was clouded with anxiety and fear. It startled him to think that focusing on Tia was making him feel such things. He lengthened his stride and centered on Obi Wan. Where was he now? He called to his padawan mentally, sifting through the swirling feelings around him for any sort of reply.

A sense of anxiety hit the Jedi Master again. A confused panic of sorts. Qui Gon stopped walking, and closed his eyes, concentrating. The Force suddenly surged in a tempest of darkness, whipping through him with an intense energy. He recognized the amplified senses as being projected by Obi Wan.

Qui Gon immediately reached for his comlink, but before he could say anything, he heard Obi Wan's voice.

"Obi Wan! Where are you?" Qui Gon demanded.

"Master! The signal is a trap!" Obi Wan exclaimed.

Qui Gon's heart sunk. He turned on his heel and started back towards the bridge. "Where's Tia and Mandie?"

"With me. We're on our way to the bridge."

Qui Gon allowed himself a brief respite of relief upon hearing that. "Obi Wan, stay with them."

"Yes Master."

Qui Gon returned the comlink to his belt as he reached the door to the bridge. He heard an explosion and suddenly the ship rocked violently. Qui Gon was thrown into the wall across the hallway. The lights flickered briefly and then an alarm started wailing. The Jedi climbed to his feet and dashed through the door.

"Shields up!" Captain Fostey barked to the bridge personnel. He turned as he saw Qui Gon and gestured at the viewscreen. "They just fired at us!" he exclaimed with an incredulous expression.

Qui Gon merely nodded. He gazed out at the G-2. Its lights were on, its engines fired, and it was moving, coming directly towards them. Qui Gon saw bursts of red energy streaking from its turrets under the hull. There was another explosion and the Decipher pitched sideways slightly and fired back at the G-2.

"Pirates," Qui Gon pronounced knowingly. "We need to get out of here, fast."

Captain Fostey gave the Jedi an exasperated look. "Master Jinn, this ship cannot outrun a G-2. It's a much faster F-Class then we are."

Qui Gon frowned. "It can in lightspeed," he said, feeling like he was stating the obvious, but he had a bad feeling the captain was about to tell him something concerning the hyperdrive he didn't particularly want to hear.

"It was the hyperdrive they targeted first," Captain Fostey relayed. "It took a direct hit."

Qui Gon groaned inwardly. "Can you reach the Verman authorities? Or the Trade Federation?" he asked.

"Negative," Captain Fostey seethed. "The distress signal that's locked onto our frequency is also jamming it."

"Try another frequency," the Jedi suggested.

"We did. The transmission is not strong enough to reach Verma, let alone the Trade Federation." Captain Fostey shook his head and sighed heavily. "I'm going to have to shut down. We can't risk any further damage to the ship."

Qui Gon turned back to the viewscreen. The G-2 was almost directly over them now. In a few more minutes, it would reach the Decipher. There was nothing left to do but wait to be boarded.

"After I leave, close these blast doors," Qui Gon ordered. "Don't let anyone on or off the bridge."

Captain Fostey nodded. "As you wish, Master Jinn."

***

Obi Wan spied Qui Gon at the other end of the hall. The Jedi Master was walking calmly but purposefully towards them. Obi Wan slowed to a walk, using the opportunity to catch his breath. Tia and Mandie pulled up beside him. Qui Gon stopped in front of them and addressed his apprentice.

"The bridge is sealed," Qui Gon said quietly. "The hyperdrive is damaged and we're about to be boarded."

Obi Wan merely nodded acknowledgment. Tia and Mandie exchanged worried looks.

Qui Gon turned slightly and focused on Tia, using the Force to reassure himself that his eyes were not deceiving him and that she really was all right. Besides being too winded to speak, she seemed fine. Qui Gon reached out and lightly touched her shoulder.

"Take Mandie to your room and wait there," he told her, but Tia was already shaking her head.

"This is my ship and it's my duty to defend it," she panted. She stared up at him defiantly.

Qui Gon tilted his head back, looking down at her with contention. "I don't have time to argue about this. There's nothing we can do to defend the ship at this point. If we resist them, there will be lives lost needlessly. They have the advantage now. In order for us to regain the upper hand, it will be necessary to resort to more subtle tactics." His hand moved to brush her face, his expression softened considerably, and he leaned closer to her. "I want you to wait in your room so I'll know where you are. Please do this for me, Tia. I need to know you'll be safe."

Tia dropped her eyes with a heavy sigh and nodded in aquiescence.

Gratefully, Qui Gon sighed as well. "Now, do you have access to weapons of any kind? Anything you can use to defend yourselves if need be?"

Mandie stepped forward and pulled Corbin's blaster from her belt. "I have this!"

Qui Gon raised his brow curiously, but did not pursue the questions that surfaced in his mind. He nodded. "Good. Don't let anyone into your room, understand?"

Mandie and Tia both nodded.

Qui Gon turned back to Obi Wan. "The pirates are positioned directly over us. They'll likely gain access through the main hull. This means they'll have to go through two levels before reaching the cargo. That may give us just enough time."

"Corbin said there'll be about forty of them," Mandie informed.

"Corbin?"

"Yes Master," Obi Wan confirmed. "Apparently, we've been set up."

Qui Gon sighed heavily. "Where is he now?"

Tia licked her lips apprenhensively. "Mandie and I locked him in one of the escape pods in the lower level. He's stuck there until someone lets him out."

"He was going to lock us in there, but we fought him off," Mandie stated proudly.

Qui Gon and Obi Wan looked at each other, then simultaneously faced the two women.

"Corbin told us that not only are those pirates planning on stealing the crystals, they are planning on taking us as well and holding us for a ransom," Tia related with a disgusted expression. "Corbin also humbly confessed to being my abductor last night."

Qui Gon's eyes narrowed and darkened and locked on Tia's. He took a deep steadying breath. "Go now," he told her quietly. "No one is taking you anywhere." He held her gaze for a moment, then stepped around her. "Padawan, it's time. Come."

Tia suddenly seized Qui Gon's arm, fear clouding her features.

"Lover," she whispered. Her bottom lip began to tremble as tears welled in her eyes. "Please be careful."

Qui Gon leaned forward and softly kissed her forehead. Tia hugged his neck before releasing him and stepping back. He nodded slowly.

Mandie faced Obi Wan. "May the Force be with you," she sighed, her own eyes rapidly watering as the realization of what was about to unfold began to sink in.

"You be careful too," Obi Wan told Mandie. He started off after Qui Gon, then turned around and blew her a kiss.

**********

The pirates were cutting through a door to the upper deck of the Decipher with a laser saw.

A security force compiled of crewmen and guards had taken cover along the walls of the main passageway. The lights in the entryway flickered and dimmed as the Jedi came up behind the crewmen and crouched down.

"They are certainly taking their time," Obi Wan observed.

"They believe they have the time to take," Qui Gon replied, looking around and frowning at the malfunctioning lights. "Their plans were well constructed. They have the advantage. They see no cause for haste."

"Perhaps they believe Corbin Roos will be waiting to welcome them on board," Obi Wan muttered, his dislike for Corbin seeping into his tone.

"Perhaps," Qui Gon agreed. He focused on the jagged trail of the laser saw as it continued lazily cutting through the door.

Obi Wan turned to more directly face his master. "So what's on the agenda?" he asked, anxious to hear Qui Gon's plan.

Qui Gon glanced over at him. "I believe our situation calls for a little stealth. Something which will give us the advantage or at least put us on the same level again."

Obi Wan was unable to grasp his meaning. "What exactly?"

Qui Gon sighed. "Sabotage." He gestured forward. "First and foremost, we will have to disable their weapons."

Obi Wan looked up at the door. He nodded. "We'll also need to disable their engines so they can't pursue us."

"Yes, but I don't particularly want to flee from them entirely. If we can get them to follow us, maybe we can get them close enough to Verma to have them intercepted."

"Disable their hyperdrive then?" Obi Wan asked, his brow furrowing thoughtfully.

Qui Gon nodded. "That distress signal is jamming our communication system. We'll need to stop it to clear our frequencies."

Obi Wan nodded, but felt a little skeptical. "Our success will rely heavily on a lot of minor details going our way, Master."

"We'll just have to make them go our way then," Qui Gon told him.

"How are we going to get onto their ship?" Obi Wan asked after a long moment of silence.

Qui Gon pointed. "Through the door," he replied as if it should have been obvious.

Obi Wan gave him a quick exasperated look. Qui Gon gazed back at him with a hint of a smile softening his expression.

"Once the pirates are through the door," Qui Gon went on to explain, "they will be thinking our forces will be in front of them, retreating inward. They won't be expecting anyone to advance into their hull at that point and certainly, not through the door. It's a slight advantage, but it is one we can use."

"What about the crewmen? Shouldn't we try to hold the pirates back with them?" Obi Wan gestured in front of him at the waiting armed forces.

Qui Gon shook his head. "These are trained security personnel. They'll no doubt hold their own. We'll be more effective on the inside."

The metal of the damaged door began to moan in protest as the pirates began applying pressure to it from the other side. Both Jedi sensed the tension in the entryway increase to an almost tangible level.

"Come on," Qui Gon said, tugging at his apprentice's cloak. He activated his lightsaber and began moving up the entryway passage.

Obi Wan crept after him, drawing his lightsaber. Its white-blue blade cast an eerie glow in the dimly lit passage.

