Before - Legends Blurred Present - Lurker Appreciation Week has begun!!!

Blurred Present
Author: Durhelediel
Rating: PG (for Star Wars cursing lol)
Disclaimer: All recognizable Star Wars characters belong to Georgie and I get notta out of it?except postings from fans. Lol
Dedication: To George Lucas, who has rejected my manuscripts for additions to the Star Wars post-Wars era time and again?See? Some people like my writing. :} And especially to Layren, who this was originally written for (well, the inclusion of Qui-Gon Jinn, anyway)?she?s such a special friend to me who puts up with my crap. Love ya like a sis, girl!


Chapter One
Jedi Master Luke Skywalker felt a thrill of joy to be in his X-wing again with Artoo-Detoo behind him. After having to fly a standard shuttle with his Jedi students as passengers for so long, with no speed and no firepower, he had almost forgotten the pure joy of flying solo in a faster machine.

Luke grinned suddenly as a memory of Master Yoda surfaced. Reckless is he, the much older Jedi had told Ben in the swamps of Dagobah so long ago now. Never his mind on where he was; what he was doing?

After so many years of hardships and tests of the Force, Luke had almost gotten rid of the recklessness that had so characterized his youth. Almost, but not quite.
Artoo beeped at him.

Laughing out loud, Luke answered, ?Yes, Artoo, it is nice to be back in the X-wing. Just keep an eye out for that convoy while you?re at it, okay??

Artoo warbled an indignant reply that Luke didn?t bother to try to translate.

Focusing his own attention back to what he was in the X-wing for, Luke sobered. A mysterious convoy of about six ships had been making havoc of the New Republic?s shipping freighters. They would drop in-system, attack, board the ships, steal the cargo, and leave as quickly as they came. So far there were only droids as living survivors. At the urging of the Senate, Luke?s twin sister, Leia Organa Solo, President of the New Republic, had requested that he take some time to help investigate the mysterious pirates. Eager to help out his sister, he had agreed and now, urged by a vision in the Force, he was at the edges of Known Space, near the remote planet of Tangoria.

And here he had been for four hours.

He could wait. A Jedi must have patience. The New Republic envoy would arrive any moment, and if his vision had been correct, so would the pirates.

Artoo suddenly gave him a trilling warning.

?I see it, Artoo,? Luke soothed the little droid. Across from Tangoria?s nightside, and Luke?s position, the New Republic envoy had dropped out of hyperspace. As arranged before he had left Leia at Coruscant, Luke set his comm unit to a select frequency and toggled it on. ?New Republic envoy, this is New Republic X-wing AA-589 on the dayside. Please report status.?

A relieved woman?s voice soon answered him. ?New Republic X-wing, this is Bothan?s Sting reporting all green. Crystal Gleam and Alderaan both report green as well. Going downside now.?

Luke frowned. Alderaan was here? She hadn?t told him?

Switching to another, more private frequency as he kept his senses stretched across the space around the envoy, he said, ?Nice surprise to see you here. You should have told me.?

Silence answered at first, then Leia?s voice replied, ?Sorry, Luke. I didn?t know myself I was coming until after you departed. A?friend had her ship taken in for repairs but needed to come out here so I volunteered.?

In the distance, the three ships began to swing out to where Luke waited for their run down to the planet. He watched them grow closer, a distant sense of disquiet invading his thoughts. In a preoccupied tone, he said, ?Just be careful.?

?Luke? What is it?? His sister asked, her tone worried.

And suddenly he knew.

?Abort!? He snapped. ?They?re coming in right in front of you!? And even as the three ships began to loop around, he wondered if he was crazy?No one jumped in-system that close to a planet?

And then there they were, six gleaming ships with n

 

Chapter Two
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his eighteen-year-old Padawan learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi, sat in companionable silence in the passenger compartment of their transport to the newly inhabited planet of Tangoria on the edges of Known Space. The colony of about five hundred humans that had settled there had asked for a Jedi team to come and mediate during their elections of their first monarch so the Jedi Council had sent Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

?I think they just wanted to get rid of us for the moment, Master,? Obi-Wan finally said, still looking straight ahead at the back of the pilot?s head. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth but did not emerge. Now a man, the Padawan Jedi had a braid that hung to his middle back and piercing eyes that a liar could not look in.

Qui-Gon let his smile blossom fully on his face. ?That may indeed be the case, Padawan,? he agreed simply, his deep voice quiet.

Obi-Wan sneaked a glance at the Jedi Master. ?If you don?t quit defying the Council, Master?? He couldn?t help himself from saying.

?Peace, Obi-Wan,? Qui-Gon answered, trying not to laugh. Even after six years together, Obi-Wan loved to point out to him each time he defied the Jedi Council. To Qui-Gon, it was more like a joke now; he wasn?t so sure about how serious Obi-Wan was with it sometimes. ?You knew my reasons.?

Grinning openly now, Obi-Wan turned his head toward the sole window in the tiny transport to gaze out at the wideness of the empty space. The planet of Tangoria was beginning to loom larger in the window, reminding Obi-Wan again of how the Council had decided to send the two Jedi where they could do the least damage. Tangoria was a beautiful blue-green jewel that seemed to radiate peace and love and Obi-Wan found himself almost sleepy with all the peace he was feeling from the planet.

Until suddenly, with a violent crack of soundless shock, Obi-Wan found pain, terror, death and sorrow slamming into him via the Force. Jerking back reflexively from the window, he noticed a slice of?light??stretch through blackness of space. Straining to see, he glimpsed a gigantic fireball and a black speck before the light vanished.

?Master?? He murmured, his eyes fixated on a barely discernable black speck floating near the day side of the planet that they were approaching.

