Following Your Heart

Chapter 1

"Final count stands at eleven this time around, sir." The young man stood at attention waiting for acknowledgment from his superior. The leader of this small group was silent as he made the mental calculations in his mind. Eleven would bring in a nice pile of credits, but he craved much more than this shipment would garnish. Realizing that his subordinate was still standing there, he quickly dismissed the eager-to-please boy.

"Yes, of course. Very good, Deek. Tell Yung we're ready to lift off for Kessel as soon as possible. We have goods to deliver and credits to collect." Deek turned to go but was stopped by an added command. "And bring me the holoprojector. I need to contact the boss."

A chill ran up the spine of the young man at the mention of the 'boss'. It always did. Even though Deek had only seen him in holograms, the dark figure emanated evil, it seemed.

"Yes, sir." Then he turned and speedily moved to accomplish his assigned duties, all the while trying desperately to ignore the eleven cries for help coming from the ship's cargo hold.

Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi strode swiftly down the corridor of the Jedi temple headed toward the Council chambers. He was racking his brain trying to figure out what Anakin could have possibly done this time to warrant such an urgent request from Master Yoda and the others. His young padawan was so often finding trouble, and Obi-Wan was always the one saving his hide. Even after six years together, his young charge was still prone to flights of fancy far too frequently for his master's liking.

Obi-Wan was already mentally preparing himself to defend Anakin to the council as he rounded the last corner and came face to face with those immense wooden doors. He would never forget each visit he made there, especially the last he had made with his own master, Qui-Gon. Shaking off the haunting memory, he took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Ah, Jedi Kenobi, come in," came the aged voice of Yoda. Obi-Wan looked around the circular chamber at the faces of the wizened Jedi Masters. His goal was to sit in one of those seats someday, but he was beginning to doubt the likelihood of that dream due to one mischievous padawan.

Obi-Wan bowed in greetings to the assembled group and waited for the certain chastising.

"Jedi Kenobi," Master Mace Windu began after an awkward silence. "We have summoned you here at this time to discuss a problem which demands our immediate attention."

'Here it comes,' Kenobi thought as he lowered his head and stared at his black Jedi boots. Every time he entered this room he felt like a young padawan being scolded. The frustration came from knowing he was not the perpetrator but was still being held accountable for Anakin's actions.

"We have received a message from a planet close to the outer rim that is quite disturbing, and they are requesting our help."

A look of confusion shone on Obi-Wan's face as he gradually realized that this had nothing to do with his padawan. Master Yoda easily picked up on Kenobi's relief and couldn't resist a comment.

"Ah, relieved you are, eh? Expecting something else you were." A chuckle came from the elfin creature. Obi-Wan blushed at being read so easily. "Please, continue, Master Windu," Yoda conceded.

"The planet Teemar is home to a wide variety of species, a cosmopolitan type world, if you will. However, recently there have been several mass kidnappings of non-humans. The crimes are believed to somehow be connected to a human supremacy group."

"Those types of groups have been around for quite some time," Obi-Wan stated.

"Yes, but what makes this even more disturbing is that the kidnappers are targeting children." Mace paused to allow the seriousness of the situation to soak into Obi-Wan's mind. "We have reason to believe that the children are being sold as slaves, and what is more unsettling is that it may all be linked to the government here on Coruscant."

Obi was definitely listening now. Over the past couple of years he had noticed subtle changes in the attitudes of some towards non-humans, but had tried to ignore it in hopes it would pass. Now upon hearing that defenseless children were the victims of this growing prejudice, he was intent on helping in any way he could. It was the right thing to do.

"Where do I fit into all of this?" he asked with a raised brow, his face in that typical Jedi scowl. Over the past year he had let his hair grow to just above his shoulders and for the first time chanced growing a beard. Anakin had teased him a bit at first, but Obi-Wan now felt quite comfortable with his new look.

"We want you to travel to Teemar and investigate this disturbance. Find out the facts and report back to us. We will then decide what steps to take next in this matter." Mace Windu leaned back into his chair, his fingertips pressing on one another in his familiar pose.

"When do Anakin and I leave?" Obi-Wan asked, ready as always to do his duty.

"Skywalker will not be accompanying you this time," Ki-Adi-Mundi informed him.

"What?!" Kenobi asked in surprise.

"Decided we have that this would be a good opportunity for you to take a small break from your padawan," Yoda began.

"Yes," Windu continued. "We have felt the strain the boy puts on you from time to time, and we feel that you deserve a respite from your responsibility to the 'chosen one'. The council also feels that the issues this mission deals with may ignite the passions of the boy, seeing as he himself was once a slave. It will be better for him to remain here at the temple where he can continue his training under our strict supervision."

Obi-Wan stood silently contemplating all that had been said. Were they really giving him a break? So many times he had wished for just a day without the responsibility that was Anakin Skywalker. Now here was his chance. He had never been alone on a mission. Could he do it on his own? Did he have a choice?

"Okay," he said. "When do I leave then?"

"Tomorrow morning. May the Force be with you." Those final words from Master Windu heralded the end of this meeting, so Obi-Wan bowed once more before leaving the council chamber.

His Jedi cape flowing behind him, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi walked pensively back to his quarters. His first order of business was to inform his sixteen year old padawan that he was being left behind. Knowing full well Anakin's love of adventure and space travel, Kenobi knew this would not be a pleasant task.

"... and that is how a mynock eats. Pretty disgusting, huh, class?"

A light knock sounded, and the young teacher moved to answer the door. "Okay, boys and girls, I want you to continue working on your independent reports. You each have your data pads, so I expect you to use this time wisely." The students nodded and got to work. She beamed with pride at her class. They had come a long way in her time with them, and she had become so attached. The happenings of the past few weeks made her even more protective than usual of these precious treasures entrusted to her care.

Poking her head out the door, she was surprised to find the school chairman in the hall.

"Chairman Calder, what can I do for you?" the teacher asked stepping into the hall. A class full of ears and other listening appendages strained to hear the conversation taking place outside when the door was shut.

The short corpulent man looked nervous as he wiped away a few sweat beads from his brow. "They are sending a Jedi Knight here to investigate the... incidents."

"Well... that's wonderful, right?" she asked, confused by the man's anxiety. "I thought that was why you sent for them, sir."

"Yes, yes, of course," he said absently. "The Jedi will be arriving after school today. I would like for you to meet him at the spaceport and see that he makes it to his hotel. Then please bring him here to the school for a meeting with the proper authorities and myself."

"Me?" she asked. "But I had plans for this evening, sir---"

"Miss Zendar, I hate to impose, but this is urgent business... the children, you know."

The children. Well, now she felt two inches high.

"Yes, of course, sir. I'll just cancel. It won't be a problem."

"Thank you, Miss Zendar." With that, the nervous little man left, and the young teacher returned to her classroom where a room full of children were desperately pretending to be hard at work.