Suddenly the pirates broke through. They began pouring into the entryway, quickly filling it with blaster fire and smoke, inhibiting visibility. In a matter of moments, Obi Wan couldn't see Qui Gon or the door anymore. He continued on, drawing from the Force and letting it guide him. Without thinking, he began catching blasts with his lightsaber and throwing them back at the pirates.

Qui Gon didn't even appear to be paying attention to the barrage of blaster fire that came his way. He continued slinking up the hall passage, occasionally swatting away any blasts that came too close. Just as casually, Qui Gon brought his saber down in a sweeping arc through the darkness. A pirate fell to the floor in two pieces.

Out of the acrid smoke, another pirate materialized in front of Obi Wan and shot at him several times. The young Jedi deflected each blast back at the pirate, who also went down. Obi Wan spun around just in time to catch another blast with his lightsaber, this time sending it up and out of harm's way. He realized he and Qui Gon were in the very middle of this shootout and had to deflect the friendly fire as well as any hostile fire that came too close.

Obi Wan had caught up to Qui Gon and could see the jagged hole in the door left by the pirates. The Jedi Master advanced quickly, startling two pirates who had just emmerged from the hole. Before they could raise their blasters, Qui Gon Force pushed the closest one, who in turn knocked over the second pirate. The Jedi Master leapt over them as they tried to untangle themselves from each other, then turned, stretching slightly to the side, catching a blast from a crewmen's rifle and angled it down at one of the pirates on the floor. Obi Wan jumped forward as the surviving pirate fired at Qui Gon, swinging his saber, catching the laser bolt with the very tip, but away from his master. Before the pirate could fire again, Qui Gon pierced him through the chest.

Sensing the approach of more pirates, Qui Gon flew over to the side of the door and motioned Obi Wan to the opposite side. Three pirates raced through the hole in the door, firing blindly into the entryway and were swiftly cut down. Qui Gon leaned over and peered through the door. Seemingly satisfied that the way was clear, Qui Gon deactivated his lightsaber and carefully stepped inside. Obi Wan batted away a few more stray blasts, then darted after his master.

Qui Gon was moving fast. By the time Obi Wan caught up to him again, the Jedi Master had drawn the attention of four more pirates. Obi Wan stayed back out of sight, his senses honed and alert for possible danger. It was a stand-off of sorts. The pirates were armed, but seemed to regard Qui Gon as an inconsequential threat. He had calmly approached them unarmed and alone.

Aurelians, Obi Wan thought, taking in the pirates' excessively long hair and sharp, chiseled features. They are robbing their own people. They are depleting their own planet's economy for personal gain. An idea suddenly occurred to him. Qui Gon wanted the pirates to follow them to Verma, to hand them over to the authorities there. But Verma was a system that couldn't possibly understand the significant damage that these kind of pirate raids could cause to Aurelia's trade. If they could get the pirates to follow them to Aurelia, the government there would surely prosecute them to the full extent of their law. Obi Wan grinned, suddenly realizing a surefire way to get the pirates to go to Aurelia all by themselves.

"Who are you?" one of the pirates suddenly demanded, taking a small step towards Qui Gon, and raising his blaster in a show of bravado.

"My name is Qui Gon Jinn."

The other three pirates edged closer as well.

"What are you doing here?" a second questioned sharply.

Qui Gon straightened to his full height. His hand disappeared inside his robe. He could feel that Obi Wan was itching to attack behind him, but he sent his padawan waves of reassurance through the Force. To the pirates, he carefully projected his demeanor as the epitome of serenity and confidence. "I'm here to stop you," he answered simply.

The pirates began to laugh mockingly, albeit nervously, not quite sure what to make of this strangely compelling but clearly delusional man.

"I think you had better come with us to see the captain," the first pirate said. He waved his blaster at the Jedi and motioned him forward.

Qui Gon raised his brow. "I will comply only if it suits my purpose," he stated in a businesslike tone. "Where is your captain?"

"On the bridge," the pirate informed. "That's where you're going right now."

Qui Gon nodded. "Very well. I'll go with you then."

The pirates laughed again. "Hopefully they're all this easy," the second pirate informed the other. "Especially those women." The laughter increased along with their confidence.

Obi Wan could feel Qui Gon bristle, but the Jedi Master retained his outwardly passive appearance. He let the pirates push him roughly forward, towards the bridge. Obi Wan had to keep reminding himself that Qui Gon knew exactly what he was doing and the Jedi Master could very well take care of himself. He could still feel ripples of reassurance Qui Gon sent and tried to remain calm. He also knew he and Qui Gon needed to get to the bridge in order to carry out their roles as saboteurs. If they had an armed escort, all the better.

***

"Lover," Mandie was saying. "You called him 'Lover' I heard you." Mandie sat on the edge of her bed, watching Tia, Corbin's blaster resting in her lap.

Tia was pacing, wringing her hands, and occasionally swearing to herself. "Yea, so? I got a little emotional, okay?"

Mandie shook her head. "Are you denying it then?"

Tia stopped pacing long enough to face her sister. "Denying what? What are you talking about?"

"I'm not a kid anymore," Mandie argued. "Usually if you call someone 'Lover' it means he is." She frowned and gazed up at Tia angrily. "And after you gave me this big speech about how I should avoid getting involved with a Jedi at all costs. I almost really messed things up with Obi Wan because of what you said. You are one for the books, I tell you."

Tia sighed and bowed her head. "I'm really sorry, Sweetheart. I was glad to hear that you and Obi Wan worked things out. I know, I know, I should have practiced what I preached. I wanted to, I really did. It's just sometimes things happen and we don't have as much control over them as we thought we did." She looked up apologetically. "Forgive me?"

Mandie nodded, smiling easily. "I forgive you. I know you were only trying to protect me." She suddenly rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "So...tell me everything! I want all the juicy details!"

Tia's eyes widened in feigned shock. "I will not!" she stated and resumed pacing.

"Oh come on," Mandie pleaded. "It would sure make all this waiting easier."

Tia shook her head. "I know. I'm going stir crazy just waiting like this," she told her sister. "Who knows what's going on up there. The ship could be swarming with pirates, carting off the crystals, and shooting everyone in sight." She cursed again. "And we just sit here."

Mandie's hand tightened on the blaster she held. "The Jedi aren't going to let them cart off our cargo," she said with the utmost confidence.

Tia swung around and began pacing in the opposite direction. "Why did I promise him we would just stay here? What was I thinking?"

Mandie opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a frantic metallic tapping on their door. She was immediately on her feet, blaster trained and ready. Tia stalked over to the door and leaned her ear against it, listening. She looked over at Mandie, baffled.

"Do you really think the pirates would knock first?"

Mandie frowned and shrugged. "Ask who it is."

Tia leaned against the door again. "Who...who's there?"

"It's me, Miss Tia, HJK-260. I've been looking for you."

Mandie and Tia sighed collectively. Tia opened the door and quickly pulled the droid inside. "Not so loud, HJ, we don't want anyone to know where we are," Tia informed him.

"Oh, forgive me, I'll adjust my volume levels," HJ offered. Now when he spoke he was barely audible. "Captain Fostey summoned me. I was sent to find you," he explained. "He sends his regrets that he is unable to attend to this in person but he is sealed on the bridge."

"What, HJ? What is he unable to attend to?" Mandie pushed.

"It came to the attention of Captain Fostey that we are experiencing a power drain. As a result of the direct hit the ship suffered earlier, a generator on the lower level has malfunctioned and is causing the lights to go off on certain parts of the main deck, including the bridge. To compensate, the remaining two generators are pulling power from what they deem presently unnecessary sources such as the trash compactor and the defense shields. He has tried to no avail to convince the generators that the defense shields are a little more important than the lights at the moment but someone will need to manually override the generators and keep all power possible on the shields."

Tia closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. "Oh of all things," she began. "Now this." She turned to face Mandie, who was shaking her head.

"Qui Gon told us to stay here," Mandie reminded, resuming her seat on the bed.

Tia frowned and turned back to HJ. "Do we really need the shields now? It's not like they're still firing at us."

HJ stepped over to her. "The captain believes it is possible the pirates currently raiding the ship might fiendishly resort to attempted disintegration after transferring the cargo to their own vessel. That way, there will be no one to accuse them of any wrongdoing and they will be free to raid again."

Tia began pacing again, chewing her lip savagely. "Why me? Isn't there anyone else available?"

HJ shook his head. "I regret to inform you, there is no one else capable. The captain did send his apologies, but felt it was important enough to have you address the problem."

Tia glanced at Mandie helplessly.

"Qui Gon told us to stay here!" Mandie stated emphatically. "We can't go venturing all over the ship with pirates everywhere waiting to nab us. And if they don't kill us, Qui Gon will."

"He's not going to have much to kill if we all get disintegrated!" Tia shot back. She sighed heavily and walked over to where Mandie sat. "You stay here. There's no sense in both of us risking pirates and the wrath of the Jedi."

"Oh no," Mandie said, climbing to her feet. "I'm going with you. Besides, I have the blaster. You're going to need me along."

Tia opened the door and cautiously peered out. "All right, but stay close. We'll go right to the generators and come right back." She stepped outside and waved Mandie over.

"Miss Tia, will you be requiring my assistance in your endeavor?" HJ asked.

"No, thanks HJ. But if any strangers ask you where we are, you think you saw us on the upper main deck, got it?" Tia informed.

HJ nodded. "Yes Miss Tia. Upper main deck."

Tia smiled slightly. "Come on Mandie. Let's go look for trouble."

