"I refuse to believe that what happened was an accident," Qui-Gon countered, pacing past me. "If you did it once, you should be able to do it again."

"I tried," I pointed out. "I've been trying all day."

"Perhaps it was the circumstances," Obi-Wan suggested. He was trying to stay out of it, watching and encouraging but leaving the instruction and testing to his Master.

Qui-Gon turned to him with a frown. "Meaning what, exactly?"

"The circumstances of the battle. You were already tuned into the Force, using it, as you fought. I remember feeling how strong it was, when I woke up. Perhaps that is how she was able to tap into it." Obi-Wan looked hopefully up at his Master's face. "You did say something once about her sense possibly being tied into our own."

"That I did." Qui-Gon had stopped pacing, and now stood with his arms folded over his chest, peering at me. "If that is the case, we would be unable to simply duplicate it. We would have to find a similar set of circumstances, in which one or both of us was involved." He thought it over some more, and then heaved a sardonic chuckle. "After all, Obi-Wan, it was your lightsaber she moved."

"So, what does that mean?" I asked.

"It confirms what I had discovered before. Your sensitivity is dependent to some extent on our own use of the Force. Though, while on Salji you did manage to use the Force to locate me and Obi-Wan, before either of us reached out to you." The puzzled frown returned to his face.

"Didn't you say things like that, with the mind, were easier to do than moving objects or mind tricks?" I tried to remember all the things I had come to learn lately about the Force.

Qui-Gon nodded and sighed reluctantly. "That is often the case. Our questions about you may not be answered after all. Well. I had to at least try, before delivering any conclusions to the Council." He stepped away from me and found a seat at the other end of the couch, which was nestled into a corner of the lounge. Obi-Wan also moved to sit down, beside me, and I scooted over to let him in. "Still, the fact that you were able to do it all, even if you did have indirect help, is a sign that your sensitivity is still increasing. Exercise it more, and I would expect it would continue to increase."

"Is that how it works?" I wondered. "Like any talent, practice and you'll get better?"

"In a way," Qui-Gon said brightly. "The Force itself is unchanged, what you improve with use is your ability to feel the Force, to understand its movements and control what you can do with it. Like piloting a ship," he added with a quiet smile and a flicker of a glance toward Obi-Wan. "The more you work at it, the more accustomed to it you become until even the smallest quirks and nuances are familiar to you. It becomes natural for you to act and react in certain ways."

I smiled back. "That's cool. I do feel kind of different. I mean, like when you were gone. I could still sense something, here." I tapped the center of my chest above my heart. "Or maybe it was the back of my mind, I don't know. Something like that. It's hard to explain."

"But you were still able to sense something. That's good." The smile on the Master's face intensified. "When we return to Coruscant, I hope to have some time to really work with you, perhaps with another of the Masters on the Jedi Council. After what's happened to you since arriving here, the more you understand about the Force, the better."

The forward door whirred open. "There are no lightsabers flying around in here, are there?" Master Adi poked her head into the lounge. We all smiled up at her. "Ah, good," she said, finally coming in. "How is it going?"

"No success," Qui-Gon replied.

"No?" Adi shrugged. "That's unfortunate. I shall be interested to hear the full report when we get back."

A brief silence passed between us, as Adi came in and settled down in a chair, obviously not planning on going anywhere. It was definitely a sign that the testing was over, for Qui-Gon did not seem inclined to work with me in the presence of anyone but his own apprentice. I nudged Obi-Wan to let me past him. "I'll be right back. I want to go get my journal."

I made my way to the upper deck and retrieved my journal from the stateroom Adi and I shared, thinking for a moment about staying there, but deciding to go back down where everyone else was. Even if we weren't saying anything directly to each other, it felt right to at least be in the presence of my Jedi companions. Listening to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan talk to each other was fascinating; the Padawan was a lot more talkative than his on-screen performance had indicated, especially when no one else was around and official business was not the topic. Master Qui-Gon, likewise, was more open, but in his own subtle, calming way. His mere presence spoke volumes, even when the expression on his face was blank and generic. Thinking fondly of both of them and hoping I'd get to spend more of those precious moments with them and them alone soon, I wasn't paying much attention when the lift halted and the doors swished open. I nearly ran straight into Captain Falte as I entered. "Whoa! Careful, there," he chuckled as I recoiled from him, startled.

"Sorry!" I exclaimed. "I didn't see you in there. I'm going back down."

"To the lounge? I'm on my way to my quarters, so no problem. Same deck." Cam smiled cheerily and pressed a button. I shrank back a little from him, clutching my journal safely to my chest. He clasped his hands behind his back and faced me. "I hope you're having a good trip, so far."

"Yeah, it's fine," I said. "Thanks."

