Before - Legends As Long as there is Hope (JA) - Final post 28th Apr!

"A little too much enthusiastically, if you ask me." - ROTFL at Obi and Qui's conversation. Nice touch of humour for such a tense situation! Hope Merdan doesn't find out about it just yet and that Nadine won't have to pay the consequences of Jemmiah's escape.

 

Thanks Sabe!

*********

The three figures moved cautiously, not wishing to encounter any further trouble although Qui-Gon had difficulty in reducing his normal long stride to match with the limping Corellian girl. Instinctively she had started to shadow him rather than his padawan, accepting his natural authority over the apprentice. Qui-Gon knew that should they happen across any more of Merdan's men the likelihood was they would shoot first and question later. One sight of Jemmiah no longer imprisoned in the cellar would alert them immediately to what was going on.

The lightsabres seemed to make Jemmiah nervous but they were a ready source of light as they descended into the darkness once again and towards the stairs. Qui-Gon could tell by the way Jemmiah was walking and the tentative way she was making her way down the steps that something was causing her a certain amount of discomfort.

"Are you hurt?" he asked in a hushed voice, still keeping all his senses alert to potential danger.

"Not really, sir." Jemmiah answered truthfully. "It doesn't feel bad but my ankle is all swollen and it makes it difficult to walk."

"I can take a look at it when we get onboard the ship." Qui-Gon guided her down the stairs, making certain she kept her footing in the dark, disconcertingly aware of Obi-Wan's eyes boring into his back. No doubt his padawan was wondering what was the cause of the miraculous conversion before him where before he had been severely tempted to leave the girl behind.

"Sir?" Jemmiah asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Is your ship far?" the voice was small but sounded even more muted amidst the cavernous dark.

"It is a fair distance, yes." Admitted the Jedi as gently as he could. "We were collected in a speeder by an associate of Merdan's."

"Don't go back to your ship." Jemmy grabbed his hand. "They put devices inside the hatches and then blow them up if they don't like you. Merdan's men will have been all over it the moment you left your ship. As soon as they find you've gone they will explode the device. I've seen it done before a few times." Jemmy shrugged miserably as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan turned to stare at her in dismay. "You won't get very far, and they'll be expecting you to go back there."

"Where else can we go?" Obi-Wan frowned. "Is there anywhere else we can get off this planet."

"Yes." Jemmy fished down the front of her dress, watching Obi-Wan avert his eyes. Once more, even though in the dark, Jemmiah had cause to feel ashamed of the nature of her clothing. What must the tall jedi think of her? Bringing out a scrap of flimsy she placed it firmly in the palm of the master's hand, which he proceeded to study under the green light of the sabre.

"What is this?" he frowned. "Co-ordinates?"

"Sir, it's the location and the start up codes to Merdan's ship." Jemmiah felt her confidence suddenly grow. "They won't blast Merdan's ship because he is the only one who knows where it is and the pirates that patrol the space lanes have an agreement to leave his craft alone so they won't touch it."

Qui-Gon stood silently amazed for a moment. It would seem that appearances were deceiving: on the surface this child looked as unsubstantial as a gossamer wisp, like a little fragile doll that had been dressed up and thrown aside, neglected and abandoned. Delicate she might well look but there was obviously a lot of determination and resolve behind the glass mask.

"You found this?" he indicated the flimsy sheet.

"Yes, sir." Jemmiah wondered if she was about to be on the receiving end of a lecture and hung her head.

"Where did you get it?"

"From Merdan's office when I was cleaning it." Jemmy swallowed, raising her eyes hopefully to see if he was annoyed with her. But the row she expected never came. "I went to find evidence for Vernice about the envoy." She lowered her voice out of honor. "I couldn't find anything but I did find that."

"Is that why you were put in the cellar?" Qui-Gon tucked the flimsy into his pocket and continued to guide her onwards.

"Yes, sir." Jemm

 

Merdan's men had tried everything to open the door. They'd tried to kick it in (which had resulted in a broken foot in once case) hack at it with axes, vibro blades and knives, blasters and had just about given up when someone managed to fix up some kind of lock picking device that disoriented the circuits within the wall and allowed the door to slide gracefully back, sporting burn marks and ugly scrapes.

"Sir?" one of the guards rushed into the room, looking about him in confusion. "Where are you sir?"

"Too late, I fear." Merdan stepped through the door. "Vacate my office this instant, do you understand? Anyone still standing inside these four walls within the next five seconds without my permission will not live to repeat the mistake. I have work to do. Najwal, and you?" Merdan snapped at the man who had so impressively unlocked his door. "I wish to talk. The rest can go."

He watched as a flurry of legs and arms hastened to get away from his room leaving behind only the two he had stipulated, both of them eyeing him nervously.

"This has been a very bad day, gentlemen. I am not accustomed to suffering bad days."

The two guards looked at each other, Najwal wetting his lips in fear.

"You." Merdan nodded at the other man. "You opened my door. That was very clever."

"Thank you, s-sir." The younger man stammered.

"I can do with clever men in my organization. Sadly you seem altogether too clever. I doubt I'd ever be able to sleep at night knowing you could break into my office or my private rooms."

The blinding blaster shot which knocked the younger man over caused Najwal to jump in comedic fashion, a strange and rather emasculating sight in one so big and seemingly tough. The smoke that clawed at the air, a strange mixture of perspiration and charred flesh made Najwal want to throw up. Merdan as ever showed no signs of distress whatsoever.

"You I will keep?for the time being at least. I need a replacement for Keleskladt."
"What happened to Keleskladt, sir?" Najwal asked in a muted voice.

Merdan pointed at the corpse of the young man on the floor.

"Ask him. He's in a better position to tell you." He broke into a small, lazy grin that just as soon disappeared as swiftly as it arrived. "I want our swoops tracked. I want information and updates and I want the Jedi Master's head on a platter. I want all three or you will be able to ask Keleskladt what happened - personally. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Najwal came smartly to attention. "But the communication suite is only just a quarter functional?"

