DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc and 20th Century Fox. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
Mace swept along the uneven ground as though he were a native to the area. His speed was second only to that of Ha’run—her feline instincts helping her to fly over terrain ahead of the astute Jedi Master. He was not used to the sheer amount of climbing this environment afforded, but he would adjust. With or without the Force, he was still a Jedi. A Jedi Knight was the culmination of years of physical, mental and psychological training, often the best education that could be found in the galaxy. A Jedi Master was the embodiment of all that the Jedi stood for and were well versed in everything from government to etiquette. And their physical capabilities were known the universe over for their excellence. All of this occurred aside from the ability to tap into the Force. The absence of the Force was unsettling at best, depleting at worst, but was survivable for him.
He gripped a handful of loose stone as he momentarily lost his balance. A small shower of the stone fragments fell behind him. A casual glance over his shoulder revealed that Qui-Gon had received the shower. But even as the fragments fell around the Jedi Master, it was apparent that Qui-Gon’s attention was elsewhere. Loose dirt was indeed the least of his worries.
As Mace reached the pinnacle of the hill, he turned to watch the other Jedi Master finish his journey. Yes, he thought, Qui-Gon did indeed have other things on his mind. Mace’s expressive eyes fell to the woman that Qui-Gon carried. “Is she still unconscious?”
A small nod was his only answer, as Qui-Gon came to a rest next to him. “Yes, she is.” Qui-Gon shifted his arms. “It think we learned our lesson, Mace.” He bounced Larina until her head lay in the crook of his neck. The woman’s eyes fluttered open and blearily surveyed the area around her. Qui-Gon sighed as he felt her wakefulness and stood still to let the woman adjust to her predicament. When he sensed her acceptance, he began to walk anew, pacing easily next to Mace even with his parcel.
“I did not think that the bond would be that strong this early,” Mace grumbled, looking behind them at Obi-Wan who was confidently bringing up the rear. The boy kept a keen eye out behind him, his hand fluttering near his clipped saber. Always on his toes, Obi-Wan was, thought Mace. He was well taught by Qui-Gon.
“She’s an empath, Mace. Feelings are profound for her, whether they are her own or someone else’s. The bond is at full strength for her now.” Qui-Gon turned his head to brush the top of Larina’s with his chin. “I have known of her for years now. I remember when she was removed from her apprenticeship because of her inability to curb her emotions. Ha’run was happy to keep her in the Order though. I think she will make a fine healer.”
Mace nodded, swinging around as Obi-Wan made a call. Ha’run up ahead called back in response to Obi-Wan, waving her paw from the next hill. Qui-Gon raised his chin and squinted his eyes to look at the Jedi Healer ahead. “I think, Mace, that we should try to finish this task quickly. The fact that Larina is comatose from just a momentary separation from me is cause enough. We need to deal with this soon. I will be almost incapacitated with her in this condition.”
Again the other Jedi Master nodded. The woman had literally passed out from the lack of contact with the other half of her soul. Qui-Gon was unable to found a bond with her without the Force. It made for a very hairy situation. “Soon, my friend, soon. As quickly as we can find the settlement from which this distress call is, we can move on to Coruscant.”
“I hope that is very soon.” Qui-Gon grumbled, taking the next hill in a series of bounds. “I do not want her to feel pain, Mace; it is unnecessary.”
As Qui-Gon balanced on the top of the grass-covered hill, his gaze swept out over the landscape. As far as the eye could see, there was only rock and grass-- not a house or building to be seen. They had come into contact with no other life forms. It seemed as though the planet was uninhabited. The Jedi knew of the two races that lived here, and of their various problems with government. It remained that there were natives here. The only question was – where?
“Master?” Obi-Wan cleared the hill after him. He had been considering as many options as his mind could handle. There was one idea that stood out in his mind. “Master, could it be possible that they are underground?”
Qui-Gon looked to his apprentice, his blue eyes sparkling with the new thought. “There is that possibility, Padawan. Without our ability to sense in the Force, though, it will be hard to know without searching. How close are we to the heart of the signal?”
Obi-Wan removed a small metallic cylinder from his cloak. After a few seconds of reading its digital screen, he shrugged. “Here…or as near to here as I can tell. Our track has kept us on a concentric circle path since we landed. If they were above ground, we would have seen them by now, unless they are hiding.”
Mace nodded. “I agree. It seems as though something is amiss here. Even if there had been massive carnage from a war, we still would find some lifeforms. A transmitter, maybe. But this total absence of….all things….is a little strange.”
Ha’run’s paw shot up in the air and the talking ceased. It was that way often when the Jedi Healer demanded attention or silence; others obeyed without thinking. “I have an answer for the young Padawan, Qui-Gon. But first I will ask some questions…. Obi-Wan, why is it that we cannot receive a reading on our life scanners?”
“Because Jedi life scanners are based to detect high concentrations of midichlorians in any given area.” Obi-Wan answered easily.
“But, even on a planet such as this, in close proximately, we would be able to detect a life-form…would we not?” Ha’run continued to speak as she skidded and slid down the side of the hill.
“Barely, but yes…that is the theory, Master Ha’run.” Obi-Wan answered, understanding the course of the questioning. “You are alluding to the material that the planet is composed of, aren’t you, Master? If the natives were indeed underground, we would be unable to detect them simply due to the interference from the planet’s composition.” The young Padawan’s eyes burned with mirth as he skidded down the hill with the Jedi Master.
