"What's that supposed to mean?" I challenged, grinning.

"Just settle down," the Padawan smiled. "Keep that knee still."

Mowchie dropped us off right at the Goebens', declining Master Qui-Gon's offer of a few dactaries for his trouble. "She's not damaged, fortunately," the Wookiee assured. "Had we taken a shot or two, then I would hold you to that."

"Thank you, Mochiwyya," the Master said with a bow, correctly pronouncing the full name of our new friend. "I owe you greatly for this. If there's anything I can do, please ask."

"We will see, if Mowchie is called a traitor after word gets out." Smirking, he closed the hatch and sped away for home.

With one arm slung around Obi-Wan's shoulders to help take the weight off my right knee, I limped into the house and found the nearest seat, while Qui-Gon turned on lights and looked around for our hosts or Master Adi. "That's strange," he remarked as he came into the kitchen where Obi-Wan was trying to carefully pull my boots off. "No one is here, not even the children."

"I'm surprised no one tried to call you," I said. "Or were we out of range?"

"Not once we came back into Reva." Qui-Gon pulled out his comlink and checked to make sure it was working, which it was. He sent a signal, and then said, "Master Adi?"

A lot of static greeted him, out of which a voice struggled to be heard. "Master Qui-Gon? Where are you? We've been trying all afternoon to contact you!"

"Adi? I can hardly hear you." More static fuzzed at him, and he flinched. "The storm must be interfering," he speculated.

All that came from the comlink again was, "Where are you?"

"At Colin's," Qui-Gon replied simply. "Where is everyone?"

"Hold on, we're on our way there now." The channel closed off, leaving us no wiser than before.

The Master sighed a little with frustration, but put his comlink away and sat down on the bench beside me. I was sitting with my back to the dining-room table, sucking in my breath and saying, "Ouch!" under my breath a lot while Obi-Wan tried to carefully roll my pants leg up over my knee. "Careful!" I warned the Padawan.

"I'm being as careful as I can," he assured.

"How does it feel?" Qui-Gon wondered, his voice quiet and soothing.

"Hurts," I seethed. "I think I hyper-extended it again."

Obi-Wan finally got my pants rolled up high enough to expose my knee, and Master Qui-Gon gently brushed his fingers over the swollen tendon bulging unnaturally on the right side of the kneecap. I was embarrassed for my exposed leg, since I had obviously not shaved since arriving in this galaxy and not for a long time prior to that, but neither Jedi seemed to notice or care. Nonetheless, I blushed. "You did re-injure it," Qui-Gon noted, pressing on the tendon until I growled at him and slapped his hand. He jumped at that, startled, but smiled in amusement. "I'm sorry. I had to see how bad it was."

"You can't just see that it's bad?" I snapped.

"It looks worse than it is." He set about prodding other parts of my knee with his fingertips, none of which hurt at all. "See? You just strained it, it's not serious. A few days resting it will be enough. Obi-Wan," he directed, "find a cold-pack."

"Yes, Master."

"I know, I know. I've been through this before. Ice it, elevate it, stay off it," I intoned wearily.

"And if you don't," the Master warned with laughter in his voice, "I shall take you outside and make you sit in the snow until the swelling goes down."

"Huh? No!" He was only kidding, so I found it easy to smile at him, but I didn't doubt for a minute that if I dared to resist him he would take such drastic measures. Obi-Wan came back in with a pack wrapped in a towel, something rather like the newest medical gel packs I could get on Earth to either heat or ice an injury. He laid it on my knee, and I realized the pack wasn't frozen, but still in a gel state, and molded itself to fit the shape of my knee. "Hey, that's pretty cool," I remarked, prodding it with a finger. "Thanks. But can I change out of these wet pants first?"

"In a little while. We need to reduce the swelling first." The Master stood, but looked sharply up as the outer door opened and people started streaming into the house. Colin came first, followed by Adi and a few other people, most of whom were strangers to me. One or two I recognized from the interviews Qui-Gon had conducted several days before. He folded his hands in front of him and faced the visitors, greeting them with a nod.

"Ah, Master Qui-Gon." Adi lowered her hood and shook the snow off of it. "There you are, we've been concerned. What happened?" She looked down at me. "Slip on some ice?"

"In a manner of speaking," Master Qui-Gon affirmed. "Where is everyone? Colin, your family?"

Colin sighed heavily. "I sent them away south, out of range of any bombing runs from Thara," he answered. "We have relatives in one of the cities down that way. Too much is going on, I don't want them in harm's way if we're under threat of more shelling."

"Oh?" Qui-Gon looked from him to Adi with a curious frown. "Has something happened while we were out?"

"Several reports have come to my attention," Adi informed him. "One indicates troop movements along the border, a possibility that Thara may be massing a ground attack. Another reported Tharin ships violating the no-fly zone over the near end of the Dospara, and an exchange of fire earlier today."

I looked up at Qui-Gon, interested to see that his face remained blank as he heard this. He clasped his hands behind his back and faced the Councilor bravely. "I can explain the report from the Dospara. I regret to say, we are responsible for it."