A hand rested soothingly on his shoulder and he knew that Qui-Gon was peering out the window now as well. ?I felt it too, Obi-Wan.?

The echo of pain remained, as did a fading presence that was in the direction of the black shape they were nearing. ?What happened?? Obi-Wan asked, confused. ?I?ve never felt or seen something like that before.?

?I don?t know, but we need to find out, hm?? Qui-Gon gracefully maneuvered his tall frame out of the squeezed in passenger section and knelt beside the pilot. ?See that shape? I need you to go out there. We might need to tractor it in if it?s too big to fit in your cargo hold.?

The pilot, used to dealing with traveling Jedi, nodded and moved his ship to directly pass by the freely rotating shape.

Obi-Wan, with his love of piloting, studied the ship as they approached. Though blackened and obviously heavily damaged, he could not place the design as anything he had ever seen before. An obviously one-man craft, its body was an elongated bubble and its two wings were shaped like an X. Already his hands itched to get near it to explore it and he had to calm himself.

?It?s small enough to fit, Master Jinn,? the pilot was saying. ?I?ll have it scanned for any harmful substances before you go back there.?

Qui-Gon nodded. ?Thank you.? Standing, he sent Obi-Wan a slight prod through their Force link. ?Come with me, Padawan.?

--------

The damage seemed even more extensive in the harsh lighting of the cargo bay to the ship. Canted on its sid

 

Very lovely indeed. Ahh yes it's nice to go back and reread this. And I'll keep you at the top of the list for awhile too Interesting sig you've got btw.. hehehehee..

 

Chapter Three
Obi-Wan fingered the grip on the lightsaber that the man had had dangling from his belt. The sleek cylinder that revealed its bright, clean green light was indeed the weapon of a Jedi, though it did little to reveal anything else about the strange man. Though he still felt the strange disturbance in the Force every time he got too near the man, he was learning how to push it to the back of his mind.

?Master Jinn??

Obi-Wan turned around at the same time Qui-Gon did to see a small, short man in a doctor?s professional white jacket enter the observation room that was adjacent to the room with a bacta tank. Tangoria had limited supplies and resources and a very small medical facility but when the doctor had seen the extent of the young man?s injuries, he had whisked him immediately off to be worked on.

?Yes? How is he?? Qui-Gon asked politely. The doctor had been so preoccupied with his new patient two hours earlier that he hadn?t even stopped to introduce himself to the Jedi. Evidently, all the colonists knew that the Jedi were here and who they were.

The balding doctor wiped his hands off on the corner of his jacket before reaching out to shake Qui-Gon?s hand. ?Sorry about the rush back there,? he quickly apologized, his voice high-pitched and fast. ?Had to get him in bacta pronto, right? How do you do? I?m Dreb Monta, Head Physician of Tangoria?s Medical Facility. I need to know the patient?s name for when we call him out of bacta. Got some amazing injuries; looked to be in a bad accident?what was it??

Obi-Wan?s head was spinning with the rapid change of subjects but Qui-Gon simply smiled.

?I?m fine, Doctor Monta,? the Jedi Master responded. ?I don?t know his name; we happened upon him as we were coming in to land. He seemed to be in some kind of explosion but that is all I know. What can you tell me about his injuries??

The bouncy doctor turned to gaze through the plexiglass at where the man bobbed slowly up and down in the single vat of bacta tank that the medical facility owned. For the first time, the doctor?s face frowned and his speech slowed down. ?He?s in a bad way, Master Jinn. Broken putella, internal bleeding, severe head injury; your Jedi healing techniques sealed up the internal and saved his life but much more healing needs to be done.?

Qui-Gon was silent a moment, regarding the battered body of the man they had saved in the pinkish fluid. Finally, he inquired, ?When can he come out??

Doctor Monta shook his head swiftly. ?Don?t know. Maybe tomorrow; maybe longer. It all depends on how long it takes him to heal. Come back tomorrow and see for yourself.?

?Thank you, Doctor,? Qui-Gon murmured after him as he left.

?What do you think, Master?? Obi-Wan asked quietly as he and Qui-Gon left the medical building to walk into the deepening evening of the Tangorian night. Cool breezes lifted the Jedi Master?s long hair as the two Jedi walked toward the small cottage where they were supposed to sleep while they were on the planet.

Qui-Gon gazed up at the sky filled with stars and noted the absence of craft entering or leaving the atmosphere. Filled with peace, he sighed. ?We?ll have to wait until tomorrow. If this man is a truly a Jedi, then I suspect that he?ll be recovered enough to talk to us for a little while. We?ll go in-between breaks with our hosts.?

Obi-Wan found himself thinking of his reaction when he first encountered the man as the Jedi entered the cottage. Throwing himself down on the couch in the central room that served as the living area, he ran his fingers through his hair.

?Padawan? Are you still thinking of earlier?? Qui-Gon asked softly as he took a seat in a chair across from the couch.

Grimacing, Obi-Wan nodded. ?It was such a strange reaction! I?ve never felt that before. It was?no, it?s too?never mind

 

Chapter Four
?These mediations seem to be going very smooth, Master,? Obi-Wan said from Qui-Gon?s left. The two Jedi had just completed a long morning full of sitting at a head table and doing practically nothing except listen to two men talk. Tangoria seemed to seep peace into its inhabitants and the Jedi presence suppressed even more ruffled feathers to bring productive discussions and debates to fruitful closes. Qui-Gon estimated that their assistance would not be needed for too many more days longer, though he would request that they stay to try to piece together the strange occurrences of the Jedi they had found.

?I felt you drawing on the Force to keep yourself awake, Padawan,? Qui-Gon rebuked with a smile. ?Though I have to agree that it?s nice to be able to be bored at a dispute.?