Obi-Wan Kenobi had plenty of time to rehash his parting words with his padawan during his flight to Teemar. Anakin had been quite upset that he would not be going on this mission with his master. He was young and hungry for adventure and didn't really understand why the council would deny him this opportunity. Obi-Wan had tried over and over to explain, but Anakin, in his youthful pride, refused to see the reasoning behind the decision.

"You're really going to leave me here, Master?" Anakin had finally asked when he realized his ranting was getting him nowhere.

"The council has already made the decision, Anakin. It is my duty to obey them."

"Duty! Hrmph!" exclaimed the boy. "You're tied to duty, aren't you, Obi-Wan? Don't you ever just want to throw caution to the wind and let yourself go? Do something not sanctioned by the all-powerful council?"

Obi-Wan looked at his padawan as if he were speaking a foreign language. Anakin chuckled.

"No, I guess you don't. You really should try it sometime."

"Try what?"

"Following your heart instead of your bloody mind all the time!"

Anakin loved his master, but was often frustrated by his constant devotion to the straight and narrow. Obi-Wan needed to live a little, and that thought helped Anakin to calm his own disappointment. He knew his master felt an overwhelming responsibility for him and that his devotion had rescued Anakin many a time. Yet the young padawan longed to see his master taste a bit of life among the ordinary.

Let myself go.... Obi-Wan mused to himself as he sat in meditation on the transport. When had he ever had the opportunity? First he had spent most of his youth keeping tabs on his impulsive master, and now he was forever keeping tabs on his impulsive padawan. He had never gotten a chance to follow his heart, as Anakin had said. No, he had long ago given up any notion of a normal life, and settled on the reality of his Jedi calling which promised to be filled with business instead of pleasure.

Sari Zendar sat at her desk watching the last child gather his things and leave. The room was a mess from their afternoon science experiment, and she groaned when she realized she wouldn't have time to clean up before leaving for the spaceport.

"Hey, beautiful!" came a voice from the doorway. She turned to see a handsome face, and suddenly her mood was lightened. "Ready for tonight? I hear this place has the best Mon Calamari seafood you've ever tasted." His dark brown eyes twinkled as he came toward her desk, and she almost forgot her call to duty.

"Oh, Jaik, I'm so sorry, but I'm going to have to cancel."

"What?" the man said as his face registered shock. He wasn't used to being 'canceled'.

"Chairman Calder asked me to do him a favor. Well, he didn't really ask... Anyway, I have to go to the spaceport and pick up a Jedi that Coruscant is sending to investigate the kidnappings." A strange look flashed across Jaik's face at the mention of a Jedi.

"They're sending a Jedi?" he asked. "Whoa! That was fast!"

Sari began to gather up her belongings as she continued to speak. "Yeah, well, it's about time the government took an interest in this type of crime. Our children are in grave danger, and we don't have time to waste. Anyway, I am sorry to break our date. I was really looking forward to it. I will take a rain check though."

She was so very self-confident. That was one of the things that had first drawn him to her. Even though he had had more elegant and beautiful women in his time, something about Sari made her more desirable. She was a challenge... a nice diversion during his stay on Teemar. This was to be their first date, and now it was postponed due to the arrival of a stuffy old monk.

"I could go with you," he suggested.

"No, that's okay. I have to take him to his hotel and then bring him back here for a meeting with the authorities and Calder. I have to sit in on it, too, since I had some of those kids last year." Suddenly she stopped and her eyes began to tear. She dropped her head to regain her composure, then lifted her chin up with a forced smile.

"No, I don't want to ruin your evening, too. Let's just make it another time, okay?"

"Sure," he conceded with a forced smile of his own. "I'm going to hold you to it." Then he turned and left the room with a much disappointed young woman watching his exit.

"I'm giving up that for a night with some boring old guy?!" Only for the kids, she assured herself. She would do anything for them.

Sari surveyed the spaceport lobby looking for the Jedi. It shouldn't be too hard to spot one, she thought. The stream of people exiting the newly arrived transport began to trickle off, and there was still no sign of him. Sari was just about ready to call Chairman Calder with the bad news when one last figure strode down the entrance ramp. He was dressed in a long black cape with the hood pulled over his head, and the way he walked so confidently into the lobby made all those around stop and take notice. Surely this was the man, Sari thought.

She began to walk towards him, hoping her guess would be right. It was getting late, and the others would be awaiting his arrival at the school. He must have sensed her purpose for he stopped in front of her and lowered his hood. Sari was taken aback by his appearance. He wasn't old at all, but closer to her own age, she guessed. And he was quite attractive, albeit a bit unkempt with shoulder length red hair and a closely cropped beard. The eyes, though, were what struck her first... so piercingly blue with just a hint of green. He was not what she had expected. The man spoke, and the sound of his lush accented voice was quite disarming.

"Are you from the school?" he asked.

"Yes, yes I am," Sari managed to blurt out as she thrust her hand forward in greeting.

"I'm Sari Zendar, a teacher at the school."

Obi-Wan clumsily took her hand, not used to this type of salutation, and introduced himself.

"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight. I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Zendar."

"Likewise Mr. Kenobi," she replied, as she slowly pulled her hand away. His hand is so warm, she thought.

"Please, just call me Obi-Wan." He chuckled at her address. "Mister makes me feel so old." She blushed just a little before quickly regaining her composure.

"All right then. Shall we go? They'll be waiting on us at the school. I can fill you in on some of the details on our way, if you like." The Jedi nodded his agreement and followed the young woman out of the spaceport.

When they reached her speeder, he was quick to offer her assistance by opening the door.

"Thank you," she responded. "Not too many men around here do that anymore."

"That's a shame. I've always thought that politeness had its own rewards." He smiled and Sari's heart did a little flip. He was so attractive in an unusual sort of way, not at all like Jaik whose stunning good looks brought him stares amidst any crowd. And that voice....

"I'll take you to your hotel so you can get checked in, and then we'll head on over to the school. I'm sure you're tired, but I have no idea how long the meeting will last."

"Don't worry about me. Jedi are trained to handle exhaustion and hunger. So, what can you tell me about these missing children?" Obi-Wan shifted in his seat so that he could observe this young woman as she spoke. He had learned long ago that one could learn a lot by just listening and watching.

She was very open in sharing all she knew. After doing a light mind touch, he could tell she was telling the truth, that he could trust her. Even without the Force, he could tell that her students were her life. He chuckled inwardly as he realized how familiar that sounded.

He also found her quite attractive to look at. She was not overly made up with garish clothes and decoration, but instead dressed in a simple blue dress. Her near shoulder-length brown hair swept back away from her cheeks and displayed her pretty round face and big blue eyes. Just watching her talk and drive, he could tell that she liked to laugh a lot, which was quite a change from the inhabitants of the Jedi temple. She told all that she knew about the kidnappings and then began to tell him a little about some of the missing children.

