Jedi Apprentice_ The Only Witness Part 6

Qui-Gon stopped short, his breath catching in his throat. The Cobrals had a vehicle waiting. It was useless to pursue them on foot.

Besides, Qui- Gon was anxious to return to the dock. He had a terrible feeling about what he would find there.

Qui-Gon rounded the corner of the building. In the orange square of light he saw two figures kneeling. A third figure lay in his Padawan's arms. There was no life emanating from the body.

Mica was dead.

Lena threw herself onto her cousin's body, sobbing. "No, Mica," she cried, begging. "Not you. Don't leave me."

Qui-Gon stared at the scene before him, frozen. His mind flashed back to Tahl's last words to him. A horrible ache clenched his chest.

"Wherever I am headed, I will wait for you, Qui-Gon," she had said.

"I've always been a solitary traveler"

"Not anymore," Qui-Gon had teased. "We will go on together. You promised, and you can't back out now. I'll never let you forget it."

Tahl had smiled slightly, and the effort drained her. Qui-Gon had known then that she was in grave danger. That she was going to die. He'd called on the Force, on the Jedi, on his great love for her. Nothing had been able to save the woman he loved.

Qui-Gon had rested his forehead against Tahl's. Their breath mingled. "Let my last moment be this one," she had said.

And it was.

"Master," Obi-Wan said quietly, and Qui-Gon was suddenly brought back to the moment. Lena was crumpled over Mica in front of him, wallowing in her pain. There was no trace of the strong, resolved woman Qui-Gon had met when he arrived on Frego. He did not see the woman who he thought might be deceiving them. He only saw a woman bent over a dead body, unable to cope with her agony.

He knew exactly how that felt. But he had survived, had gone on.

And he believed that Lena could as well.

Qui-Gon bent down next to Lena. "I am so sorry," he said softly. "I know I cannot share your pain. But I do understand it."

With a shudder, Lena let go of Mica's body. "I would like to wrap the body," she said, wiping her eyes. "It is the custom here."

Obi-Wan found an old tarp outside a nearby ship, and Lena showed the Jedi the traditional way to enclose the body in it.

"Mica always looked out for me," Lena said as she lay the wrapped body gently on the ground. "She always tried to guide me in the right direction."

The three stood quietly together for a moment, silently saying good- bye. Then they left Mica lying in the pool of orange light.

"The park," Lena said as they slowly moved away from the body.

"Mica said you'd searched it for hours."

"We did," Obi-Wan confirmed.

Lena's shoulders straightened and her eyes cleared. "I know what Rutin was trying to tell me," she said with sudden certainty. "We have to get to the park immediately."

Qui-Gon was amazed at Lena's ability to change her focus back to finding the necessary evidence. Her face was full of deep sadness, but she carried herself upright as she led them to the Tubal Park.

Once inside, Lena headed directly for a spot at the rear of the park. It was still dark, but the sky had completely cleared and the planet's two moons shone in the night sky. Their silver light partly lit the paths, bridges, and brooks.

Qui-Gon continuously scanned the area around them. He did not sense anything dangerous - the park seemed serene and peaceful, just as it had during the day. But it would have been foolish to let his guard down.

Obi- Wan stood a distance away, alert for any trespa.s.s.

Suddenly, Lena stopped short next to a small stand of lush tropical trees. A stream gurgled over smooth rocks and into a pool of clear water.

With a sigh, Lena sat down. "This was our special place," she said.

"I remember the first time Rutin brought me here four years ago. We were not even married yet. But we had so many plans, so many dreams." Her eyes shone with happiness for a brief moment. But before long, tears were welling in them and she broke down, sobbing.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "Sometimes it is more than I can bear. I find myself wishing that it was I who had been killed, not him. I would have gladly given my life to save his."

Qui-Gon nodded. "I, too, have wished I could have given my life to save another, one whom I had loved. But now I know that it is often harder to be the one left behind. I would not have wanted her to feel such loneliness, to go through the pain I have gone through." He touched Lena's arm briefly. "Rutin left these things for you because he knew his death was possible, and he trusted that you would carry on."

Qui-Gon looked into Lena's eyes, and knew that his words were getting through to her. Surprisingly, he felt a lightening in his own chest as well. His grief for Tahl was still excruciating, but he suddenly knew that there would come a time when it would be possible to bear. And in his heart he was certain that Tahl would want him to carry on, too.

She would have hated the way he had chosen to mourn her, he realized suddenly. He had allowed his grief to remove him from everyone who had tried to help him. Because the weight of his sorrow was so terrible, he could not lift his head to see that others mourned her, too. Obi-Wan.

Yoda. Bant. Clee Rhava. The list was long.

Her face rose in his mind. He could see the ironic twist to her lips.

"Now who's blind?" she said.

Her voice was so real to him. How he wished he could answer....

"Thank you, Qui-Gon," Lena said softly, breaking his reverie. "As difficult as it is to live without Rutin, I know that you are right."

Qui-Gon briefly squeezed Lena's hand. He noticed that his Padawan's face wore a look of confused frustration, and felt he had some explaining to do. But now was not the time to discuss it. They had to find the evidence and leave the planet.

"Do you have any ideas about what the clues from the package mean?"

Qui-Gon asked.

Lena got to her feet and began to look under rocks and thick green leaves. "I'm sure this is the spot," she explained. "But the clues don't make any sense to me. Why would I need a drill? Or a pair of boots?"

The three searched the area, finding nothing but gra.s.s, water, rocks, and plants.

"There's nothing here," Obi-Wan finally said, sounding exasperated.

"It's just like any other lovely spot in the woods."

Hearing his words, Lena suddenly looked up. "But it isn't, of course, " she said. "It's all manufactured. Human made." She began to look at the ground in a new way. She stepped across a patch of fake ground covered with moss. Getting to her knees, she peeled it back.