"Then I suggest you start setting to work on getting the rest of it to work. You know how disappointed I get when I don't get what I want." Merdan left the chilly threat hang in the air. "No get to work?and get rid of that whilst you are at it." He waved a hand dissmisively at the young man's corpse, already staining the floor with a vibrant shade of red.

Once Najwal had gone it only remained for Merdan to activate the explosive's on the Jedi's ship. This he did without preamble and without any feelings of guilt. Let them escape now if they could, he thought bitterly. He wished he could see the look on their faces when they saw what was left of their craft?

***********

Vernice was beginning to streak away once more, amidst an ever-changing terrain that was at last beginning to offer some greenery and cover amidst the baron rockscape. Little shoots of plant life poked up against the stone and dust although at the speed they were travelling it was certainly difficult to get a proper feel for any of nature's wonders. Scrubby bushes and trees lay ahead and Vernice was darting in out of them faster than Qui-Gon could keep track of. Worst of all it seemed that Obi-Wan was determined to do the same.

"Padawan?" Qui-Gon started to reiterate his opinion on the perils of travelling too fast, when a distant noise caused him to turn his head backwards and steal a glance over his left shoulder. It was difficult to see amidst the long dark strands of his windswept hair but he certainly did

 

Najwal, you are one lucky guy! You actually saw Mardan almost panic and lived to tell the tale. So far...

Jemmiah is certainly putting on a brave face. I know that Nadine would be quite proud of her, as well as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan will be.

 

Inside the craft Vernice could just about make out the figure of Obi-Wan, urging on the even smaller figure of Jemmiah, running towards the ship as if somebody had set them alight at the heels. He pulled at the younger child's arm in an effort to hasten her a little, wanting to make sure he got the last amount of effort that she could give before the swoops cut them down.

"Not if I can help it." Vernice growled. Her options were limited because the array of weaponry Merdan had built into the craft might easily hit the fleeing padawan and his friend who were almost directly in the path of the ammunition, whereas if she aimed over their heads there was a very real chance she might actually hit Qui-Gon instead. The hour or so she'd had to familiarize herself with the controls had not been wasted and the doors opened like a gaping cavern to enable the children to escape to safety?

But what of Qui-Gon?

Not too far distantly she saw the tall jedi master knock the rider of the first vehicle into the air by returning his fire and sending it straight into his swoop. It caused the contraption to rear up violently like a frightened Nerf, before skittering back to the ground in several different pieces. The man never got up from where he had fallen but not surprisingly Qui-Gon had other things on his mind, after all the second swoop was bearing down on him at a fair clip.

He was a fine swordsman, Vernice admitted proudly. A skilled warrior and an equally gifted individual. Even though their own relationship had died a death many moons ago there was nothing to stop her from admiring the surprising grace and elegance of a man who was probably too tall and solidly built to be conventionally beautiful. For a brief second she felt guilty for looking at him that way, then consoled herself that she would be a poor woman if she kept her eyes shut all her life, shielding herself from such wicked thoughts. The padawan too might one day set hearts a fluttering she supposed, although in Obi-Wan's case there was altogether too much of the pasty complexioned teenager for that right now. But given time who could say?

A clattering of feet not too far away alerted Vernice that at least two of her passengers had made it safely onboard and for that she was eternally grateful. Obi-Wan was no doubt in two minds about going back to help his master now that he'd seen Jemmiah ensconced in the craft, yet wanting to protect the girl at all costs. Jemmiah herself would need medical treatment. The thoughts reeled about in Vernice's head whilst all the time she watched the second swoop come in so close to Qui-Gon she thought he could have touched it. He plunged the great green beam of light straight into the front, rending the metal with a fearful shower of sparks accompanied by the squealing that sounded the death of the machine.

One small fragment flew off and hit Qui-Gon across the head and he put his arms up to ward off any more shrapnel that might fly his way whilst the second swoop turned in a three quarter movement before smacking straight into a rock and bursting into flames. Only now that the immediate danger was gone did Vernice sit back in the pilot's chair and breathe a deep sigh of relief.

Qui-Gon was no back number yet.

***********

Najwal was becoming increasingly alarmed at recent turn of events - and the fact that the place was rapidly running out of disposable men. Merdan was a great advocate of shooting the messenger and this time when he and the ruddy faced and drunken Farley had entered his office to give him the bad news about losing the two swoops - or rather when Farley had - Merdan had rather predictably criticized their carelessness and shot the man in the head. Najwal was beginning to wonder where it would all end. It was almost as if Merdan had decided on disposing of his business and pulling out before things got far too hot, at least it appeared that Rufus was trying to wind things down. Problem was that he never did things by half.

His own large hide had been threatened and warned of dire consequence

 

There was so much she wanted, but barring turning back the clock she knew she couldn't have it. ? such a moving end to this very tragic instalment. Those poor women. If the Jedi can get back to Coruscant hopefully Merdan will be tracked down. Before he finds Jemmiah again. Why has he sworn to get her back? The speeder chase through the woods and the fight were excellent

 

Again, thanks Sabe!

***********

Things had gone incredibly slowly at first for the lucky few who had made it safely away from Nargotria, but Qui-Gon was of the opinion that was how things needed to be. Certainly there were few complaints from those who crept anxiously around each other for fear of saying or doing something which might cause further upset and grief. The master had waited on Obi-Wan to locate the first aid box which, if Jinn had read Merdan anywhere near accurately would be fairly well stocked. Whilst he had tried to pass the time Qui-Gon attempted to use the force to speed up his own healing process whilst Jemmiah had loitered nearby, plainly at a loss for what to do. He'd continued to try and befriend her, hoping she would trust him enough to let him take a look at her bruises whereupon during an impromptu beginner's class for self healing she had swiftly blacked out.