***

Qui Gon subtly glanced over at his apprentice before disappearing onto the bridge of the pirate ship. Obi Wan stayed as far back as he could without losing sight of his master and the four pirates accompanying him. Obi Wan had managed to follow them all the way to the bridge without being detected. Now he would just have to wait. He knew he would be able to sense if Qui Gon needed him, so he decided the best course of action would be to continue to avoid detection and take advantage of the element of surprise when the time came.

Upon entering the bridge, Qui Gon looked around, noting the layout, the design, and the function of each station. There were two somewhat official-looking pirates, one at the communications console and the other draped casually over a high backed chair. Qui Gon was sure that was their captain. He was stocky with long gray hair and no front teeth. He wore numerous medals on his uniform that he no doubt stole from some far more deserving officer during some other raid. There were also two armed pirates who stood unmoving on either side of the bridge along the walls. Qui Gon took in as much detail as he could before the pirate behind him pushed him forward and over to the gray-haired Aurelian with no front teeth. The pirate addressed the man as Captain Kadrata.

"Who's this one then?" Kadrata lisped.

"We don't know. We found him walking around on C deck as if he didn't have a care in the world. Claims he's here to stop us, though," the pirate explained.

"Is that so?" Kadrata asked Qui Gon. "And how do you intend to do that, my lofty friend?"

Qui Gon folded his arms across his chest, slipping his hands into the sleeves of his cloak. "Despite what you may think, I am not your prisoner. I came here of my own free will. You should know that I still fully intend to halt this criminal activity you and your crew are presently engaged in."

Kadrata and the four pirates around him dissolved in laughter. Qui Gon merely sighed and waited for them to regain their composure before continuing.

"Your plan will not succeed," the Jedi warned them formally . "If you were wise, you would surrender to me now. Failure to do so would only result in your imminent death."

Kadrata didn't find this statement quite so amusing. He rose out of his chair and began slowly walking around Qui Gon with an angry expression.

"Just who do you think you are?" Kadrata spat. "Nobody is going to surrender to the likes of you and if anybody's going to be dying, it'll be you, my friend, and soon." He turned to the nearest pirate. "Get him out of here. See if he's any use to us information-wise, then take him below and waste him."

"All right you, let's go." The pirate standing behind Qui Gon sharply jabbed the end of his blaster into the middle of the Jedi Master's back.

Qui Gon spun around and seized the pirate's wrist, twisting it in such a way, the pirate howled and dropped the blaster before falling to his knees in pain. Kadrata and the other pirates on the bridge froze, momentarily awestruck. Qui Gon locked his eyes on the captain while calmly maintaining his crushing hold on the pirate's wrist.

"You were warned," Qui Gon told him. He turned his arm slightly and the stricken pirate flipped over on his back, screaming as his wrist snapped.

"Kill him! Kill him!" Kadrata ordered.

All five pirates began shooting at Qui Gon but he had already drawn his lightsaber and was deflecting each blast back at them. One by one the pirates became overcome by their own blaster fire.

Kadrata turned and raced for the exit, dodging bodies and laser blasts. Obi Wan suddenly leapt in, swinging his lightsaber at the stray blasts streaking towards him. Kadrata shrieked and ducked, narrowly avoiding being beheaded. He threw himself on the floor, and cowered there.

Obi Wan made his way to Qui Gon's side and joined him in deflecting away the blaster fire until it stopped suddenly. He noticed one of the pirates running into the hall as another called for reinforcements over the ship's intercom. Kadrata was still huddled on the floor. Obi Wan started to pursue the fleeing pirate but Qui Gon called him back. The Jedi Master walked over to a short-haired pirate summoning help, and tapped the console with the tip of his lightsaber. The pirate jumped back as sparks and bits of debris came flying up at him. He stood back, looking around at the injured and dead pirates scattered on the floor and then looked up at Qui Gon fearfully.

"I'm unarmed," he told the Jedi. "Please, don't kill me. I just run the communications board. That's all. Please, believe me."

Qui Gon nodded and lowered his lightsaber. He gestured at Obi Wan to bring the captain over to him.

"Get up," Obi Wan told Kadrata. "My master wishes to speak with you."

Kadrata looked up, startled by Obi Wan's choice of words. "Master?" At first he thought perhaps the boy was a slave. Then he looked over at Qui Gon, then back at Obi Wan, taking in the similar appearance, and began to recall hearing something once about long robes and strange, sword-like weapons. He began cursing and shaking his head. "You're the Jedi Knights aren't you?" He didn't wait for an acknowledgement. He angrily jumped to his feet and over to where the pirate with the broken wrist lay. He began calling him every derogatory term he could think of.

"Idiots! Roos told us there were Jedi on board!" Kadrata continued angrily, addressing all the pirates whether they were dead or not. "Didn't any of you bother to check it out?"

"We were going to check it out, I swear!," the injured pirate gasped, trying to crawl away from his irate superior. "We were told the Jedi were always with the women. That's what Roos said! " "Worthless, the lot of you," Kadrata hissed and snatched up the pirate's discarded blaster and shot him.

Qui Gon was in front of Kadrata in the blink of an eye. "Drop the blaster!" the Jedi ordered. "Drop it now." He jabbed the point of his lightsaber perilously close to the captain's chest.

Kadrata promptly blanched and flung the blaster aside. Disgustedly, he stormed over to his chair and threw himself into it.

Obi Wan exchanged looks with Qui Gon. Qui Gon stepped over to the captain.

"If you will cooperate with us, we will spare you as well. If you at any time threaten my life or that of my apprentice, we will not hesitate to defend ourselves. Do you understand this?" the Jedi Master began in a tone that left little room for argument. He slowly lowered his lightsaber.

Kadrata glared up at him, then spat off to the side of his chair on the floor. "I'm the one who's threatened here and just what do you have in mind as far as cooperating?"

Qui Gon locked his eyes on the Aurelian and sighed. "All you need to do is sit there, and don't interfere with anything. Agreed?"

Kadrata frowned. "Depends. What are you going to do?"

"Nothing you haven't already done to us," Obi Wan told him. He began searching the bridge, going from one console to another. "Master, here's the controls relaying the distress signal." He began twirling his lightsaber around in his hand restlessly.

Qui Gon nodded. The young Jedi flipped his weapon around, holding it upside down over the control panel, then brought it down, slowly drilling through the console. It sizzled and hissed, then sparked wildly and began smoking as its metal and wires melted into one blackened glob. Obi Wan deactivated his lightsaber and walked over to where Qui Gon stood.

Kadrata's eyes widened. "Sufferin' hell! You didn't have to do that! I would've had Sagev shut the thing down if you'd only asked." He gestured at the short-haired pirate.

Qui Gon faced Kadrata. He bowed slightly. "I apologize then for the needless destruction of your ship," he told him with a definite lack of sincerity. He looked around. "Since you prefer us to ask first, I thought you would like to know that we also mean to disable your hyperdrive. Where will we find those controls?"

Before Kadrata could answer him, Obi Wan faced Qui Gon.

"Master, I have a plan. I think it would be more effective than what we had originally decided on, but it would mean leaving their hyperdrive intact," he told him.

Qui Gon raised his brow, intrigued. "Really? I'm anxious to hear it."

Obi Wan began to relay his idea of sending the pirate ship to Aurelia by altering the coordinates in the navigational computer and locking their hyperdrive on autopilot.

"We can contact the proper Aurelian authorities through the Trade Federation and have them standing by to intercept the ship when it comes out of lightspeed."

Qui Gon seemed impressed. "Very good thinking, Padawan. It would be a more effective way of dealing with our pirate friends. It would greatly reduce any chance of their escape."

Kadrata, on the other hand, was outraged. He jumped out of his chair and rushed over to the Jedi. He stopped short, finding Qui Gon's lightsaber once more pointed at his chest. He swallowed hard and took a step back.

"You're taking this ship to Aurelia over my dead body," the captain seethed. "We are all wanted men there. If they get their hands on us, we're finished."

"That's the idea," Obi Wan sneered back at him.

Qui Gon merely gazed back at Kadrata, unperturbed. He half shrugged. "We'll do what we must," he informed. He spared a glance at Obi Wan. "Get started. Don't worry about this one," he said, referring to the captain. "The sooner we can send these criminals on their way, the better."

Obi Wan nodded and started towards the nav computer, but the short-haired pirate named Sagev suddenly stepped in front of him.

"You can't do this," he told the Jedi.

Obi Wan crossed his arms over his chest. "Why not?" he asked, impatiently.

Sagev looked over at the captain nervously. "This ship has an encoded security system. If you even attempt to break into the nav computer without entering the proper codes, the ship will lock down the engines. Then, if the codes are still not entered in a given space of time, the computer will activate a self-destruct mechanism. We'll all be killed."

Obi Wan used the Force to sense if the pirate was being truthful. Apparently he was. Obi Wan glanced at his master questioningly. Qui Gon nodded again, understanding what it was his apprentice was asking.

"You will tell me the correct navigational codes now," Obi Wan began quietly, bringing the Force to bear with a wave of his hand.

"I do not know these codes," the pirate answered with a blank expression.

Obi Wan frowned. Again he sensed the pirate was telling him the truth. He sighed heavily and faced his master once more.

"Do what you can," Qui Gon said simply. He turned to Kadrata as Obi Wan seated himself at the navigational terminal. "The captain knows the codes we need," he stated, without a doubt. Obi Wan began looking up the coordinates he needed on the charts to change the ship's course, then began entering the information into the computer.