“Absolutely, young Obi-Wan.” Ha’run quickly strode around the base of the hill, her paws barely staying in one place long enough to leave a print. “Your instincts do you credit, Padawan,” she added as she came to the far side of the hill. In the side of the hill there appeared to be a small door, composed of earthen material.
Qui-Gon and Mace followed at a slightly slower pace. As they joined the first two Jedi, Qui-Gon graced his apprentice with a small smile. “Well done, Obi-Wan.” The apprentice inclined his head for a few seconds and righted to look at his Master. The look that the two men exchanged warmed Mace’s heart. But there was little time to stand around and wonder at human nature.
“Let’s go,” Mace rumbled, fumbling around the exterior of the door until he triggered a small pressure sensitive mechanism.
The door slid open to release the dank smell of mold and mildew. The interior was lit with small torches. It was not a welcoming sight, but one that the Jedi knew they had to enter.
“I will lead,” Mace stated, latching his cloak back over his hip to clear his saber. Qui-Gon grimaced. It was often his right, and duty, to be the one that led into dangerous areas. Mace was soon to be a council member and therefore should have remained in the interior of the group for safety. Ha’ run was a healer and not a warrior, and should have also been in the interior. And Obi-Wan, although extremely capable, was still his Padawan, and that meant it was Qui-Gon’s duty to protect him. The thought had him feeling uneasy with loss of control, but unwilling to release his calm or his duty to Larina. The tremors in the young woman’s body as she breathed were testimony to the Jedi Master that he needed to do what he could for her.
With a sigh, he followed Ha’run into the hill, and felt Obi-Wan enter after him.
“Can you see what is going on?” Mace’s anxious voice carried to Obi-Wan. The young man wanted to turn and hush the Jedi Master so that he could concentrate on the scene in front of him. He hugged the rock in front of him, edging around its girth to see deeper into the cave. He frowned as his eyes further adjusted to the darkness of the cave. If he was to believe what he was seeing, there appeared to be a large collection of people just congregating a short distance away.
With quick movements, he crept back and lightly trotted to the others. “About fifty people, Masters. Apparently just sitting and standing around. No one appears hurt.” His voice was kept low to stop its carriage further than the group. His green eyes smiled as he looked to the weak Larina, now awake and gently resting against Qui-Gon’s side.
Qui-Gon nodded, his lip worried by his hand as he thought. “No forcefield, no bars?”
“None, Master.” Obi-Wan shifted to place his hand on his hip. “They appear to be just massed there.”
“Interesting.” Mace knelt next to the bunch, his hands dangling. “And the signal emanates from here?’
Obi-Wan nodded, “We are almost right on top of it.”
Mace grunted and looked at Qui-Gon. The other Master simply gazed back. This was not a situation that either man had ever thought that he would find himself in. Ha’run, wisely deciding to refrain from issues that were not her strong point, sat next to her apprentice on the ground. Larina, for her part, rested against Qui-Gon’s flank, under his arm.
Larina’s eyes were not yet completely focused and she appeared to be in a light daze, but she was conscious. Since they had come to a rest behind this rock, her eyebrows would alternate between furrowed and relaxed. As Obi-Wan watched, the woman’s eyebrows furrowed again and she turned her face into Qui-Gon.
The Jedi Master turned to look down at the woman who had been so silent against his arm. “What is it, Larina? Pain again?”
He raised her head with his fingers under her chin. She met his eyes for a few seconds and then lowered her lids. “Not my own, Master Qui-Gon.”
“You perceive the pain of others, Larina?” Mace leaned closer, but was rebuked by Ha’run gently.
“Pain, worry, fear.” Larina leaned closer to Qui-Gon, but he still held her chin firmly so that her eyes would meet his. “It is all around us, Master Qui-Gon, I can feel it.”
“How is that possible?” Obi-Wan collapsed next to Qui-Gon on the ground. “I thought…the Force….”
“Feelings are not completely a part of the Force,” Ha’run spoke quietly. “Larina’s talent is only enhanced by the Force, not created by it.”
Qui-Gon centered his eyes on the younger woman’s and looked at her. Her onyx orbs stared back at him. A lone tear crept out of the side of the right eye and he watched it track and fall. “They are heavy emotions, are they?”
Larina winced and sighed. The elder Jedi’s hand stroked her chin quietly and gently. “Very powerful and heavy.”
“They need our help, don’t they?” Qui-Gon tilted his head back but still kept his eyes with hers.
“I feel in my heart that they do, Master Qui-Gon.” Her voice was little and frail, and made Qui-Gon want to keep her where she was for a good long time—safe and with him.
Mace sighed near by and rose on his feet. The grouping of people were visible even at the distance. “Then I suppose we should try and accomplish this for their sakes.”
Qui-Gon nodded and stood, pulling Larina in the crook of his arm. The bunch moved along the cave walls, approaching the people gathered around. Larina looped her arms around the Jedi’s middle. Eventually they broke the outer rim of people, all of who looked to the bunch with dead, emotionless faces. It wasn’t until the Jedi were enclosed in the group that Obi-Wan thought to go back the way they had come only to be confronted with an invisible wall.
The younger Jedi apprentice stood, unable to believe his eyes, or his ears. They had walked into a trap.