He'd looked round; wanting to raise his hand and protest to the invisible multitude that lived within the realms of his guilt that it wasn't his fault. Instead he had scooped the unconscious figure up from the floor and carried her to Merdan's main cabin, laying her along the bed. It was really only now that he was able to get a proper look at her.

She was very thin, skinny infact, with bones that he felt would almost certainly jut out from her clothing if it were removed. Her chin was moderately pointed and very slightly cleft, and the half-open eyes were of some wild red-brown copper color that Qui-Gon didn't think he had seen on another human being. The hair fell to the small of her back and was of a light chestnut color, hanging in a mass of tangled waves. Short for her age, too thin for her age and wearing a dress not suitable for ANY age, it was difficult not to feel moved.

Whilst she was unconscious Qui-Gon had decided to try and heal the bruises on her leg and ankle, but seeing the extent of the injury he'd somewhat reluctantly made up his mind to keep her under a little bit longer. It was probably for the best after all. She needed to rest whilst Qui-Gon got on with his task of making her better and there was no guarantee how good a patient she would make. If she were anything like Obi-Wan she would spend the whole day tossing and turning and generally being a grouch. If she resembled any of the Corellians he had ever known she would be escaping from her bed on her hands and knees?

"Master." Obi-Wan coughed at the door to get Qui-Gon's attention even though the man knew he was there. Not certain how his presence would be received when he was thus occupied the padawan waited until Qui-Gon acknowledged him before proceeding into the room.

"Obi-Wan, did you find the medi-kit?" he asked him gently.

"Yes, master. I have bacta strips and sterile swabs that should clean up your head wound quite rapidly." The padawan replied, staring past his master's shoulder to the bed where Jemmy lay. "Master, what happened?"

"She passed out." Answered Qui-Gon. "You know that she is ill?"

"Yes." Nodded Obi-Wan, watching the small frame twitch slightly as Qui-Gon rested his hands gently over her ankle. It looked swollen and blackened, yet Qui-Gon acknowledged the good job that Vernice had done in the interim. There was a fair chance that without her intervention things could have been much worse.

And his padawan's timely rescue, too.

"Obi-Wan, it does look like I owe you a rather large apology." Qui-Gon said at length as his apprentice set about cleaning the drying red mess of blood on the side of his head, near the hairline.

"Master?" Kenobi frowned. "Why should you have something to feel sorry about?"

"Because it is only now that I realize what you meant when you said the force had told you to set foot out of your room against my express wishes, and why you stepped in to help this girl. I can see for myself the damage that has been done and can guess that it might well have been worse had you not intervened. It must have been a difficult decision to take."

"Not really, master." Obi-Wan managed to say thr

 

Qui-Gon watched him leave and wondered if perhaps what he had said was a touch too strong? It was a lesson that Yoda had told him, to be grateful for small mercies and to take nothing for granted. He'd been given a pointed reminder of how practical the advice was when a childhood friend had been killed whilst during an illicit trip away from the temple. How he had missed Lydia! How he had blamed himself for her death, and had been unwilling to listen to any arguments against his culpability until Yoda had taken him to one side and said the very words he had just said to Obi-Wan.

Yoda, of course, had been right.

When he'd finished his reverie he found a pair of half-open eyes squinting up at him like a binary sunset disappearing over the horizon. His attention had drifted momentarily and the girl must have been about ready to surface the minute he stopped focusing on the healing. Evidently for all her physical weakness her mind was a very strong one indeed.

"Hello." He said pleasantly. "How do you feel?"

"I'm not sure." The tired voice replied distantly. "Kinda drowsy, I guess."

"That's the healing energy that has that effect. The body repairs better whilst asleep, as I tried to explain before you passed out." Qui-Gon gave a rueful chuckle as he thought about it. "I knew my lectures were boring but I didn't think you'd go to that length to avoid one of them!"

"It wasn't boring, sir." Jemmy struggled to remember how she had collapsed, how she had ended up on the bed she was currently lying upon. "I was listening, but everything went black and I don't really remember?"

"It was a joke." Qui-Gon hastened to reassure her, placing a hand on her head, not caring for the overly bright and shining eyes. "But maybe it's just as well, I think you should stay put for the time being."

"I'll be okay, sir." Jemmy tried to enthuse, evidently not convincing him.

"You're sick, I'm afraid." He said quietly.
"I know that, sir." Jemmiah agreed. "I've been ill for about a month."

"A wasting illness." Qui-Gon observed, looking at the thin frame before him. "Can you still eat?"

"I?I don't like to, sir. It makes me feel worse. I can take a little food if I have to." Jemmiah muttered, turning away from the inquisitive and almost hypnotically calm blue eyes that faced her. "I tried to take some soup when I was in the kitchens. Nadine says that?"

She snapped her jaws shut and let the words die on her lips. Nadine was gone for good and so were all the others, just like her mother and father, her brother too. Everyone she had ever known or cared for in her short life had perished over the years. There was quite simply nobody left.

//Wherever we both are I will always walk by your shoulder. Remember that.//

It was almost as if she could hear Nadine speak the words inside her head.

"I can't bring them back." She mumbled to herself, unaware that Qui-Gon had heard her. "I'll remember them."

"I'm sure you will." Qui-Gon agreed, the masterly smile widening a touch.

Jemmiah looked at him curiously. "How did you hear that? I hardly spoke."

"The force is a great asset sometimes." He replied, suddenly wishing he hadn't said anything when the guarded look returned to her face, at once suspicious and anxious for her own safety. "I would not use it on you, believe me. Your thoughts are safe and yours alone."

"Really?" she still looked unnerved.

"Jemmiah, just because people have the power to do something doesn't always mean that they will." Qui-Gon explained to her. "The Jedi do not believe in exploiting their special gift of the force. It is quite simply wrong."

"But there must be some that do." Jemmiah watched a facial muscle twitch so slightly that she nearly missed it. "Not everyone can be good all the time. You said so yourself."

