The parking-yard of the lodge was still deep in shadow when we left the next morning, as the sun had not yet cleared the mountain peaks, though it wasn't too early by most standards. We piled into the snow speeder just like the day before, only this time Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan made room for me between them by scrunching as far to either side of the speeder as they could, knowing that bobbling on Obi-Wan's knees for five hours would be quite uncomfortable for me. I was still tired and dozed off halfway through the journey, letting my head fall on the Master's shoulder. He nudged me awake when we reached Droste, and I blinked wearily at the sight which came into view. Haphazard rows of squat buildings with rounded roofs branched off in all directions from the main road, and a combination of speeder traffic and pedestrians gave Colin the need to slow down and hover cautiously along his route. Not everyone we passed was human; in fact, as I had learned the night before, humans comprised roughly half of all Salji's inhabitants. The mines had attracted a number of colonists and entrepreneurs of various sorts, but the ones I saw milling about out of doors were hardy and furry folk. Obi-Wan pointed out Whiphids to me, and more Talz like the lodge-keeper in the spaceport. Both species were furred in white, but the Talz seemed meek and friendly, whereas the Whiphids looked menacing with their long tusks. Then, I saw something that made me cry out in delight. "A Wookiee!" I gestured to Obi-Wan.

Both Jedi followed my pointing, and Qui-Gon gave an amused chuckle. "So, you know about Wookiees."

"Yeah," I admitted, grinning. "I didn't think they liked the snow, though."

"They don't, much," Colin said from the front seat. "But they can get good work here in the mines, and with the fur they can stand the cold. I'll introduce you to some of my friends if you like."

"You have Wookiee friends?" I asked incredulously.

"Of course," the man shrugged, and then glanced sidelong at Adi. "Haven't taken her off her homeworld before?"

"It's a long story, and too complicated to go into here," Master Gallia brushed away his comment.

I continued to gaze out the tinted windows of the speeder, observing the characteristics of Droste and trying to figure out what it reminded me of. The squarish buildings with domed roofs gave me the hint first: Tatooine. Salji looked just like Tatooine, only cold and snowy instead of hot desert. Awed, I took renewed interest in everything that we passed, my head swiveling one way and then the other to catch every sight. Before long, though, we reached Colin's home on the far outskirts of the town, and after he parked the speeder in a back alley behind the huge brick structure, we climbed out and hurried inside before the cold bit too deeply. At least, I thought it was the cold until I heard our host mutter something under his breath. "Too many eyes around. Hurry! One Jedi will pass unnoticed, but three should not be seen."

A blast of warm air greeted our entrance into the Goeben home, and I almost didn't have time to look around before three young children came careening toward the door to attack their father mercilessly. Colin swept two of them into his arms with laughter. "Yes, yes, I'm back," he announced. "Hi, have you been behaving?"

The kids, two boys and a girl, giggled their affirmative answer before backing off to look at their guests. Adi smiled warmly and placed a hand on one boy's dark-haired head when he gave her a little bow; she apparently knew them already. The older boy stared up at Qui-Gon with unabashed awe, his mouth hanging open and delight in his eyes. "Wow! More Jedi!" he exclaimed.

I glanced at them. Qui-Gon's eyes sparkled with a smile, but Obi-Wan looked chagrined. "Yes," the children's father said, "but like before, you can tell no one they're staying here. Someone might want to do them harm."

The boy nodded, but kept staring even as Colin led the way into his home. We came first to a kitchen that opened into a large dining room, where a lean woman in a sweater and trousers was working. She smiled brilliantly as Colin swept her into his arms and kissed her, and kept her smile as he introduced us all. "My wife, Muira."

"Welcome," Muira said kindly, brushing strands of her black hair away from her face. The two Jedi bowed respectfully. "Our home is yours while you have need of it. You're just in time, I was about to run some errands, but I can show you around first. You," she added, tapping her husband smartly on the chest, "are needed at the mine. The day wanes."

"Yes, I must get over there. Master Jinn, Adi..." Both Masters fixed him with expectant gazes. "I will be back sometime after dark. If you're not in a hurry to start your mission..."

"We're not," Qui-Gon confirmed. "Time is not a limitation here. Do what you must, we will remain here."

"Yes, I will not need to meet with anyone until tomorrow at the earliest," Adi agreed. "You can let your colleagues know that."

Nodding crisply, Colin wrapped his scarf back around his head and made for the door. Muira gestured for us to follow her, and the rambunctious children tagged along, undoubtedly interested in Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, new Jedi toys for them to play with. "Master Adi is already acquainted with our guest quarters," the woman said as she started up a flight of stairs, "but it will certainly be more comfortable now. No," she said to one of the kids who tugged at her shirt. "Go on downstairs and watch out for your brothers."

"But mom..." the boy whined.

"Go. They should be back soon. And Elia needs your help in the kitchen, too."