His smile broadened. "Don't forget, I want to hear all about your adventures on Salji. You owe me." The lift doors opened on the right deck, and he stepped out ahead of me, though he turned swiftly so I wouldn't pass him by. "These long flights can be lonely, for passengers and crew both. Don't be afraid to come up to the cockpit and say hello." With a wink, he drifted down the corridor to the captain's quarters.

Shaking my head, I went the other way, through the formal dining area back into the lounge. I must have had a funny look on my face, because the first words out of Obi-Wan when I walked into the lounge were, "What? Is something the matter?"

I gave him the most distateful frown I could manage. "I think the captain was hitting on me."

Obi-Wan laughed, making Qui-Gon and Adi look up from where they were sitting talking amongst themselves. They had withdrawn to a small collection of seats at the other end of the room from the cornered couch surrounding a little table, where Obi-Wan still sat. I came in without further comment and sat down right next to the Padawan, and his laughter quickly subsided. "You're not kidding," he realized. "He...what did he do?"

"Well...when we came down in the lift, just now, he said something about long, lonely flights, and winked at me. You know what? It's not the first time he's said something like that, either." I gave an exaggerated shiver. "I don't have to be nice to him, do I? I mean, he's the captain, but..."

Obi-Wan did not look very amused anymore. "You shouldn't have to endure that kind of behavior if you don't want. Far be it from me to speak for you, though," he added, looking away. "If you'd like..."

"Eww, Obi-Wan! I don't like the captain. Not like that. He's...I don't know. Creepy. I've met men like him, they creep me out. Too forward." I smirked mischievously to put him at ease. "But don't tell anyone!" I hissed. "I don't want to offend him or anything."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I hardly think turning him down would offend him," he said dryly, his voice all decadent and smooth again. "And if it does, I'll deal with him for you."

"Thanks," I grinned, giggling. A quick, stolen glance told me Qui-Gon was not listening, as he and Adi had something important to talk about at the other end of the lounge, but he briefly looked our way as if to indicate he was curious what we were so excited about.

In a moment he returned to his coversation with Adi. "Did you ever discover who might have been tailing us, and spreading news of our movements over the border?"

Adi shook her head, making the tendrils of her headdress quiver. "My contacts could get nothing. We suspected Gotach for a time, but it turns out, his only fault is incompetence. Colin's paranoia was eased a bit by that, but I think it will be quite some time before he stops looking over his shoulder."

"What about that guy?" I interrupted, unable to help my wondering. "Colin's friend. The creepy-looking one. You know...he was always hanging around the house. He was there when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan left for Thara..."

"Iain?" Adi let out a short laugh. "No, he wasn't a spy - not for Thara, anyway. He was one of mine!" She laughed some more, while I averted my eyes and blushed in embarrassment. After a moment Master Adi quieted down and smiled. "Iain was aiding me, without even Colin's knowledge. He proved very valuable in this mission, more than any of you will ever know."

"If that's the case," Obi-Wan said, coming to my defense, "then almost anyone we met or even passed on the street in Droste could have been a spy. About the only person I trusted was...well, Mowchie."

"That's Wookiees for you," I chided him, smirking.

Adi watched our interplay for a moment, though her large eyes remained unexpressive. "Interesting," was all she said.

We sat for most of the day trying not to be bored in the ship's lounge, as I hoped the ship's regular schedule of meals and night-watch would help me get adjusted back to Coruscant's time, which the ship's time corresponded to. The two Jedi Masters talked about a lot of things themselves, even withdrawing for a while when the conversation became serious, leaving me and Obi-Wan to entertain ourselves. I practiced my reading, glad that I was starting to get the hang of it, though I did have a cheat-sheet of sorts written on the back page of my journal pad. Two meals came and went, and more sitting around, and then it was time for the night-watch and for sane passengers to go to bed. This time, Adi and I retired together, saying good night to the boys and closing ourselves into the stateroom for some women-only privacy. It was a good thing, for the most part, because I did have a few questions about how to deal with certain things in this galaxy as a female human, and though Master Adi confessed to not being exactly human, she was able to answer my questions and promise to help me after we got back to Coruscant and my concern became more urgent. I toyed with one of her suggestions briefly as I sat on the edge of my bed, twirling my pen around in my fingers. "Really, there's medical solutions? Are you sure there's no nasty side effects?"

"None that I'm aware of," she replied as she slid the coverlet of her bunk aside and tucked her feet underneath it. "At least, not for full-blooded humans, which you are. Be aware, though, that these solutions are meant to prevent pregnancy as their primary function."

"Good, because I don't want to have kids!" I laughed. "Not that I'm trying to, there's no way I'll have to worry about that part of it. I'm safe. But I don't like kids, I don't want any. More so if I end up never getting back home."