Adi frowned, and some of the people Colin had brought in with him gasped in outrage. Qui-Gon went on to tell the story of where we went, noticeably neglecting to name the pilot who transported us over the border as well as the lieutenant who gave us permission to cross, if his name was known. Adi's face hardened as she listened, and it looked to me like she was ready to let him have it. But she let him finish explaining his reasons for taking the trip and how we made it safely back even in the storm, and then stared at him for a long time. "Master Qui-Gon," she finally said, her voice tight and holding a hint of scolding. "Do you realize what you might have started by your...impetuous actions?"

"You didn't ask me if I found anything in the Dospara," he quietly countered.

"Did you?"

"Yes."

Her eyes narrowed, and Colin looked at him in wonder. "Well?" Adi pressed. "What?"

"Three dead scientists," Qui-Gon softly replied. "Killed at the hands of a Jedi with a lightsaber."

Everyone but me and the two Jedi reacted to that. One of the men shoved forward past Adi. "Master Jinn, are you certain?" he wondered, outraged. "Are you saying the Knight -"

"I am certain, and yes, it was Niall Oberanu who did it," Qui-Gon broke in confidently. He had played them all perfectly, they were no longer able to be outraged that we might have started a battle by sneaking into the Dospara without permission. "In the course of the investigations I made just before I left for Thara, I discovered a report that Niall had been inside the Dospara on his mission and returned without the team who went with him, saying they had been attacked inside the region and he alone survived. No one ever went into the Dospara to verify the attack, everyone assumed that whoever had done it was long gone." He shook his head sadly. "There was no attack. Niall killed the scientists with his own weapon. Though it has been weeks since it happened, the cold preserved the bodies perfectly. Even my apprentice could verify it." He nodded toward Obi-Wan, who stepped forward and nodded in agreement.

The others murmured anxiously amongst themselves, except for Adi, who had a worried look on her elegant face as she gazed solemnly at Qui-Gon. "This is not good news," she said. "Could you discern why he did so, Master?"

Qui-Gon shook his head again. "No. Nothing. It is still a mystery to me what was going on here in the weeks preceding his fall. But, I may be able to get a few answers." He bent down and pulled the frozen droid from under the table where Obi-Wan had left it when we came in. Everyone stared curiously at him. "We found it in the research facility - actually, Stacey found it. I need someone who knows their way around droids to try and get it working again, and see if it contains any information."

The others looked around. One of them gestured with a hand. "I know someone who could do it."

Qui-Gon shifted his glance to Adi again and gestured with a nod of his head toward the other people. "And who are they?"

"These are the leaders you insisted upon meeting with tonight." Master Adi introduced each one, including the mayor of Droste and several high-ranking officials from the militia. The ones I recognized were investigators who had worked with Niall in the past, on the small local team of scientists of which Colin was a part. We had spoken with some of them when the Master was investigating. One of these had volunteered a friend's repair skills, so Qui-Gon relented and handed over the little droid. "As long as we're here," the Councilor offered after introductions were over, "we may as well hold that meeting now."

Qui-Gon nodded his acquiescence, and glanced at his Padawan. "Would you help Stacey to our room? Keep the cold-pack on the knee, at least a little while longer." His gaze shifted to me. "And don't move it."

"Yes, Master," I said with a smile, letting Obi-Wan help me up and support my weight one slow step at a time up the stairs. He was very careful and didn't complain about having to help, propping me up with his strong arms and guiding gently, taking his time. Behind us we could hear the scrape of the benches being moved away from the table and people sitting down. I let Obi-Wan bring me into our room and get me seated on the bed, and watched while he started rummaging through my bag for a dry pair of pants. "I can do that," I assured, "you can go down to the conference."

"No, it's all right," he countered, smiling beautifully. "I don't really want to sit and listen to whatever they have to talk about. Master Qui-Gon doesn't need me as much as you do."

"Aww," I commented, grinning. Obi-Wan blushed and grinned back, concentrating on his search. He found a haphazardly folded pair of trousers - my blue ones - but as he pulled them out something fell to the floor. It was the little box Qui-Gon had given me. Before I could even start up Obi-Wan bent down and picked it up, examining it closely. "Here," I said, reaching out for it. "Give me that."

"What is it?" The Padawan pinched the clasp and opened it, staring curiously at the object inside. "What's this?"

"It's a whistle," I answered though it was obvious. "From Chad. Qui-Gon got it for me."

"Master Qui-Gon got you this?" Obi-Wan studied it some more, picking up the short whistle and peering at it for a moment. "It's very nice."

"I know." For some reason I was blushing furiously.

"I didn't know you wanted one. You said nothing when we were in the marketplace."

"I...didn't, exactly. He just saw it and said it reminded him of me." I shrugged uncomfortably.

Obi-Wan glanced at me, frowning in even greater curiosity, and put the whistle away in its box. He tucked it carefully back into my bag, under a fold of clothing so it wouldn't fall out again. Returning to me, he held out the trousers. "What are you nervous about?" he wondered with a hint of a laugh in his voice. "That Master Qui-Gon got you a gift?"

"Well...I didn't know what you'd think," I admitted, unfolding the pants and shaking them out.