Kadrata smiled wickedly and shook his head. "Can't help you, sorry."

Qui Gon sighed. He raised his hand, then paused, sensing the Force rippling around him.

"Master, someone's coming," Obi Wan informed, looking up from the monitor he had been studying.

Qui Gon nodded, but focused back on Kadrata. "You will relay the codes now."

Kadrata's eyes became unseeing and he opened his mouth to speak, but was suddenly cut off by a burst of blaster fire.

Qui Gon whirled around to catch the blasts with his lightsaber. Obi Wan was on his feet a split second later, deflecting more blasts with his saber. The entrance to the bridge was completely cut off. Pirates had lined the hallway, firing indiscriminately at anything that moved. Because of their positions in the room, the Jedi could only deflect the blasts away from themselves and not back at their unseen attackers. Kadrata and Sagev simultaneously dove for cover, but not before Sagev was hit with a stray blast.

Judging from the amount of blaster fire and the number of rounds that were fired into the bridge, Qui Gon estimated at least six pirates. He and Obi Wan were doing all they could to stay on top of this assault, but some of the blasts were fired at the same time from two different directions and with two different targets. They tried to move forward to change the trajectory of the deflected blasts, but found themselves all but pinned down by the rain of blaster fire. To make matters worse, all the blasts that hit the magnetically sealed outer walls of the bridge ricocheted around the perimeter.

Qui Gon made a quick decision. He sent a mental command to Obi Wan. With an acknowledging look, the Jedi divided, sprinting for the cover of opposite walls. There they deactivated their lightsabers and waited; pressing as close to the wall as possible, occasionally ducking and dodging blasts that came too close, but making no move to deflect them.

After awhile, the shots being fired into the bridge lessened. After a little while longer, the blasts stopped altogether. Unable to see their intended victims but no longer hearing the hum of lightsabers, the pirates in the hall became convinced the Jedi must be dead. They entered cautiously at first, weaving their way slowly through the smoke. Soon all six were combing the bridge, looking for the bodies of the slain Jedi.

Using the poor visibility to their advantage, Qui Gon and Obi Wan suddenly leapt forward, lightsabers ignited, and cut down the two nearest pirates. The others turned and began firing blindly, hitting a couple of their own men. The Jedi were now able to deflect the laser blasts back at the ones shooting them and quickly finished off the remainder of the pirates.

In minutes, the Jedi were the only ones left standing. As the smoke began to clear, they stood for a moment, catching their breath, stretching out with the Force to confirm what their eyes told them.

"No! Damn!" Qui Gon suddenly swore. He deactivated his lightsaber and hurried over to where Kadrata lay unmoving. The captain had obviously been shot. Qui Gon dropped to his knees and carefully rolled the pirate over. He placed his hand on Kadrata's temple, trying to sense any brain activity, then he sat back on his heels with a heavy sigh and glanced up at Obi Wan. "He's dead."

Obi Wan stood frozen momentarily, then turned off his saber, and strode over to the nav computer. He slipped into the chair at the terminal and began studying the readouts. Qui Gon came up behind him.

"How far did you get?" the Jedi Master asked quietly.

Obi Wan took the time to enter more data into the computer before answering. "Far enough," he began, chewing his lower lip thoughtfully. "This particular program is very similar to the one the Decipher uses. The codes aren't encrypted, only unknown. If I can find the program's set up file, the codes I need may be listed there." He looked up briefly. "I'm sure I can find the file. It's only a question of if I can find it in time."

Qui Gon folded his arms across his chest. "Is there such a security mechanism in the Decipher's program?"

Obi Wan shook his head. "Not that I was aware of. It required codes in order to change the coordinates in the computer, not to prevent the activation of a self destruct device." He sighed heavily. "It doesn't make any sense to me, but why would that pirate lie about such a thing? I felt real fear in him. I know he was telling the truth."

Qui Gon put his hand reassuringly on Obi Wan's shoulder. "Remember, just because someone believes something to be true doesn't necessarily make it so." He glanced over at the body of the short-haired pirate. "He may have only been telling you what he believed to be true. Someone might have told him this information. Since he did not know the codes, it would seem he actually had little to do with navigating."

Obi Wan twisted around to face Qui Gon. "In any case, it would be helpful if you could find me someone who does."

Qui Gon turned suddenly, his mind off and running.

"Stay alert, do what you can, I'll return as soon as possible," he told his apprentice.

Obi Wan looked up at his master sharply and quickly tamped down the surge of fear he felt and swallowed hard. He didn't like the idea of being left alone at this point in time, especially after their last attack. He wanted to protest, but sensed Qui Gon's reproach for even considering it. He bowed his head and nodded slowy, then turned his attention back to the monitor.

"Perhaps this wasn't such a good plan," he said quietly. "It would have been easier to just have the Verman authorities intercept them."

Qui Gon paused, sensing his padawan's unease with their present situation. He suddenly recalled what Tia had accused him of back at the restaurant. Maybe he did treat Obi Wan too much like an assistant. Perhaps this was one of those times his young apprentice needed a little bit more from him than words of wisdom. He took a deep breath.

"It would have been easier, " the Jedi Master explained calmly, "but not necessarily right. These men need to be brought before their own people. The same people they have pillaged and attacked. Try not to heed your uncertainties, Obi Wan. Your plan is a sound one. We've only suffered a few minor setbacks which can easily be remedied." He opened his mind to his padawan, hoping Obi Wan could sense in him everything he did not have the luxury of time to say.

"Yes, Master," Obi Wan formally responded, keeping his eyes on the readouts. He felt, rather than saw, Qui Gon leave the bridge. He had heard Qui Gon's words as another of life's lessons to be learned, but the Force around his master was charged with a rare outpouring of emotion. Obi Wan drew from his calm confidence and trust, wrapping it around himself, and absorbing it. His mind cleared and he became conscious of his rapidly beating heart and excessively sweaty palms. His body was still reacting in fear, but he didn't feel afraid anymore. He could feel a quiet peacefulness and.... A slow smile crept across Obi Wan's features. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "Thank you, Master. I love you too," he whispered.

***

Tia and Mandie had made it all the way to the generators without running into another soul.

Mandie kept watch as Tia set about manually overriding the stubborn generator. It didn't take long before the entire ship was plunged into darkness, signaling Tia that the override had worked. The generators had shut down the overhead lighting in favor of the defense shields. Now the shields were back up to full power.

"Can't we keep some of the lights on? I can't see a thing," Mandie complained.

"That may be a good thing," Tia countered, coming to stand beside her sister. "If we keep quiet, we just may make it back to the room without any trouble." She took ahold of Mandie's arm and began pulling her along the wall, feeling her way slowly towards the exit.

They suddenly heard unfamiliar voices coming their way. Tia yanked Mandie back behind the generator cabinets and crouched down.

Two pirates appeared and headed for the generators. They had taken it upon themselves to check out the reason behind the power outage. One of them began fumbling with the same generator Tia had just been working on.

"Here's the problem. Someone's shut down the power to this sub generator's distribution circuits," he pointed out to the other pirate.

Tia swore to herself as the pirate rerouted the generator's power back to the overhead lights. She and Mandie shrank back further as the lights suddenly blazed back on. They waited until the two pirates had left the generator room, then scurried out of their hiding place.

Tia hurried over to the malfunctioning generator and quickly redirected the power back to the defense shields. Once more, the ship became shrouded in darkness. Mandie started for the exit, but Tia suddenly pulled her back behind the cabinets, on a hunch.

Her instincts proved to be true. The two pirates came back, mumbling and cursing in confusion.

"I did too fix it! You saw the lights come on!" the one pirate argued with the other.

"Well, fix it so they stay on this time!" his companion snapped. "We're going to need light in order to load the cargo."

Load? Tia thought wildly. They were ready to load? Wasn't anybody going to stop them? A knot suddenly formed in her throat and she closed her eyes tightly to relieve the pressure she was beginning to feel from an oncoming headache. Where were the security guards? The crewmen? Where were the Jedi? She quickly faced Mandie.

"We've got to stop them!" she whispered insistently.

"Ssssh!" Mandie scolded. The lights came back on and the two pirates left the generators once more. Mandie stood up. "Qui Gon said they weren't going to resist them, remember? He had something else planned."

Tia's eyes flashed as she climbed out from behind the cabinets. "Well, whatever the hell he had planned obviously didn't work if they are loading the crystals! Look Mandie, who knows what happened up there while we were sitting around in our room. We could be the only ones left to stop them!"

Mandie looked mortified. "What are you saying?"

Tia frowned. "Don't think the worst. Things just may not have turned out the way Qui Gon had planned. Maybe they just weren't able to accomplish what they had set out to do originally."

Mandie shook her head. "I don't know, Tia. We've got one gun between us and absolutely no combat experience. How do you propose to stop the pirates from taking the crystals?"

"One thing at a time, okay?" Tia said, her mind racing. "First we need to make sure this generator keeps the power on the shields. Then, I get myself a blaster of my own." She knelt before the power distribution circuits and once more turned off the ship's lights. She stood up and shooed Mandie back behind the generator cabinets. Mandie began protesting, but stopped, hearing approaching footsteps. Tia took the blaster away from her and flipped off the safety and set it for stun. Mandie's eyes grew wide as she realized just what her sister was about to do.

The pirate who had been altering the generator's power came storming back into the generator room. He kicked the machine furiously, then knelt down and began to redirect the power in the circuits.