Adi peered at me for a moment, and then smiled as she lay down and tapped off the light over her bunk. The only light left in the stateroom was my own reading light. "That is surprising. Many women I know have a natural desire for children."

"I don't," I repeated firmly. "Don't ask me why, I just don't."

"And if that is your choice, you are welcome to it," Adi said kindly. I realized I was keeping her up and moved to put away my notepad, even though I wasn't totally tired yet. She watched me with those large, dark eyes for a moment. "How has your time with Qui-Gon and young Obi-Wan been? You've been in their care for over seven weeks now."

"That long?" I turned to her in surprise as I pulled a nightshirt over my head. "I kind of lost track of the days, with all the space travel. You never really know what day it is." I shrugged and leaned on the wall. "It's been good. They're really nice, they take good care of me as much as they can. I just don't want to be in the way of their duty."

"You say you knew about them before you came here. Are they much like you expected them to be? Once you realized who they were, that is."

"Oh, kind of. Qui-Gon's not as serious as I thought he'd be. But mostly, he's just like I pictured. Obi-Wan, too - he's a lot of fun. I like them, I feel like I couldn't ask for better friends."

Adi gave a slight chuckle. "That's nice. But keep realistic expectations," she admonished, rolling over to sleep. "It would not do well to have you falling in love - or lust - with either of them."

My heart stabbed painfully - she had no idea! Or did she? I covered my momentary burst of fear by turning my back to her and climbing into bed. "Does that...happen very often?"

"What? That some charge or ally of a Jedi falls in love with them?" Adi turned half back toward me, amusement in her voice. "Perhaps more often than the Jedi like to acknowledge. Certainly in times and places a greater sense of admiration goes with them. The young may fantasize about them from a distance, as if they were celebrities or idols. But I don't know of any of my close colleagues who have had it happen to them. As far as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan specifically," she laughed, "I couldn't tell you if they ever have had that problem. Probably not. Unless Qui-Gon's younger days of knighthood were more...adventurous than he lets on."

I pulled the coverlet up to my neck and flicked off the light. She better not be saying this because she's found something out! I fretted. It seemed to me I would have to talk to Qui-Gon in the morning. She can't know. We have to be more careful. "Well, I don't know anything about that," I said nonchalantly. "Wait, Obi-Wan did tell me a story about a queen of some system who flirted with Qui-Gon once, it was pretty funny. That was it, though." I sighed and rolled over. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Adi's voice came faintly in the darkness, but I could hear something in her tone that sounded suspicious. "Good. I should hope not."

Without a sun to rise and set, or light to give the impression of day, it felt weird to think of it being "morning" and spending another "day" on the Intrepid. I pottered around the ship for several hours after getting up, trying to avoid the captain while not giving the impression of avoiding him. Qui-Gon mentioned over breakfast that within approximately twenty-four hours, give or take, we would be landing on Coruscant, and the news gave me a better sense of what to do with myself while killing time. I wanted to be away from Cam Falte and his too-large grin as soon as possible, and also wanted to get away from Adi Gallia so that I would no longer be in jeopardy of letting slip to her that I had feelings for my two Jedi companions. The fact that she still could not sense me was no comfort, because I was convinced it wouldn't be long before my body language or some errant slip of a flirtatious comment would be discovered and trotted out in front of Qui-Gon in challenge. The last thing I wanted to see was Adi grilling Qui-Gon over whether he knew how I felt and what he was going to do about it. Consequently, I lurked around the boys in a relatively passive state, not saying much to them that couldn't be termed small talk. To be fair, neither of them were interested in anything much more complicated than small talk anyway, so we hung around the ship in laid-back bliss, enjoying each others' company.

After the third meal, which made it something like evening, a restless Master Qui-Gon was stalking around the main deck of the ship looking for something to do. Ever since we had talked the first night on board, his mood had seen a marked improvement, and he was as close to the "normal" Qui-Gon as I had ever seen him. Master Adi had work to do to bring herself back up to speed with the Jedi Council, and the salon pod's facilities made it possible for her to carry on a number of extended transmissions to Coruscant in order to do so, with a reasonable expectation of privacy. As a result, she was often absent for anywhere from an hour to three or four at a time over the course of the journey, which was nice when I wanted to relax and not be concerned about keeping the depth of my relationship to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan hidden, but also meant I wandered around in constant fear that the moment I eased my vigilance and gave the wrong kind of smile to one of them, she would walk in and notice. Qui-Gon might have noticed, but he said nothing, even in the brief moments when we were alone. That evening, while Adi was down in the salon pod again, he was moving like a brown-and-beige-clad phantom through the rooms of the cruiser, hardly making a sound as he appeared, passed through, and disappeared again. He would vanish through the rear door into the working areas of the ship, only to turn around and trek back toward the salon pod in the forward area. Obi-Wan and I were sitting in the lounge playing a word game of sorts, which he taught me, but every time one of the two doors of the lounge whirred open and the Master's huge form drifted idly through we both looked up at him, interrupting our giggling for a moment. Finally, Obi-Wan had enough. The next time the door hissed and Qui-Gon appeared in the entranceway, his Padawan immediately asked, "Would you like to join us, Master?"