Qui-Gon felt the mental sigh of his apprentice right before the eighteen-year-old answered, ?I wish it were that way on Coruscant. I?ve never seen so many beings find so many things to argue about.?

A corner of Qui-Gon?s mouth lifted in a wry smile. ?Politics.? He was about to add something else when he felt Obi-Wan?s emotions jerk and slide. It was the same feeling he had had through their bond the first time Obi-Wan had seen the stranger Jedi?s face; a sliding of emotions that turned into a swirl of older, maturer thought patterns of an age that Obi-Wan had not reached yet. ?Padawan??

Obi-Wan looked up at him and for a moment Qui-Gon would have sworn to his grave that it was an older man with many years behind him that gazed at him just then. With a murmur, Obi-Wan said, ?He?s awake.?

Qui-Gon?s stomach sank into his knees. It was almost as if Obi-Wan and this stranger had a bond, but a bond of what? Time? Strong emotions? Burying his misgivings of allowing Obi-Wan near the other Jedi, Qui-Gon laid a hand on his apprentice?s shoulder, breaking the intense look of deep thought on Obi-Wan?s brow. ?Focus your mind, Padawan. Keep your mind tightly blocked until we can know for certain why it is that this man has a disturbing effect on you.?

Obi-Wan nodded, once again eighteen and under his guidance.

Side by side, Master and Padawan approached the medical facility.

As Obi-Wan had said, the stranger was indeed awake. Awake and fussing about when he could leave at the doctor.

?Ah!? Doctor Monta exclaimed in obvious relief as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan entered the doorway of the recovery room, arms flailing madly in all directions. ?There they are! Master Jinn, I hope you can talk some sense into this boy?s head. He wants to leave; says there are no other Jedi but him and his ?students?. Talking nonsense so it must be the head injury. Calm him, calm him!?

Soothing the doctor, Qui-Gon quickly ushered him out and closed the door behind him.

To turn around and find piercing ice-blue eyes boring into his. All doubts of whether or not this young man was indeed a Jedi flew from Qui-Gon?s brain the instant their eyes locked. The diamond hardness of this boy?s spirit was none other than a Jedi?s, though the pure strength and power that he felt radiating from him while awake rivaled none other than Yoda?s. When he spoke, Qui-Gon was taken by surprise by the softness of his tone and the weight of hardships that lay beneath it.

?Are you the Jedi the doctor spoke of??
Qui-Gon walked around to the foot of the bed that the young man was sitting on. He was dressed in a loose medical robe and his body was lean and hard from physical activity; no idle boy was this.

Glancing back at where Obi-Wan had settled himself unobtrusively in a corner of the room, Qui-Gon crossed his arms and smiled. ?I am. My name is Qui-Gon Jinn and I am a Jedi Master. This is my Padawan learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi.? He gestured toward Obi-Wan, catching a sudden flicker of strong emotion run through the young man on the bed.

The s

 

Chapter Five
Luke felt a tugging on the breath mask over his face and used his left leg to kick himself to the top of the bacta tank. His right knee was mostly healed but he didn?t want to overly strain it before it was needed. As he let the doctor?s assistants gently press the release on the side of the breath mask and remove it from his face, he felt the two Jedi enter the building.

Climbing out of the bacta tank and pulling the robe around him as he stood on a grate to dry off, he shook his head slightly. An eighteen-year-old Ben? As strange as all this sounded, the resemblance was too strong to deny. Plus, he had not felt any tinges of deceit from the Jedi. How in the name of Alderaan had he traveled through time? And what kind of harm was he causing by being here? Could he find his way back to where he belonged? Would he meet his father?

Enough, he sternly rebuked himself as he was assisted down the rather steep ramp that led to the main floor. Patience. You are here; the Force has allowed you to be here. Go from there.

?Glad to see you awake again!? The little robust doctor exclaimed as he entered from a side door.

Luke felt the corner of his mouth twitch into a smile at the pure unselfishness that he felt from the doctor. Rarely had he ever crossed a being who was not a Jedi that was so pure. ?Glad to be awake again, Doctor Monta,? he murmured, distracted as the Jedi crossed over to him.

The bigger, taller Jedi?Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Luke reminded himself of the name?handed him a black bundle. ?We had clothes replicated like the ones you were wearing when we found you and Obi-Wan?s letting you use his spare cloak since you two are of a similar size. Depending on the length of your stay here?? the Jedi paused and Luke could almost hear the words ?in this time? in the empty space before Jinn continued ??with us, we can get you something more permanent.?

Luke gave a short bow, not entirely sure how to act around a real Jedi Master. ?Thank you,? he said politely, taking the garments from him. As he entered the recovery room and shut the door, he saw mixed emotions flicker across Obi-Wan?s young face.

A few minutes later, dressed in a black jumpsuit with a cloak so brown it seemed black, and his lightsaber returned to him by a silent Obi-Wan, Luke breathed in the night air of a younger Tangoria. ?It?s nice to see some things never change,? he remarked as the three of them began walking toward a side street.

Master Jinn, his strides and presence in the Force strong and confident, smiled. ?This must be extremely strange for you, Master Skywalker.?

Luke felt himself blushing. ?You can just call me Luke, Master Jinn. I?m a Jedi Master by default since I was the last Jedi. Only after I began to discover that others who were in hiding or who didn?t know what their abilities meant did I see that some Jedi had survived. Yet they still call me a Jedi Master.?

Qui-Gon frowned. ?The ?last Jedi???

Luke caught himself. It was exciting to actually meet other, experienced Jedi and to see a younger version of Ben, but they are part of the past. He would have to watch the names that he used to try not to influence or change future events too much.