"... and then he ended up turning in the best project in the whole class!" she finished with a huge smile. Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile, too, at her obvious delight, but then her smile quickly disappeared and was replaced by a quivering bottom lip. "If any harm has come to those children, I don't know what I'll do."

Instinctively, Obi-Wan's hand reached out and touched her shoulder in comfort. She turned and offered another sweet smile which was once again contagious. The Jedi slowly removed his hand as she continued with another story.

After checking into his hotel, he returned to the waiting speeder and the young teacher. When they pulled up to the school, he was almost disappointed that their ride was over. He had truly enjoyed hearing her stories and listening to her pleasant feminine voice.

"Well, here we are," she said putting the speeder into park mode. Obi-Wan looked up at the ancient building in surprise. For some reason he had expected something a little more up to date than the antique in front of him. It was made out of some type of organic brick as opposed to the transparisteel so common on Coruscant.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Sari said sarcastically. "I really don't know how they expect us to prepare these kids for the future by supplying us with nothing but fossils to use. But that's a debate for another time."

Obi-Wan followed her into the school. He hadn't noticed until now how short she actually was. 'So small, but so dynamic', he thought to himself as he watched her curvy form walk down the hallway. Suddenly realizing that he was ogling her, he turned red.

'What are you doing?!' he scolded himself. 'This isn't like you at all. You're here on business, and it doesn't involve gawking at the locals.' He shook his head trying to snap himself out of it. Jedi Knights did not focus on such things... usually.

Chapter 2

"So, they've sent a Jedi, have they?" The man leaned back in his plush, oversized chair and stared off into the distance deep in thought, while the figure on the hologram waited for further instructions. Perrin was getting up in years, but his experiences had made him wise. He no longer rushed his strategies along, but instead took the time to consider every angle. If he hadn't learned this lesson, he wouldn't be alive right now, watching another pathetic lackey squirm in anticipation.

"And what was decided upon at this meeting, may I ask?" Perrin stared down his hawk-like nose at the informant and raised one thin eyebrow.

"The Jedi is just going to investigate for now. He'll just be interviewing the staff and families. If he finds anything, he's to send for back-up. Sir, I don't see this as a problem for our scheduled pickup later this week... in my own opinion," he quickly added.

"Your opinion indeed," Perrin replied. Another pause had the snitch squirming once again, and Perrin reveled in the reaction. "All right, then. Keep me informed of his progress, and we will plan on maintaining our previous schedule." Without giving the other time to respond, Perrin reached over and switched off the holoprojector.

A Jedi certainly threw a bit of a monkey wrench into things. They would have to be more careful this time. Perrin's brief brush with uncertainty was soon replaced by the jingle of more credits coming his way by the week's end. The hungrier the 'boss' grew for the destruction of the alien races in the galaxy, the heavier Perrin's bank account would grow. Money and power made such compatible bedfellows.

Sari's speeder pulled up in front of the Grand Sema Hotel for the second time in less than three hours. It had been a long day and very emotionally and physically draining as well. Obi-Wan Kenobi could sense that her mind was troubled, yet he refrained from delving in with the Force to uncover the cause. Instead he opted for a more conventional approach.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. Sari turned from her thoughts to offer a response. "Huh? Oh... no, it's nothing really."

"Well, it must be something. You haven't said a word since we left the school. I was hoping to hear more stories of your life as a teacher," he said with a hint of teasing in his voice.

She gave him the infamous teacher glare and said, "Are you implying that I talk too much, Jedi Kenobi?" She couldn't help but smile at his lame attempt to look innocent.

"Who? Me? No, I would never imply such a thing. I was actually telling the truth, and please, call me Obi-Wan."

Sari felt a little light headed. It was his eyes and his voice and that grin..... She was feeling like a school girl with a silly crush, and it had to stop. What was it about this man that made her feel so at ease, like she could disclose all of her deepest hopes and dreams without batting an eye? Jedi mind trick---- had to be, she thought.

"You haven't answered my question, Miss Zendar. What has you so preoccupied?"

"Like I said, it was nothing really..... I was just surprised to see Jaik at the meeting tonight. I had no idea he was involved, and he didn't mention it earlier today. He teaches some of our older children and doesn't really know any of the missing students. I was just surprised, that's all." She tried to shrug it off, but Obi-Wan could tell that she was still uncomfortable about it.

"Was he the tall one with the dark hair?" Sari nodded. Obi-Wan had noticed he kept a close eye on Sari throughout the entire proceedings while the other eye had been casting a possessive glare at Obi-Wan. "Yeah, he was rather quiet during the meeting. Are you two--- involved?"

Sari was surprised at his question and it took her a moment to come up with a fitting response. "Involved? No, not really. I mean we were supposed to go to dinner this evening, but then----"

"But then I arrived and ruined your plans. I'm very sorry, Miss Zendar, for imposing upon your evening."

"No, you didn't impose, really. And please.... call me Sari." Her face was so unbelievably lovely in the moonlight, Obi-Wan thought.

"All right then.... Sari. That's a beautiful name. May I ask what it means?"

No one had ever asked her that before, and she was delightfully surprised. "It means 'noble'."

"How fitting," the Jedi said softly. ".... for a teacher, of course," he added quickly, afraid he was revealing more of his instant attraction for her than he should.

Climbing out of the speeder, he turned and offered a simple goodbye before entering the hotel. Sari watched him walk all the way to the door, his cape flowing behind him. He was quite the mysterious figure dressed all in black. As she started the speeder again, she let slip a girlish giggle.

"Sari, you are acting so ridiculous!" she scolded herself. Still, she found herself rushing home to bed in hopes of speeding up the time until she could see him again.

"You look very pretty today, Miss Zendar." Sari looked up from her desk at the young female Twi'lek standing there.

"Why thank you, Nay'la," Sari replied gratefully. The young girl smiled and took her seat. Not-so-hushed whispers could be heard from the other students as Sari finished organizing her lessons for the day.

"I wonder why the teacher's all dressed up?" asked one.

"Maybe she has an important meeting or something," another one added.

A quiet chuckle escaped the teacher. The student had been right. She was planning on a meeting, so to speak. Her hopes were high that she might just happen to run into a certain Jedi today. After finally getting home last night, she had had the sudden urge to do a bit of research. So, logging onto the galactic network, Sari had pulled up everything she could find on one Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight, and had been very pleased at what she had found. He was quite the hero many times over according to the media holoreporters. It had surprised her a little since he seemed so completely unassuming and humble. That just made him all the more attractive to her now.

She had hoped not to be so obvious, but now the whole class knew something was up. They seemed to notice every little change from the ordinary, like if she wore her hair a certain way or if she ventured a new color of lipstick. Not only were they very observant, but they were also very honest and open about their opinion of what they observed. Sari suddenly remembered trying a new hair style only to have a student greet her with, "Bad hair day, huh?" She suddenly started feeling a little anxious about all the extra time she had spent primping that morning.