Qui-Gon halted and gazed at us for a moment, hands clasped behind his back. "No," he replied casually, "continue your game."

"Is something the matter?" I wondered.

He tilted his head, and a thoughtful look crossed his bearded face. "No, nothing is wrong," he finally answered. "I'm just...dare I say it, bored."

"You?" I teased, though it really was a bit of a surprise to hear him admit it. "Bored? Nothing you want to read, or do, at all?"

"It surprises you that a Jedi has the capacity to be bored?" Qui-Gon chuckled. He finally came into the lounge, crossing over to where we were sitting around the little table in the corner. "From time to time it does happen."

"Well, even if you won't join our game, at least sit down with us," I admonished him with a smirk. "You're making me nervous with all that pacing."

He gathered his robe around him and sat gracefully beside me, spreading his large hands on his knees. I shifted over to make room for him. "Is it really my pacing that makes you nervous?"

Uh oh, he did sense it. "Well...at the moment yeah," I began. "But..."

"You've been worried about something all day." Qui-Gon glanced across to Obi-Wan, who merely gave him an expectant look, like he wanted an explanation, before settling wise eyes on me. "Did Adi say anything to you last night, after we all retired?"

"No...well," I hedged. "Sort of. She just made an off-handed comment that hit a bit close to the truth, it made me wonder if she suspects something is going on between us."

"Nothing has been going on between us," Qui-Gon patiently reminded.

"No, but..." I lowered my voice and glanced around furtively for Adi. "...there's feelings." I looked up at him, and suddenly my heart tensed in fear. Maybe he doesn't feel the same anymore... "Right?" I prodded.

To my relief, a warm smile curved Qui-Gon's lips. "Yes, there are feelings," he acknowledged. "At least I know I still have them." He lifted his eyes. "Obi-Wan?"

"Yes," his apprentice quickly answered. "I do as well."

As if to prove it to me, Qui-Gon's hand lifted from where he had laid it on his knee and his fingertips combed through my unbound hair. "Were ou afraid that things had changed?"

"A little..."

"They haven't. I assure you." His hand dropped to rest on the back edge of the lounge-couch, and he smiled in a comforting manner. "We may not have had a chance to explore our feelings while on Salji, because of the circumstances, but that does not mean I have forgotten them." His gaze lifted again, toward his Padawan. "I know Obi-Wan would say the same. In fact, some things that happened to us on Salji made it more clear to me how strong my feelings are."

"When you found us in Thara," Obi-Wan offered as an example. "And the attack." He sighed softly. "I've never felt the way I did when I saw Niall chase you past me, and I couldn't help."

"You two defend innocent lives all the time," I countered, shrugging. "You must have to deal with all kinds of things, whether it's strangers or people you know. Just because it's me..." I glanced hopefully back and forth between them. "The need to look out for one another doesn't change regardless of what we feel. You said that, when we were on Chad," I said to Qui-Gon.

"I did, and it's true," he admitted. "But, it's a little harder to be impartial, now."

I folded my arms and gave a fretful sigh. "I didn't want to do this to you guys. It's worse than just making you keep an eye on me because you got stuck with the job."

"Don't think that," Qui-Gon soothed, placing his large, firm hand on my shoulder. "I wouldn't trade my experiences with you for anything." He got to his feet, then, gesturing to both me and Obi-Wan to follow him. I ceased pouting and pushed myself out from behind the table, curious. "There is only one thing I know to do when I am confused or concerned about something," the Master lectured in a kind tone. "Answers come to a mind at peace, and peace can be found in the Force."

I knew what he wanted, then. Smirking, I challenged, "You want to meditate."

"I think it would do us all good," Master Qui-Gon explained as Obi-Wan stepped to his side. "To regain focus, to quiet our minds, and to re-connect with each other as we were able to do regularly on retreat." His hands came down on my shoulders, and he leaned in very close, so much so that his presence was intoxicating to my senses. "And I don't need to tell you that when we land on Coruscant, the three of us together will undergo a lot of scrutiny," he murmured, so that only myself and Obi-Wan could hear in case someone else passed by. However, the doors on both sides of the lounge stayed closed. "Whether or not Adi suspects something, I don't know, but even without suspicions of emotional involvement, the Jedi Council will want to know everything about you that I can tell them. And they will ask you what I have done to test you. It would be to our advantage if we entered into that scrutiny with a unity of heart and mind."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan instantly agreed, his voice also held low. "You're right. The connection between us all should be strong before anyone starts asking questions about...about sensitivity and the necessity of our actions."