Groaning, the boy turned and started reluctantly back down, pausing only to smile up at Qui-Gon one more time. The Master did not hide his amusement as he turned back to the stairs. "How many children are in your family, Muira?"

"We have seven, ourselves," she answered, and I know my eyebrows shot up at that. "Plus three or four comrades of Colin's from the mine, who lodge with us, and a house-servant. The Goeben home is never empty."

"Great," I found myself muttering.

"But your quarters are separate from ours, so you don't have to worry about sharing with anyone but yourselves," the woman continued, turning to her left and leading us into a large room. Adi was last, for she had been rooming with the Goeben clan for a while already and didn't need to be shown the way. The room was long but low-ceilinged, so much so that Qui-Gon almost had to duck. It was up near the roof, and despite the universal adage that warm air rises, it was kind of cold in the room. I didn't see beds, though. Before I could ask where they were, Muira flung aside a thick, dark curtain at the far end to reveal an alcove about seven feet wide and a few more than that deep. One side of the domed roof descended along the back wall of the alcove, forming a gentle curve that disappeared into the ceiling. Pillows were piled on the platform that filled the entire space: it was one giant bed. "Everything you need is in reach, and the refresher is right around the corner," Muira said brightly. "Make yourselves at home, my friends. I'm sure you have a difficult task ahead of you, so rest while you can and I'll see to it you're not disturbed."

"Thank you," Qui-Gon acknowledged with a bob of his head, and waited until she had left before saying anything more. The door closed to, and he raised an eyebrow at the smirk on Adi's face. "Is there something about Saljan custom you wish to tell me, Master Adi?"

"It has been dreadfully cold, Master Qui-Gon, I'm glad you're finally here," she answered him, her calm tone smoothly covering up certain laughter deep inside. "Because of the weather and the available power for heating these homes above the main level, Saljans sleep together in a family bed. Be grateful," she added in warning. "We could be bunking with the Goebens, and all seven children."

I rolled my eyes, and looked at Obi-Wan, who was trying not to do the same. "So...they conserve valuable energy by sharing body heat at night," Qui-Gon mused as if trying to put a better spin on the situation. I suddenly felt my face get very hot, and turned away to hide it. At the moment, only Obi-Wan saw it, and he concealed his reaction. I'm going to be sharing a bed with them. With Adi Gallia too, but...

"Yes, that is what they do. Now, I have some things to look into, for my personal consideration," Adi went on, pressing the pad to open the door, "so I will leave you to settle in. Muira is kind, if you need anything you have but to ask. I expect I will come back later to find you overwhelmed with curious children," she smirked on her way out. "Be wary of your lightsabers."

Qui-Gon had no reply to that, but I heard Obi-Wan sigh shortly. "Battles and rogue Jedi I can handle, but not children," he muttered. "I hope we don't bring trouble on this family. It would be safer for us to stay elsewhere."

"Our search for Niall should take us far from here, I don't think the Goebens are in any danger above what the war with the Tharin has already placed them in. Now..." The Master placed one hand on my shoulder and the other on Obi-Wan's. "I need to meditate, to quiet my mind and seek a path. You need not join me, if there's something else you want to do."

"Nothing, Master," Obi-Wan said, "except maybe a nap." He shrugged. "As long as we have the chance."

"Ooh, nap sounds good," I smiled.

Qui-Gon smiled in return and withdrew from us. "Then, don't let me disturb you." He retreated to a corner of the room, where a thick floor rug of bright, random colors lay beneath the chairs. Moving one chair aside, he sank to his knees and closed his eyes.

Silently, Obi-Wan drifted to the alcove with the bed, kicked off his boots, and removed the lightsaber from his belt. There were recesses in the alcove walls where objects could be placed, so he lay his saber hilt in one and shrugged out of his robe before lying down. I drew off my boots and climbed up onto the bed next to him. The thick mattress filled the entire alcove wall to wall, with no gaps in between, so whatever poor soul crawled in first was stuck in the back for the whole night. For now, though, it was just me and the Padawan, and he was stretched out with his hands behind his head, gazing dreamily up even while I lay down next to him. I dragged a pillow close and curled up facing him, watching him blink and breathe and eventually smile. "What?" he whispered.

"Nothing," I murmured, snuggling into the thick blankets. "You okay?"

"Yes," he answered, turning his head to look at me. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you've been kind of quiet today - and yesterday too."

Obi-Wan's smile returned. "It's been hard to get a word in edgewise, between Master Qui-Gon's questions and Master Adi's explanations. To be fair, you've been quiet too."

"Yeah, I guess so." I smiled as he turned his eyes back to the ceiling of the alcove and settled down. His braid lay just off his shoulder and on the bed, so I snaked out a hand and picked it up, idly studying the red tie that secured the braid and the soft wisps of red-gold fanning out from the end. A dimpled smile perked his face in response. "This is definitely going to be different from Chad," I commented.