He smiled and knelt down in front of me. "I don't have a problem with it, you don't need to be concerned. It's nice, I think it's wonderful that Master Qui-Gon did such a thing. He really does care for you." He glanced down, then, at my bare knee, and stood up again. "I suppose I should let you change. But hurry, and get the cold-pack back on it. I'll be right back."

"Okay." I waited until he left before slipping the wet trousers gingerly off and pulling on the soft, dry ones, rolling the right leg up past my knee and replacing the cold-pack. Sitting on the bed with my legs stretched out in front of me, I sighed and wondered what I had gotten myself into, what might be going on downstairs and if they thought I played any part in it. That was as far as my thinking got, though, for Obi-Wan returned and closed the door behind him. As he crossed the room, he shrugged his robe off and laid his lightsaber on the table. "What's going on down there?" I asked him.

"Right now, Master Adi is talking about the reports of skirmishing," he said, shrugging a little. "I'm glad I'm not down there. This meeting looks like it could last all night."

"I thought Master Adi was here to get a cease-fire in place, to try to get the Revin and Tharin to stop fighting each other," I mused aloud. "How come she's spending all her time with the Revin leaders talking about war? She's never even gone over to Thara to talk to them."

Obi-Wan's face grew grave as he came over to the bed and sat down on the end of it. "That's a very good question. Perhaps you should ask Master Qui-Gon later."

I smirked at him. "Don't want to go up against Master Adi?"

He looked sharply at me, and then a smile returned to his face. "It's not my place. If anyone is to say anything about it, it's Master Qui-Gon."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Let me see the knee." The apprentice scooted forward and took the cold-pack from my knee, though it was losing its cold and the gel wasn't conforming to my knee any longer. Obi-Wan gingerly touched the swollen tendon and then smoothed his warm hand over my chilled skin. "We'll give it a bit of a rest. This needs to be re-charged anyway," he said, hefting the cold-pack in one hand.

"Okay," I relented. The pack's icy touch was making me shiver with cold all over, anyway. I started to roll my pants leg back down, but Obi-Wan stopped me.

"Wait. I want to do something first," he offered.

"What?"

He didn't answer, but put the cold-pack aside and rubbed his hands together before placing one hand cautiously over my knee. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and summoned the Force to his aid - I could sense it rippling like a river stirred-up. He directed the Force into his hand and then into my knee, and I realized he was doing exactly what he had done on the ship escaping from Rodia: healing. Grateful, I closed my eyes and accepted the peculiar means of repairing the damage to my body, feeling warmth growing deep inside the joint and the ache starting to ease. It was quick, just a few moments, and then Obi-Wan lifted his head. "There, that should help," he murmured. "You should be well in a few days instead of weeks. But rest it as much as possible."

"I will," I assured. I had to prod at the tendon standing out from the right side of my knee, because it no longer hurt and the swelling might have even gone down. "Thanks, Obi-Wan. Is this...a gift of yours? Healing?"

"Is it?" The Padawan frowned in thought. "I never really stopped to consider it. All Jedi are taught basic means of healing, at the very least waking someone who is unconscious. Perhaps I do have something of a...a gift." He smiled modestly, looking very adorable all of a sudden. "It is my pleasure to share it with you."

"Thanks." I leaned back against the pillows piled up by the wall, sighing tiredly. Obi-Wan kept my foot resting on his lap, lightly rubbing it with his warm, soft hands. "What a day," I groaned. "I've been...bombed, shot at, I've seen murder victims and militia, nearly got swamped by a snowstorm, threw my knee out again...all in the space of about twenty-four hours." I smiled ruefully at my companion. "I think I've had my fill of excitement, for a while."

Obi-Wan chuckled a little. "I did warn you about that."

"I like adventure, don't get me wrong. But too much adventure all at once can be..." I searched for the right word. "...overwhelming."

"I can imagine," Obi-Wan smirked. "Hopefully, there won't be much more for you to worry about. At this point, I think Master Qui-Gon would like nothing more than to be done with this mission. There are too many unpredictable elements here, for my taste at least." The smirk became positively sly. "And now we're about to be snowed-in."

"Ugh. I know. I used to like blizzards as a kid, because it meant canceling school, but now I'm old enough to find them a nuisance. And I've had enough of snow," I griped. "Snow flying in my face, snow going down my boots! Every time I took a step, today, I sank in up to my knees and -" I gestured and made a face. "Right down my boots. No more of that, I'm staying inside."

"I wish I could join you." The door hissed open, and Qui-Gon drifted through it, glancing at us and managing a pale smile before moving to take off his robe and lay it over a chair. I noticed Obi-Wan abruptly cease rubbing my foot at his Master's entrance. "How is the conference going?" the Padawan asked.

"Slowly," Qui-Gon answered, rubbing his face with his hands. "But, it can go on without me, I've said what I needed to say and heard enough to satisfy me. Adi will be up late with this, I'm sure."

"Master..." Obi-Wan slid my foot off his lap and turned to face his Master, his feet dangling off the edge of the alcove-bed. His face sobered considerably, his smirk disappearing. "What is Master Adi's role in this conflict, exactly?"