"Come, then." Qui-Gon sank to one knee, and then dropped the other one after arranging his robe around him. Obi-Wan actually took off his robe before kneeling and settling himself into a meditative stance. I tried kneeling, but my sore right knee protested after getting halfway down, so I had to settle for sitting on the floor instead with my left leg folded under me. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and let my shoulders droop, my back relax, and waited for the tingling power of the Force to seep into my mind. Since witnessing the fight with Niall, I noticed that I didn't have to expend as great a force of will to reach out to the Force as I used to, and had mentioned it to Qui-Gon the previous day while attempting to duplicate the lightsaber feat. I tested myself now, and was pleased to note that it didn't take much concentration at all before I felt the pervasive power all around me, pulsing between me and my companions, and was able to abandon my concerns and fears into it in search of calm.

While immersed in meditation and feeling very peaceful about it, I didn't hear the quiet whir of the door or anyone step in, but when at last I awoke after a little mental prod from Qui-Gon, I looked up to find Adi Gallia standing in the open doorway, staring. Her eyes were abnormally wide, she looked stunned as she stood rigid, unmoving, without fully entering the room. Master Qui-Gon glanced her way and frowned curiously. "Adi? Is something wrong?"

Adi's eyes narrowed slightly, and her gaze shifted to me even as I looked up at her. "I sensed her!"

The other Jedi started. My heart froze within me, and I clenched my jaw in fear. "What do you mean?" Qui-Gon pressed as he got to his feet.

"I sensed Stacey," Adi insisted, finally taking a step into the lounge. "Briefly, faintly, but I did. Just now, while you were meditating."

The Master was immediately moving to find out more, standing noticeably between me and Adi, blocking me from her view. "What, exactly, did you sense? Could you see into her?" Obi-Wan moved around behind him, out of the way, and helped me up, though my attention was on hearing what Adi had to say and trying desperately to think of something to say for damage control.

"No, it wasn't anything like that." Her initial shock had quickly become studious thought, so Adi moved to sit down on the end of the half-circle couch and looked up at us with a deep, ponderous frown. "As I drew near I felt the Force in strength, and assumed - correctly - that you might be meditating in here. But the strange thing was, I thought I felt three presences, not two. Just as I came to the door, I focused on each of them in turn, but only in passing. I didn't want to disturb your meditation," she added with a kind look at Qui-Gon.

He nodded. "I sensed your approach, but felt no intrusion. Thank you. But, go on."

"I could sense Obi-Wan putting himself through a centering exercise, which is nothing unusual. You are as close and clear-minded as ever," she smiled at Qui-Gon, "but as I focused on you, I could sense something else, something like a mirror of your presence but with its own signature. It was faint, but after a moment I realized that it was Stacey's Force-signature." She turned her gaze upon me again, wonderous and awed. "There can be no doubt. She does have a presence in the Force, but so negligible that it can only be sensed through you, Master Qui-Gon."

A concerned but intrigued look crossed the Master's face. "Through me? I had not thought of that possibility. We've not been around another Jedi since before the retreat."

"There was no way you could have suspected this possibility, then," Adi noted. "It makes sense, though. Now that I've stumbled onto the idea, that is. I had never thought of it either. No one has, I believe." Shaking her head, she kept looking back at me. I got uncomfortable with her scrutiny and hid behind Qui-Gon. "That is very strange. I've never encountered such a thing, it's amazing."

"But you sensed nothing of her mind, what she was thinking?" Obi-Wan asked. I looked at him, hoping to tell him with my eyes how I appreciated his question, because it was the one I needed answered the most.

"No," the Councilor said with a casual shake of her head. "The presence was too faint, and I suspect blocked somewhat by Qui-Gon's. He puts up a strong wall around himself when meditating, I've noticed."

Master Qui-Gon had no reaction to that, but from the way he crossed his arms and turned away from Adi, and the slight flicker of his brow, I knew he was thinking about it, about what this meant. Obi-Wan continued. "Then how can you know it was Stacey? Not some stray movement of the Force from one of the other eight people on this ship?"

"I think I could tell, Obi-Wan," she answered him with a smirk. "My intuition says it was her, it felt like her, somehow. Unsteady, untrained, but receptive. Responsive. It was moving and manipulating the Force, not simply floating within it. It was no mere stray wisp, it had a signature and it was reflective of Qui-Gon's own. That much I could tell." She looked up at Qui-Gon's broad back, which he had turned to her. "Your suggestions about her link to you are right. The rest of the Council need not fear, she truly is what you say she is."