She tried to push all silly thoughts out of her mind and rounded her desk to start the day's lessons when a voice threw her in a tail spin.

"Good morning." It was him! That voice was unmistakable.

She felt her insides start to flutter and slowly turned to the door. Could the children see on her face how absolutely delighted and terrified she was to see him?

"Good morning," she finally said. "Please come in." The whispers instantly stopped as all eyes followed the visitor. Again he wore his cape, without the hood this time. He wasn't extremely tall, but his broad shoulders gave him such a commanding presence. The children and their teacher were in awe.

"I don't mean to intrude, but I thought I would start by interviewing some of the children in your class, since we're already acquainted. I hope you don't mind."

"Mind?... No, of course not. You can use those desks in the corner over there, if you like." Did his eyes always twinkle like that? she wondered.

Obi-Wan nodded and took a deep breath. Being a Jedi had given him the added ability of heightened senses, which could often be a bad thing. But right now... she smelled beautiful, and he couldn't get enough.

Sari turned back to her class just as a hand shot into the air. "Yes?"

Aido, a male Rodian, grinned mischievously as he readied to ask his question. "Is he your boyfriend, Miss Zendar?" Sari instantly turned red as a burst of giggles erupted all around. She dared not look at Obi-Wan, but could hear him chuckle under his breath.

"No, silly. Mr. Rafe is her boyfriend!" replied another student.

"Ahem," Sari interrupted trying desperately to change the subject. "Class, I would like to introduce to you Mr. Kenobi. He's a Jedi Knight all the way from Coruscant. He's come here to help us find out what happened to your friends that are... missing."

"A Jedi!! That's so wizard!" shouted one of the boys in the back. "Do you have one of those laser swords?" another asked.

"Ebo! Please sit down," Sari directed in hopes of reeling her students back in.

"No, it's okay," Obi-Wan assured her as he threw back his cloak and unclipped his light saber. Holding it in front of him, he moved toward the class and took control.

"Now, if you all sit back down and stay in your seats, I just might turn this on." All heads nodded in agreement. "But you can't get up because light sabers can be very dangerous." They were all hanging on his every word and movement as he pushed the button on the saber handle. A hum sounded as a blade of green light instantly appeared, and then a collective "Ahhhh!" filled the silence. Obi-Wan went on to briefly explain how it worked and emphasized the importance of only using it in defense.

"A light saber is not a toy. That is one of the first lessons a padawan must learn before he or she is even allowed to touch a light saber." He continued for a few more minutes, answering some of the questions the students had, and Sari looked on in amazement. Effortlessly, he held their complete attention, something she often struggled to accomplish.

Suddenly, she got the strange sensation that she was being watched. Glancing over at the door, she caught a glimpse of a retreating figure. She hurried into the hall just in time to see the back of Jaik Rafe turn the corner. A slight twinge of guilt entered her mind as she realized she hadn't really thought about Jaik since Obi-Wan had arrived. It seemed ages ago that Jaik had asked her for a date, much to the dismay of the other unattached females on staff. However, she thought that everyone else had been much more excited about the date than she had been. Dating and romance had never been as important to her as teaching, despite her family's frequent innuendoes about marriage. She had been satisfied spending all of her time and efforts on her students.

She walked back inside her room, and Obi-Wan shot her a smile that turned her heart upside down. Yes... she had been satisfied with just the children... but now...

Obi-wan had taken over the corner of Sari's classroom and was conducting his interviews of the students. After explaining to the class that he would be reading their minds to look for clues, he began calling them back one by one. Children were so much more open to mind touch than adults, he noted.

As he continued his work, his eyes kept drifting out the windows to a range of mountains in the distance.

//There// a voice seemed to say over and over. He was still staring when Sari came up and laid her hand on his shoulder.

"Is everything okay?" she asked in a hushed whisper. He quickly turned to face her.

"Yes... just fine."

"You know, you should be a teacher the way you handled them this morning. They were glued to your every word."

Obi-Wan smiled shyly. "Well, I am a teacher of sorts, only I have just one student compared to your twenty, and I wish he paid half as much attention to me as your class does to you."

"Yeah, right!" she chuckled sarcastically. Then, without thinking, she asked, "Anakin Skywalker is his name, isn't it?" Obi-Wan was surprised, and his face showed it.

"Yes," he said suspiciously. "But how did you know? I don't recall mentioning him last night." Sari realized her slip and felt her face heat up. She didn't want him to know that she had 'researched' him.

"Um.... I think I remember reading it in some article a while back...." she offered lamely. Little did he know that a while ago was only last night!

"How far away are those mountains there?" he asked pointing out the window.

Sari shrugged. "An hour or so by speeder. Why?"

"Do you know where I could rent a speeder for the night?" he asked, avoiding her question.

"Don't be silly. You can use mine. I'll be finished here by around four and then she's all yours."

"I don't want to inconvenience you again, Miss---- Sari," he corrected with a slight blush.

"It's no trouble at all."

Obi-Wan spent the last hour of the school day sitting in the corner contemplating the current situation he now found himself in. She was remarkable in her talent with the children. Her classroom was run with efficiency, yet she was so warm and caring towards all her students. They all wanted her attention, and he found himself envious when they got it.

'You're a fool, Obi-Wan Kenobi,' he told himself. 'What do you think you're doing? You can't feel this way about someone you've just met, it's not... it's not the Jedi way... a Jedi craves not these things,' he muttered, trying very hard to convince himself that he believed every word he was saying, when deep down his heart was screaming out for something it had never had before.

Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on the missing children and mysterious mountains again. Breathing in a few deep breaths, he felt the Force calm his mind, but despite all his attempts, his heart would simply not cooperate.

Chapter 3

Sari Zendar climbed behind the wheel of her speeder car. "Okay... where to?" she asked Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Well, I figured I could take you home and then---"

"I'm not going home," she stated bluntly. The Jedi looked at her not expecting that response at all. "I'm coming with you," she added with a smile.

"No," Obi-Wan said shaking his head. "I can't let you do that."

"You can't 'let' me do that?" There was that teacher glare again, Obi noted.

"It could be dangerous, and I don't want to---"

"Hold on just a minute," she interrupted. "I'm still stuck on the whole you won't 'let' me thing. You don't have a choice. If you want to use my speeder and find your way to the mountains before morning, then you'll 'let' me come along." Obi-Wan was quite taken aback at her determination and didn't know what to say, so he just shook his head again hoping she would back down.

She didn't.

"Why not? My children are in danger, and I refuse to sit back and do nothing. So why are you so opposed to my offer of help?" He knew the only way he could win this battle was if he used a little Jedi persuasion, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Besides, she was definitely not to be considered a weak mind, and his mind tricks would most likely backfire due to her strong will.

"Look, there's something I didn't share at the meeting last night." He glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby before continuing. "The Jedi Council has reason to believe that these missing children are being... sold into slavery." Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. He continued. "There's more. They also think that someone in the government is linked to this whole scheme."