Obi-Wan nodded slightly. "It will be all right. But..." His head tilted toward me again. "...some things will likely be put on hold, so to speak, while we concentrate on our mission. Master Qui-Gon and I talked about that, actually, a few days ago when we walked around the lake," he reminded me with a wistful smile. "It was a good talk."

"Mmm, sounds like it," I mumbled tiredly. "Now go to sleep. This nap was your idea."

*****

Truth be told, I didn't actually sleep that afternoon. Obi-Wan had settled down, folding his hands on his stomach and closing his eyes, but instead of sleeping he passed into a meditative state, refreshing his body's need for rest and adjustment to the climate while his mind remained active. I lay beside him, trying not to toss too much, listening to all the tiny sounds grown louder in the stillness of our room. A light whirring kicked in from time to time, as of a heater's fan blowing air into the room, and in the silent spaces between I could hear a faint, steady hum coming from somewhere in the ceiling. When Qui-Gon stirred and rose from his meditation, the rustle of his robe filled the small room and made me roll over to look at him. He smiled gently, but said nothing, taking a seat in a low-backed chair to peruse a datapad I had seen Adi give him earlier. Strangely unsettled by the quiet, I rolled back onto my side and chased the sleep that eluded me.

The pale Saljan sun had set in a thick bank of snowy-looking clouds and deep night had come on when Colin finally returned from work, signaling that it was time for the household to sit down to dinner. The Jedi and I joined them, finding seats at one end of a huge wooden table that had benches running along both sides to accommodate the ever-changing number of guests. No one talked about conflicts or battles or mining or anything of that nature over dinner, filling the time with local anecdotes and queries about goings-on elsewhere in the Republic, which Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had to answer as best they could. Confessing that he seldom paid attention to current events outside of an official capacity, Qui-Gon turned the discussion instead to life in Droste and the Goeben family history, which had Colin talking proudly about nothing important for a long time. "Of course, no one on Salji is native, if you want to be technical about it," he claimed over the post-dinner tea. He, one of his friends, Adi, Qui-Gon, and I still sat around the table while the elder children cleared away the dishes and the younger children dragged Obi-Wan away. They wanted to show him their toys, and with a roll of his eyes toward us he relented and let the kids take his hand and lead him into the next room. I grinned at his retreat before settling down to listen to the conversation. "The Goeben name has been circulating on Salji for at least twenty generations, if not more," Colin went on. "My forefather came to Salji a long time ago to follow the mining boom, as did most of our nations' founders. But most of us consider ourselves nothing but Saljan, not remembering what planet our forefathers came from originally or even whether any of us are fully one species. I know I have less than perfect human history," he grinned. "My grandmother on my father's side was not human. There is a lot of mixed blood in Saljan families, especially in large cities like Droste."

"It's a wonder foreigners still come to Salji," his friend put in. "But, every now and then, you get someone coming looking for a job, or to get away from something - or both. Like Mowchie," he added with a nod at Colin.

"Who is...?" Qui-Gon prompted.

"A Wookiee," Colin explained. "Had some trouble on Kashyyyk and is lying low here, or so he said. He's been here for longer than I've been alive, though. I keep telling him whatever he's hiding from has probably long blown over."

"You underestimate the seriousness of Wookiee grudges," Qui-Gon mused, sipping from his cup. "And their longevity."

"Is there anything you Jedi don't know about?" the other man wondered.

"Quite a bit, actually," Adi replied with a cool smile, "but it is our duty to inspire confidence in people, so you will seldom hear a Jedi admit to not knowing something."

"Not in my experience," I piped up. "I've heard Qui-Gon say 'I don't know' a lot."

The Master glanced at me with a smile, but decided not to protest. Colin peered across the table at me. "Now, I'll admit I don't know much about Jedi, since until recently I'd never met a single one, but it seems to be they don't usually go on business with friends along."

"They don't," Adi agreed.

"So...I never really got an answer to my question yesterday. You two started haggling over your orders from your superiors," he complained toward Adi and Qui-Gon. Turning to me again, he lightly wondered, "What's the nature of your relationship to these Jedi, that allows you to go about with them?"

"Well," I hedged, "it's kind of complicated."

"How so?" he pressed. "I thought it was just something like, you were someone's wife."

"Uhhh, no," I quickly countered, trying not to blush. "Definitely not that. If that were the case, then I certainly would not be out traveling with them."

"Nor would I be out traveling, if I were married," Qui-Gon added smoothly. "Stacey's presence here has nothing to do with matters of that sort. It is simply a matter of the Force."

"I don't get the Force," the friend muttered, in effect withdrawing himself from the discussion.

Colin, however, was persistent and very curious. "Where are you from? Corellia? Alderaan? Native to Coruscant?" I shook my head at each one. "Some small remote world I've never heard of?"