?Yes,? he answered slowly, choosing his words carefully now. ?A Dark Jedi hunted them all down and killed them; or so he thought. Evidently some of the Jedi?s offspring were hidden and were able to grow up not knowing about their abilities. I myself grew up not knowing about my connection to the Force?just knowing that I was different but not understanding why I could do things no one else seemed to be able to do?until?? Again he caught himself and glanced quickly at the young Obi-Wan. ?Until someone came along and gave me a little push.?

Obi-Wan met and caught his gaze as they halted under a streetlamp in front of an ornate
house. ?Until I came alon

 

Chapter Six
The dinner went as smoothly as politic dinners usually go. Landon B?runi, the host and one of the men who were vying for the kingship, kept his dinner lively with jokes and humorous stories. The rather large guest list of twenty dignitaries all showed up shortly after the Jedi arrived.

Everything seemed to be running smoothly; except Qui-Gon noticed that Luke was silent the entire dinner. The younger Jedi could have been set in stone, if not for the very few times a corner of his lip would tug upwards, trying to form a smile. Focusing deeply into the Force, Qui-Gon was surprised to find that the Jedi had erected strong barriers within the last hour or so that they had been here to guard his mind. Even with the barriers, he could still detect a level of uneasiness and discomfort that had settled in Luke?s mind.

It did not come as a surprise when, later in the evening during the social mingling and some local dancing, Qui-Gon noticed that Luke was missing from the gathered crowd. Glancing at his Padawan, the two Jedi quietly stepped out to the rear balcony.

In the dark night, away from the lights of the dinner party, the balcony was hidden in black shadows. To the casual eye, the balcony appeared to be empty but Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan knew better.

?Master Skywalker?? Obi-Wan murmured into the slight breeze.

It was if a cloaked figure had stirred and a light peeked through the gathered clouds when Luke revealed his hidden presence to them. Moving to the right, out of the way of any of the windows that overlooked the balcony, Qui-Gon gestured Obi-Wan to follow him to where some plants had begun to creep over the railing. There Luke stood, leaning on the railing, staring into the night.

?Luke?? Qui-Gon softly called as he approached the slender Jedi.

Very quietly, Luke said, ?Don?t call me ?Master?, Obi-Wan. I see there is so much that I don?t know; so much that you?? He stopped short but the bitterness in his voice was reflected in his emotions.

Obi-Wan touched Luke?s arm and Qui-Gon could sense a lurking suspicion in his apprentice?s mind. ?So much that I didn?t teach you, right? That?s what you were going to say, wasn?t it? I was your teacher, your Master, and I didn?t do the job right or did a horrible job of it in the first place.?

Luke glanced at the younger man. Qui-Gon was shocked by the depth of hurt in his eyes. ?You never finished, Ben?Obi-Wan?? He hesitated and turned to face Qui-Gon. ?I?m so confused. I don?t know what to even call your apprentice! This is someone who I looked up to as an older man and here I am: now the older man. I feel as if time is slipping through my fingers and something disastrous will happen should I stay here any longer but I don?t know how I got here so I definitely don?t know the way back. Do you??

Qui-Gon felt the strength of the Jedi?s emotions swell?and then ease.

?I?m sorry,? Luke apologized, turning once more to stare at the stars and planets in the night sky. ?I don?t know what came over me. I usually have more control than that.? His right hand tightened unconsciously.

Qui-Gon laid a gentle hand on Luke?s tense shoulder. ?It will be alright. Tomorrow we will begin to discover the circumstances that brought you here to try to recreate them to let you return. I?ve had enough of all this social chit-chat. We should let you return to the medical building for observation.?

Luke sighed and was prepared to return when Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan resist.

?Master,? the Padawan said slowly. ?I think I?m going to stay with Luke tonight.?

Qui-Gon frowned. ?I think it best if you stay as distanced from him as possible since you two have a future together. We?re trying to limit the damage that this circumstance has put us in.?

Obi-Wan looked up, a defiant gleam in his eyes. ?The damage, I think, is already done,

 

Chapter Seven
?Very strange,? Doctor Monta hissed between his teeth several hours later after various tests were done on the now unconscious Luke.

?What is strange, Doctor?? Qui-Gon demanded. He hated waiting and he and Obi-Wan had been forced to wait for three hours. Obi-Wan?s pain had passed quickly but Luke had been semi-conscious by the time they had arrived at the medical facility. Doctor Monta and his assistants had tested Obi-Wan briefly but dedicated the last three and a half hours to examining Luke down to the last detail.

The small, squat doctor wiped a cloth on his balding head and sat down heavily on a chair beside the two Jedi. Through an observation window that had been darkened for the past few hours and was now lightening to let them see through it, Qui-Gon could see Luke laying prone on a table with different kinds of testing equipment surrounding him.

?Well,? the doctor sighed. ?This is going to sound terribly strange and with the equipment I have here, I can?t be entirely sure??

?Just say it, Doctor, please,? Obi-Wan pleaded, quivering in nervous anticipation. Qui-Gon frowned at him and sent him a mental prod to be patient.

Doctor Monta sighed again. ?Well, in my professional opinion?Jedi Skywalker is regressing in age, starting with his body. His emotions will start to regress as well, if they haven?t already. I?ve never?never seen anything like it. His pain will increase as the process speeds up. Where did you find him??

Qui-Gon pursed his lips. ?In the middle of space. We have cause to believe that he?s from the future. Other than that, we don?t know much else than you.?

Instead of being disbelieving, the doctor nodded sadly. ?That makes sense with his condition. If you don?t find a way to return him, since he is in the past that he does not exist in, he will eventually cease to exist. In both times. Do you understand, Master Jinn??

Qui-Gon, numb with shock, nodded. But he wasn?t so numb that he didn?t forget to ask, ?And what of Obi-Wan??