Qui-Gon turned to him with eyebrows raised curiously. "Her role? Why, to establish a cease-fire and begin the process of peace talks and reconciling. You know this, Obi-Wan."

"Yes, Master. But..." The apprentice looked uncertain, averting his eyes for a moment. "Far be it from me to make assumptions, Master..."

"If you have something to say, please say it, Padawan," the Master encouraged.

"Well..." Obi-Wan shrugged and lifted his eyes to his Master's face. "When I was outside the room briefly, I heard what she was saying. It seems to me she knows over-much about the Revin militia's efforts and Reva's point of view, but has done nothing to talk to the Tharin. If she is to be a neutral mediator in talks, I'm not sure her methods are making her so."

Qui-Gon held his Padawan's gaze for a long time, his eyes calm and face thoughtful. At last, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I too have been concerned about that," he admitted. "Even though the Revin have been kind to aid us, it would not do well to side with them and then try to ask their enemies to make peace."

Obi-Wan sat looking at his hands clasped in his lap. I sensed he was unsure he should have spoken up. "What are we to do?"

"At the moment, nothing," Qui-Gon said assuredly. "We will concentrate on bringing Niall to face justice. After that, if there is something to be done, I will do it." He glanced over his shoulder, to the door, and the conference downstairs that was shut off from us by that sealed door. "If she wishes to sit up all night and talk with those leaders, that is her choice and I will leave her to it. I have had enough."

"Did you find anything out?" I wondered.

He came over to the alcove and dropped to a crouch beside me. "A little. One of the men from the militia confirmed the report I had read of the supposed attack on Niall inside the Dospara. They took him at his word and merely stepped up their vigilance, presuming Thara was responsible and wanting to catch them if they crossed into the Dospara again."

Qui-Gon fell silent, so I prodded him with, "And...?"

"That was all. All that you have to worry about, anyway." He smiled kindly and reached out to lay a hand just above my knee. "How is it?"

"Better. Obi-Wan did a little...healing thing. It doesn't really hurt unless I try to move it fast." I slowly bent my knee and drew it towards me, feeling how tight it was, then relaxed it and tried it faster. The tendon protested with a twinge that made me wince. "See?"

"Don't do that," Qui-Gon cautioned. "Just relax. From now on I will let you stay here and rest it, no more trips for you."

I heard an implication in that statement. "You guys are going back to Thara."

"We have to," the Master said quietly. "We have to bring in Niall."

I glanced from him to Obi-Wan, who looked pensive. "How soon are you going? Wait, how can you go? The border's shut down, the fighting..."

Qui-Gon was silent for a moment. "We will find a way," he said at last with certainty. "We have time. I want to wait until the 'friend of a friend' who can supposedly fix the droid we found does so, or at least retrieves its memory. That should be within the next day or two."

I nodded in acceptance, looking back and forth between my two thoughtful Jedi. They had nothing more to say on the subject, so we decided that sleep was the only thing to do after such a long, hard day. They were still exhausted from being up most of the night helping bombing victims, anyway. Not wanting to move, I merely pulled the curtain in front of the alcove and slipped into a sleep-shirt right there, giving the two of them a moment before opening the curtain again. They were only half-finished changing, but didn't seem to mind whether or not I was watching. Obi-Wan stripped down to just leggings, while his Master kept a thin tunic on. I shook my head at them. "You know, you really shouldn't do that."

Both Jedi turned to me in surprise. "Do what?" Qui-Gon wondered.

I waved a hand at them. "That. Going around...without a shirt on, or whatever. Your sense of modesty is highly underdeveloped."

Qui-Gon glanced at Obi-Wan, and both of them grinned and chuckled at each other. "Well," the Master tried to explain, "when it's been just the two of us for many years, we've gotten into habits that are hard to break."

I grinned up at them, feeling my face getting a little hot. "Well...not that I mind, really, but...you might want to take me into consideration once in a while. Just in case."

"In case what?" Qui-Gon honestly wondered, but I was feeling stupid for having brought it up and only shrugged my way out of it without saying anything more.

As they began to climb into the alcove, Obi-Wan brought up the sleeping arrangements. "Should we place her on the outside this time? I wouldn't want to roll over onto her knee in the middle of the night."

"You haven't rolled over onto me yet, Obi-Wan," I noted wryly. "Kicked me, yes, but not rolled onto me."

He looked embarrassed. "Well, then, I don't want to kick your knee in the middle of the night."

"Adi will not be coming to bed until late, I believe it would be best if she were on the end," Qui-Gon pointed out. "If it makes you feel better, Obi-Wan, I will sleep between you and Stacey. I am less likely to kick her."

His Padawan rolled his eyes, but agreed that it would be the best option. So, I scooted all the way back to the far end of the alcove and slipped under the overlapping blankets, while Qui-Gon slid in beside me and Obi-Wan settled down on his other side. In moments the lights were off and we were quieting down to sleep, and I felt safer than I had in many days with the Jedi beside me. I could hear Obi-Wan stirring a little, but Qui-Gon was silent and still, and I realized after a moment that he was so tired that he fell asleep right away. Unfortunately, I couldn't join him. My knee ached every time I tried to roll over, so I was forced to lay on my back the whole time, and therefore just couldn't go to sleep. I was fidgeting worse than the notoriously restless Padawan, but the Master beside me, lying on his side, stayed asleep. Or so I thought. After the passage of what might have been hours - or just a few minutes - he breathed deeply and murmured, "Is your knee bothering you?"