For a moment Qui-Gon remained alarmingly silent, as if someone had carved him out of marble.

"Have I said something wrong, sir?" she asked him in a worried tone.

"No." Qui-Gon replied instantly. "No you haven't. It was a perfectly reasonable question. The truth

 

The rest of the day had been spent in meditation, relaxation or sleep. Vernice had taken the first watch, checking the systems and trying to get a basic feel and understanding for the ship, identifying any special little 'features' that Merdan might have added. After all it paid to know where the self-destruct was so that you could avoid hitting it by mistake! Then Obi-Wan had swapped over and taken his turn, allowing Vernice her own time alone to meditate and rest. Finally, Qui-Gon ventured back out of his cabin to relieve Obi-Wan?and so it went on.

Qui-Gon felt somewhat self-conscious at checking on Jemmiah to see how she was incase Vernice caught him doing so and made some remark about being a fussing mother hen. Only when he was certain his friend was not around would he steal in to visit or speak to her if she had woken for a moment or two, which struck Qui-Gon as extremely peculiar. He was not given to running around like a naughty initiate caught with his hand in the cookie jar, looking over his shoulder lest he get caught by some overbearing master. And why should he? What was he doing that was so wrong? He was aiding the recovery of a sick child?was it any wonder that he might show an interest in his patient's progress?

Yet it bothered him that Vernice thought he'd formed some kind of deeper attachment, because it was not something he could afford to do. All being well Jemmiah would return with them to the temple and would undergo the correct treatment for her condition, then when she was deemed sufficiently recovered they would try and locate any relatives remaining to her. Whilst the search went on she would be removed to an institution dealing with children who had been orphaned and possibly fostered out to a family. Getting involved was a pointless waste of time.

Still, it irked him to think that she would end up in a children's home. He wasn't certain they would show sufficient understanding of her needs and experiences. How could they know? They hadn't been there on Nargotria or shared in her misery. He'd only got a grim, brief glance for the few days he had been there and that had been more than enough. But it wasn't like there were any other choices.

It would soon be time to eat, although quite how delicious the rations onboard the ship were was a matter of conjecture. Still, Merdan seemed to take care of his own comforts so maybe there was cause to hope. Getting Jemmiah to eat would be a different challenge altogether. This time he had a legitimate reason to go in and speak to her without Vernice smiling knowingly at him and thinking he was a soft case.

The figure on the bed was awake although not particularly restless, instead staring up at the ceiling as if deep in thought and for a moment Qui-Gon wasn't sure whether he should intrude on her solitude. Finally he gathered his courage and knocked at the side of the wall.

"May I come in?" he asked.

Jemmiah seemed startled at the sound of his voice and turned her head sharply to face him.

"Sir?" she stared in surprise.

"I came to see how you were." Qui-Gon walked slowly over to the bed. "How does the ankle feel?"

"Better." Jemmy flexed her foot carefully and appeared astonished at the results. "Hey, that's good! You should have been a doctor!"

"I don't think my padawan would be too pleased with that idea." Qui-Gon laughed. "He sees altogether too much of the infirmary, usually not through his own carelessness. Things have an unfortunate habit of just happening to him."

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Jemmy mumbled.

"Life can be a very hazardous thing sometimes. I think that's what makes it so precious." Qui-Gon perched on the edge of the chair and leaned forward. "That's why we have to look out for each other and be certain that we take the greatest of care. Now," he raised an oblique eyebrow, "how about you come through and dine with us?"

Jemmiah worked extremely hard at keeping the disgust she felt off her face but it wasn't easy, and Qui-Gon soon picked up on her feelings of revulsion. Still she made a great littl

 

Am still reading, hope to catch up at the weekend!

 

It didn't take Qui-Gon long to reach the cockpit although he wasn't certain as to whether he would like whatever his friend was going to say, judging by the rather abrupt manner she had put aside her attempts at preparing the meal.

"Am I by any chance about to be on the receiving end of a lecture?" Jinn asked her.

"Qui," Vernice leaned heavily against the doorway, hand against her head as she struggled to think how to phrase what she wanted to tell him. "Don't take this the wrong way?"

"Uh-huh. It IS a lecture. I thought as much." Qui-Gon seated himself in the co-pilot's chair and looked at her. "Go on then. Let's hear it."

"Qui-Gon, you can't keep her." Vernice remarked crisply.

"You make her sound like a cannoid." Qui-Gon felt his back straighten defensively.

"I mean it, Qui. You can't. You know that. I've sat and watched the two of you. In the space of one day you have grown attached to each other."

"What's wrong with that?" Qui-Gon snapped.
"Nothing, except that the more effort you make to get close to her now the worse it is going to be when you have to go your separate ways."

"I think you are overreacting slightly." Qui-Gon fixed her with his best ultra-patient "Yes-I-am-listening-padawan" expression and interlaced his fingers studiously. "I am trying to help the child overcome her problems and take her mind off the carnage she had recently witnessed. Are we to continue to tiptoe uncomfortably around one another for fear of saying something upsetting? Vernice, that girl is very unwell. She needs reassurance."

"I know this!" Vernice rolled her eyes. "I just want you to think in terms of the future for once in your life, and forget about the living force! It's all very well you saying that she needs friends?of course she does! I was the one who had to beat you about the head with an invisible iron bar to get you to take her! But the fact remains that if you build up her hopes too much, if you get too fond of each other - and I see it happening with my own eyes - you are both going to be severely hurt when she's taken away from you."

"You are being silly." Qui-Gon smiled back at her. "We've known each other for less than a day. That does not constitute being attached."

"Qui, I remember the day Dex was first introduced from the crèche. He wandered over to you, tugged you by the hair and declared 'Hi, I'm Dex. I'm your best friend!'?and over forty years later you are STILL friends! Let's face it, you have a habit of picking up strays that nobody wants to befriend!"