?I evidently know him in the future,? Obi-Wan explained briefly.

Thinking for a moment, the doctor snapped his fingers. ?He?s beginning to regress here, but in the future he?s beginning not to exist at all so it is affecting you since you knew him in the future. Although I doubt you know of it, I would stake my career that your headache was a memory of him being erased.? Here he paused. ?He?s not?important for the future, is he? Him being here and disappearing might change the entire future.?

Qui-Gon found himself glancing at Obi-Wan.

In response, his Padawan threw up his hands. ?Don?t look at me! I don?t know.? Then he stopped and frowned. ?Although?something tells me that I know him for years but he doesn?t know me that long. Strange, isn?t it? Why would I know him longer than he knows me, besides the obvious fact that I?m older than him? Do I become his guardian as he grows up? Does it have something to do with the disappearance of the Jedi by the Sith Lord? This is all so confusing.? He rested his head in his hands as the doctor just stared at him.

Qui-Gon sent his apprentice soothing, calming thoughts through their bond as he tried to think this piece of information. Before he got very far, his comlink beeped at him.

?Jinn here,? he reported.

The voice was brisk. ?Master Jinn, I urgently request you come to my abode as soon as possible at 52 West Grid Avenue. You are needed to settle a dispute.?

?Be right there,? he assured the man. Switching off his comlink, he faced Obi-Wan and the doctor, who were both looking at him. ?When do you think Luke will waken again, Doctor Monta??

The doctor sighed. ?Probably a few hours. I gave him a pain suppressant to help him deal with his body?s reversal. Someone who is familiar with the Jedi and their abilities needs to

 

Chapter Eight
Qui-Gon grunted and opened his eyes to see absolutely nothing. He was in a dark, closed space somewhere on the planet, that much he knew for certain. His head throbbed above his right ear and when he gingerly touched the spot he felt half-dried blood sticky in his long hair. That would explain why he felt as if he had been in this same laying down on his side position for a while.

Someone had used a heavy object to knock him out.

Getting his hands underneath him, he used his upper body strength to lift himself up and tried to stand. An intense shot of pain, starting in his left leg and traveling to his brain, caused him to fall back down. Evidently, he had broken his leg sometime before being knocked out.

Leaning, sweating, onto a nearby wall and forcing his leg to go straight before him, Qui-Gon searched his memory for what had happened to him. Since his head was swimming and his vision was blurred, even in the dark, his captor or captors must have hit him extremely hard on his head to get him to go down.

Ignoring for the moment that he couldn?t remember how he got here or who had done this to him, Qui-Gon steadied his head long enough to focus into the Force to find Obi-Wan.
//Padawan, hear me.//

Promptly, his apprentice answered, though his mental voice seemed distorted somehow. Perhaps from Luke?s appearance in the wrong time? Forcing himself to concentrate on Obi-Wan?s reply, Qui-Gon heard, //I?m here, Master. Where are you? What happened?//

Holding his aching head in his hands, Qui-Gon said, //I don?t know where I am. I have obviously been captured and have some injuries. My leg is broken and I don?t think I can walk to escape. Focus on me to find me, Padawan.//

Obi-Wan gave him a mental nod, and suddenly Qui-Gon felt a strong presence in the Force join Obi-Wan, wherever they both were. It must be Luke, he realized. The other Force presence seemed strong, but at the same time diminished. Which didn?t make sense. Did it?

If Luke is regressing, perhaps that?s what it would feel like to touch someone in the Force who was reverse aging, Qui-Gon mused. It was an interesting thought. And one that would have to be explored later.

From his position on the floor, Qui-Gon glanced around to try to get a feel for his surroundings. In the pitch blackness, hardly anything could be seen, but as his eyes adjusted and his headache began to retreat he could make out dim shapes. A circular object that his fingers found out to be a bowl near his side was filled with lukewarm water and a lumpy object in the near corner seemed to be a stool. The room was barely big enough for his large frame, let alone with the addition of a stool and a bowl of water.

Sighing, the Jedi Master dipped his hands in the water and, sensing no toxins, he drank deeply from his cupped hands. When his thirst was slacked, he gently leaned his head against the cool wall behind him and focused inward to begin the slow process of healing his head and leg.

--------
?I think he said he was going to West Grid Avenue,? Obi-Wan mused thoughtfully. He and Luke were standing at an intersection of streets that ran perpendicular to each other, staring at the signs. One said ?North Grid Avenue? and the other ?West Grid Avenue?.

Luke frowned as he looked at all the homes near them. ?But where at on West Grid Avenue??

Obi-Wan concentrated on his memories, using a Jedi enhancing technique to remember more clearly what was said over Qui-Gon?s comlink. ?Fifty?fifty-two!?

Luke scanned the numbers glowing on the sides of the large homes near them. ?Well, we?re at the beginning then. This street must go a long ways if it reaches 52,? he commented. ?Any idea who he was going to meet??

Starting off in a fast trot, Obi-Wan found Luke could meet his pace easily. The younger Jedi shook his head

 

Interesting to read about Luke meeting the Jedi of the Republic.

 

Chapter Nine
Qui-Gon felt the distant efforts of his Padawan to find him, joined by Luke?s street smarts. Deep within his healing trance, he could not answer or direct his apprentice to his side, even if he would have known exactly where he was?which he didn?t. Moved by the Force, he directed his inner gaze to look toward the future.

Unlike as other times when he sought guidance by trying to see near future events, this time the future was fragmented and torn. Ragged edges of ripped future events swirled past his gaze and began to realign themselves with different outcomes that had been there before. A central figure in all of those events slowly disappeared, leaving gaping holes and disturbing the flow of time.

Wait! He wanted to shout. Don?t change yet! I?ll figure out a way to return Luke to the proper time. I just have to figure out how he got here in the first place.