"Whoa... why didn't you say anything before?" she asked.

"I had to be sure of who I could trust. Last night with the others... I didn't feel it was right for some reason."

Sari tried to let this new information sink in as she stared at her steering bar. Slavery? That's what was happening to these children?... her children? A knot formed simultaneously in her stomach and her throat.

"Now you see why I can't take you with me. This is serious business."

"And that is exactly why I am coming with you. If you're thinking that you might find the kids up in that mountain, then I am your only hope of getting there soon." With that, she buckled up and turned on the speeder.

Obi-Wan could only chuckle and be overwhelmed by the feelings for her that were rapidly growing inside his heart. He hadn't smiled this much in years.

They spent the hour drive discussing many different topics. Mostly, Obi-Wan let her do the talking. He found that he simply loved hearing the sound of her voice no matter what she was saying. He was drawn to the movement of her lips as the words escaped, the dimple that appeared in her cheek when she laughed. A couple of times she caught him staring at her, and they both tried to hide a blush.

They reached the foothills, and Sari pulled off of the road. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. He could feel something amiss somewhere up in the largest mountain and guided Sari as she ascended the winding road. All too soon, the road ended and there was no more trail for a speeder to follow.

"Pull over there," Obi-Wan motioned. Sari parked the speeder and exited the vehicle as did the Jedi. Both surveyed their wooded surroundings wondering what to do next.

//Up there// came the voice again to Obi-Wan. He studied a narrow stream that was trickling nearby. //There.//

"I'm going up there," he said returning to the speeder for his cloak. Sari did likewise, but Obi-Wan grabbed her arm. "No... I need you to stay here with the speeder." He knew he'd have to come up with a really good reason besides 'I couldn't live if anything happened to you'.

"I may need to have a quick getaway.... if I run into any.... trouble." He watched in anticipation of her reaction. She was definitely mulling it over in her mind. "Please,' he added softly, and to his surprise, it worked.

"Okay... I'll stay here for now," she conceded.... for now.

More than an hour had come and gone. After viewing her speeder's owner holo three times, Sari was becoming a bit impatient.

"Where is he?" she said aloud. Night would be here soon, and she didn't cherish the thought of being stuck in the middle of nowhere all alone. She pushed restart on the holo once more and made a deal with herself. "If he's not back by the time this is over, you're going."

Twenty minutes later, Obi-Wan Kenobi was not to be seen, and Sari determined her next move. Setting the lock on her speeder, she then looked to the stream descending from high above her.

"There is where he went," she stated, taking a deep breath, "and there is where you'll go." With that she took off up the trail, trying to reassure herself with each step that she was not afraid.

"Yeah, we got to get another load by the weekend or Perrin'll have our tails!"

The three men gathered around the small fire were obviously intoxicated as they continued to slur their words in between the gulps of a dark brown liquid Obi-Wan guessed to be some type of ale. He had followed the stream to this point. That's when he had heard the voices and found the men. After making his way clear around their entire campsite, he had settled into a secluded spot safe behind the corner of the small cabin in this clearing. Even though his instincts told him that the men were most likely linked to the missing children, he had decided it best to watch and listen before taking action. It wouldn't do to have to kill one of them if they could help lead him to the bigger fish because, as Qui-Gon had said many times, 'there is always a bigger fish.'

Unfortunately, for the past forty-five minutes the men had managed to discuss every inane topic possible except their line of work. Obi-Wan had been ready to give them up as just some drunken hunting buddies when the largest of the men had finally mentioned a name... Perrin.

'Now where have I heard that before?' the Jedi asked himself.

"Hey, Deek!" yelled one of the men, a short but stocky man with an overgrown black beard and equally straggly hair. "How 'bout you get us s'more of these here brews?"

'Just what they need!' thought Obi-Wan. The smallest of the trio stood and moved to go back in the cabin. With his shaggy blonde hair and slight build, he looked little more than a child to Obi-Wan, not much older than Anakin.

All of a sudden, the hairs on the back of Obi's neck stood on end. Someone else was close by, he could feel it. Reaching out with the Force, he determined that the new arrival was not hostile, but actually quite frightened. Focusing his thoughts even more, he got a familiar sensation.

'Oh, great!' he muttered as he pursed his lips in frustration. He quickly surveyed the area around the campsite as best he could without revealing his hiding place, and his eyes came to rest on a bush almost directly opposite him. Using his enhanced Jedi vision he was able to make out the mysterious figure.

Obi-Wan slowly began to move, hoping the trees and fast approaching darkness would cover him until he could reach his destination. He had to take care of this intruder before he could take care of these men.

Deek had grudgingly gone to retrieve more ales for the two buffoons he had been assigned. Much to his dismay, these men did not seem to realize that they answered to him. If they had been of a lesser size, Deek would have speedily brought it to their attention, but as it was, he valued his health a bit more than his ego.

He could hear them outside talking in their drunkenly loud voices, and he shook his head. "Idiots," he muttered.

As he walked back out onto the porch, something caught his eye. He barely saw the movement, but he was sure someone was there. Thinking fast, he acted like nothing happened and took the drinks to his cohorts who were slapping each other on the back after one had told a horrible joke.

"That was a great one, Lonzo!" Deek just shook his head at their ignorance. After delivering the drinks, he decided to do some investigating.

"Hey, guys, I'm going to go on in to bed. I'm pretty tired." The two just waved him off as they continued their in-depth discussion of the finer aspects of female slime wrestling.

Sari had walked for what seemed like hours, but was probably closer to twenty minutes, and the whole way she had been struggling to keep her nice outfit from being ruined. If she had thought before she acted, she would have changed before insisting she come along. Now, here she was, dress torn from being snagged on evil bushes, hair a mess from the increasing winds and the accompanying drizzle that had begun moments before, and, even though she could not see it, she was sure her face was smudged by the branches that had been blown into her face as she walked.

"What are you doing?" she asked herself as she looked on at the sight in front of her. The drunken men were rambling on about female slime wrestling, a degrading sport in her mind, and she knew it would not be a good idea to let them know she was here. In their state, the arrival of a lone woman might cause a bit of chaos. The third man had gone into bed and now only the two louts remained. She didn't see any sign of Obi-Wan Kenobi anywhere and continued to chide herself for leaving the speeder in the first place.

She finally decided that she may as well head back to the speeder. He was bound to show up sooner or later, and the sooner she returned, the sooner she could get back to her warm, dry home. Checking to make sure the men weren't looking her way, she began to turn around, and just as she did, a large hand clamped down over her mouth and drug her to the ground.

Chapter 4

The sudden shock of terror that had gripped Sari's heart calmed when she dared open her eyes again. The attacker had pulled her to the ground behind a tree, and she had feared the worst. However, upon hearing a simple, "It's me," she knew she was safe.

When Obi-Wan was certain she would not scream, he let her go and helped her to stand. At first he was angry that she had shown up, but he tried to calm his own temper as he took in her disheveled form. He had to get her to safety before he did anything else.