"Freeze!" Tia ordered, jumping out from behind the cabinets. She pointed the blaster at the kneeling pirate. Slowly, the pirate raised his hands and turned to face her. He smiled when he saw her and seemed to visibly relax.

"Well, what have we here? You must be one of the lovely Orman sisters," he drawled. His left hand lowered and went for his blaster.

"I wouldn't if I were you!" Tia warned. "Stand up and keep your hands where I can see them!"

The pirate obeyed, but still seemed unfazed by Tia's threats. "Let's not get hasty there, pretty lady. You don't want to go around shooting people now do you? Why don't you just put the blaster down and we can talk this over."

Tia sighed. "Give it a rest, okay." She locked her eyes on him and pointed the blaster at his chest. "Mandie, get his weapon!"

Mandie suddenly came out from behind the cabinets shaking her head. "You're crazy, you know that?" she told her sister. She stepped over to the pirate, straining to see in the dark. She reached for his blaster, but he grabbed her suddenly and held her against his side with his arm around her throat. He jammed the end of the gun into her ribs. Mandie yelped and Tia swore.

"Now," the pirate began impatiently. "Put your blaster down or the little bitch gets fried."

Tia shook her head slowly. "You jerk. Now you've gone and pissed me off." Without hesitation she lowered her blaster, aimed at his crotch, and fired.

The pirate opened his mouth to scream but passed out in a heap before anything came out. Mandie pried his blaster away from him and kicked him for good measure.

"Creep!" she spat and stalked over to Tia. "All right, you've had your fun now, let's get back to the room."

Tia turned and began walking towards the exit with new purpose. "Oh no. I'm not going to just sit around and let these male chauvinists take over my ship." She turned to her sister with a smile. "Besides, Qui Gon is an intelligent man. He couldn't have possibly believed that we would stay in that room once things started heating up out here. If he did, he's not as smart as I thought." She smiled devilishly and tightened her grip on her blaster.

***

Qui Gon sighed deeply, looking around the empty room. He never really believed Tia and Mandie would just wait there. He knew Tia better than that. Unfortunately, that awareness did little to soothe his rising irritation. He needed her now, but he had no idea where to find her.

He closed his eyes briefly, pulling the Force to him and letting it fill him. He started off down the hall, allowing the Force to guide him to where he needed to go. Knowing his time was limited, he opted for speed rather than caution, trusting the Force to warn him of any impending danger. He found himself descending to one of the lower levels of the ship.

The Force around him darkened suddenly. Qui Gon stopped in his tracks and flattened himself against the wall. He approached the next turn warily. As he drew nearer, he could hear voices. One of the voices was familiar to him. He peered around the corner and frowned at what he saw.

There were three armed pirates holding most of the Decipher's security force captive, along with the droid, HJK-260. One of the pirates stood guard beside the huddled crew members, while the other two, oddly enough, questioned the droid.

"Where are the women?" a pirate with a scar across his left eye demanded.

The droid turned slowly to face him.

"I told you before. You must not have listened. Miss Orman and her sister are on the upper main deck," HJ replied.

"You're lying! We just checked up there."

"Sir, droids such as myself are incapable of deception. It's against our programming," the droid replied, sounding a little insulted.

He is lying, Qui Gon thought. That, or he truly was the most incompetent and unreliable droid in the galaxy.

"Oh just blast the damn thing!" the other pirate grumbled. "It's useless. It doesn't know anything."

The scarred pirate hesitated. "I'll give you another chance," he told HJ. "What about the Jedi Knights? Where are they at?"

HJ gave a mechanical sigh. "I am entirely unaware of the whereabouts of the Jedi."

The scarred pirate cursed and spat on the floor. "Yeah, you're right. It's worthless." He raised his blaster and pointed it at HJ.

Qui Gon quickly debated whether saving the droid was worth exposing himself and inevitably coming under fire as a result. Tia was rather fond of that droid. She would more than likely be mad at him if he had a chance to save HJ and he didn't. Besides, Qui Gon reasoned, HJ might actually know where Tia and Mandie had gone. Reaching a decision, Qui Gon sighed in resignation and pulled his lightsaber from his belt, igniting it.

The pirates all turned simultaneously, hearing the loud raspy hiss behind them. HJ seized his chance and hurried off just as Qui Gon stepped forward.

"You're not getting anywhere near those women, so forget about them and concentrate on the Jedi," Qui Gon told them icily.

Initially, the three pirates merely stood gaping at him, too stunned to move. The captive crew members began whispering among themselves.

Qui Gon waved his lightsaber tauntingly in front of the nonplussed pirates. "Come on, gentlemen, I don't have all day," the Jedi said impatiently. "Either fire at me or let me be on my way." Qui Gon faced the crew members. "Now would probably be a good time to leave this place." Collectively, the crew faced the pirates to gauge their reaction. "Go," Qui Gon urged. "I'll deal with them." Encouraged, the crew members quickly filed out of the room, leaving the Jedi alone with the pirates.

The pirates glanced back and forth at each other. Then, as if responded to some silent command, they fanned out, raising their blasters.

Qui Gon adopted a classic defensive posture, concentrating on the Force and gathering it to him until he could feel it flowing inside him. He knew if the pirates fired at the same time from different angles, he wouldn't be able to deflect the blasts back at them, he would only be able to deflect the blasts away. It would be tricky, but it could be done.

The pirates suddenly fired, just as Qui Gon predicted. They seemed to know this strategy was the only way to increase their odds of actually shooting down an armed Jedi and keep the Jedi from being able to send the blasts back at them. More than likely they had gone up against Jedi before. Now they seemed anxious to rid themselves of his presence, and no doubt gain considerable approval from their superiors by doing so.

Qui Gon swung his lightsaber smoothly from right to left, catching each of the blasts and propelling them into the far wall. The pirates fired again repeatedly and this time the Jedi brought the saber back around from left to right and back again. It reminded Qui Gon of the last assault he and Obi Wan suffered on the bridge of the pirate's ship. Unless something changed, it was a no win situation. He knew eventually, one of the pirates would misfire, but he didn't want to wait any longer. He had wasted too much time already on them. As the pirates continued shooting, Qui Gon began to focus on the one to his left, bearing the Force's influence down on him. The very next time the pirates shot at him, the one on the left fired a second too late. It was all Qui Gon needed. He caught the first two blasts, then spun his lightsaber around in his hand and caught the delayed blast, sending it back at the slower pirate in a precise hit.

The remaining two pirates froze, startled. They glanced at their stricken companion, then eyed the Jedi warily.

"What's it going to be?" Qui Gon asked quietly.

To his surprise, the two pirates slowly lowered their blasters to the floor in front of them and raised their hands.

"All right, we give up," the scarred pirate declared formally. "Look, we were only doing our duty. Only following orders."

Qui Gon sighed and lowered his lightsaber. "Go on. Get out of here." He watched the pirates slowly back out of the room, hands still raised, then turn and run down the hall. The Jedi deactivated his saber and returned it to his belt. He started off in the direction HJ had gone.

***

HJ hurried along, wishing he were back on the bridge, away from all those strange, hostile humans the ship suddenly seemed to be infested with. He suddenly heard someone calling his name and turned around and saw the Jedi sprinting towards him.

"Oh Jedi Jinn. What a relief it was for me that you came along when you did," HJ began gratefully. "I truly had no idea you were so close by."

"Don't worry about that now," Qui Gon told him. "I don't have much time. I need to find Tia. You know where she is, don't you?"

The droid nodded without hesitation. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. I was supposed to just say she and Miss Mandie were on the upper main deck. Truthfully, they are nowhere near there. They went to the generator room." He paused and gestured around him. "The lights keep going off because one of the generators malfunctioned. It's pulling the power off the defense shields. They were going to try to manually override it."

Qui Gon patted the droid's shoulder appreciatively.

"Thank you, HJ, you have been very helpful," he said and hurried passed the droid, then he stopped and looked back at him over his shoulder. "Do you know anything about navigational computer setup programs? Would you know how to access one?"

"I should hope so, Sir. I am an earlier model 260, but Miss Orman and Captain Fostey make sure I'm upgraded regularly."

Qui Gon nodded. "I need you to come with me, HJ." He turned, grabbing the droid's arm and pulled him down the hall to an elevator. "Go to the upper deck, to the starboard entryway. Wait for me there, understand?" The elevator opened and Qui Gon pushed the droid inside. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

HJ nodded. "Anything to help, Jedi Jinn. You did save me back there and I truly am thankful for your assistance."

Qui Gon smiled. "You're welcome." The elevator door closed and Qui Gon turned sharply and dashed back up the hall.

Generators, he thought. At least she had a halfway legitimate excuse for venturing out of her room. At least she wasn't deliberately disobeying him and risking her life needlessly as he had first suspected.

He came to a stairwell and descended it rapidly, taking three steps at a time. He remembered seeing the generators on this level when he had first explored the ship. He thought he should have been able to sense Tia by now. He wasn't able to yet and something told him he wasn't going to either.

The room housing the generators was as empty as the last room he had expected to find her in. Empty, except for a lone pirate sprawled out on the floor. Qui Gon could sense the lifeforce still in him and knew he wasn't dead, just knocked out. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could see glimpses of what had unfolded here and knew Tia and Mandie had at least been here. Unfortunately, he still had no clue as to where they went once they left this area. Qui Gon cleared his mind and refocused the Force on Tia's presence. The ripples of energy he felt told him she was close.