But the Force, and the future, stops for no one.

-----------
?He?s?near but I can?t?? Obi-Wan stopped, frustrated.

Luke, panting, his sides beginning to ache again, plopped himself down on a public bench on the side of a park. He and Obi-Wan had been searching, stretching out through the Force, the entire West Grid area for any sense of Qui-Gon.

?Maybe?? Luke winced as a spasm of pain shot through his left leg. ?Maybe he made it safely past this area. Perhaps we should rest and meditate on it more.?

Obi-Wan looked as though he wanted to argue, but noticed Luke rubbing his leg. Letting out a deep sigh, he sat beside the black-clad Jedi. ?He?s here, Luke. I just?can?t feel him as clearly.?

Luke thought a moment, absent-mindedly still rubbing his leg where it hurt. ?Well, if he?s in a healing trance or deep into meditation, won?t it be harder to locate him??

Obi-Wan nodded. ?Makes sense. He did say he had injuries.?

They sat together in silence, listening to the night life and feeling the Force pulsate around them. Luke half-way shut his eyes and let himself glide through the vast regions of the pulsating Force. Since it seemed as though he was going to become nonexistent, he found his connection to the Force was more tangible. Reaching out, Luke idly quested in the living Force, feeling the echoes of other beings resonate to him. And then, he felt a quiver.

?Ben?? He murmured, not moving and not opening his eyes.

Obi-Wan glanced at him, puzzled at first at Luke?s facial expression. Not even bothering to ask, the Padawan sensed where Luke?s direction was turned and followed his presence in the Force. Then, suddenly, he felt that small quiver in the Force as well.

?Qui-Gon!? He breathed. Now knowing where to direct his thoughts, he decided to try contacting his master again.

//Master!//

Faintly, and tinged with incredible pain, Qui-Gon?s mental voice responded, //Here, Padawan. Where are you?//

Obi-Wan grinned. //At the end of West Grid Avenue. Any success at determining where you are?//

//No,// came the reply. After a slight hesitation, Qui-Gon continued, //Time is running for our friend from the past, Obi-Wan. Hurry!//

Biting his lip, Obi-Wan sent his master an affirmative answer. Turning around, he noticed a faint line of sweat forming on Luke?s brow. ?Are you okay?? He asked, knowing already that the Jedi was not.

Luke waved his concern away and walled himself off in the Force to keep Obi-Wan from detecting the levels of pain he was feeling. Straightening with difficulty, Luke gave him a tight smile. ?Never better. Have a better fix on Master Jinn now??

To his surprise, Obi-Wan discovered that, instead of Qui-Gon?s presence retreating back into a healing trance, his master was as powerful a beacon to find as at any other time. Closing his eyes briefly, the younger Jedi nodded. ?Follow me. We?re in the opposite directi

 

Chapter Ten
Qui-Gon had neither seen nor heard from his captors since he had been here in this small, dark cell. Making painfully slow progress on healing both his concussion and his broken leg, the Jedi Master noticed that the water level in the bowl was the same as when he had sunk into meditation. Sighing, he bent forward slowly, intending to dip his hands into the water and drink again to try to slack his unending thirst.

Suddenly, bright light flooded his cell, blinding him after the many hours that his eyes had seen only darkness. Rough hands lifted him and pushed him onto the stool that he had noticed several hours ago. Slowly, his eyes began to adjust to make out three forms near him, two male and one female.

The two men held him against the wall while the woman hurriedly picked up his bowl and left the dingy chamber. Once the door closed behind her and he was left alone with the men, he decided to try to discover some answers.

?Who are you? Why did you take me prisoner??

One of the men, a brute by the appearance of him, grunted and punched him hard in the stomach. Knocking the air out of him, leaving him breathless, the man growled, ?You don?t ask questions, Jedi. We do the asking.?

Qui-Gon nodded and forced himself to relax his body into an upright position. He could be patient and wait the questioning out. Usually, questioners gave more away in what they wanted to know than the person answering did.

The second man, with a beard of shockingly white hair, sneered and forced Qui-Gon?s head back into the wall. ?Why exactly are you here??

Qui-Gon drew on the Force to give him patience so that he wouldn?t roll his eyes. In a strained, even tone, he answered, ?I was asked to come and mediate the upcoming crowning to make sure all was done fairly. I was under the impression, as was the Jedi Council, that all the electees had agreed to the Jedi coming onplanet.?

The first man drew his fist back and struck Qui-Gon in the jaw. Qui-Gon had felt the blow coming but with his head pressed against the wall, he couldn?t flinch or roll with it. The rock hard fist cracked his jaw and sent stars of radiating pain shooting into his head and teeth.

?You give simple answers and no fancy speeches, Jedi!? The brute yelled.

Qui-Gon felt anger flare up but quickly suppressed it. Anger would do him no good here.

?Now,? the second man grunted. A malicious twinkle was in his eye as he pressed down on Qui-Gon?s broken leg. Qui-Gon, with his fractured jaw, couldn?t even grit his teeth to block his shout of pain. ?What?s your real reason for being here??

?I told you,? the Jedi Master gasped out. ?We were invited by??

The brute had a particularly nasty look on his face and his skin flushed red from anger. Practically screaming at the Jedi now, he said, ?Sithspit! You were sent to spy on Candidate B?runi and to pry his secrets out of his mind. Admit it!?

Qui-Gon would have laughed had the situation not been so serious. Despite the pain it caused, he allowed himself to smile. ?No.?

Both of the men glanced at each other, clearly not expecting his answer with his expression. Slightly confused, the second man just tightened his grip on Qui-Gon as the first man began to rain heavy blows down on every available piece of flesh within his sights. After twenty minutes of crushing blows, the two men left.