"Sorry, Master," I whispered, inwardly groaning. "Go back to sleep."

He didn't. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at me, though I couldn't see much more than just his shape in the darkness. "What's the matter?"

"It hurts to roll over, but I can't get to sleep on my back."

"Is that all?" We were speaking in whispers, but I could hear a knowing concern in his. "You're troubled about many things. I can sense it."

I sighed. "I don't like Salji anymore. I want to get this over with."

Qui-Gon snorted mildly. "As do I. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to bring Niall in. And..." His head shifted, as if he was glancing backwards or listening or something. I couldn't feel anything from the Force, but he might have been touching it lightly, listening with it. "...this situation is not what it seems at all. I don't like it. My place is not here, I've not felt such a sense of being 'outside' in a long time."

He moved, then, rolling onto his back and stretching one arm over my head. I wanted to curl up next to him, but resisted. Then his other hand came over and brushed my thigh. "Here," he whispered. "Lay your leg over mine. It will help elevate your knee."

"Okay," I whispered back, lifting my foot and resting it cautiously over his leg. It was the perfect position, the aching stopped completely and I was able to relax my knee. I wondered if he had any ulterior motives for offering, but it didn't matter to me now that my knee felt better. Not finished with his comforting, Qui-Gon tucked his arm under my head and pulled me close to him, nestling me comfortably alongside his body and pulling the blanket up to my shoulders. In this position, I could tilt to my side a little and still keep my poor knee from hurting. "Thank you," I breathed into the darkness.

"It is my pleasure," he whispered back. The arm beneath my head crooked, and I felt his fingers combing gently through my hair. Boy, does he know how to treat a girl, I mused, before falling fast asleep.

*****

Strong winds buffeted the Goeben house all through the night and the next day, but it was a firm, well-made structure of stone, not wood, and didn't even creak with the blasts of wind. The windows were whited-out with the snow, which was piling up into knee-high drifts and obliterating the roads that ran through the neighborhood. I sat in the family room with my knee propped up by cushions, fiddling with my journal and wishing there were something else to do, a television to watch or something, or even the Goeben kids running around making noise. The house was deathly silent, since the wind had no cracks to scream into nor flimsy glass windows to rattle. Everything was tight and solid and prepared against the harsh weather of Salji, so unless a speeder passed or sharp pellets of ice were driven directly against the transparisteel panes, I could hear nothing from outside. There was very little sound inside, either, because the family was gone, Colin was at work, and Qui-Gon and Adi were out. Obi-Wan and I talked for a while, but we drifted into a comfortable silence when we ran out of things to small-talk about, and the Padawan didn't seem very motivated to do anything but sit on the end of the couch and stare through the dining room to the door on the far end of the house that opened into a garage the Goebens shared with their neighbors. As the minutes stretched by, both of us were anticipating the Master to come around the corner from the rear door and join us, hopefully with a working droid in tow. But he didn't, not for a long time, and in the intervening space I sat and gazed at Obi-Wan, studying his profile, his alert eyes, memorizing his features and remembering why I was so excited to be in this strange place.

The sound of a door opening and a brief gust of wind whistling through it made both me and Obi-Wan sit up sharply, glancing at each other and sharing a hopeful smile. Someone stamped boots on the rug, and then a long, heavy stride came up the corridor. Qui-Gon stepped around the corner and passed through the dining room, coming in to where we sat waiting, shaking off any clinging snowflakes from his arms and hood. "Good, you're here," he said. "I've contacted Master Adi, she'll be joining us in a moment."

"Where's the droid?" his apprentice asked.

Qui-Gon shook his head. "It was beyond repair. But the local tinkerer managed to extract stored data from it, which I have here." He took a datapad from his belt and held it up. A smirk lightened his features. "Would you believe, the person they found to work on the droid was Chadra-Fan?"

"Really?" I grinned. "No kidding!"

"They are renowned for their delight in meddling with technological equipment. He did well, I'm not sure just anyone could have decrypted and saved the droid's memory, it was in such bad condition."

I smirked at that, remembering. The Master crossed to a chair and sat down, resisting the urge to read the datapad by setting it on a table beside him. "How's the storm?" I wondered.

He sighed. "Bad. I had a hard time getting back. I imagine that once Adi gets back, she won't be going out again until pathways are cleared." As if on cue, the door thunked open again, and we all looked at each other. Like Qui-Gon, we could hear Adi's lighter tread stomping the snow off her boots, and then a protracted pause before she appeared around the corner, her robe gone. She saw Obi-Wan and I and came in, nodding at the Master seated in the corner. "You made it," he observed.

"Not without an adventure, let me tell you," Master Adi said ruefully. "The snow is up to my knees in most places, I felt like I was wading along a beach. My robe, needless to say, is soaking wet." She heaved herself into another chair and gave a relaxed sigh, sitting back for a moment before turning her attention to Qui-Gon and folding her hands in her lap. "Well? You found something."