Qui-Gon turned back to her with one raised eyebrow. "There was doubt?"

"There have been comments to the effect that proof of some sort was desired," Adi modestly replied.

I was rather relieved to know she couldn't sense specifics in my head, and with that fear alleviated I started to get excited. "That means you can tell the Council everything's okay," I exclaimed. "It's proof, sort of, that Qui-Gon's been telling the truth. You can back him up. You understand."

"I won't understand until I've heard the full report of what Qui-Gon discovered while on retreat," Adi cautioned me. "But...yes, I will stand by you. This is no hoax, there is no possible way for you to be so blank to us until this moment, and for the only means of sensing you being through another Jedi as a conduit. That is truly strange and remarkable." She set her hands on her lap and took a deep breath like a conclusion. "Well. It seems we will have much to debate when we return to Coruscant."

I rolled my eyes in Obi-Wan's direction, thinking, Oh great. "I'm ready for it, now. Whatever questions they want answered, I'll answer. Not a problem," I declared.

"There is a chance some on the Council may wish to try it themselves," Adi flippantly remarked. "Are you ready for that?"

"Yeah, sure. I guess." But inside my heart started to sink again. It had not occurred to me that if one Jedi could grasp even a flicker of my presence, the rest would want to have their turn at trying too. Shoving it to the back of my mind, I looked hopefully to Qui-Gon to change the subject.

The rest of the night was torture, because while I couldn't sense anything directly, I knew Adi was plying the Force to try and duplicate her feat. While we were all together in the lounge, I would notice her eyes dart in my direction on occasion, and a keen attention to what I was doing as well as what Qui-Gon was doing. I withdrew into myself, not even responding to a sense of reassurance sent to me by the Master lest my reaction somehow be open to Adi. I was no longer in the mood to talk and play games, so after a short time of enduring the tension, I declared my intention to go to bed and said good night to everyone. Alone in the stateroom, curled up in the dark trying to ignore the ever-present machined hum that could be heard vaguely throughout the cruiser, I held a debate with myself over whether the momentary spark Adi sensed meant something was changing. Maybe my sensitivity was growing to such a level that it would not take a bond to Qui-Gon or anyone connected to him to be able to sense me. On the one hand, that meant I could finally sense others, look into their minds just as they looked into mine. With a smirk, I realized I might be able to finally find out whether Mace Windu was just naturally a jerk or if that was a temporary condition he adopted when annoyed. I could know so many things, though it would probably take a bit of training and mental discipline before I could do it. On the other hand, I would have to be a hundred times as guarded and careful as I had been before confessions exploded between me, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan on Chad. At least, until I could determine what the Jedi Council would do to me if they found out about the romantic intentions. Maybe it wouldn't bother them. Maybe they wouldn't care. But what if they did, and didn't let us see each other? After all, I reminded myself, Adi did warn you last night. "It would not do well..." That made me even more frustrated. Punching my pillow, I flopped restlessly over a few times before finally drifting off into uneasy slumber, belatedly hoping my agonizing wouldn't follow me into my dreams. At least there, I had escape.

*****

A pair of large hands glided onto my shoulders from behind, as I sat at the dining table working on a sketch. I shivered for a moment before realizing whose they were. Master Qui-Gon murmured, "Do you want to watch the approach?"

"The what?" I glanced over my shoulder at him. He had been wandering around the upper deck of the ship since after breakfast, taking more interest in the status of navigations and communications than in the previous couple of days. This was the first I had seen him since the meal, though I had been sitting there at the table all that time.

"We are coming out of hyperspace near Coruscant," Qui-Gon explained. "Would you like to watch us make the approach, before we have to take a seat for re-entry?"

I thought about it for a moment and then brightened up. "Ooh yeah! I've never seen Coruscant from this far away - the first time I was...down in the cabin, I think, on that freighter. And the other time..." A memory drained me of my enthusiasm. "I was with you."

"That's right," he remembered. "Well? We should be coming out of hyperspace any minute now." One of his hands slid off my shoulder and dangled down, offering to help me up.

I shyly tucked my hand into his and let him pull me to my feet, leaving my notepad on the table, the cover closed back to hide my personal ramblings. Qui-Gon let go of my hand and guided me to the lift, and we said nothing to each other as we rocketed up to the bridge level and stepped out. It was a short distance down a plain corridor, past the navigation station and the communications center, and then Qui-Gon ducked into the cockpit. I followed, not having to duck, fortunately, and found myself in a busy, working cockpit with a curious collection of spectators. Cam sat in the captain's chair on the left, snapping out orders which the female pilot seated to his right obeyed with silent swiftness. There was one spare seat behind Cam, and Obi-Wan had taken it while he watched the crew do their job. The Padawan glanced up and grinned when we entered, and I stood right between his chair and Qui-Gon's reassuring figure as the swirls of light outside the main viewport resolved into stars in normal space. With a muffled roar the hyperdrive cut out and the sub-light engines kicked in, banking the cruiser to the right. As it soared into the turn, a great, sparkling globe slowly came into the edge of the window, gradually filling the viewport until the entire sphere became visible: the night side of Coruscant.