"I just want to make sure that the girl knows that she can speak to us if she needs to. I'd rather part knowing that somebody cared about me than feeling alone and helpless."

"Wrong, you are bewitched." Vernice challenged him playfully, squaring up to him. "Aren't you?"

"That is not true."

"It is! You either can't see it or you don't want to. I have the feeling that it's the latter." Vernice studied his face for any betrayal of truth. "I know what you are like?"

"And what am I like, pray tell?" Qui-Gon leaned right back in the chair to emphasize just how un-intimidated he was by her words.

"Dex?Kabe?Yarina?" Vernice began to tick them all of one by one on her fingers.

"They were all different. Dex was a jedi. He was new amongst the initiates and I just felt?"

"?sorry for him?" finished Vernice.

"Kabe was a street brat with nobody to look out for him. What was I supposed to do? Yoda approved of my looking after him!" Jinn replied triumphantly.

"Only temporarily." Vernice could see Qui-Gon wilt slightly under her scrutiny. "And I can see that you wish to do the same for Jemmiah, even though you've had but a second or two to get to know each other!"

"Friendships are formed in adversity." Qui-Gon quoted Yareel Poof.

"What about Yarina?"

"She was reunited successful with her parents. There was never any question of my looking after her."

"So you admit that's what you are thinking about with Jemmiah?" Vernice tried to prod away at his defenses to get him to reveal his feelings. "Okay, wha

 

Vernice, I think you got've got it. You're fighting a losing battle!

I have to say you win another award for foreshadowing in that post Jem!

 

Things continued in much the same manner. Jemmiah had played her promised game of cards with Qui-Gon but had been dismayed to find out that his force skills were proving just too much for her, beating her at every round they took part in. It only served for her resolution to kick in stronger than ever and she promptly went about trying to work out what it was about the way she played that betrayed to Qui-Gon exactly how well she was doing, or the kind of cards she held in her tight grasp. Jemmiah considered that she had what was called in the trade a 'sabaac face' that did not betray any emotions whatsoever. It was only now she began to understand that just because the jedi couldn't read her face he could almost certainly pick up what she was feeling through the use of this force stuff of his. There was nothing for it: if she wanted to play well she would have to toughen herself up mentally.

The thing was that she felt too darned drained to be tough. Keeping awake was proving to be difficult at the table, even after having swallowed her token mouthful of food which she just knew was going to make her ill later on that night. The jedi master was kind but it seemed he had selective hearing and wouldn't listen to her.

Why did men never listen?

The boy Jacen?Obi-Wan, wasn't too bad, she admitted. His Master had finally relented and set about removing the extra braids until only one remained behind. Why Master Jinn didn't unclip that one too like all the others she didn't know, but at least he looked slightly more normal now.

Slightly.

Yawning, Jemmy had wandered off for a while to get some sleep (so she said) but when Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had next found her she was back cleaning their boots again, insisting that she got rid of all the dirt. The earlier words that Qui-Gon had muttered about not needing to do chores or of being released from her slavery had obviously fallen on deaf ears, and in the end Obi-Wan had made certain that she retreated to her room to catch up on her sleep.

She'd requested somebody else in the room with her that night and Qui-Gon could well understand such a reaction to events of recent hours. Her first night away from Nargotria in five years. How would she cope? The logical choice of course would have been Vernice, being female and already having had a few days head start on knowing her, rather than himself and his padawan, yet Jemmiah had surprised all of them and selected -

"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon frowned, not understanding why he had been the selection.

"Feeling a little put out?" Vernice grinned right back at him. "Hurt that she didn't choose her favorite jedi master?"

"It has nothing to do with that." Answered Qui-Gon a little too swiftly to convince Vernice otherwise. "In all honesty I would have thought she might have asked for you. The choice of my padawan I do find a little strange, yes."

"What's the matter with me?" Obi-Wan asked, blue eyes clouding slightly with wounded pride.

"No, padawan. There's nothing wrong with you. I just would have that being female that she might have decided to?"

"Obi-Wan and Jemmiah have only four and a bit years difference in age. It might follow that Jemmiah would like to speak to someone more her own age. It must be a bit of a novelty for her, talking to a non adult."

Qui-Gon caught Obi-Wan's bristle at the remark and sighed.

"It wasn't an insult, Obi-Wan. Just an observation." His master answered the petulant look aimed in his direction. "You are NOT an adult, even though - with the occasional lapse into childishness - your behavior is mature for your age."

"Thank you, master." Obi-Wan replied with a small nod of the head. "I can take the fold down bunk. I have no objections to sharing a room with Jemmy."

"Look, just be careful what you say to her," Qui-Gon pleaded as Obi-Wan began to head for the room, "She's had a traumatic day and the last thing she needs is somebody to?"

Obi-Wan may have made it round the corner but evidently his words did not follow him as the padawan vanished from sight.

"?keep her awake

 

If Qui-Gon only knew why Jemmiah chose Obi-Wan, so she could find out about the master, he would be mad enough to spit nails!

Hmmmm... I think Obi-Wan that your conscious is telling you that you should have followed your roomie!

 

When Qui-Gon awakened next he had found his brain throbbing against his skull as if it were seeking some way of escaping his cranium, or at least that was how it felt to him. It had taken a moment for him to recollect the bacta patch upon his head, his padawan dressing the wound inflicted on him by a flying piece of debris off a cut down swoop, the distressed yet resolute face of the Corellian girl they had risked all to smuggle off the planet?

He smiled briefly at the thought of Jemmiah yet forced the expression on his face to return to neutral as he recalled Vernice's warning. He was getting too attached, was he? Well, maybe he was but that was not he point. Quite simply the child needed help and he had been the one entrusted with her care. Whatever assistance she needed to help her readjust to a new life on a strange planet he would make sure that she got it. She would no doubt in the fullness of time be found a suitable home with some family on Coruscant if a search for her relatives drew a blank but there was no reason why he couldn't keep an eye on her progress?the council wouldn't object to that. Besides which he had a moral obligation to make sure that she was okay, and even if the likes of Samir and Mace might frown and pontificate to distraction they were not unfeeling monsters or ogres the way that the initiates and padawans portrayed them.