He left the generator room, once more letting the Force guide him. Now he found himself heading for the cargo hold. The closer he got to it, the clearer his sense of Tia became. She was currently a mass of dizzying emotions too complex in structure for Qui Gon to sort out. One thing was clear to the Jedi however. Wherever she was and whatever she was doing, he wasn't going to like it.

The Force pulsed around him and his ears soon confirmed what his senses had told him earlier. He could hear a relay of shots being fired, coming from opposite sides of the cargo hold.

He crouched low and circled around the perimeter, moving swiftly from one position of cover to another. The numerous stacked crates provided him with an easy route to where Tia and Mandie were.

At first, Qui Gon thought they had been discovered in the hold and were being pinned down by blaster fire. After closer inspection, it was evident that they were the ones doing most of the shooting. They had a small contingent of pirates trapped close to the loading ramp. The pirates had been in the process of removing the cargo when the two sisters came upon them and opened fire. The pirates fired back occasionally, knowing the futility of such an action, but hoped to at least keep their attackers from coming any closer.

Tia and Mandie responded to them with excessive enthusiasm, raining a torrent of blaster fire on the hapless pirates, even though they couldn't actually see anyone to accurately target either. They were so entirely focused on the task at hand, they did not hear Qui Gon come up behind them.

The Jedi quickly covered Tia's mouth with his hand and pulled her back towards him as he wrenched her blaster away from her. Startled, Mandie whirled around, ready to blow his head off, but caught herself just before actually firing. She sighed heavily with relief and lowered her blaster.

"Damn, Qui Gon, you scared the life out of me," Mandie scolded.

The Jedi glared at her, still holding Tia captive against him. She squirmed and struggled, but he only tightened his grip more. He was certain she had instigated all this and he wasn't ready to talk to her just yet.

"We have to get out of here," he growled.

Mandie gestured absently behind her. "But they're taking our cargo!" she protested, turning and firing off a few more shots.

Qui Gon took a deep cleansing breath and fought to maintain control of his temper. "You are not stopping them, only delaying them and that is defeating our intent. Beside that, you're risking your lives doing so."

Tia began stamping her foot impatiently and Qui Gon felt her teeth graze his palm. Before she could actually bite him, he released her and stepped back.

Tia spun around to face him with a furious expression, ready to rip him to shreds, but as soon as her eyes met his, her anger dissolved away. The sight of him standing there all but melted her heart. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him zealously.

Qui Gon's own anger just as quickly dissipated as soon as Tia's lips touched his. He allowed himself a single moment of blissful indulgence before prying her away from him.

"Later, My Love, I promise," he whispered to her.

Tia sighed heavily, her eyes drinking in the sight of him. "Thank goodness, you're all right!" she exclaimed. "When I heard they were loading our cargo, I began to fear the worst." Her eyes narrowed somewhat. "Why are we just letting them load our cargo? Where is my security? What have you been doing all this time? Where have you been?"

The pirates across the hold fired several more shots at them. Mandie fired a couple of rounds back.

Qui Gon put his hands on his hips. "Let them have the cargo. The cargo is inconsequential at the moment," he began, then shook his head. "I don't have time to explain everything now. I need you to come with me." He held out Tia's blaster to her.

Tia took it and fired at the pirates again. "If you think you're taking us back to our room, we're not going," she told him defiantly, speaking for Mandie as well.

Qui Gon closed his eyes briefly to summon more patience through the Force. "I'm not taking you to your room. I'm taking you to the bridge of the pirates' ship." He suddenly had Tia and Mandie's undivided attention. They both lowered their blasters and looked up at him inquiringly. "Obi Wan is there now. He needs your help," the Jedi Master continued.

Tia and Mandie exchanged wary glances. Qui Gon began ushering them forward.

"We have to hurry," he urged. "I promise, I'll explain everything on the way."

***

Obi Wan had four different computer terminals searching files for the program setup he needed. He stalked around the bridge, trying to remain calm, trying to be patient, and trying to stay optimistic.

He was careful not to stray too far from the nav computer console, keeping a wary eye on the monitor for any sign of change. So far, the computer had accepted the data he had entered without triggering the security device.

He passed the time by wreaking havoc on as many of the pirates' manual controls as possible: draining all the power from their weapons terminal, destroying the remaining intership communications, and shutting down all the ship's viewscreens.

While flitting from one point of destruction to another, he tried recalling every detail of reprograming the Decipher's course coordinates. On the Decipher, he had been able to enter all the course changing information the computer needed, but wasn't able to actually execute the course change until after the security codes had been entered. Captain Fostey had said the ship would not be able to leave Istse without the new coordinates already in the system. Perhaps, he had been referring to an engine lockdown.

Encouraged, Obi Wan slid into the chair at the nav computer terminal and hurriedly continued entering the new coordinates into the computer. When he had finished, he sat forward, his eyes locked on the monitor, and held his breath.

A prompt came up on the monitor. It was the same prompt as the one he'd received when he reprogrammed the Decipher's computer.

"Warning, enter code keys before continuing," he read out loud. He sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. At least now he knew the ship wouldn't blow up all of a sudden. Now, all he needed to do before continuing with the course change was find and enter the correct codes.

He got up and checked the monitors of the computers he had searching the files for him. Two of the computers had given up, declaring the file unfound. The other two were still searching. Obi Wan frowned, wondering if he would even be able to open the file if he did find it. He folded his arms across his chest, leaning his hips against the back of a chair, and closed his eyes.

Patience, patience, patience, he chanted to himself, gathering the Force to him. He couldn't do anything now but wait. He glanced down at the bodies strewn about the bridge and shook his head. The sight left him feeling numb and cold. Qui Gon was right. All this for jewels. Nothing really necessary. Just jewels.

He reached down and opened the pouch on his utility belt where he had stored the crystal Mandie had given him. He pulled it out and held it up to his eyes.

Obi Wan still found the stone's beauty ethereal. Looking at it, he could almost understand why it was considered so valuable. Just gazing at it was exhilarating. Holding it in his hand made him feel privileged. He smiled slightly, wondering whether it was the stone itself that provoked such positive feelings or the fact that it was a gift from Mandie. He decided on the latter. She could have given him a piece of pit gravel and he would still be just as thrilled by it.

The Force stirred inside him suddenly, darkening with warning. Obi Wan's eyes widened with realization and his heart began pounding. He returned the crystal to his belt and pulled the hilt of his lightsaber free.

Pirates. Six, no eight of them, Obi Wan told himself. He took a deep steadying breath and pulled the Force in around him. Now was not the time to panic, he chided himself. He quickly looked around. There really was no place to hide; no real cover of any kind.

Maybe he could fend off their attack for a little while. He might even be able to take down a few of them along the way, but the reality of his situation told him it would only be a matter of time before he slipped up. And he knew any mistake he would make would most likely result in his death.

He licked his lips, trying to moisten his suddenly dry mouth and reluctantly clipped his lightsaber back on his belt. Maybe they would leave it alone. Maybe they would assume he was unarmed, like they had with Qui Gon.

"Maybe," he muttered, bracing himself. There were too many maybes to rely on to suit his taste.

Pirates suddenly swarmed onto the bridge, blasters raised, ready to fire at anything that moved. Three of them immediately spied Obi Wan and rushed over to him, two of them seizing his arms and wrenching them behind his back, the third just stood in front of him, smiling wickedly. Three other pirates darted around, checking the bodies, while the remaining two began assessing the damaged equipment.

Obi Wan swore inwardly as the pirate in front of him snatched his lightsaber from his belt without hesitation. Now he was truly unarmed. Unexpectedly, the same pirate suddenly and maliciously backhanded him.

"You've been a busy little Jedi, haven't you?" the pirate sneered.

Obi Wan flexed his jaw a few times to be sure it hadn't been dislocated. He glared up at the pirate.

"What if I have?" he shot back. "What are you going to do about it?"

The pirate raised his hand to strike him again, but lost the inclination when the young Jedi refused to flinch. "Cheeky, aren't you? I wouldn't be so quick to smart off if I were you!" He reached over and lifted Obi Wan's braid from his shoulder, running his fingers down the length of it. "Why you're nothing but a trainee. I'll tell you what, you cooperate, and I'll go easy on you."

Obi Wan leaned back, pulling against the two pirates who held his arms. They only twisted his arms harder, pushing him forward. Obi Wan tried to close his mind off to the pain. He continued to draw from the Force, focusing on its quiet power, allowing him to remain calm enough to keep his fear and his temper in check.

This strategy is not going well, Obi Wan thought. It was hard not to resist them and not to fight back. Especially if they insisted on baiting him.

The monitor on one of the computers Obi Wan had been working with caught the attention of one of the pirates. He called out to the pirate who had Obi Wan's lightsaber.

"Druck, take a look at this!"

The pirate momentarily abandoned his captive and strode over to the console. Obi Wan dropped his eyes and feigned disinterest, all the while screaming inside, pleading with them not to touch anything.

The pirate named Druck studied the screen briefly, then turned and faced Obi Wan again. He smiled humorlessly. "You've just been up to all kinds of mischief, haven't you? My friend was right about you Jedi. Nothing but trouble." He slowly walked back over to Obi Wan.

"What friend?" Obi Wan asked, furrowing his brow.

Druck nodded. "Yes, he was always complaining about the Jedi on his ship. I'm sure you must have met him. Does the name Corbin Roos ring a bell with you?"

Obi Wan resumed his apathetic expression. He lowered his eyes again and said nothing.