It was more spectacular than special effects even made it out to be. The black shadow of night turned the planet into a marble, polished and shining in the even blacker void of space, with networks of millions of tiny golden lights forming lines, circles, streaks and spirals across its surface. I felt my jaw hanging open but couldn't do anything about it, the sight was that amazing. A countless multitude of ships buzzed around the marble like moths and mosquitoes attracted to a porch-light, some landing, some taking off, and others traversing its orbit on whatever business they had. The three moons - I counted them with some satisfaction - were poised like handmaidens around a queen, one low on the right edge of the screen, one far to the left, and the other just peeking from behind Coruscant's gilded rim as the ship came around the planet. We would have to circle the globe to find our mid-morning landing pad at the Jedi Temple. Breathless with excitement, I couldn't help but stare keenly out the viewport as the cruiser smoothly passed from the night side over to the day, and I watched the marble turn from black to purple, then gray, then blue and silver as we left the region of lights and passed into the daytime glimmer of Coruscant's sun on the buildings. About that time, I felt a touch on my shoulder and looked up at Qui-Gon. "We have to go down and take a seat, for the landing," he quietly said. Raising his voice, he asked Cam, "Has the Jedi Temple been contacted and advised of our arrival?"

"We've cleared the landing with the hangar, yes," the captain answered. "It shouldn't take long, sir, we have diplomatic clearance and can avoid the shipping lanes."

"Good." Gesturing for Obi-Wan to come along, the Master led the way back through the bridge, past the navigator quickly snapping switches to prepare for landing, and down to the salon pod. I half expected Obi-Wan to stay up and hang over Cam's shoulder while he brought the ship down, but no, the apprentice strode along behind me, his mood light and a dimpled smile on his face. Adi did not join us, so I gathered that wherever she was on the ship, it was sufficient enough to constitute a safe seat in which to endure the landing. We buckled in, and I listened to the change in the engines' tone as we descended into the atmosphere and made to put down on Coruscant.

The Jedi Temple had its own fleet of service ships and a hangar and landing-area to service the numbers of Jedi Knights who came and went daily from it, so there was no need for us to land elsewhere on some floating pad above the surface of Coruscant. The Intrepid V was given clearance to land beside the Temple, which soared above us as the four of us stepped off the ramp and were met with a blast of warm wind. It felt so good after the cold of Salji to have a summery breeze caress my face and see the sun shining brightly in a powder-blue sky, I just had to stand there on the open landing pad and look around for a bit before we went inside. The great pyramidal structure sat high on a plain, stretching far above the smaller buildings which crouched in its shadow. I could hardly see the spires crowning the Temple, even though I tilted my head all the way back and stared like a tourist. The hangar's position was as far down toward the surface of the planet as was possible, but the Temple still stood out over all the surrounding structures like an imposing guardian, austere and unflinching even as air taxis and speeders darted in and out between the spires and long lines of ship traffic wove patterns in the sky above it. A touch on my shoulder again reminded me to move, so I shook myself out of my awed reverie and followed the three Jedi into the hangar, all too happy to find myself in a familiar place even though I had only seen it briefly so far in my adventure.

All of a sudden, a voice behind us cried, "Wait!" We all turned to see Cam Falte jogging across the tarmac, clutching something under one arm. "You forgot something," he said to me as he drew near.

"My journal!" I ran forward and grabbed it out of his hands, smoothing down the ruffled cover and pages to make sure it was okay. "I can't believe I almost forgot this!"

"You left it in the formal dining room," the captain smiled, backing off. "My engineer found it."

"Gosh, thank you, captain!" I said breathlessly. Quickly peeling back the pages, I checked to make sure nothing had fallen out of the pad. Fortunately, the dried flowers pressed between the back pages were still there. Satisfied, I looked up and smiled brightly at Cam. "Thanks! I appreciate you coming after me."

"Not a problem." He smiled back, straightened up at attention, and then returned to his ship. I wondered at his change in demeanor compared to the previous days on the ship, from flirtatious then to acquiescent now, hoping he hadn't looked through the book to find my sketches. Everything was fine, though, so I cuddled the pad to my chest and went back to where the Jedi were waiting for me. Qui-Gon's eyes sparkled with amusement as he reached out and gathered me to his side, steering me through the hangar into the Temple, and we headed straight up to quarters with no detours. Adi left us along the way, as the Council quarters were on another level, but it probably would not be long before we saw her again, when it was time for business.

