PART I - PART II - PART III - PART IV - PART V - PART VI - PART VII
ONE YEAR LATER
It was cold and rainy, as it had been almost every day since she arrived, and inside her room the fire had gone out again. She sighed as she relit the ancient gas burner and tossed aside her wet cloak.
Locaria had a strange, ovoid shaped orbit, which gave it a long, wet winter and a short but wonderful summer. But the winter lasted longer than a standard year and Traelyn had barely seen the sun since she arrived.
Pausing at the tiny holoterminal, she checked for messages from Master Jeran, or from anyone, but found nothing. After sending many messages over the last quarter year, she was not even certain that her letters were going anywhere.
For the first half-year of her stay, things had gone as expected. The Locarians were mistrustful of her as a Jedi, but the doctors had promised to teach her and they tried, but after it became evident that she was not able to learn their empathic procedures their attitude towards her changed dramatically.
As quickly as she mentioned asking for reassignment, her flow of communications with Coruscant dwindled to nothing. It was almost as if they wanted to keep her there, even though they didn't want her. It was puzzling, as she could sense their feelings of animosity, and she also got a sense of betrayal from them, as if she'd let them down in some way. It's not my fault my empathy isn't strong enough, she thought. Many of you are not empathic at all, so there's no need to be ashamed of me.
* * *
With the fire warming up her room and changed into sleeping clothes and warm, dry socks, Traelyn curled up in her bed and reached into her night table drawer. Once again she pulled out the handwritten letter she'd received from Obi-Wan, hand delivered to her at the Medcenter by way of a diplomatic pouch.
Obi-Wan must have made a friend in the Senate, she thought. Clever of him, although I hope he isn't waiting for an answer.
A tear ran down her cheek. She wanted to go home. Not just because of Obi-Wan, but because she needed to go home for her own sanity. The Locarians were keeping her there against her will, although covertly, it had become obvious. She closed her eyes and sought the Force. Its soothing touch calmed her, cleared her mind, and made her decision easy.
She slipped from her warm bed and went to the tiny closet, where she rummaged through her travel bag, accessing the hidden compartment in the bottom. Pulling a small device from the pocket, she activated the distress call on her homing beacon.
* * *
Four days later, a sense of urgency from the Force compelled her to go out and head for the spaceport. A brief respite from the rain allowed her to stand near the exit where she could see everyone leaving the building.
Before she saw him, she felt his presence in the Force, and the sense of relief and joy that flooded through her brought a smile to her face. Obi-Wan. He strode out of the spaceport, his cloak flowing out behind, his lightsaber gleaming, he had the look of a man on a mission, and indeed he was. He was there to rescue the woman he loved.
She pictured herself standing beneath the trees, and sent a Force touch to brush the left side of his face. He turned towards her and his eyes lit up with happiness and relief. She gave the hand signal that meant they might be observed, and walked slowly towards him, her hands up her sleeves while picturing herself running to him and wrapping him up in a wampa hug.
He nodded, and they began to walk away from the spaceport together. He pulled an electronic jammer from his utility belt, and activated it.
"That's good," she said, "But keep your shields up."
"It's good to see you safe," he said. "Why were you hiding in the trees?"
"I've been barred from the spaceport!"
"Are you in some kind of trouble?" He asked with a hint of amusement. "You only sent a level one distress call, so we thought it must be something diplomatic."
"You assumed that based on my record of diplomacy, no doubt," she chuckled. "Let's go to dinner, there's a place we can speak freely."
They walked several blocks before taking a series of detours through shops and alleys, until they came to a seedier part of the city and warm, inviting looking diner called Chez Charlee.
Charlee herself greeted them at the door with a cool, offhand look. "Ah, Doctor Jedi," she said. "And a friend. Take booth twenty." She walked away, and Traelyn led the way to the designated table.
"Is everyone here that unfriendly?" Obi-Wan asked.
"She actually likes me," Traelyn replied. "I delivered her granddaughter. I've been working at that free clinic across the street." He looked at her questioningly. "Since I was barred from the Medcenter," she finished with a grim smile.
"Perhaps you should tell me the whole story!"
"The short version? I don't understand these people, they don't want me here, but they won't let me leave. They won't let me work at the Medcenter, but I still have my room there. My credit chip is good anywhere except for a ticket off the planet, I can go anywhere in the city I like except the spaceport, my holoterminal works as long as I don't try to contact Coruscant."
"How long have you been trying to leave?" He asked.
"A few months. I tried to buy a ticket, I tried to sneak onto a liner, then a freighter, I tried mind tricks on the ticket agents. Finally I was barred from the spaceport. I just want to go home to the Temple."
She sat back and let a breath out. Obi-Wan sent soothing Force touches her way. A young woman with a datapad approached the table. "Charlee said to tell you we have the special tonight, roast duck. She saved you some."
"We'll have that," Traelyn replied, shooting Obi-Wan a look that said trust me. "And some melonberry wine."