Druck caught Obi Wan's chin roughly in his hand and wrenched his head back. "You wouldn't know what happened to my pal, Corbin, would you? It would seem he all but disappeared." The pirate leaned closer to him. "As a matter of fact, none of us have had much luck finding anyone we wanted to find. Specifically, two very rich and lovely ladies. I know you must have stashed them somewhere safe, haven't you?" He released Obi Wan and stepped back slightly, waiting. The young Jedi ignored him. Druck sighed and held up the hilt of Obi Wan's lightsaber, studying it. His hand moved over the control knobs and the lightsaber suddenly ignited. The pirate grinned, waving the blade through the air, making it hum.

Obi Wan's stomach knotted. This is not happening, he thought. He's going to kill me with my own lightsaber if I don't find a way out of this mess. The Jedi watched with growing anxiety as the pirate deftly bisected a nearby chair. Master, anytime now, Obi Wan pleaded mentally. Druck was fascinated by the saber's power. He tapped it on a railing, delighting in the flash and hiss of the blade as it severed the post.

"Oh, wait," he suddenly announced. "This is a little too strong for our purposes." He fiddled with the controls on the hilt, adjusting the intensity of the lightsaber to a lower setting; then dragged the blade slowly across the body of one of the dead pirates. It blistered the skin and left a red, raw-looking mark. "Ah, perfect." He stepped back over to Obi Wan. "Start talking, Boy."

Obi Wan glared menacingly at back at him.

Druck grew impatient. He held the tip of the lightsaber's blade in front of Obi Wan's eyes. "Such pleasing, youthful features. It would be a real shame to scar such a handsome face, but I will if I have to. All you have to do is tell me where the women are."

Obi Wan frowned at the pirate. "Look, you have the cargo of jewels. Why do you have to have the women too? They'll be more trouble to you than they could possibly be worth," he suggested hopefully.

Druck shrugged. "It does get lonely in space. You understand, I'm sure. Besides, they are worth a lot of money. So how about it? You tell me where they are, and I won't disfigure you." He waved the saber slowly back and forth.

Obi Wan locked his eyes on the pirate's. "Any scar you inflict on me is one I'll wear with honor," the young Jedi replied. "It will always serve to remind me of how even the most vile criminals can be defeated through the power of the Force."

Druck laughed. "Suit yourself." He lowered the tip of the lightsaber towards Obi Wan's face.

Enough of this passive resistance, Obi Wan thought and closed his eyes. It was time for action. He waited until he could feel the heat of the blade on his cheek, then wholly surrendered himself to the Force.

Bracing himself against the two pirates who held him, Obi Wan jumped up and planted his feet squarely on Druck's chest, sending him reeling across the bridge, and colliding with a computer console. He slumped soundlessly to the floor, dropping the lightsaber. Obi Wan backflipped to twist his arms free from the pirates who held him. He sprung straight up, kicking out with both legs at the same time, effectively knocking his former captors out. He spun around and reached towards his lightsaber, calling it to his hand, and readjusted the blade's strength to full power.

By now the other pirates on the bridge had begun shooting. Obi Wan had to move twice as fast in order to deflect the torrent of laser blasts fired at him, but still managed to catch each one. Two of the pirates fell from the blaster fire right away. Obi Wan Force-pushed two others to throw their aim off and buy him enough time to make it to the other side of the bridge. He could feel the strength of the Force brimming within him. He wasn't even consciously aware of when and how he moved most of the time. The blasts he could not deflect, he ducked or leapt over, swinging the lightsaber completely around with graceful precision in a perfectly timed and coordinated dance.

He was so focused, he didn't notice that three more beings had joined in the fray. Between the four of them, they quickly finished off the rest of the attacking pirates and in minutes, everything on the bridge was eerily silent.

Obi Wan stood breathing hard, struggling to calm his racing heart, and cleared his mind. It was then he sensed he was not alone. He easily recognized each lifeforce present and sighed heavily, relieved. As the smoke began to clear, he deactivated his lightsaber and looked around. He was more than a little grateful to see Qui Gon, and surprised to see Tia and Mandie, both armed to the teeth, standing on the other side of the bridge. He smiled broadly.

They all rushed over to him at once: Qui Gon making a thorough assessment of possible injuries his apprentice might have sustained, Tia fawning over him in a concerned, motherly sort of way, and Mandie all but smothering him with kisses. He wriggled free of them all and backed up a few steps.

"I'm fine," he assured. "Just give me a minute."

Tia suddenly glared at Qui Gon. "When you said he needed our help, you weren't kidding."

Qui Gon sighed. He faced Obi Wan. "I was unaware of your dilemma until just a few minutes ago," he said with a hint of apology.

Obi Wan gestured around him. "They only came up on me a few minutes ago. I doubted my chances of surviving a confrontation with them and surrendered to them initially." He glanced at the unconscious Druck. "Then they started getting nasty."

Qui Gon raised his brow. He looked around and smiled slowly. "Apparently, Padawan, your self-doubt was unwarranted." He wore that rare 'shouldn't-be-surprised, impressed-as-hell, teeming-with-pride' expression that Obi Wan lived for.

"Thank you, Master," the young Jedi acknowledged with a slight bow of his head. Mandie came up to him and put her arm around his waist.

"I'm just glad you're all right," she said, smiling up at him. Obi Wan leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Tia turned towards the hallway and waved to an unseen occupant. "It's safe now HJ. You can come in."

The droid peered into the bridge first as if to see for himself, then ambled towards them.

"I'm only too happy to assist you, but I would feel better if you could assure me we won't have any more melees such as this," he complained.

"Hopefully not," Qui Gon said. He gestured at a piece of debris on the floor and sent it hurling into the control panel at the side of the entryway, closing the blast doors. "That might help for the time being, but we have to hurry." He faced Obi Wan. "Were you able to find the codes?"

Obi Wan shook his head. He strode over to the nav computer and studied the monitors. Nothing had changed but now there was only one computer still searching for the file. Tia walked over and seated herself at the terminal. Obi Wan leaned over her.

"It seems like the same program," Tia told him. "Without the codes, you won't be able to activate the hyperdrive without the nav computer locking down the engines. It's for security. All Aurelian F-Class ships are equipped with it because of the cargo they carry. Namely jewels. It's supposed to deter hijacking."

"Are the codes standard by any chance?" Obi Wan asked, hopefully. "Do you know them?"

Tia grimaced. "Yes, but there are several. The right ones should be listed somewhere. Did you check the setup files?"

Obi Wan nodded and sighed. "There's one computer still looking for it. That one there," he told her and pointed to a terminal on his left.

"Then that may be our animal," Tia said and leaned back in her chair. She turned to HJ. "We need access to that file, HJ. Make sure the computer finds it and opens it for us."

The droid nodded and immediately went to work. "You can rely on me, Miss Tia."

Tia had to smile. "I know I can, HJ."

"What about the ship's self-destruct mechanism? At what point would the computer activate that?" Qui Gon asked.

Tia frowned. "Probably after the lockdown. I've never heard of installing such a device, but we are talking about pirates here. I don't intend to go that far without first entering the codes."

Mandie came up and stood beside Obi Wan. "Maybe the best thing to do would be to escape out of the program," she offered.

Tia looked over at Qui Gon. "She may be right. If the file doesn't have the codes listed, there will be no other alternative."

"But you said you knew the codes," Qui Gon countered. He slowly walked over to her, folding his arms across his chest into his sleeves. He projected an aura of casual serenity that defied their current situation.

"I do, but there are different codes. If we enter the wrong code keys, the course coordinates could be rejected, and the computer could then activate the security mechanism. It's too risky."

"Miss Tia," HJ called out. "I have accessed the setup file, but regret to inform you that the code keys are not listed in it."

Tia closed her eyes briefly and swore softly. "All right then," she announced. "I'm backing us out of this program so we can get the hell out of here." She froze, suddenly feeling Qui Gon's hand on her shoulder.

"No," he said calmly. "Enter the codes."

She angrily twisted around to face him, but found herself quieted by his steady gaze. His dark blue eyes reflected a knowing confidence which he seemed to be pouring over her. Tia took a deep breath and swallowed hard. She slowly turned back to the nav computer.

"I can't even begin to think which would be the right one," she said shakily.

"Then don't think," Qui Gon said, leaning over and whispering in her ear. "Feel."

"Feel?" Tia asked weakly.

"Yes. Don't rationalize. Close your eyes and clear your mind. Think of nothing. Just be aware of how you feel and then do," the Jedi Master instructed quietly.

"Feel. Sure." Tia paused for a moment, then began punching in a series of codes.

Mandie held her breath. Obi Wan took her hand and squeezed it tightly. Qui Gon straightened, resuming his nonchalant pose behind Tia.

The computer beeped suddenly, then began processing the previously entered data. Tia exhaled forcibly, then started to laugh.

"It worked! It worked!" she shrieked. "It's changing the ship's course! We did it! We did it!" She sprang up out of her chair and threw her arms around Qui Gon estatically.

Obi Wan hugged Mandie, picking her up and swinging her around.

"Ah...Miss Tia?" HJ began. The tone of his voice brought an abrupt end to their celebrating.

"What is it?"

The droid gestured at a blinking white light on one of the control panels.

"This sensor is signaling that the cargo hold has been sealed," HJ informed. "It would appear the pirates have completed transferring the cargo."

"Come on," Qui Gon urged. "We have to get out of here now. They'll be taking off soon."