What they would object bitterly was any ideas he had of taking the girl on himself. It surprised him that he was even considering such a move, knowing that the decision was not a simple one to take. The girl was not force sensitive and once she was recovered from her illness and discharged from the infirmary there would be no reason for her to stay. She would have nothing in common with the other children other than that there were at least youngsters of her age within the precinct. Then again it was difficult to imagine a safer environment for a child to grow up in or a larger extended family than the Jedi within the temple. Merdan's threats of retribution bothered him only slightly but that was more on Jemmiah's behalf than any real fears he may have had for himself. The chances of anyone trying to seek revenge against the Jedi were very slim indeed. On her own however it might be another matter, should he ever track her down?

But would he? Would Merdan feel suitably angered to risk his neck searching for the sole survivor of the horrific massacre they had left behind? The answer was a fairly obvious one: Merdan wouldn't risk his own neck for anything - but he might very possible risk the lives of other people. The ruthlessness of the man he had witnessed first hand and determination no doubt accompanied it in suitably lethal measures. Surely when he explained that to the council they would appreciate the risk that Jemmiah would be facing?

He was sure that Mace would not be impressed in the least - but the man very rarely was.

There was no point in scaring the girl with his thoughts of an unlikely revenge attack against her, besides which he was sure that the chilling manner of Merdan's farewell present had been burned inexorably into Jemmiah's mind. Instead he turned his attention to the notion of continuing with her healing so that she would have the best chance possible of making a swift recovery at the infirmary, although his own skills were limited. He wasn't certain what he was up against or just how far progressed Jemmiah's illness was.

Vernice would also need to have time to sleep and relax. It was his turn to take watch but no doubt Jemmiah and Obi-Wan would be waking shortly?well, maybe not Obi-Wan. The boy did have a tendency to sleep in during the morning whenever the chance arose, which wasn't to say he was at all lazy. Far from it infact: if anything he had a nature which inclined towards constant restless energy. Most likely he burned himself out so much during the day that come night time he was just ready to fall asleep the moment his head touched the pillow, and of course it took the very devil to shift him from wherever he had crashed

 

I thought I had caught up but you have posted a new instalment. Will read it tomorrow but here are my comments on the rest!

Excellent Jemmiah, such a shame that the family unit will be split up on their return to Coruscant. The banter between them was wonderful to read. Obi-Wan should not feel guilt about how he reacted to witnessing so many deaths. Poor Qui-Gon to be haunted by that vision of Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan?s description of the med centre food was gross! LOL at Qui-Gon the blackmailer and ROTFL at The boy was stuffing unappetizing noodles into his mouth as if the galaxy's noodle supply was on the verge of collapsing. Jemmiah and Obi-Wan?s conversation and the understanding that he is showing for her was very touching.

 

Not good!

It always seems that after Qui-Gon tells Jemmy something that will boost her confidence and get her to believe in herself, something awful happens.

Definately not good for Jemmiah's morale!

 

I hope that they reach Coruscant in time and that a cure for Jemmiah can be found.

 

Thanks again Sabe!

***********

He'd carried her back to the bed she had escaped from hours ago, knowing that this time she would have little choice but to stay put. For her part Jemmiah had stayed very quiet, almost as if the fight had been knocked out of her. He remained torn between trying to help the Corellian child as best he could and fetching Vernice so that she could get some well deserved rest, in the end deciding that Master Ashdal would surely not begrudge him a further half hour with the girl when the circumstances were made known. Obi-Wan could sit with her for a while - when he finally condescended to wake up - and the three of them could take it in turns to stay near her: one beside Jemmiah, one sleeping and one taking the watch. It was a rota that he had hoped to avoid but it seemed as if time had finally caught them all up.

The first thing Jemmiah had done when he had placed her on the bed and pulled the blanket over her was to half turn her body away and face the wall so that she wouldn't have to see him, and Qui-Gon felt his heart sink at the sight?but how was he supposed to keep her spirits up now?

"Don't give up now." He urged her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure once we get you safely to our infirmary you will be fine."

For a while there was no answer and Qui-Gon wondered if she was even listening to him. Her eyes, although he could not see them, were burning an invisible path straight to the wall, refusing to show him how upset she was. Finally she gave him an answer.

"I've seen people who got sick like this before me." She mumbled, playing with a strand of her hair between finger and thumb. "When we first didn't know what it was?before we knew what it did. I'll never forget the first girl who caught it. We didn't have a medi-droid but Merdan didn't want to take her off planet to get checked over, so she got sicker and sicker until she got so thin it looked like you could snap her in half like a twig." She swallowed.

"And what happened to her?" He asked her gently.

"They kept her out of sight incase her appearance upset anybody." Jemmy continued in a low voice. "But the strain got too much for her and her heart gave in. It wasn't very nice to see."

"I can imagine." Qui-Gon watched the girl shiver slightly. "Are you cold?"

"A little." Jemmy nodded.

Qui-Gon would have given her his robe - had he brought it with him. Instead he had to look about him for an alternative source of heating, his eyes alighting upon the gently snoring shape of the fourteen-year-old padawan on the bed opposite. That would kill two Mynocks with one blaster?

He walked over to the dozing boy and pulled the covers off his body, gathering them up and bringing them over with him as he returned to Jemmiah's bed to spread them over her. The girl protested, knowing what he was doing even though she was facing the other way.

"Sir, please don't do that?poor Obi-Wan!" She pleaded with him. "I feel really bad about it now! I'm not that cold!"

"Not anymore you're not." Qui-Gon agreed as he spread the covers over her.

"But Master Jinn, it's not right!"