"Yeah," I answered truthfully, though I glanced at Qui-Gon, wondering whether I should say anything about where I was truly from. He acknowledged me with a vague smile and a slight nod of his head. "You see," I decided to explain, "I'm not even from this galaxy. My world is in another galaxy, far away."

"She is here because of us, because of me," Qui-Gon said immediately as the eyebrows of our companions lifted in wonder. "It is very much a matter of the Force, and not fully clear to us yet. Until it is, she needs to remain with us."

Colin stared with his mouth hanging open. "How did you get here?"

"I have no idea," I smiled. "Never figured it out. It's only been a couple weeks, though."

"Because of you?" Adi murmured in disbelief, but when Qui-Gon glanced her way, she refused to openly ask him anything. "Never mind," she assured us. "Matters of the Force are best left for debate among the Jedi Council, yes?"

"I wouldn't even know where to begin such a debate," Colin remarked smartly.

Just then, a chorus of giggles rang out from the next room, one of which sounded suspiciously like Obi-Wan. "I'm going to go see if Obi's gotten himself in trouble yet," I excused myself, carrying my half-empty mug with me. The others nodded and returned to casual conversation.

I stepped into the doorway to the sitting room and paused to watch the chaos, grinning at the sight of the Padawan overwhelmed with rambunctious children. He was kneeling on the floor pretending to face off against Colin's eight-year-old son, while the three-year-old clung to his neck from behind and two young girls danced around them, laughing. Muira sat in a well-stuffed chair in the corner cradling an infant, but did not interfere with her sons' play since it seemed Obi-Wan was handling himself well enough with them. Both Jedi had wisely left their lightsabers locked in our room. I just stood there with my arms folded, watching delightedly, but Obi-Wan noticed and cried out, "Why, Stacey! Come in and join us!"

"No, you seem to be doing fine," I demurred.

Alas, the children took up the apprentice's cry. "Come on! Come on! Come play too!"

Before I could even say, "No, really," the younger girl had run over and grabbed my hand, trying to pull me into the room. Obi-Wan, in the meantime, had one boy pinned in a headlock and was trying to reach the other one hanging from his neck. Everyone was laughing and squealing, so I permitted myself to be dragged into the sitting room and the fray. Plopping into a chair, I found myself attended by the young girls while the boys continued their attempt at subduing Obi-Wan. He grinned recklessly at his attackers and dared them to try one more time, but the little one grabbed at his braid to keep from stumbling and falling, and with a yelp Obi-Wan lost his grip on the other boy. With a savage yell the kid leaped on him and drove him to the floor, his little knees in the apprentice's side. Obi-Wan collapsed with a groan, though a chuckle escaped him as the two boys danced in victory around him.

Even Muira laughed gently as Obi-Wan struggled to his feet and shook off a renewed assault. "No, no, you've done it. You bested me. I admit defeat," he said tiredly, waving his hands entreatingly as he sought a chair.

"We beat the Jedi!" the older boy exclaimed. "Does that mean we can be Jedi too?"

"Oh, of course," Obi-Wan smiled as he sat down. "You're worthy to be trained as a Jedi."

"Maybe I can go on your mission!" the boy continued.

"Oh...no," the Padawan quickly backpedaled. "You must be trained first. And you have to build your own lightsaber. Have you built your lightsaber yet?"

The boy pouted. "No..."

Obi-Wan shook his head in mock disappointment. "Ah, I'm sorry then. We can't take you on this mission if you don't have a lightsaber. But study and practice, and perhaps someday."

"All right!" the youngster cheered. "Then I can help you crush the Tharin!"

Obi-Wan's mirth vanished from his face. "What do you mean?"

"Aris, the Jedi aren't here to fight the Tharin," Muira said warningly.

"Well, why else would they be here?" young Aris grumbled. "Jedi are fighters!"

"Jedi are peacemakers," Obi-Wan corrected the boy. "But we're not here because of the war."

"I don't get it."

"Perhaps, in time, you will." Qui-Gon spoke from the doorway, where he stood with his arms folded over his chest. Aris looked up at him and forgot that he was annoyed about the Jedi not fighting his mortal enemies. Taking a step forward, Qui-Gon sank to one knee and faced the boy with a serious but kindly look, reminding me of a future vision of the boy he would speak to on a landing platform on Coruscant. "There is much you will not understand, Aris, but trust that some are working toward peace instead of fighting, and a better end for all. Our mission, however, has nothing to do with the war at all - it is different, and very secret, very dangerous. We need your help in this - can you make sure no one knows we're here?"

Aris nodded firmly. "I can do that. I'll help the Jedi."

Qui-Gon smiled. "Good. I knew I could count on you." He patted the boy on the shoulder and sent him off, getting to his feet.

"Aris, take your brother and go get ready for bed," Muira commanded from her chair. The boys vanished, and I wished they would take the girls with them, because one of them was trying to braid my hair and the other was gazing longingly at Obi-Wan, who sat quietly watching his Master's movements. Their mother waited until the boys were gone and then said, "Thank you, Master Jinn. It's hard to explain to them what's going on, when all they ever hear is stories of the fighting going on at the borders and how they're going to grow up to join the battle someday."