The woman nodded and left. "What's a duck?" Obi-Wan asked.
"It's a bird that swims," she replied. "Although it must be taught how."
"Ah, a waterfowl," he said.
"It's a delicacy, don't worry, you'll like it."
Obi-Wan observed the crowd at the dimly lit bar while they waited for their dinner. The spicy wine warmed them and Traelyn began to relax. Obi-Wan looked thoughtful.
"I'll be right back," he said, rising from the table.
Traelyn watched as he approached the bar with a credit coin in his hand. Casually, he placed it on the bar while he spoke with the bartender, who nodded towards Albiee, the groundcab driver.
Obi-Wan and Albiee exchanged a hushed and brief conversation, including glances Traelyn's way, and then Albiee left the restaurant.
Obi-Wan returned to the table just as dinner arrived.
"Oh, this is good," he said, taking a bite of the roast fowl. Traelyn eyed him suspiciously, and waited for him to explain, but he said nothing.
Annoyed, Traelyn decided to wait him out. They finished their dinner while chatting about Temple matters and gossiping about their mutual friends. Traelyn told him of the latest holonovel she'd read, and he told her about his trip to Ryloth.
Traelyn was anxious to leave, anxious to get Obi-Wan back to her room and she wondered why he was stalling. But he ordered some more wine and a dessert, and sat back to savor them.
She sighed. "Be patient," he said with a smile.
Albiee approached the booth and sat down beside Traelyn. "Doc, you should have told me you were in trouble," he said. He placed a packet on the table and Obi-Wan slid its contents into his hand.
Incredibly, there were identification papers and travel documents in Traelyn's name, including two tickets to Coruscant. Obi-Wan passed a wad of credit bills to Albiee, who pocketed them discreetly.
Traelyn was stunned. "I had no idea," she said quietly. "Thank you, Albiee."
"I'm sorry to see you go, Doc, my neck has never felt better since you treated me. But I can see you want to go home, and I can't blame you. Take care." He smiled, nodded to Obi-Wan, and disappeared into the dimly lit bar.
* * *
"It's so cold and damp in here, how do you sleep here every night?" Obi-Wan shivered as his bare skin touched the sheets.
"Well, I'm not usually naked," she replied, slipping in beside him.
"And I usually don't pack sleeping clothes when I'm coming to see you," he said with a grin. "Traelyn, what's bothering you?"
She cuddled up closer to him. "I'm just tense," she said. "Distract me!"
* * *
As she lay curled in his arms, her head on his shoulder, her hair loose and her skin warm, her sexual tension eased, he still felt a disturbance in her mental presence.
"Traelyn, please tell me, what is it? You're annoyed with me?"
She sighed. "How did you know how to do that?"
He rose up on one elbow. "Excuse me?"
"Oh!" She flushed pinkly. "Not that!" She chuckled. "How did you know how to untangle this travel mess? You certainly didn't go through official channels."
"We tried official channels from Coruscant. Didn't work, so we thought someone on the ground would be more effective."
"But, how did you know..."
"Bartenders and cab drivers are the richest sort of information on almost every planet," he said with a yawn. "And they all appreciate a few extra credits coming their way."
She sighed. "I've known Albiee for months, I had no idea..."
"It's experience, Traelyn. You traveled the galaxy for a year. I spent twelve years with Qui-Gon, we got out of a lot of scrapes and sticky situations much more serious than this one!"
"That's the real reason a Healer needs an escort, isn't it?" She mused. She pulled him close. "I'm glad it was you who came to my rescue!"
"Hmmm, so am I. I'd hate to see you giving a hero's reward to anyone else!"
She laughed. "Oh, Obi-Wan, don't you know you're the only man in galaxy brave enough to take me to bed?"
* * *
The next day they boarded the small passenger liner without incident. Traelyn's forged travel documents zipped through the scanners and no one gave her a second look. She maintained a serene but haughty aura of calm, and strode through the spaceport like the Jedi she was.
Once the starliner left orbit however, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. I still have so much to learn, she thought. I couldn't even get myself off a backwater planet!
After depositing their bags in their cabins, they headed for the public holoterminals and reported in. Obi-Wan filed a brief report and received an assignment on Chadrian.
Traelyn spoke directly with Master Jeran. "It's good to see you safe and well," he said with a smile.
"So," she said wryly, "How much trouble am I in?"
He laughed. "It's not you who is in trouble, my dear, it's the folks on Locaria. But that is business for the Council, not us. Take a few days off and go with Obi-Wan to Chadrian. It's lovely there, and you'll find it relaxing."
"Thank you, Master."
With the transmission ended, she turned to Obi-Wan. "He assumed that it's all right with you!"
He chuckled. "I'd never turn down your company, my love. It's just a brief investigation, and it's in the tropics. You can see the sun again."
* * *
"Come with me," Obi-Wan said as he dressed for his meeting with the local governmental council. "It'll be a lesson in diplomacy for you." He grinned.
"Ha! It's too late for that lesson!"