"The Chadra-Fan managed to get into the droid's memory and extract any data that might have been stored," Qui-Gon explained, sitting forward and picking up the datapad. "He suspected this data was deliberately stored there, it bears a date signature that corresponds with the day the research facility was supposedly attacked."

"What is it?"

"I don't know. I haven't read it yet." He thumbed a button and glanced over whatever came up on the display. "It looks like a report, a research summary perhaps."

"Good," Adi muttered. "I should think that at some point these people would actually arrive at some conclusions about their research."

Qui-Gon glanced at her over the top of the datapad. "It is assumed Niall's research was incomplete at the time of his betrayal. Correct?" Adi nodded. The Master pondered that for a moment before returning his eyes to the screen. "Yet, these are indeed conclusions. Hard, fast evidence, the kind we've been lacking so far." I could see his face clearly, and I watched as his eyes darkened and his expression hardened with the ominous direction his thoughts were taking. But he didn't share them out loud, he preferred to read further and confirm things before making leaps in judgement.

"Master?" Obi-Wan questioned. "Does it say who made the report?"

Qui-Gon's thumb maneuvered around the datapad controls. "I haven't seen anything yet. Wait..." He paused, looked closer at the screen, and frowned. "Adi, do you know the names of the scientists stationed at that outpost?"

"Yes. Two Tharin, one Revin," the Jedi Councilor answered, getting up and going over to him. She crouched beside the arm of his chair in order to read over his shoulder. "Yes, those are the people. One of the Tharin made this report, it looks like...wait. Go back, there. It's a letter."

Both Jedi Masters fell silent while reading the letter, and their faces both grew grave. I glanced at Obi-Wan, sharing a worried look with him. He nodded in agreement, and asked of them, "What is it?"

"He compiled this report in haste and stored it in the droid's memory out of fear that his life and the lives of his colleagues were in danger," Adi answered when Qui-Gon didn't. "He wanted to ensure that the information was neither lost nor used to escalate the war... 'the truth,' he says, 'should be what we need to bring about peace and not more fighting.'"

"A noble thought," Qui-Gon mused. "However, he lost his life for it, it seems. And still there is no peace." He glanced at Adi, but she didn't notice, as she read over the screen again and then got up and started pacing. Qui-Gon let his eyes rove over the screen a bit longer, and then set it aside and looked up at her. "It's true, isn't it? The Dospara is indeed rich in mineral wealth."

Adi whipped around, the tendrils of her headdress following a second later. Her large, dark eyes narrowed. "What?"

"That's what Niall found out. It has to be." Master Qui-Gon gazed earnestly up at her, folding his hands in front of him. "I know you need to keep certain information from leaking out, considering the nature of the war and the potential for it escalating into something much more serious than it is now. But you must tell me this. You already know what I just read in that report - the legends about the Dospara are true."

"Yes," Adi said immediately. "I just found it out myself a day or two ago, through working with the Revin scientists who managed to save some of Niall's research. They are sworn to silence, though. If anyone, Revin or Tharin, knew what we know, the war would absolutely explode."

Qui-Gon held her firm gaze for a moment, and then dropped his eyes, thinking. I started to feel bad about being there, because whatever conspiracies were afoot and security measures needed to be taken, they now involved me. But it seemed Qui-Gon wasn't even considering that, he had other things on his mind. "I think," he said at last, "you assume too much. Perhaps news about the Dospara would not cause trouble."

"Qui-Gon," Adi interrupted sternly. "A Tharin force is massed along the border waiting for a chance to invade Reva. The Revin militia has stocked up on long-range weapons and is planning a pre-emptive strike. And right now, neither side's leaders are listening to me. It is you who assumes too much to the good, unfortunately."

"You didn't say anything about that before, Master," Obi-Wan said to her in alarm.

"No, you didn't," Qui-Gon concurred, frowning in disapproval. "Have we really gotten to this point? Peace talks are useless?"

"I will only say this: the snowstorm came along at the right time," the Councilor replied.

"No one can move while the storm lasts," Obi-Wan realized.

Adi sighed wearily. I could see that she had never kept anything from Qui-Gon on purpose, she was running herself ragged trying to stop the war from "exploding," as she put it. "I am trying, in the meantime, to get the Revin militia leaders to back off and wait, hoping to buy us some time. I have been unable to set up any meetings with anyone in leadership in Thara," she went on, sinking back into her chair and rubbing her forehead. "I may have to try more unconventional routes of meeting with someone there, to call a cease-fire that will last long enough for me to reveal the information about the Dospara to leaders on both sides at once. If either side gets that information prematurely," she concluded with a wary look at Qui-Gon, "then I have no choice but to pull all of us out on the next transport off-planet."

"We must find Niall first," Master Qui-Gon insisted. "I sense that time is short for us. We must do it soon or not at all. But by all means, Adi, we must find him. Leaving him here on Salji is worse than letting him escape to some Outer Rim colony for fugitives."

The two Masters stared at each other for a long time, silent, the room tense with their urgency. At last, Adi nodded, her expression soft and understanding. "Yes, you must."