Qui-Gon, his joints aching from his assault and his leg feeling as if it were a piece of crushed meat, slumped off the stool onto his side on the ground in an eerie parody of when he had first woken here. Trying to concentrate enough on his breathing to focus into the Force, he almost didn?t hear the door open.

As footsteps came near, he didn?t flinch or even give the slightest inclination that he was aware of the other person?s approach. The steps paused near his

 

Chapter Eleven
With all the lights off, the journey through the house did not reveal much. Blocky shapes of furniture were scattered here and there in rooms off of the main hallway. Directly at the hallway?s end was a door and the woman led them straight to it.

Obi-Wan kept his senses open and aware as he felt Qui-Gon?s presence get nearer to him as they approached the door. He was sure that this woman was leading them into a trap; what wouldn?t be better than having three Jedi instead of one?

?I sense nothing from her,? Luke muttered so low that only Obi-Wan could hear him.

Obi-Wan started. The only person who had been able to know exactly what he was thinking since he?d learned how to screen his thoughts was Qui-Gon. How did Luke seem to know what was in his mind? On the other hand, how did he himself seem to be able to guess Luke?s background when no one else could?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts and focus on their mission to rescue Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan saw that they were now in front of the door. The young woman, around his?and now Luke?s?age was hesitating.

Luke put a gentle hand on her shoulder. ?If you?re frightened, then tell us how to find him once we get beyond this door and then go to the medical center. We?ll be heading there after we get through here. Wait for us there. Please??

She bit her lips as she thought, glancing around them. Finally, she nodded but said, ?I?ll lead you there then meet you at the medcenter.?

Luke nodded and smiled. For a moment, Obi-Wan thought he saw someone else in that look, but the moment passed and they were going down narrow stairs. At the bottom, the woman motioned them to halt. Moving on without them, they heard other footsteps approach her.

?What are you doing down here?? A gruff voice barked.

?Checking on the Jedi?s water,? the woman?s voice floated back to them.

A pause. Then, ?He doesn?t need any. Go back upstairs until you?re called for.?

Luke straightened and narrowed his eyes, suddenly seeming to Obi-Wan the image of every Jedi Master that he had met before who had gone into battle. Hardly giving Obi-Wan time in the Force to prepare to follow, Luke jumped out of the stairway.

As Obi-Wan landed in the narrow hall beside and slightly behind the black-clad Jedi, he noticed a bearded man shove the young woman into the only other door off the hall. She hit the door so hard that it pushed inward a few centimeters to reveal the toe of a booted foot.

?So, more Jedi coming to spy, huh?? The bearded man growled. He cracked his knuckles. ?I?ll show you a thing or two. C?mon!?

Luke gave neither the man nor Obi-Wan warning as he flipped upward toward the ceiling, lighting his lightsaber as he went. Stomping down on his urge to roll his eyes, Obi-Wan reminded himself that Luke probably wasn?t used to fighting with another Jedi on his side. Flooding himself with the Force, he purposefully nudged Luke to show him what he wanted him to do.

To his relief, Luke responded by opening the walls into his mind so Obi-Wan could move in better defensive and offensive positions set up by the battle-hardened Jedi. No stranger to dueling was Luke, Obi-Wan could tell.

Working well as a team, Obi-Wan feinted at the bearded man time and again, giving Luke time to duck furious fists and daring kicks made by the saberless man. Luke fought back with a strange intensity that was akin to fury, but lacked the anger behind it. Obi-Wan had never seen a Jedi successfully be able to fight that way before without accessing the dark side of the Force. Keeping one part of his mind open to learn from Luke, he used most of his attention to distract the vastly outnumbered man.

Very soon, the man was finally knocked unconscious by a swinging sidekick that Luke had been able to sneak in while Obi-Wan had been teasing the m

 

Chapter Twelve
?Well, mending perfectly well, Master Jinn. Perfectly!? Doctor Monta gleefully reported the next morning in the medcenter. When the three Jedi had arrived, the doctor had made them all drink sleeping draughts as he mended Qui-Gon so they could all get the sleep they needed. Not accustomed to being made to drink a drug-laced liquid to catch some good sleep, all of the Jedi had been snoring within minutes.

Qui-Gon smiled slightly at the round little doctor?s enthusiasm but refrained from saying anything other than, ?So did the bacta tank heal it solidly enough for me to walk on it right now??

Doctor Monta nodded eagerly. ?Yes, yes but you still will need one more dip in the tank, Master Jinn, to avoid further complications. Take it easy and don?t leave this medical center again until you?ve taken that dive in the tank, eh? I?ll let your apprentice in to see you now. He?s been awake two hours longer than you and has been very persistent to come in, very persistent.?

Obi-Wan practically burst through the recovery room door as the doctor left the room, grinning from ear to ear. ?Master! How good to see you looking so well today!?

?Yes,? Qui-Gon dryly commented, experimentally lifting and bending his knee on the bed. ?So the doctor was just telling me. How are you feeling today??

?Great!? Was the automatic reply, but Qui-Gon sensed that something was troubling him. Raising a bushy eyebrow, he prompted a sheepish, ?Well, maybe not all that great, Master. It has to do with Luke.?

?Oh??

Obi-Wan?s grin now had faded completely and his face was earnest. ?Master, I can?t feel him at all anymore. I used to have those strange reactions whenever we were close together but now it?s as if he?s not even in the Force.?

?Where is he now?? Qui-Gon inquired. ?Have you seen him at all this morning??

Obi-Wan shook his head. ?No, Master. He was in the other recovery room next to yours but the doctor won?t let me in. I was too concerned about your condition to really question it.?