"Come anyway, another set of eyes and ears is always good to have on an investigation."
* * *
The seven council members welcomed them into their meeting chamber, and briefed them on the problem.
A group of off world miners had set up camp in an uninhabited area of the planet, and they were mining valuable resources without permission. Additionally, it was feared that their processes were polluting the air and water.
"We depend on tourism to support ourselves," the council leader said. "Our pristine environment is one of our strongest selling points. Animals in the immediate area are dying, and people may be next!"
Obi-Wan looked at Traelyn. "Is mining waste toxic to living things?"
"Sometimes, but I cannot be sure, not without a sample."
"We will take you to the site tomorrow," the leader said.
Suddenly, the sound of blaster fire erupted in the hallway. In an instant, Obi-Wan and Traelyn were on their feet, their lightsabers drawn and ignited. "Get down!" Obi-Wan ordered the council members, and they ducked behind the furniture.
The doors burst open, and a group of men armed with blasters rushed in, firing.
Their lightsabers were a whir of light and motion, as they deflected away the blaster bolts. Back to back they stood, fighting as a team.
"Just like practice," Obi-Wan remarked casually.
"Only easier," Traelyn replied as she deflected a blaster bolt into the hand of the man who had fired it. He dropped the blaster with a cry of pain. She sent two other men crashing into the wall with a Force push, and they went down, unconscious.
Obi-Wan knocked two of the others together, and pulled their weapons away. But the man Traelyn had disarmed pulled a vibroblade out of pocket and lunged towards her. She sliced through his hand, but he kept coming at her and with a quick jab she impaled him on her blade.
A brief shock came over her, and in that moment of distraction a blaster shot hit her in the upper arm. Yelping in pain, she turned on the man and relieved him of his shooting arm.
It was over in a matter of seconds, it seemed. Four were dead, and the rest unconscious or disabled. Local security arrived, and the councilmen came out of their hiding places.
"It's the miner's group," one of the councilmen said. "They've been terrorizing the city!"
Across the room, Traelyn was allowing one of the local medics to bandage her arm, and refusing transport to the MedCenter. "I'm a healer," she said, "I can handle this." In spite of her pain, she could sense Obi-Wan's anger.
"You should have told us about that," he said, keeping a lid on his temper. "This requires a deeper investigation than you led us to believe. I will have to consult with the Jedi Council."
* * *
Obi-Wan sent his transmission, and they returned to the hotel to await a response. They lunched on the patio of Traelyn's room, but she picked at her food without much appetite.
"Are you in pain, love?" He asked with concern.
She shook her head. "No, that's not it. I just.... well, I've never killed anyone before."
"Ah," he replied, knowingly. "They didn't give us much choice, you know that. But regret is a natural reaction, we all face it."
His commlink beeped, and went inside to answer it.
"There will be four Jedi here tomorrow," he commented as he returned to find her deep in thought. "Let's take a walk."
She nodded. "Obi-Wan? Tell me that it doesn't get easier!"
"No, it never does. And it shouldn't."
* * *
They left their Jedi clothes in the closet, and dressed like the locals. Simple clothes in light colors, perfect for the climate and very comfortable. They walked barefoot along the water's edge, and the soothing sounds of the waves and the birds overhead did much to ease their tension.
Back at the hotel, they shared a platter of shellfish and fresh fruit for dinner. "Where is Anakin?" Traelyn asked, as if she'd just noticed his absence. "You haven't had to check up on him once!"
"He's on survival training," Obi-Wan replied.
"Oh, the weekend on Hoth?"
He chuckled. "No, two weeks in the jungles of Yavin Four."
"Ah, another one of my favorites."
"Traelyn... what I said in my letter, about regretting my decision to train him, I was just frustrated when I said that."
She sighed. "Obi-Wan, you made a promise in the heat of a very emotional moment. No one would blame you for not wanting this responsibility for the next ten or twelve years of your life. As long as the boy is trained, I see no reason you have to do it personally."
"I gave Master Qui-Gon my word," he said firmly.
She looked at him thoughtfully. "You think I'm jealous!"
"Are you?"
"Possibly. But it's more than that, and you know it. I'm concerned for your welfare. And the truth is.... he annoys me."
"Well, that's a first, someone annoying you," he said with a laugh. She snickered as she popped a piece of starfruit into her mouth.
Music began to play, and he led her by the hand to the dance floor. Her long yellow dress trailed out behind her as her bare feet glided across the polished wood floor, her hair loose from its usual braids and falling down her back.
Dancing was very much like a lightsaber duel, only slower, and more sensual. It was easy to be graceful when one knew a moment beforehand what the other was about to do, and they waltzed about as if they'd done it everyday of their lives, no one knowing what a rare joy it was for them.
He pulled her into a shadowy doorway, and kissed her deeply. "We have until midday tomorrow to be alone," he whispered.
"Let's not waste a minute of it, then," she said breathlessly, taking him by the hand and leading him to the stairs.