"Obi-Wan has to wake up now anyway so he will hardly begrudge you the use of his blanket." Qui-Gon insisted, perching on the end of the bed.

He took a long look at her and silently wondered how this was going to turn out. She was visibly frailer than she appeared yesterday, so he thought, and if it were possible to go downhill at such a speed in the space of a day he hated to think what the state of affairs might be by the time they made it to Coruscant. Jemmiah had such a serious expression on her face that it was difficult to see how he could possibly distract her from her own suffering long enough to help fight off the illness she was suffering from.

"Do you think I'll die?" she asked him, jolting him from his thoughts.

"I?I can't answer you." He replied sadly. "I don't know enough about the condition you have."

"I gave Obi-Wan a letter." Jemmy admitted hesitantly. "It's got details about my family?I want them to be

 

That would kill two Mynocks with one blaster? - LOL! Seems that nothing will wake up Obi-Wan!

I thought for a moment I had missed something when Qui-Gon reacted strangely to her dream but I see that I didn't. I am very curious to know the explanation to this!

 

Hi Sabe!

The story explaining the dream can be found in the Jedi Snapshots thread - I'm posting it tonight so as to give some background to it. Thanks for your feedback!

***********

Five days. He'd said the words as if it had been a simple, uncomplicated matter but the truth was far removed from that. The first day she had been confined to bed Jemmiah had spent most of the time brooding and being as unobtrusive as she could for fear of making a nuisance of herself. The second day she had been fractious, enraged at her inability to do anything without the assistance of other people. Qui-Gon was convinced that the lively mind trapped within the frail body would most likely go mad through boredom if she weren't given anything to do. He and Obi-Wan took it in turns to stay with her, often regaling her with stories from their time at the temple so that she wouldn't think about her condition too much, but no matter what they did the girl seemed about ready to explode with indignity. The idea of having Vernice take her to the fresher made her furious beyond belief. Day three was much the same.

On day four?

She gave up.

When Qui-Gon had gone to sit with her on the evening of the fourth day he could see that Jemmiah appeared listless and unsure of what was going on around her. The vagueness bothered him, the shaking and the general turn for the worse she had taken each day that passed making him long for the moment the ship could safely set down on the temple landing pad. There was so little time left before they reached Coruscant?and all they could do was wait and hope.

Obi-Wan had to his credit spent a lot of his time trying to keep her cheerful and focused, jokingly telling her that if she told his master once more that she was cold they would be forced to walk around in the nude, because Qui-Gon would have donated all their clothing to her! Three days ago that might well have garnered a small smile but now it barely registered on her face at all.

"Do you know the first thing we are going to do when you are better?" Obi-Wan had asked her, rewarded by the slightest shake of her head. "I'm going to take you some place that sells icedvanilla and you can eat it until it comes out of your ears."

"I'm not sure I ever want to eat anything again." Was the reply she gave him, closing her eyes in defeat. "I'm not sure I want to do anything ever again."

"Hey, you've got to keep going." Obi-Wan begged her. "There's so much to see and do on Coruscant. There are wonderful places to visit. You ever been swimming?"

Jemmy didn't say anything.

"Then there's the mountains?they're lots of fun when the snow is on them. And the zoo?well, maybe not the zoo." He amended quickly.
"Why not the zoo?" Jemmiah opened one eye curiously.

"Because the last time I went there a vervid-howler monkey grabbed hold of my braid and tried to strangle me with it." Obi-Wan groaned at the thought. "The younger kids thought it was part off the entertainment and were clapping and cheering for the wretched creature to keep doing it!"

"Sounds like fun." Jemmy sighed.

"Not for me it wasn't." Obi-Wan replied with a snort of derision. "But it does illustrate what I am saying?if you give in now you won't get to see these things or experience what they are like. Not to mention the fact you will make my master and I extremely miserable. So please, please try and keep going."

"I'm so tired." Jemmy complained. "I just want to close my eyes and not wake up."

"We'll not have any of that sort of talk in here." Qui-Gon commanded as he walked into the room, giving his padawan a nod to tell him he could go. Reluctantly Obi-Wan relinquished his seat by her bed and allowed his master to sit beside her. "It's your turn to take watch, padawan."

"Yes, master." Obi-Wan gave Jemmiah a last look before slinking towards the door, and Qui-Gon could tell the boy was wondering if he would see her alive again. He could well understand why those thoughts had occurred because the same thing had struck him when he had last left Jemmiah's side

 

Whilst he had been relieved to get just as far as the temple infirmary, Qui-Gon knew that in itself was no indication the girl was actually going to make any sort of recovery. Certainly here she would get all the right kind of care and attention, the medical treatment and the observation needed to help her get better, but would it actually be enough to insure her survival? Qui-Gon had witnessed the extraordinary will that had helped her battle through so far but he also knew that Jemmiah would need to maintain that same determination even now that she was safely ensconced within the hospital walls.

It was a trying time and an exhausting one at that. Only now did he realize just how tired he was and how much effort he had put into keeping Jemmiah going. The same could be said for his own padawan whose labor had been no less than his own. Vernice's spirits however seemed to pick up on arriving at the infirmary and it was only then that Qui-Gon remembered her Togorian padawan was recuperating in a bed not that far away from the room Jemmiah was currently lying in.

"I'm sorry." Qui-Gon apologized profusely. "Stupid of me?in all my anxiety for Jemmiah I completely forgot about padawan Welasa. Give him my best wishes for a speedy recovery."

"No problem." Vernice winked at him, observing the tension lines that were still in evidence on his forehead. "I suppose I have the advantage of knowing that Tanni will recover. At least I can escape from this particular nightmare for the time being." She stepped forward and gave him a small but heartfelt embrace. "Keep hoping, Qui. I'll be back to see how she does later on."

As she released him she suddenly recollected something equally unpleasant.

"The council are going to summon us pretty soon." She murmured.

"They can wait." Qui-Gon replied. "For once."