Gently swinging his long legs over the edge of the bed and gingerly testing his weight on his mostly-healed leg, Qui-Gon glanced at his Padawan. ?Then we?d better go see about our ?future? guest, shouldn?t we??

?Yes, Master.?

With Obi-Wan following him, the older Jedi emerged into the main room that housed the bacta tank and found himself staring at a grim Doctor Monta. The little man had his arms folded over his chest and looked as impassable as a stone wall.

?I?m afraid I know what you want, Master Jinn, and I cannot allow you in there,? the doctor stated resolutely.

Slightly taken aback, Qui-Gon blinked but said calmly, ?Doctor, we have to figure out how much time we have to get him back to his era. We need to see him to discuss exact details of this explosion he was in so we can try to recreate it.?

The doctor thought for a moment, sized up his and Obi-Wan?s determined looks, and then sighed as he unfolded his arms. ?There?s not much time, I?m afraid, Jedi. There won?t be much talking, do you understand? Please don?t tire him out too much.? With that last warning, Doctor Monta crossed to the other recovery room?s door, unlocked it with a specific passcode and opened the door to let them enter the dimly lit room.

When Qui-Gon saw Luke, he silently agreed that there indeed was no time left for the Jedi from the future. Luke was now the height of a ten-year-old and was currently breathing with the help of a strange-looking breathing apparatus that also monitored his heartbeat. His heart was functioning erratically, pausing in-between beeps every once in a while.

?Oh no?? He heard Obi-Wan breathe from behind him.

Very softly, Qui-Gon called out Luke?s name while focusing the Force into his call to reach the Jedi on the other plane of

 

Chapter Thirteen

In a flash of space and time, Leia Organa Solo and Mara Jade stood, open-mouthed and silent, as the explosion engulfed Luke?s X-wing right after Artoo was ejected. Leia?s heart ached and she immediately began to stretch out with her feelings to find her twin brother in the all-encompassing light of ignited gas from the pirate?s ship. For a moment, it seemed as if Luke was completely gone, his presence disappeared from the Force, as if in death.

?Leia?? She heard Mara whisper, a world of emotions in the woman?s tone. Force-sensitive like her but more trained, Mara had already felt the same thing Leia was straining to achieve.

Leia swallowed, tears forming in her eyes. Emotion washing over her, she started to turn her little ship, Alderaan, back into the fleeing formation from the smaller pirate ships.

Then a hitch, almost like a Force hiccup, and suddenly she could feel Luke again. He was weak, exhausted and in terrible pain, but he was there again.

?Go!? Mara shouted at her in the co-pilot?s seat but Leia had already accelerated toward her brother?s battered X-wing. In mere moments, her little ship had reached where the gas was slowly cooling from its explosion and where Luke?s ship floated, all the power shut down.

?Skywalker!? Mara was shouting in to the comm unit. ?Luke! Answer me!?

Leia set up a tractor beam to drag her brother?s ship with her to the surface of the planet since her cargo bay was too small to house the crippled X-wing. While she was at it, as she passed Artoo she briefly opened her cargo bay to let the little droid drift himself in. Meanwhile, Mara called and called for Luke the entire way to the safety of the atmosphere of Tangoria but his comm was either too damaged to be used or he was injured beyond the ability to answer. Both possibilities kept Leia?s stomach in knots until she was able to power down Alderaan and follow Mara out to Luke?s X-wing at a dead run.

Mara had leaped onto the scorched X-wing?s wing and was pounding a fist against the canopy, frustrated that the manual emergency lever on the outside was not working. From Leia?s position on the ground, she could not see her brother or anything else in the cockpit but Mara?s franticness did nothing to allay her own fears.

Finally, with a great heave half through the Force and half physical strength, Mara succeeded on prying the canopy up so that she could launch herself at whatever she found inside while Leia waited with a calm detachment, ready to burst into tears from either joy or loss. Mara was mumbling something to Luke inside the cockpit and the top half of her body disappeared as she leaned further in. Leia felt a surge from the usually implacable woman through the Force mere seconds before Mara reemerged, completely supporting an unconscious Luke. Leia was surprised to see a white bandage on his head already and assumed that Mara had quickly placed the bacta bandage on Luke?s head from his first aid kit that all pilots kept under their seats.

?Don?t just stand there,? Mara grunted. ?Help me lift him down.?

Chagrined, Leia stretched out her hand to help herself focus as she and Mara together used the Force to gently lower Luke to the ground beside her. As soon as he was prone on the dry grass, Leia knelt beside him.

?Luke!? She gasped, taking in the torn patch on his right knee and confused at seeing perfectly healed skin there. Her eyes roamed over him and found numerous other cuts and abrasions from being bounced around in the cockpit during the explosion and one really nasty, deep furrow in his right arm that went all the way into his mechanical hand. ?Luke, talk to me!?

Mara landed softly beside her. ?It?s no use. I tried every trick I know and he won?t come around. He needs medical attention.?

Just then, as if summoned by her words, a rather large man in a white lab coat and two assi

 

Wow is it over????

 

I suppose that the best compliment an author can get are the little words "Wow, is it over??" :}

Yes, I'm afraid it's over, though I have other ones that I will be posting soon. Thank you so much for the lovely compliment. :}

 

Oh yes it is a great story was just hoping it would of said what happened to luke after he got back to his own time is all

 

This is going into my favourites folder.

 

YES IT KEEPS GOING MORE MORE!!!!

 

~SLAPS ANAKIN DOWN HARD~

STAY AWAY FROM MY OBIWAN AND QUIGON!

 

Wow! This is sweet! I loved this whole thing and how you tied it into Eppy I. Cool!

 

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WOW!!!

 

~SCREAMS AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS: MORE!

 

THAT WAS A GREAT STORY! MORE!

~*Mariana*~