"I will wait out the storm, one more day. If it eases up enough to travel by this time tomorrow, Obi-Wan and I will make our way into Thara by whatever means necessary and track him down. I know now where to look, and I'm no longer concerned about stealth."

"Good, because everyone on Salji knows you're here by now," the Councilor said threateningly as she got up. "Your best bet is to go in quickly and get it over with. And if he resists," she added, turning at the doorway and giving Qui-Gon the darkest look a Jedi could possibly give, "on my authority with the Jedi Council it would be in your right to kill him."

Qui-Gon nodded slowly, and Adi left us then, going upstairs. The tension and desperation in the room was getting to me, I looked down and saw that I had my hands clenched into fists in my lap. Obi-Wan was as still as a rock on the other end of the couch, looking away into space. I couldn't bring myself to look at Qui-Gon, I could sense the strain he was under and was scared for him. After a while he got up, the rustle of his robe making his apprentice and I glance toward him. He dropped to one knee beside me and fixed me with a calm but direct stare that I couldn't look away from. "Stacey," he breathed, "what you heard here goes no further than this room. I must have your promise that you'll tell no one of this."

"I won't, I promise," I murmured back. "Nothing."

"I won't be taking you with me this time, back into Thara," he continued.

"I know! Please don't. I don't want to get in the way," I worried. "Definitely leave me here! I'll lock myself in our room and stay there till you get back, I don't want to see anyone or have any chance of being dragged into this even deeper."

Qui-Gon glanced down at the floor uncomfortably, sighing forlornly. "I never wanted to get you in this deep, even. I took a chance letting you hear our discussion, here. If nothing else, the news about the Dospara must be kept hidden, even from Colin Goeben."

I nodded swiftly. "Right. Got it. Not a problem. And I don't even want to know any more about it," I added vehemently. "I'm not even remotely curious. You can tell me anything you want when we're safe on the ship heading back for Coruscant, until then..."

The Master snorted in amusement. "You need not go that far. But, I will honor your wishes. For the rest of today," he concluded, rising to his full height again, "we will not talk about it. We are, for the most part, snowed-in, and I think we shall enjoy it while it lasts."

"All right." But inwardly, I thought, we're not going to enjoy anything. It's going to be a long night of brooding, I just know it.

*****

Snow continued to fly outside, under a prematurely darkened sky that seemed to weigh on the mountains and hills, imposing itself on Droste like an unwanted relative who has overstayed his welcome. Colin came back from work early, along with three friends intending to stay overnight. Over dinner he complained that the snow was so deep that travel was not likely to resume for a day, or longer if the storm persisted. "Radar's even whited out," he grumbled as he clanked around in the kitchen looking for dish soap or something, to clean up after our hasty dinner. "We can't tell if the storm will blow itself out overnight, or if there's more to come."

"It will be all right," Qui-Gon said calmingly. "It's just a storm."

"All the same," Colin said, leaning against the counter and folding his arms, "it's a headache and complaining about it makes me feel better. I hope the weather's better down south."

The Master smiled gently, understanding the source of Colin's irritability. "Muira and the children are much safer where they are, storm or no storm. I think you made a wise decision to send them away."

"I've never had to do that before," our host murmured with a shake of his head. "I would have liked to go with them, but I'm needed here. The rest of the team needs me to go over the latest data from the Dospara. We're really close to something, I just know it."

I glanced at Qui-Gon, but he wore his "inscrutable face" like a mask. There was no chance of him ever betraying his knowledge even to the kind man who was putting us up. Colin perked up. "Hey, that reminds me. Did you get anything out of that droid you found?"

"It was beyond repair," Qui-Gon replied simply, his attention firmly steered to me, sitting across the table from him. "How is your knee?"

"Better," I shrugged. "I guess it wasn't hurt as bad as I thought. I can bend it fine, but it hurts to straighten it out all the way."

"Be careful with it," he cautioned. "Don't take chances. Perhaps I should take a look at it."

"Okay." I let him help me up and into the family room, where he made me sit on the couch and set my foot on his knee so he could examine the injury. He went about it in silence, mechanically rolling up my pants leg and prodding lightly at the tendons which were no longer swollen. I watched him, his face, and couldn't help but ask, "Are you okay?"

Qui-Gon glanced up, looking surprised. "Yes, I'm fine," he assured.

"You sure?" I gazed directly at him, wondering if trying to get him to tell me something he wasn't going to tell anyone was worth the struggle. He held my gaze, a soft smile creeping onto his face. I squirmed uncomfortably. "It's been a heavy day."

"That it has," the Master agreed, nodding. His concentration returned to my knee, as he gently kneaded his fingers in small circles around it, testing for weak spots. I knew I wasn't going to get anything out of him, so I gave up and let him work. "It looks good," he concluded, smoothing my pants back into place and giving me a warm look. "I still say you should not walk on it if you don't have to, but it won't slow you down."

"Thanks, Master," I smiled, instinctively reaching down and rubbing it myself just to be sure. He didn't get up or make signs of moving, so I slid my foot off his lap and gazed up at him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Will you tell me about Taal?"