Underneath was a large, locked panel.

Lena picked up the beam drill and forced the panel open. Lifting it aside, she found a short tunnel descending down.

Excited, Lena lowered herself into the tunnel. A moment later Qui-Gon heard a loud splash.

"Well, I know what the boots were for," she called up. "I'm up to my ankles in water. But at least it's not sewage!"

Qui-Gon handed Lena the boots. They were big, and Lena pulled them on over her shoes. Then she turned on the flashlight and splashed around.

She was inside a small pump room.

"Do you need help?" Obi-Wan called down.

There was some more splashing, but no response. Then several moments of complete silence.

Qui-Gon and his Padawan exchanged glances. Qui-Gon was just about to lower himself into the tunnel when they heard a gleeful shout.

"I found it!" Lena exclaimed.

A moment later she emerged with a second small package in a waterproof sheathing.

Qui-Gon hoped it was the evidence they needed.

CHAPTER 16.

The three wasted no time getting back to the warehouse. They had been at the park for a couple of hours, and it was now very early morning.

Obi-Wan was anxious to get to the makeshift apartment and open the package. He was also exhausted, and hoped they would be able to rest for a few hours before planning their next move. But then his Master was never one to rest. There had been many times when Obi-Wan was certain that the older Jedi simply did not need sleep.

Once safely inside the warehouse, Lena ripped open the package.

Inside was a datapad, well wrapped and protected from water or shaking.

Lena switched the tiny machine on and they all waited while it hummed to life.

The next few moments seemed to go on for hours. Her hands a bit shaky, Lena put the data-pad on a low table and sat down on the sofa. The datapad beeped.

Lena pressed a series of b.u.t.tons on the side of the machine, and information began to flash across the screen. Information about illegal land negotiations, bribery, government extortion, contracts for murders... the list of crimes went on and on.

"Say good-bye to power, Solan," she whispered. Lena looked up at the Jedi, smiling. "This will put the Cobral behind bars for a long, long time, " she said.

Obi-Wan sighed in relief. Soon this mission would be over. Lena would be safe, and Frego would be free.

Qui-Gon did not waste any time in contacting Senator Crote on Coruscant. He explained that they had the evidence they needed, and they would be traveling with it first thing in the morning.

"Wonderful," the senator replied. "Take the Degarian II. It is fast and available. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

With nothing more to do, Lena and the Jedi settled down for a few hours' rest. But while Lena slept in the room next door and his Master dozed nearby, Obi-Wan found that, exhausted as he was, sleep evaded him.

He kept remembering the conversation he'd overheard between his Master and Lena in the park. Qui-Gon had never spoken so frankly about his grief-to anyone. Why did he choose to confide in a woman he barely trusted, and not in his own Padawan?

Obi-Wan knew that Tahl's death was incredibly hard for Qui-Gon. He knew now that his Master was in love with her. But while Tahl was alive Obi-Wan had not fully recognized that their love existed. When did it blossom? Qui-Gon and Tahl barely had any time together that he knew about.

As Obi-Wan lay in the darkness, guilt washed over him. He knew it was not right for him to be upset with his Master. Who he chose to confide in was his decision. And if it was not Obi-Wan, so be it.

Rolling over, Obi-Wan remembered his Master's words to Lena. He remembered the look in Qui-Gon's eyes. And more than anything, he wished he could find a way to ease his Master's pain.

At last the fatigue of the mission overcame Obi-Wan and he began to drift into sleep. But just as his senses were falling into a more relaxed state, he heard movement in Lena's room.

Obi-Wan sat up, wondering for half a moment if Lena was trying to escape without them - if his Master had been right to question her motives all along. She'd spoken convincingly to Solan, perhaps she really did want to make amends with the Cobral. Then Obi-Wan heard a second set of footsteps and a struggle. Someone was attacking Lena!

Checking to make sure his lightsaber was safely at his side, Obi-Wan broke into Lena's room. Lena sat on a chair, bound and gagged. A figure wearing a hooded burgundy tunic stood over her.

Launching himself into the air, Obi-Wan somersaulted over the two of them, pulling back the figure's hood. He expected to find the face of a Cobral, but did not recognize the stranger, whose face contorted into a tangle of rage as he drew a blaster.

Obi-Wan was ready with his lightsaber, but the intruder quickly shoved something into his pocket and made for the transparisteel portal.

He was about to disappear when Qui-Gon burst into the room and knocked the man into the wall with a Force wave. The intruder slid to the floor and was still.

Obi-Wan quickly untied Lena. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Lena nodded. "Another thug working for the Cobral," she said, cracking a half smile. "I'm almost getting used to them."

"Good timing, Master," Obi-Wan said wryly as he helped Lena to her feet.

"Thank you," Qui-Gon replied as he bent over the man. "He's going to wake up with quite a headache, I'm afraid."

Qui-Gon had not cracked a joke in weeks, and it was music to Obi-Wan's ears.

Qui-Gon searched the man's pockets and quickly retrieved Rutin's datapad. He retrieved something else, Obi-Wan saw, but concealed it in his hand.

Qui-Gon stood up and faced Lena and Obi-Wan. His face was grave with concern.

"There's been a change in plans. We must leave Frego as soon as possible," he said.

CHAPTER 17.

Lena, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan were silent as they once again made their way through the darkened streets of Rian. It was almost dawn, and a pale yellow light was beginning to overtake the sky. Qui-Gon was anxious for the mission to be over. But as he strode purposefully ahead, he could not shake the feeling that they were far from the end.

When they arrived at one of the city's many landing platforms, Obi-Wan headed straight for the Degarian II. He was practically boarding the ship before Qui-Gon was able to catch up to him. Lena was at his heels.