The familiarity of the hushed corridors of the Jedi Temple impressed itself on me as we drew nearer to the flat Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan shared, though we had not been there in weeks - at least five weeks by my count, going by the Coruscanti reckoning of five-day weeks. I traipsed along behind both of my friends, observing the other Jedi Knights, Padawans, and initiates we passed, and smiling broadly every time someone greeted Qui-Gon or welcomed them back home. The residence hallways were very quiet, and we passed no one once we reached our floor. The dead hush was only broken when Qui-Gon keyed the security pad at the door of his quarters and it hummed open. While we had been gone, the room had been cleaned and kept, but the shade was drawn over the window in the main room just as the Master had left it when we departed for the retreat. The cot was still outside his bedroom, but there were no blankets left with it. The first thing Qui-Gon did was cross the room to the window and slide back the single-paneled shade, letting daylight in. The door swished shut behind me as I stepped in and just stood there for a second, wondering what to do. I was carrying the single pack that had all our warm clothing from Salji in it, but Obi-Wan took it from me and set it on the table, saying, "We can unpack that later. It's mostly things we won't need, I would guess, and your personal items."

"Probably," I agreed, still clutching my notepad.

Qui-Gon returned to us with an unusually happy smile. "Welcome home," he said, his voice light, as he took my hand in his and invited me further in. "It looks like everything is as we left it. I will contact service and have them bring up some blankets for you, it looks like they didn't leave any. Though, I imagine no one was certain whether you would be staying with us when we returned."

"Is that okay?" I wondered, a little afraid. "They're not going to throw me out or anything..."

"No, of course not," the Master assured. "It's fine, at least for now. If it turns out you will be staying with us for more than a few days, I will see to something more permanent, and more comfortable, than this cot."

I nodded at him, but still the fear remained. I glanced shyly at Obi-Wan as he came to my side. "Do you guys mind if I want to stay here?" I asked timidly.

"We would insist upon it," Obi-Wan said firmly, his smile betraying a hint of worry deep in his eyes. "As long as you will be here in the Temple, and with us, I see no reason to turn you out of our quarters."

"That will be decided later," Qui-Gon interrupted, stepping between us as if to end the discussion. He smiled, though, so I guessed he was merely trying to keep my imagination from running away from me and dreaming up all sorts of bad scenarios involving being alone. He clapped a hand to my shoulder in a reassuring manner. "Well, are you hungry? Would you like to get something to eat?"

I was, and I wanted to. "Can I change first? I feel like I've been in these clothes for days."

"Of course," Master Qui-Gon said. "Use my room, if you like."

I had left my jeans and one of the shirts that had been given to me upon my arrival here in quarters while we were away for so long, so I decided to change into them instead of any of the clean clothes packed away in the bag. Shutting myself inside Qui-Gon's spacious bedroom, I kicked off my shoes, wriggled out of my travel clothes, and thoroughly stretched and scratched before sliding into my wide-legged jeans and reaching for the plain tunic-like shirt I had laid on the bed. I paused for a moment, looking around the room. I hadn't really been in it before, except for a short nap my very first day on Coruscant at the Master's bidding, and then I had been so groggy and out of it that I hardly noticed anything. It was larger than Obi-Wan's room, naturally, with a soothing tan-colored carpet that was soft beneath my bare feet and austere cream-colored walls. His huge bed, with its neat, plain blankets, dominated the center of the room, while a small night-stand stood next to its head, bearing a tiny, metallic lamp, and an obviously standard, modern-looking dresser was shoved up along one wall. Hardly a knick-knack or memento could be seen anywhere, except for a small, square piece of artwork hanging near the door, and a lumpy, primitive vase sitting on top of the dresser. Curious, I stepped over and peeked into the vase, which was actually much wider and flatter than any vessel meant to hold flowers. Inside it, I could see a collection of small stones, in all hues and shapes and with all different kinds of mineral patterns on their surfaces. How very Qui-Gon, I mused, grinning. I had a better view of the picture from there, and realized it was hand-painted, a Monet-like conglomeration of color-specks that comprised a vivid scene of trees overhanging water. I wondered if it was supposed to be any place in particular, maybe the fabled River of Light on his homeworld, the name of which I still didn't know. Looking around the room again, I could see how every corner of it was infused with Qui-Gon's presence and personality, no one else could have lived there but he. My inspection was delaying lunch, though, so I quickly wedged my feet back into my sneakers and headed back out to where the Jedi were waiting.

On to part 28

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