Qui-Gon clasped his hands in front of him. "War is never pleasant, to anyone involved, but it is often hardest on the children. Master Adi Gallia is here to hopefully change that. Another generation should not have to grow up to fight."

One of the Goebens' teenage sons shouldered past him and came into the room. "Many think the war would be over already if the Jedi had come to fight rather than talk," he growled.

Master Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow at the challenge. "And are you so sure the Jedi would have sided with the Revin in this conflict?"

"Well, your comrade certainly didn't," the young man sneered.

I frowned, but Qui-Gon continued undaunted. "That should be proof enough for you that the Jedi should not be a part of Salji's troubles. If Master Adi can establish a cease-fire again, your leaders should be able to sort out their differences without intervention. As for myself, I have one important task to carry out, and then we will be gone. A task which we must begin early," he added with a pointed look at Obi-Wan.

"Yes, Master," the apprentice acknowledged, getting up.

"All right." I also pushed myself out of the chair, to the disappointment of the little girl who was fascinated by the bleached streaks of blond in my brown hair.

"You don't have to retire if you don't want to," Qui-Gon said to me. "As far as I know, only the children need to go to bed so early."

"That's all right," I smiled. "I'll go with you, it's not a problem."

The family wished us a good night, and Muira asked if we needed anything, but the Jedi Master assured her we would be fine. Adi was still at the table talking to Colin as we passed through the dining room, finalizing what sounded like her schedule of activity for tomorrow. One after the other we climbed the stairs and headed into the guest room, and I flopped onto the large bed while the Jedi sat down to talk longer. Apparently, they weren't going to bed quite so soon, but had plans of their own to make. Qui-Gon informed Obi-Wan that they would be going through Droste seeking certain people who had had contact with Niall, to ask them what they knew and find out what the Chagrian's habits and demeanor were. "Some of these people went with Niall as he traveled back and forth over the border, meeting with the joint team of scientists studying the Dospara," the Master explained. "They would have the most insight into where and with whom Niall may be hiding."

"How soon do you think we will be going into Thara?" Obi-Wan asked.

I sat up sharply when I heard that. "You're going into Thara?"

Qui-Gon gazed blandly at me. "Of course. Niall is there, and we must apprehend him. You expected otherwise?"

I shook my head absently. "No, it's just...I guess it didn't really sink into my mind." I squirmed uncomfortably for a moment before adding, lamely, "Be careful."

"We will," the Master said kindly, returning to his discussion with Obi-Wan, but making it clear from his tone that he meant for me to hear what he had to say as well. "If all goes well tomorrow, I hope to be able to begin a preliminary search into Thara the following day. At worst, it will be the day after that before we can cross the border. I don't yet know how long we can spend there without calling attention to ourselves, but I hope to get out again regardless of whether we find Niall in a few days. If we don't find him, we should at least get better information on where to search for him, and then get back here where it's safe to begin again."

"What about Master Adi's contacts?" Obi-Wan questioned. "Has no one been able to track Niall or get news of his whereabouts?"

"Adi lost touch with most of her Tharin contacts nearly a week ago, when skirmishing resumed along the border," Qui-Gon answered. "The nature of the fighting here is sporadic, it often dies down without a reason, only to resume just as spontaneously. If Master Adi's contacts are able to get any messages through, you can be sure I will take advantage of them immediately."

My brow furrowed in concern. "But if there's fighting, how are you going to get into Thara - if not even messages can get out?"

He smiled slightly. "We're not crossing the border at an established checkpoint or road. We will have to sneak over, somewhere in the wilderness where no one will see us."

I breathed a slight sigh of relief. "That's good. I mean, you don't want Niall knowing you're here and looking for him."

Qui-Gon's face sobered. "As soon as we are on the hunt for him, he will know," he said darkly. While talking about his plans his voice was as calm as if he were simply reporting the weather, but now, as the subject shifted to Niall himself, the Master grew solemn. "Wherever he is, whoever is aiding him, he will know we're here - likely, the moment we cross into Thara." His eyes shifted, as if scrutinizing the room for eavesdroppers. "From the information we've been given, it's clear to me that eyes and ears are everywhere, in both regions. No one can be trusted. We can only hope that Adi's high profile and determination in getting peace talks re-established will distract attention long enough to allow us to get the information on Niall that we need and find him before he does any more harm to anyone."

They talked a while longer, debating smaller details of the inquiries they were going to make, but I lay back against the pillows with my journal propped up against my knee, staring at a blank page. Though I didn't need to worry about their safety, I did, and listening to them plan reconnaissance only made it worse. I figured they were going to leave me behind, which I knew was the wise thing to do - especially when they went over the border into enemy territory - but I also dreaded because of the potential for boredom and loneliness. Still, as much as I wanted to stay close to my Jedi friends, I didn't find it harsh to have to stay indoors, out of the snow, snuggled up in multiple layers of warm clothing and having nothing to do but pass time.