"What are you doing here?! I told you to wait at the speeder," he exclaimed, taking a step forward and backing her into a tree, his blue eyes boring into hers. Taking a few seconds to push the wet hair out of her face, she tried to catch her breath.

"I did stay with the speeder," she stated matter-of-factly, "for over an hour!" She was not about to let him know that she had never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life. She inadvertently looked down at the ground as she continued. "I got a little worried about you, that's all."

Obi-Wan's resolve melted away as he looked into her big blue eyes. Never before had he been affected by someone like this. It wasn't logical or practical, but he felt strongly connected to this woman and was beside himself wondering what to do about it.

Sari was getting nervous. He was just staring at her. She didn't know if he was going to kill her or .... what exactly was that look in his eyes? Nervously, she reached up and pushed a wet strand of hair out of his eye. "This... was in... your way... hope you don't... mind..." Was that really her blabbering on like an idiot?

Suddenly, he reached up and grabbed her hand. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if trying to regain control. Letting go of her hand, he spoke in a whisper. "You could have been hurt, Sari. You shouldn't have come." He turned away from her, and she felt guilty for coming because she knew he was right.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin things. Did you find what you were looking for?" He turned back around and came close to her once again. Even soaking wet with her hair and clothes sticking to her body, Obi-Wan's senses were on overload. He had to remember what he was here for... missing children--- NOT a beautifully voluptuous woman with a mouth that begged to be kissed.

'Stop it!' he yelled silently at himself.

"I think these men are part of the kidnapping group," he told her trying to refocus by looking at the top of her head instead of... elsewhere. "I need you to stay here while I go back around the cabin. Will you do that for me?... please?"

"Anything you want," she replied gazing into those eyes again, and she meant it. Strange as it might sound, she was certain that she would probably do just about anything for this Jedi.

He looked a little startled by her response, but quickly regained his composure before he walked away.

She watched until the darkness engulfed him, then leaned back against the tree and heaved a big sigh. She was being absolutely ridiculous about this man, following him up into the mountains in the dark--- and on a school night, too!

"Put your hands up!" came the voice. Sari froze in terror. "I said put your hands up!" Sari swallowed hard and then slowly raised her hands as she turned around to face the voice.

"Not a sound or I shoot." Sari was surprised to find she was face to face with the young blonde man named Deek and even more disturbing was the shiny blaster he held pointed at her. The confused look on her face brought a smile to his.

"You thought I was in bed, didn't you?" he stated proudly. "Well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Sari nervously glanced over her shoulder. "Worried about your friend? Lonzo and Korey will take care of him. Now, we're going to go over to the fire and get to know each other a little better. I want to know what you're doing here all alone in the dark on such a rainy night, so get moving." He motioned with his blaster for her to start walking, and she willingly obliged.

Obi-Wan had just made it back to his hiding place when a voice yelled out and made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Hey, boys! Look what I found!" Obi looked toward the fire and watched in horror as the young man came into the light dragging with him a terrified Sari Zendar. The Jedi's hand moved instantly to his light saber, and he could feel the rage coursing through his blood. No... he would wait and not move too hastily. He had to think this through.

"Well, well, well," said Lonzo as he tried to stand without toppling over. Deek let go of Sari's arm, but stayed close by with his blaster still aimed at her. The larger man stumbled over to the captive and put his face within inches of hers, so close, in fact, that she could smell the nauseating scent of cheap liquor on his breath, and her stomach turned. He ran his finger up her neck and under her chin, and she jerked her head away from his touch.

"Aren't you a feisty one!" Then he was joined by his drunken cohort in a loud laugh. Sari tried desperately to hide her terror and her tears, all the time wondering where Obi-Wan Kenobi could possibly be. The look in these men's eyes was not to be mistaken.

The third man, Korey, had moved to where Sari stood and circled her as if sizing up a new acquisition. "Well, now, looks like we're going to have us a real party tonight, boys, and I want to be the first to welcome our guest." Korey grabbed Sari by the back of her head and covered her mouth in a rough unwelcome kiss. Instinctively, Sari quickly brought her knee up into the man's groin and sent him tumbling to the ground in a heap.

"Don't touch me," she stated flatly, her chin thrust high into the air. Deek watched on in surprise as the man slowly got back up and faced the woman again. Seconds passed like hours until Korey's face twisted into a snarl, and he swiftly backhanded Sari across her face.

Before she even hit the ground, Obi-Wan Kenobi had catapulted from his hiding place, light saber ignited. He landed crouched on his feet right in front of the small group, and Sari noticed a look of thinly controlled power blazing in the Jedi's eyes. The two drunken men had pulled their blasters out as quickly as their intoxicated hands would function.

"What's this? Is this your boyfriend come to rescue you?" Lonzo yelled back to Sari.

Korey got off a few shots with his weapon, but Obi-Wan easily deflected them all with his saber. He slowly began to walk closer to Sari who was still sitting on the ground holding the side of her face. Lonzo then gave it a try with the same results.

The two men looked at one another and nodded in affirmation of some unspoken plan. Obi-Wan was now standing protectively in front of Sari though he still faced the twosome. They suddenly ran toward him, blasters blaring, and Obi-Wan had to use some fancy footwork to out maneuver and keep them away from Sari. Unfortunately, he was so focused on those two, that he had forgotten all about the third man.

Deek had watched on, frozen in shock, unable to move. He had never experienced this before.... a Jedi, for he was certain that was what this man was. The laser sword and lightning fast moves were dead giveaways. As he watched the scene unfold, he knew he had to do something in order to get out of this alive. Raising his blaster, he aimed at the fight in front of him and fired.

A searing pain shot through Obi-Wan's side, and he turned to see the fleeting form of the young boy escaping into the darkness. Sari's scream brought Obi back just in time to defend against another barrage of blaster bolts from Lonzo and Korey. The two were not giving up, rather they were becoming more aggressive than ever, the alcohol lessening their inhibitions.

Obi-Wan didn't want to have to kill them, so he quickly thought of another solution. Summoning up enough Force strength, he stuck out his free hand and slammed Korey all the way across the clearing and into a very large, very hard tree trunk. The man's body went limp instantly and slid unconscious to the ground. Lonzo had stopped to watch his partner's defeat and never even saw Obi-Wan's foot headed toward his stomach. He went flying off and landed with a loud thud on the ground. The thud turned out to be his head making the acquaintance of a rather large rock, and Lonzo, too, was out cold.

Obi-Wan stood still for a few seconds after he turned off his light saber and hooked it back to his belt. Sari, still sitting on the ground, was in awe of all that had just taken place within the last minutes. After a few deep breaths, Obi-Wan came down from his Jedi 'high' and realized that he had been shot. Wincing in pain, he grabbed his side and found his hand covered in his own blood. Sari jumped up and ran to his side.

"You're hurt!" she said putting her arm around him.