"I'd like to see Mace's expression when you tell him that." Vernice grinned at him.

"Stick around," Jinn nodded to just behind his shoulder, "because here he is, right on time."

Vernice pursed her lips in a silent whistle and started to edge backwards out the door.

"Think I'll just, er?get going." She gestured to the door. "I'll drop by later on."

"Thank you." Qui-Gon grimaced. "Want to smuggle me out with you?"

"Uh-uh. You have to speak to him sooner or later. May as well be now. May the force be with you, Jinny!" she said before edging rapidly past the rather suspicious looking Mace Windu, whose eyebrows were drawn down so far together that they met in the middle. He followed her with his eyes for a moment before turning his attention back to Qui-Gon, his demeanor purposeful rather than aggressive. Qui-Gon however was visibly defensive in his stance and Mace was able to read the man's body language as easily as an open book.

"Qui-Gon." The man greeted him formally.

"Mace." The grave tone answered him, not giving him any quarter.

"You made it back then."

"As you can see." Qui-Gon spread his arms out to indicate he was no apparition.

"I'm glad." The council member actually broke into a subtle smile. "It can't have been an easy mission by all accounts."

//Not easy?!?// Briefly a small stab of bitterness hit Qui-Gon in the chest but he worked hard to push it away, concentrating on keeping his mind focussed on whatever Mace was here to say. He knew that the man would not have come without a reason. More personal greetings and declarations of relief and joy at his safety would have been done away from the restraints of the infirmary. For him to be here, now, meant that Windu had another agenda entirely - no doubt on the council's bidding.

"It was not a pleasant time." Conceded Qui-Gon curtly. "But I believe that I have managed to take something from the experience and learn from it."

Mace walked slowly for a moment by his side, the sound of his feet echoing against the highly polished tiles of the infirmary floor. For a moment he said nothing, trying to select his words as carefully as he could, so it seemed to Qui-Gon.

//Ah-ha.// Jinn thought morosely. //Here it comes?//

"

 

He'd sought out An-Paj to see if he was finally able to shed any light on Jemmiah's condition. The nature of the illness had been obvious to even a non-medical person but the specifics of the wasting condition at first seemed to have confused even the master healer. Junior to Qui-Gon by quite a few years, An-Paj was nonetheless regarded as one of the most experienced persons within the infirmary and there were few that did not respect him. Still, An-Paj had been most disconcerted by what he had managed to decipher from the readouts he had gathered about him.

"Ah, Qui-Gon." He indicated the spare seat in the consultant's room. "I was about to summon you."

"That would make you the second one today." Qui-Gon pulled a sour face.

"Pardon?"

"Just forget it, I'm all at odds with the galaxy right now and everyone in it." He admitted mockingly. "I would say I got out of bed the wrong way but I didn't actually get any sleep as such?"

"If you're in need of sleeping tablets I'm sure we can help you out." An-Paj grinned brightly at him, antennae twitching in amusement.

"I'll pass on that." Qui-Gon smiled back at him. He leaned forward earnestly. "But what I would like is some information on what we're up against here."

"Oh, yes." An-Paj looked back at the various pages of writing before him. "The Corellian girl. Not looking terribly promising to be blunt with you Qui-Gon, although now we've managed to get a line into her she has perked up a little. Fluid's no problem now so that will keep her going whilst we hit on the right medication for her. She can't keep down any solids though." He offered Qui-Gon a reassuring look. "We are doing our best for her. I promise you that much."

"There was never any real doubt in my mind." Qui-Gon rubbed wearily at his face. "What about the illness she's suffering?"

"Yes." An-Paj bit his lip for a moment as if puzzling something out. "I am slightly baffled. Not the disease itself. We checked for variant wasting illnesses and found the specific malady Jemmiah is suffering with almost immediately. The problem is that the cure is rather nasty. The drugs are strong, even in minimal doses. It does defeat the illness but sometimes it can do a lot of damage if you don't judge things correctly. Calculating the right amounts for someone the girl's size is not something I've ever had to do. Simply, I've never had to administer a drug of this potency to anyone that age before. The best results are usually to be had if the illness is caught quickly, whilst this young lady has gone into a rapid decline."

He stopped, catching Qui-Gon's eye.

"She's underweight because of her illness, but she's also under height for her age. You say she's ten?"

"A matter of some weeks ago, I believe." Qui-Gon answered. "Why?"

"We found traces of something in her bloodstream. It's a drug called Ulyduril. It occurs naturally in some species of stinging nettles. It's not harmful in itself. Actually it's this drug which is causing us so much in the way of additional problems because it's having some sort of reaction with the medication we're giving her for the wasting disease."

"Nettles?" Qui-Gon wondered, remembering his own badly stung hands when he'd fallen off the speeder bike.

"Not the most palatable of substances, you'll agree." An-Paj commented as he scanned the readout. "Taken in large doses it acts as a growth inhibitor. I'd say that is why your young lady is possibly about three years behind normal average height for her age. Somebody's been feeding Ulyduril."

"That doesn't make any sense." Qui-Gon remarked uneasily. "Why would somebody want to do that?"

An-Paj shrugged. "You say you found her in a brothel? There are a lot of sick people out there who have all kind of depraved notions regarding young?"

"Don't say it An-Paj." Qui-Gon cut him off swiftly, not wanting to consider what the healer was saying. "That place is going to haunt me for the rest of my days."

"I can imagine." The blue-skinned healer agreed readily. "If either you or your padawan wish to see the soul

 

Am working my way through the last few instalments, comments coming up later.

 

First off you think Mace would have learned by this time not to come between Qui-Gon and his 'pathetic lifeforms'.

I just have to say that I think Jemmiah has every right to defend herself. Granted An-Paj is only trying to help. Still it would be hard for anyone to be taken away from what they know and put in an odd place then stuck with needles!

Although I think she should have been sick on Qui because he WAS trying to make her apologize.