Eventually, Adi came into the room and closed the door behind her before giving the other two Jedi a slow nod. "It's all set."

"Very well, then." Qui-Gon rose and stretched stiffly. "We have more than enough to do tomorrow, I suggest we all get some rest."

I glanced up, then, and sighed wearily. I wasn't actually working on anything, but it always annoyed me to have to put aside my work and go to bed when I wasn't sleepy. Obi-Wan was already unbuckling his belt and setting it aside to prepare for bed, and Adi lay her robe over the back of a chair. Qui-Gon stepped over by me and peeked over my shoulder at the pad of paper. "What?" I asked him.

"Not inspired?" he wondered. I just shrugged and folded the cover over. Qui-Gon's hand suddenly came to rest on my shoulder. "Would you like to come with us tomorrow?"

I looked up at him. "Come with you where? To talk to people?"

"Yes, of course."

I thought about it a moment, curious why he wanted me along. "You sure?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't sure," he pointed out.

"Well...okay." I shrugged again, a little less stiffly. "Beats sitting in here, I guess."

Qui-Gon sank to one knee and fixed me with a piercing stare that I could not avoid. "It isn't merely to entertain you," he said in a near-whisper filled with uncommon urgency. "Stacey, when I tell the Jedi Masters that I believe you may be important in some way, I mean that. You are not merely baggage to be toted around. I think you may be useful here, and I wish for you to at least know what Obi-Wan and I know before we go into Thara." His gaze softened a little as I stared back at him. "Do you understand?"

"You don't want you and Obi-Wan to be the only ones who know what you know?" I tried, aware that I sounded stupid trying to explain myself. Fortunately, Qui-Gon nodded. "I think I got it. Okay, I'll come with - and I'll pay attention this time."

A smile curved Qui-Gon's lips. "You've been paying attention all along, you just choose for now to ignore what you know."

"There's a lot to know," I remarked as I got up and stowed my writing pad somewhere safe. Glancing at my companions, I figured the best way for me to change for bed would be to duck into the refresher, so I dug sleep pants and shirt out of the bag and went to do so.

Just as I came back, Adi rose from taking off her boots and slowly removed her headdress, which fit tightly to her head and slid off with some difficulty. Beneath, her black hair was cropped close to her scalp, leaving a thin covering of fuzz between the headdress and her skin. She set the Tholoth headpiece reverently on the top of the dresser and turned, smiling at me when she saw I was watching curiously. She was tall, nearly as tall as Qui-Gon, and carried herself with grace and elegance, but with an air of guarded threat that made her very bearing shout, "Don't mess with me." I thought she looked less like a Jedi and more like a Nubian princess or a supermodel without the headdress, but I said nothing about it as she glided out of the room to do just what I had done. The two men had prepared for bed while I was in the refresher; apparently, Master Adi didn't care what they did around her and neither of them were overly modest to care either. Admittedly, it was cold in our room, so the two of them kept their undertunics on for once. Drat, I said to myself, but considering the good fortune of our sleeping arrangements, I was not about to complain. Upon returning, Adi crawled into the community bed first, but I was too shy to follow her, so Qui-Gon did, beckoning for me to follow him. "I think it would work best this way," he explained when I gave him an astonished look.

"How so?" I queried.

He looked past me to the Padawan standing behind me and grinned. "Because, Obi-Wan is a restless sleeper, and I don't want to get kicked."

I exclaimed, "Hey!" at the same time as Obi-Wan protested with a petulant, "Master!"

"It's the truth, Obi-Wan."

"So you're going to let him kick me instead?" I complained. Both of them chuckled at that.

"Are you going to make up your minds soon, or debate this all night?" Adi grumbled from the dark corner of the bed.

"Oh, fine." I ducked under the ceiling of the alcove and crawled in beside Qui-Gon, slipping under the covers. Obi-Wan slid in behind me, reaching to tap off the light switch on the wall before settling down. The windowless room fell into complete darkness, in which I blinked trying to get my bearings. Qui-Gon sighed deeply, I felt his breath on my face as I lay facing him, pulling the blankets up around my shoulders. I was wide awake now, giddy with delight at finding myself in such an unusual but highly enjoyable situation, but a little afraid of it too. I didn't want Adi Gallia finding out that anything was going on between me and the Jedi, and resolved that it would be best if I kept my hands to myself during the night. Qui-Gon made it extremely difficult by leaning close and whispering "Good night" before curling up to sleep. I returned his blessing and grinned in the darkness, smiling myself to sleep.