"No... no, I'm okay," Obi-Wan tried to convince her. "What about you? Are you okay?" His attention turned to her, and his own pain was put aside. He gently used his thumb to wipe away a trickle of blood coming from her nose. "You shouldn't have come," he said softly shaking his head. "Now you're hurt. I've got to get you home."

Sari was touched by his concern for her and the tenderness of his touch on her face.

Then a small pained expression in his eyes reminded her of his injury.

"No, you are the one that is hurt. We've got to see about your wound."

"I'll be okay. I just need to meditate for a while and then---"

"Yeah, right!" she interrupted sarcastically. "You're going to need more than meditation, mister. Let's get you back to the speeder."

With arms around one another, the twosome headed back to the stream and followed the path back to their lonely speeder. The light rain continued and slowed them down a bit, but their determination kept them moving, and within twenty minutes they were on their way back into town.

On the way back into town, Obi-Wan had slipped into a meditative state so as to take his focus away from the blaster wound. Sari drove as fast as she dared and finally pulled the speeder up in front of her apartment building. Gently nudging the Jedi's shoulder, she urged him out of his trance.

"We're here," she said softly as he opened his eyes and took in the surroundings.

"Where?" was all he could muster.

"We're back at my apartment. Now let's get you inside and see about that wound." She got out of the speeder and came around to help him out. He was slightly disoriented at first and his brow wrinkled as he tried to put it all together.

"You can just take me back to my hotel. I'll be all right after a little more rest."

Sari rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Yeah, right. Get out of the car, please." Obi-Wan managed a small grin at her reaction. She was a mess, but a beautiful mess at that.

Upon entering Sari's apartment, Obi-Wan felt instantly at home. It was so warm and inviting with holos of what he assumed were family members scattered all over the place. It was a stark contrast to his sparse and sterile accommodations back in the temple. A small pang of envy entered his heart as he thought about the family he would never know. He had sacrificed much to become a Jedi. A so-called normal life would probably never be his.

Sari motioned for him to have a seat on her plush sofa while she retreated to the back of the apartment in search of antiseptic and bandages.

"You need to take off that wet shirt so I can see about your side," she yelled from another room. Obi-Wan chuckled. As a teacher she was used to taking control and giving directions. It was a bit strange for him to be the one being taken care of since it was almost always the other way around. He obeyed her 'orders' and took off his wet tunic just as she reentered with an armful of supplies.

Sari's heart shot up into her throat. There he was sitting wet and shirtless on her sofa. The muscles in his chest and arms were taut and well-defined, and she tried desperately not to stare. Her gaze wandered down and she let out a small yelp as she plopped down next to him on the couch.

"Oh my gosh! That looks awful! Here....let me have a look.." Obi-Wan was startled by her response, then realized that she was talking about his wound. She immediately began dabbing the injury with some cloth being careful not to cause anymore pain to her patient.

"It's not that bad, really," he said as he watched her work. She was so gentle... so caring in every move.

"I'll be the judge of that," she replied lifting her head to offer a smile. After a few more seconds, she had finished cleaning and bandaging his side and sat up triumphantly.

"There! All done. And it wasn't as bad as it looked. The shot just grazed your side and didn't really go clean through. You should still see a doctor though."

Obi-Wan smiled. "I think you've done better than any doctor could do. Why, the Jedi healers would have a run for their money with you around."

"Oh, please! You're too kind, my dear Obi-Wan Kenobi," she teased back.

Obi-Wan gazed deep into Sari's eyes. What was happening here?, he wondered. He gently brought his hand up and touched the side of her face causing her to take in a deep breath and close her eyes.

"Your face... is a bit swollen. Does it hurt?" he asked softly, keeping his hand on her cheek. His touch was electrifying. She opened her eyes, swallowed hard, and shook her head. Obi-Wan scooted a little closer and lowered his face near hers.

"I'm sorry I let this happen to you. I should have acted sooner." His mouth was now just inches away from hers and she wondered if he could hear her heart pounding. Their breathing became more rapid as their eyes remained locked.

"No," Sari muttered breathlessly, "I should have stayed with the speeder... like you said..." Obi-Wan now moved his gaze down to her mouth and tried to fight the urge to cover her lips with his. 'A Jedi craves not...' began to play in his mind but was quickly replaced by 'let yourself go!', one of the last things Anakin had said to him before he left.

"It's really all my fault.." Sari continued softly, but before she could finish, Obi-Wan had taken his padawan's advice and let himself go, pressing his lips firmly but tenderly to Sari's. She willingly responded bringing one hand up to run through the back of his hair and the other to rest on his bare chest. Obi-Wan brought one of his hands around her waist and began to pull her closer as they continued to lavish short passionate kisses on one another. He could feel his blood rushing through his veins and his temperature rise with every touch of her lips and fingers.

Bzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzzzz!

"What... what was that?" he asked in between her warm kisses. She seemed oblivious to the sound and just kept pressing her hungry lips to his. He quickly resumed his previous activity without another thought.

Bzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzzzz!

This time Sari heard it, too, and grudgingly stopped all actions, letting her hands drop into her lap. "It's my doorbell!" she declared. Suddenly realizing what had just been happening, she nervously avoided Obi-Wan's gaze and jumped up from the sofa straightening out her disheveled hair as she walked toward the door. Obi-Wan was also suddenly very self-conscious and stood up wondering what to do next.

"I think I'm just going to use your refresher, if you don't mind," he announced as he took off down the hall.

"Sure," she replied, her heart beating faster than ever. What had just happened?!, she screamed inside. 'Were you really just kissing him?!' She tried to calm herself as the door buzzed one more time. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

"Jaik? What are you doing here?" Sari asked in surprise. Jaik thought he noticed a hint of annoyance in her eyes and felt his confidence waiver just a little.

"Hello.... I'm fine.... yes, I'd love to come in, thank you," he replied as he smoothly wormed his way inside. Sari simply stood staring at him not knowing whether to laugh at his slick entry or throw him out for his presumptuous behavior.

Studying her disarrayed appearance, he had to comment. "Whoa! What happened to you?" One of Sari's eyebrows raised as she started to give him a piece of her mind, but he spoke again before she could. "You know, I tried to find you after school, but you were gone early. Then I tried to call several times but got no answer." He stepped closer and took her chin in his hand. "I was starting to get worried about you." He flashed her his infamous Rafe grin expecting her to melt like butter at any moment. Needless to say, he was quite shocked when she carefully removed his hand from her face and took a few steps back.

"I'm just fine, thank you. I just got caught in the rain is all." Jaik couldn't understand why his charms weren't working their usual magic, but decided not to give up.

"What's wrong, Sari? Just last night we were going to go have a nice romantic dinner for two, and now..."

"Now what?" she spat back with her arms crossed.

"Well, now, it's like you can't stand the sight of me or something, ever since..."

"Yes?" she said impatiently.

"Ever since that Nekobi guy showed up."