Qui-Gon's face sobered, and he looked away. "If it's all right to ask, I mean," I quickly said. "I don't mean to bring up something painful."

He shook his head, assuring, "It's not painful." His head turned slowly so he could regard me with an aloof sort of amused look. "What do you want to know?"

"Just...who he was, how you knew him," I shrugged. "It really affected you when you found out about him."

A melancholy sigh escaped the Master, but he mustered a smile. "I would be glad to tell you about my friend Taal. He was a good Jedi Knight, and to die in the line of duty is an honor befitting all that he stood for." He settled back into the couch and relaxed, turning his shoulders towards me as I gave him my full attention. "I met him first while I was training my first Padawan, and he was apprenticed to another Master. He was showing signs of being exceptionally skilled with the lightsaber - exceeding his Master's level of skill. And no wonder, for he is...was...Triannii."

"What's that?" I wondered.

"Triannii are a felinoid species. Their culture is warrior-driven, and their species has developed to support it. They are quick, agile, keen of sense and mind. Taal had already learned everything he could from his Master about swordplay, but he needed much more training to make use of his natural skill. His Master contacted me," he said with a reminiscent smile, "and asked if I would show him a few things."

"Because you're one of the best," I encouraged with a grin, which I'm sure looked like pure adoration to him. With good reason, because I did adore his skill and prowess, probably more than he did.

Qui-Gon chuckled. "So it's said. I was in the middle of something that kept me on Coruscant for a time, so I sparred often with Taal and taught him what I could. After that, we seldom crossed paths, so the opportunity to spar did not come very often. But we corresponded, and when he was granted the level of Jedi Knight a couple of years later, I was fortunate to be there as a friend. We even joined forces on a couple of missions, over the years," he continued, a lightness returning to his voice, "and as far as I know I still owe him my life, for he saved me once. But, as the years passed the chances to meet grew fewer, and only by correspondence could we remain friends. It is all I can ever hope for," he added with a sad smile down at me.

I laid my hand on his knee in comfort. "Then I'm glad I can be here for you."

His hand covered mine. "Your friendship means much to me. It is a treasure I will keep with me always." He sighed shortly, and recovered the trailing thread of his story. "I respected Taal greatly as a warrior, and though our personalities were diametrically opposite, we got along well. He was bold, extroverted, laughed a lot. He was one of the first of my friends to approve of taking Obi-Wan as my apprentice." At that precise moment - perhaps the reason Qui-Gon had spoken about it-Obi-Wan came in, smiling gently. His Master smiled back and continued. "I think Taal saw something in Obi-Wan. He kept laughing that I had finally met my match. I'm not quite sure what he meant by that," he said with a knowing smirk, looking up at his Padawan.

"I remember him now, Master," Obi-Wan said, taking a seat on my other side. "A tall Triannii, very loud, right?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan. That was Taal. I don't think you've seen him since you were thirteen."

A faint smile glowed on Obi-Wan's lips. "He was a friend of yours."

Qui-Gon's head bowed, and he closed his eyes. "I regret that I was away and out of contact when he died. I would have liked to be present for his funeral."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. If not for me, we wouldn't have been on the retreat, and I felt bad for it.

The hand on mine caressed gently. "Don't be," the Master advised. "It's not your fault. Things happen for a reason - all things. It was my choice to be out of contact. Though, I will have to ask Master Windu why he waited and let Adi tell me of Taal's death, though her transport captain beat her to it."

Dork, I thought irritably, but let it pass out of my mind. I had to take the Master's advice and give Mace a chance, after all. I looked up at Qui-Gon again. "I'm sorry you lost your friend. He sounds like someone I would have liked to meet."

Smiling gratefully, Qui-Gon squeezed my hand. "I think he would have liked that. You two would have gotten along very well, I think. Very well."

He got up, then, and started for the kitchen. I glanced at Obi-Wan. "Did he just insult me?"

The Padawan chuckled. "No, I don't think so. Granted, I remember Knight Taal being very brash and open, but he and Master Qui-Gon were good friends." He laughed again, beaming at the annoyed look I gave him. "He didn't mean it like that."

"Good." I could see where the Master had gone - to help Colin, or at least to offer. Though I couldn't hear much of what they were saying, it looked like Colin was assuring him he needed no help with the dishes. I turned my gaze back to Obi-Wan. "Do you think you'll be going into Thara tomorrow?"

Obi-Wan sighed lightly. "Yes, I do. Master Qui-Gon will probably make arrangements regardless of whether the storm's let up. I know he wants this over with."

"Watch his back," I pleaded. "I hope he doesn't rush in all intent on his mission and not pay attention to all the other problems that might creep up on him."

"I've never known my Master to make foolish mistakes," Obi-Wan murmured, gazing along with me into the kitchen. Qui-Gon stood with his arms folded, talking with Colin a little but mostly staring out the window at the storm-tossed darkness. "He may take risks, but he is keenly aware of everything. Don't worry. We'll be fine."

"Okay," I relented. True, it wasn't his time. But that didn't mean I couldn't worry, and so I did, as I watched him stare into the night outside. I had a genuine bad feeling about this.

On to part 24

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