Tia frowned. "Now, you promised if I let them have my cargo to get them out of here, that I'd get it back once we got to Aurelia, right?"

Qui Gon nodded. "As soon as we get back to the Decipher, you can contact the Trade Federation and the proper Aurelian authorities and have them standing by to intercept the ship once it comes out of lightspeed. Your cargo will still reach Aurelia, safe and sound, as if we transported it ourselves."

"And you're positive this vessel is now going to Aurelia?" Mandie inquired.

Obi Wan smiled and nodded. "Everything is set now. They won't confirm the coordinates. They won't feel a need to. They'll want to make a fast getaway and probably go right into hyperspace. Then they won't be able to change the coordinates even if they did discover our sabotage."

Qui Gon took Tia's hand and began leading her to the blast doors. "We still have to get back to the Decipher without being detected," he reminded. He stopped in front of the control panel on the wall and opened the blast doors. Tia squeezed his hand. He looked back at her. "Don't worry," he added encouragingly. "We've made it this far. We can make it even further. Everything will be all right."

Tia smiled up at him. She had to wonder if he was actually referring to getting back to the ship, or something more personal. "I know," she replied. "It feels right." She turned to Mandie and Obi Wan. "Come on you two!"

Mandie in turn faced HJ. "Let's go HJ! No more melees after this, we promise."

***

Qui Gon stood beside Tia just outside the door to his quarters, listening to Captain Fostey relay the events of the past hour. After releasing the Decipher and pulling away, the pirate ship had tried to torpedo them just as he had predicted, but seemed unable to. After several tries, the pirates gave up and went into lightspeed.

Tia nodded. "We need to contact the Trade Federation and the Aurelian authorities. That ship is going to Aurelia. It must be stopped."

"Right away, Miss Orman," Captain Fostey said. He turned to go, then paused and frowned. "Our hyperdrive was damaged. We'll get home, but it will be slow going."

"I'll have Obi Wan take a look at it," Qui Gon offered. "Maybe he can help repair it."

Captain Fostey nodded and hurried off. Tia turned to Qui Gon and slipped her arms around his waist.

"I'm in no hurry," she said and grinned. "Gee, Too bad the hyperdrive got hit. It will make for a much longer trip than first expected."

Qui Gon tilted her face up to his, burying his fingers in her hair. "What shall we do to pass all that time?"

Tia leaned closer to him. "I don't know. There's no cargo to guard anymore. My kidnapper has been arrested by our security guards. The pirates left." She brushed her lips against his. "Can you think of anything we could possibly do?"

"Uh-huh," Qui Gon responded, folding his arms around her. He kissed her hungrily and leaned into her. "I can think of something I'd like to do with you right now," he whispered.

Tia felt her knees weaken and her heart begin to pound, but she also felt a little apprehensive and pulled away from him. "After all you've been through today? Really, Lover, I would understand if you just wanted to go to bed...and sleep."

Qui Gon shook his head. He opened the door and pulled Tia inside, then caught her up in his arms. Tia laughed, delighted, and hugged his neck to steady herself.

"After all I've been through today, you would deny this?" the Jedi Master asked, carrying her to his bed. "The anticipation of which has helped me endure all the day's tribulations?"

"Oh well, if you put it that way," Tia replied.

He set her down carefully and stretched out beside her. Smiling and gazing lovingly into her eyes, he gently stroked her hair. His demeanor shifted suddenly and he became very serious.

"I want to try something," he began quietly. "I want you to trust me and do exactly what I say."

Tia was intrigued. She nodded slowly. "I trust you."

"Do you love me?"

"I love you."

"And I love you." He kissed her softly. "Tonight, I want to share with you everything I feel and everything I'm thinking." He took a deep breath and locked his eyes on hers. "I am so aware of you when we are together," he explained. "I want to give you that same awareness of me."

Tia reached up and touched his hair. "I don't understand," she admitted.

Qui Gon smiled. "This sense I have of you, is unlike anything I've ever felt with someone before. It's very intimate. It's very profound. If you could feel it too, our minds and spirits could be united beyond our physical selves. Our love will be able to transcend boundaries. Even if we cannot be together, we will never truly be apart."

"But how can I sense you? I can't use the Force like you can. I wouldn't know how."

"I'll show you. I'll help you," Qui Gon reassured her. He began to undress her. "Just put aside all your inhibitions and preconceived notions." He slid her blouse from her shoulder and trailed his fingers over her exposed skin. He started to kiss and nibble his way up her neck.

Tia's whole body began to tingle. "All right," she sighed. "What do I have to do first?"

Qui Gon traced the curve of her ear with his tongue and then kissed it. "Make love to me," he breathed.

***

Obi Wan had been in the engine room assessing the damage to the hyperdrive with the ship's engineer. He knew he would most likely be asked to help repair it and wanted to know right away the extent of the damage. He and the engineer agreed that they probably wouldn't be able to fix it until they reached Aurelia.

Wearily he made his way to the upper decks, anxious to just crawl into bed and sleep for a lightyear. But as he approached the door to the room he shared with Qui Gon, he could sense the Jedi Master's presence along with another familiar presence and quickly concluded his own presence in the room would not exactly be welcome at this time.

He refocused on Mandie, wondering if she might still be up and about and possibly receptive to company at this late hour. When he came to the door of her room, he paused listening, and stretched out with the Force to see if she might be sleeping. She was apparently awake. He knocked softly and waited.

Mandie opened the door to a darkened room and smiled when she saw who her late night visitor was. "Hi," she greeted.

"Hi. I hope I haven't disturbed you. I knew you weren't sleeping," Obi Wan explained.

"No, I was just lying in bed, thinking," Mandie responded.

"Oh." He stood staring at her, unable to move suddenly. His eyes roved down the length of her, then slowly back up again. "Wow. You look nice in that," he sighed, referring to the white diaphanous night gown she was wearing. It reminded him of the dress she was wearing when they first met.

"Thanks," she said, genuinely pleased. "Come in." She stepped aside to admit him, then closed the door.

Obi Wan furrowed his brow and began chewing his lower lip fitfully. "Um, I could use a place to sleep tonight. Perhaps Tia's room?"

Mandie narrowed her eyes. "I don't know," she hesitated. "I'm not sure if she'll be coming back tonight or not."

Obi Wan shook his head knowingly. "I wouldn't think so. In fact, I'm fairly sure of it," he told her. He stood rooted to the floor as she glided over to her bed and threw back the covers. She looked up at him expectantly.

"But there's always a chance she might," Mandie countered.

Obi Wan felt his heart skitter inside his chest. He took a small step back.

"All right then," he half whispered. "I'll just sleep over there again." His eyes darted to the corner he had slept in the last time he spent the night in her room.

Mandie frowned deeply. "Nonsense! Come on, there's plenty of room." She walked over to him and took his hand. She pulled him to the bed and pushed him down until he was sitting on the edge. "I won't bite you," she said with a coy smile. "Unless you want me to, that is."

Obi Wan felt himself blush. He watched her as she bent down to grasp his ankle then leaned back, pulling off his boot. She tossed it aside and pulled off the other boot.

"Now, just lie down and relax," she commanded, placing her hand on his chest, pushing him back.

Obi Wan settled back against the pillows and grappled for the blankets. Mandie crawled over the foot of the bed to get to her side. She wriggled up against him under the covers. Then she tucked herself under his arm by picking it up and wrapping it around herself. She lay her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh.

"There, isn't this much better than the floor?" she whispered.

"....Yes," Obi Wan replied. He looked over at her and she looked up at him and smiled sweetly. She was so incredibly warm and soft against him, he found himself leaning into her slightly, wanting to be closer to her. As tired as he was, he felt his body starting to wake up. He began to laugh lightly. "Mandie, I don't think I'll be able to sleep like this."

"Why not?" she murmured.

Obi Wan sighed. "Because...this is not exactly lulling for me."

"Well, would you rather do something?"

"Like what?!" Obi Wan asked, startled by her casual tone.

She sat up slightly. "We could read to each other, or talk, or--"

"Oh," Obi Wan sighed in relief. "I thought you meant something else."

A knowing smile crept over Mandie's face. "We can if you want to."

Obi Wan stared at her stunned. "Do you want to?"

Mandie snuggled back down beside him. "If we didn't, would you be disappointed?"

Obi Wan hugged her to him and kissed the top of her head. "Well, would you?"

Mandie smiled. "Either way, I'll be happy. Either way, we are together. There's no rush. You told me we would see each other again and I truly believe that. If we don't do anything tonight, maybe next time our paths cross, we'll be ready to take that step in our relationship. So, don't worry about it. We've got all night to decide," she added softly.

Obi Wan looked over at her. "You little minx, you knew as well as I did Tia was not coming back here tonight."

Mandie laughed. "Of course she's not coming back tonight. I'll be lucky if I see her anytime before we get to Aurelia. You'll probably be spending quite a few nights in here."

Obi Wan rolled over on his side and gazed affectionately at her. He began running his fingers tenderly through her hair, brushing it back from her face.

"Just keep in mind, it may be a long time before we find ourselves at this point with someone again," he said with a sly smile.

Mandie licked her lips. "You're right. We really shouldn't let an opportunity like this pass us by."

Obi Wan pulled her to him, cradling her in his arms. "Either way, I'm happy too. More than anything, I just want to be with you. I can assure you, even if we decide not to take that step, after the time I've spent with you these last few days, I have enough to carry in my heart until our paths cross again."

Having said that, he softly kissed her.

BeElleGee