*****

A leaden gray sky lay close on the shoulders of the mountains which surrounded Droste, and light flurries swirled through the wind, scattering onto the snowy roads and roofs of the city, as I followed Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan out of the Goebens' house. Master Adi had already gone out to meet with the other scientists like Colin who monitored the mines and had been investigating the mysterious Dospara region. I looked around, remembering that someone had said the Dospara lay north and east of Droste, beyond the ridge of toothed mountain peaks which were barely visible through the sullen clouds. It looked like it would be a nasty, windy, snowy day, and I grumbled as I wrapped my robe as tight around me as I could, grateful for the mittens I borrowed from Muira Goeben before setting out. The two Jedi didn't seem ruffled by the weather, though Obi-Wan hugged his arms to his chest and huffed a few times as the wind bit at his exposed cheeks. We had a lot of walking to do, to locate and call on all the people we needed to see today, and it was going to be cold. I tagged along a couple steps behind Qui-Gon, using him as a wind-block as often as I could, trying to lengthen my strides to keep up with his swift, purposeful steps. The first few visits were short and unproductive, as the Master met with pilots and militia fighters who had transported Niall Oberanu back and forth over the border with Thara while the cease-fire was in place. They had little to say, but I did as Qui-Gon asked and listened to everything, observing mannerisms and wondering if any of them were hiding something from us. Qui-Gon was polite to each, asking no more than necessary and thanking them for their help, while Obi-Wan occasionally interjected a question that came to mind. I stayed quiet, looking around a lot, beginning to get a feel for the hard, survivalist atmosphere of Salji and its rugged, determined people.

Toward the afternoon, Qui-Gon led us up a broad, well-traveled street to a bustling collection of buildings, refineries, and transports - the main mine of Droste. It was a huge operation, cutting into the side of the foothills to search for a variety of minerals. There, in the warmth of the main offices, we met with a worn, haggard-looking woman who continually eyed the Jedi with sullen contempt while she told us her story. "Yes, I was there," she said, and the bitterness was thick in her raw voice. "He didn't care to kill me, though. He just...stared at me, and then left. He was probably in a hurry to get out of Reva, or I wasn't significant enough to kill like he killed my husband. The Jedi came barging out of the offices in a rage, and suddenly an alarm was sounded, and security officers came from all directions to stop him. He killed most of them - took out his lightsaber, swatted them aside. My husband and I were among a group loading a transport, which the Jedi took control of. He killed my husband in front of me, and then..." She took a deep breath, seething with anger to the point that no tears would come. "...just...glared at me. I screamed at him, but he ignored me, and took the transport and blazed away. That rat better stay in Thara," she added, clenching her hand into a fist, "because if I ever look upon his face again, he's going to regret leaving me alive."

I gazed sorrowfully at the woman. She was clearly a life-long mine worker, but the pain in her aging face was not from work but the loss of her husband. She seemed to want to lash out at the Jedi for what their comrade did to her, but the longer Qui-Gon held her gaze, the more she relaxed and held her impulse in check. "Anything else you want to know, there are official records on the incident," she added, her voice level.

"Did you see any of the security officers draw weapons or fire?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Of course they had their blasters drawn, but the Jedi had his 'saber out and swinging well before any of them fired a shot," the woman blankly answered.

"And there is...no other reason you could expect Niall Oberanu to have for killing your husband, or any of those people?" Qui-Gon wondered quietly, his face soft and compassionate.

She laughed grimly, without amusement. "No, what more reason do you need? My husband was no criminal, he was just a worker in the mine, like myself. He was simply...in the way, I suppose. In the wrong place, as they say." She fidgeted with her protective cap and goggles, looking warily at the three of us. "Col says you're Jedi."

"We are," Qui-Gon affirmed.

"Then tell me, Jedi. Why would one of you do something like this?"

Qui-Gon bowed his head briefly, and then glanced at Obi-Wan to see if he had anything to say. His apprentice just looked back at him, face blank, so the Master returned his gaze to her. "If I had an answer to that, I would gladly give it to you. It pains me greatly to have to deal with this. You have my sympathies, and my word that Niall Oberanu will face justice. I will not leave Salji without him. Thank you," he added softly, kindly. "You have helped us."

The woman nodded stiffly back, and turned to go. I had no doubt that Qui-Gon would have comforted her further if she let him, but she was cold and hard and didn't want sympathy - I could see as much in her eyes. The Master gestured for us to follow him, through a door to the outer hallways of the mine headquarters. "Is that it?" I asked.

"For now," he replied, snapping the closures on his robe. "She was right, there is an official report on the incident. I have already read it for basic information - what type of transport, which way it went, how many were killed. But she told me much more."

"What?" I must have missed it, I thought.

"I want to know Niall's state of mind, why he made the choices he did," Qui-Gon said quietly, lowering his voice so anyone passing would not overhear. "There is more to this mission than simply locating an individual and capturing him. Decisions must be made, and I must know as much as possible before I am forced to make them. Especially," he added with a sigh, "if I must make them on the spur of the moment."

"It may not come to that, Master," Obi-Wan murmured helpfully.

Qui-Gon glanced at him, nodded slowly, and moved to open the outer door. I bundled my robe around me and made to follow, with Obi-Wan bringing up the rear. We trudged through the snow without speaking for a while, listening to our footsteps crunching on a trace of fresh-fallen powder. The road was clear and empty, we were the only things moving along it between the mine and Droste proper. The cold air bit at my nose and cheeks, sneaking in beneath my hood and whipping my long hair around my face. A glance up at the Master just in front of me found him having something of the same problem, though his hood had fallen onto his shoulders and his dark hair streamed dramatically in the wind. Every time he turned his head to stay alert to his surroundings, I was treated to a sight of his profile worthy of the best movie-camera shots. He looked serious, pensive, and it was clear to me that though he looked around him constantly for an awareness of location and situation, his mind was not on the moment, but racing around in thought. "Master?" I spoke up. "Can I ask you about something?"

"Of course," Qui-Gon replied, shaking himself out of his thoughts and glancing down at me as I came up to his side.

"Well...most of the people we talked to today have been saying the same stuff we already know," I pointed out for him. "Are you looking for any new information? Am I supposed to be seeing something? Because I don't think I'm seeing it."

Qui-Gon heaved a short, gruff chuckle. "No, I expect we won't uncover anything new. You're doing just fine. What I'm seeking today is a more complete picture of what is going on here, the emotions and motives underlying the simple facts which any report can present. Reports will not tell me about the bitterness and anger in that woman we just left," he noted, nodding his head toward the mine behind us. "Nor the perceptions these people have of Jedi, nor which ones are hiding something from us, be it their stake in the war, or their motives for aiding us..." He looked around a bit more, but the road was deserted and a chill silence enfolded us between gusts of wind. "It is those subjective things, such as the reactions to sharing information with us, that I am most interested in."

"They don't seem particularly predisposed to sharing much of anything with us," I remarked. I had observed it throughout the day. Most Saljans were aloof and distant, answering the Master's questions openly but with a spirit of disinterest. Colin worried about too many people knowing that there were more Jedi in Droste, but I don't think he had anything to worry about - the Revin seemed to me to not care whether Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were Jedi, and I said so.

"I have noticed that as well," Qui-Gon nodded. "Saljans are a fiercely independent sort, they resent the need for outside involvement in their conflict."

"Except for the Goebens, and their colleagues," Obi-Wan interjected.

"Yes," the Master acknowledged, "Colin Goeben is an exception. But, as one of the scientists at the core of the investigation, he has more of a stake in the peace process than most. For the most part, the Revin appear to be under the assumption that Niall Oberanu is not their problem, he is a Jedi problem, and therefore naturally the Jedi's responsibility to take care of - with or without their assistance." We kept walking, conversation lulled for a moment as the wind snapped around us and sent tendrils of snow scurrying across the road around our feet. The sound of an engine - a repulsorlift vehicle, I thought, as I was starting to recognize differences - grew slowly louder, and Qui-Gon glanced behind us. He stepped to the side of the road, taking my arm to pull me with him, and just in time too, for something rather like a speeder bike whizzed past on its way into Droste. Its passage awakened the Master from his thoughts again. "Come, we must hurry," he encouraged, picking up his pace. We were walking downhill, approaching the inhabited outskirts of the city. "We still have a few more stops to make, and it's getting dark. Night will fall quickly tonight."

"And I'm cold," I grumbled. "I want to get inside somewhere where it's warm and dry and wrap my hands around a hot cup of tea or something."

"Don't worry," Qui-Gon assured. "We'll get there soon enough."

"So much for being used to the cold," Obi-Wan dryly smirked, patting my head condescendingly. I shoved him in retaliation, and his feet skidded in the packed-down snow covering the road. I laughed as his arms flailed in order to keep his balance, but he didn't slip and fall. However, that gave him an idea: flashing me a mischievous grin, Obi-Wan took off running down the slope and used his momentum to slide on his feet. Quite a distance, too! His well-worn Jedi boots lacked just enough traction to go skating down the road a ways until the fresh snow interrupted him. Laughing, he looked back up and yelled, "Try it!"

I didn't know if my boots would have too much traction to do it, but I jogged off anyway, and slid a short distance down the road. I tried again, and this time hit a patch of ice and nearly careened into Obi-Wan where he stood waiting. The Padawan caught me, and we laughed at each other while the cold air rasped in our throats. Qui-Gon simply strode down to us without breaking stride, a smile growing on his face as he neared us on his own time. "Are you done now?" he wondered.

"Yes, Master," I grinned, prying myself out of Obi-Wan's arms. He said the same and resumed walking, guarding my right side while Qui-Gon stayed to my left. We were entering Droste, and it would be best if no one saw the Jedi sliding around like kids on a skating rink. It simply wouldn't be proper.

On to part 20

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