"Kenobi," she corrected. "His name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Nekobi, Kenobi, whatever. I really don't trust the guy, Jedi or not. His type, they flaunt their light sword and all the chicks come crawling. He probably has a mistress on every planet. You know, I was surprised at you today."

. "What are you talking about?" she asked, still trying to digest the 'mistress on every planet' comment.

"I saw him in your classroom showing off his sword. Knowing your stance on violence, I was surprised you allowed it."

Sari lowered her eyes in thought. It did somewhat contradict her usual position to allow a weapon in the room with her students, but he was a Jedi. That was different... right?

Jaik could see her wavering and figured he was home-free. "Hey, why don't you let me make you some warm coffee or tea while you go change out of those wet clothes into something more comfortable. Hmm?" He had his hands on her shoulders and an arrogant smirk on his face. Sari was certain on a lesser woman that this lame come-on would surely work, but not this time. Not her.

'I think you should leave, Jaik."

"What?" he said, again surprised.

"I just want to go to bed... alone. It's been a very long day and I need some rest. No coffee. No tea. Just me and my bed." As she was speaking, she had herded him to the door. "So, good night, and I'll see you in school tomorrow." With that, she pushed him into the hallway and shut her door. Jaik stared at the door dumbfounded, and when the lock clicked he felt as if he'd just been smacked in the face--- for the very first time.

Obi-Wan had tried not to eavesdrop, but, with his finely honed Jedi hearing, he just couldn't help himself, especially when he realized who the visitor was. When the man had messed up Obi's name, the Jedi had just chuckled and shook his head. However, when Jaik had suggested that Obi-Wan was not to be trusted and had a lover on every known world, the Jedi was ready to storm out of the refresher and start the lout on the long and painful road to 'enlightenment'.

Sari's words had kept him in place. She handled the man with more finesse than a Nubian princess. Obi-Wan had to put his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. She was amazing.

"What am I doing?" Sari asked herself out loud as she stood motionless staring at the door she had just pushed Jaik out of. The events of the past few days had plunged her mind and heart into utter chaos. First, some of the school children had gone missing. Next, the Jedi knight showed up, and she ended up almost being attacked by kidnappers in the middle of the mountains only to have said Jedi rescue her. Then he ended up shirtless in her apartment, on her couch, attached to her lips only to be interrupted by the man she thought she was interested in only days ago.

"This is too much for me to process right now."

Sari began nervously straightening her front room. Cleaning somehow always helped to ease her stress and keep her from going over the edge. As she moved toward the couch, Obi-Wan Kenobi's bloody tunic caught her eye.

'He's still here!' she silently reminded herself as she picked up the garment giving it the once over. Sari inadvertently licked her lips as the memory of their heated kiss lingered heavily all around. Her body tingled at the mere thought of him and how he had made her feel. But then, like a hard smack on the face, Jaik's words about the Jedi from only minutes before repeated in her mind.

Did Obi-Wan really have women on other planets? He seemed so sincere, but... why should she expect to be the only woman that a handsome, charming defender of the galaxy would be interested in?

'I'm certainly nothing special... no princess or anything like that,' she thought. The sound of the refresher door jolted her out of her inner discussion. Despite the cleaning, the anxiety returned instantly as soon as she heard his sultry, accented voice.

"Is everything all right?" Obi-Wan asked as he walked into the room. Sari could tell he had cleaned himself up a bit, and he noticed her looking at him. "I hope you don't mind that I cleaned off a little. I hung my towel up," he said waiting for a response.

"That's... that's fine... I'm fine. That was Jaik at the door," she said pointing back towards the entry way. "He was worried about me and just wanted to make sure I was okay."

"He didn't stay?" Obi asked, already knowing the answer.

Sari got a strange look on her face, and Obi suddenly wished he had remained silent.

"Um... he had to... go." A few moments of awkward silence hung between them since neither knew what to say. Obi-Wan took her silence to mean that the kiss should be forgotten and tried to come up with a reason to change the subject.

"Could I use your holoprojector? I need to report in to the Jedi Council about tonight's events... up in the mountains with the men, I mean," he said as he shyly looked away. He felt like such a school boy around her, especially now that it was so apparent that she regretted their kiss.

"Of course," Sari replied avoiding his eyes at all costs as she led him back to her room. "It's right in here. I'm just going to get cleaned up myself, so take your time."

She hurried out of the room and into the refresher, relieved to be out of his presence.

Obi-Wan sat down at Sari's desk and turned on the holoprojector. After dialing, he sat back and waited for an answer. Soon enough, a familiar face came into focus.

"Obi-Wan? Do you have any idea what time it is?" A half-asleep Anakin Skywalker rubbed his eyes and then ran a hand through his tousled blond hair.

"Sorry, Anakin, but this is important," Obi-Wan responded. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Hello. So nice to see you, and how are you?" Obi rolled his eyes at his padawan's sarcasm.

"Yes, hello and all that. Things are getting very interesting here. I just had a run-in tonight with some men related to these disappearing children. Now, they mentioned a name--- Perrin. I want you to ------"

"Excuse me," came a feminine voice. Anakin peered behind Obi-Wan to see where the voice came from. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped when a beautiful woman in a towel tiptoed across his field of view. "I just forgot to get my robe. Sorry!" Then she was gone.

Obi-Wan's face was frozen in terror.

"Who was that?" Anakin asked as a smile began to spread across his face. He noticed his master begin to squirm uneasily trying to formulate an answer. "Who was who?" Obi-Wan lamely attempted.

"Um... the half-naked woman that just came in and out of the room you're in. Looks like things are getting interesting there, master."

"Oh, her. That is Sari Zendar... she... uh... teaches at the school and has been... helping me in my... investigation." By the look on Anakin's face, Obi-Wan knew he wasn't getting off that easily. Anakin erupted into laughter. He was wide awake now.

"Woo-hoo!" the teenager exclaimed causing his master to redden even more. "You devil, you! Here you had me thinking that you weren't even interested in the fairer sex, and the minute you're out of my sight you find a beautiful female to spend your time with." Anakin leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "I'm impressed!"

"Anakin, please!" Obi-Wan pleaded. "It's not what you think."

"No, don't ruin it for me. Let me dream," the padawan responded.

"Look, we don't have time for me to explain everything to you, but don't get carried away. I need you to find out all you can about a man named Perrin. He's got to be one of the main players in this kidnapping game, so I need the information as soon as possible."

"Sure... okay."

"You can tell the council that I contacted you and that I should know more in a couple of days. I think someone at the school is involved also, but I'm not sure who it is yet. I need you to help me out, Anakin."

"You can count on me, Obi-Wan," Anakin assured his master. Obi-Wan started to move towards the power button when Anakin offered one last line. "Hey! May the Force be with you... and the teacher!" And with a smug wink, Anakin was first to end the transmission.

Sari took a very long hot shower in hopes of avoiding Obi-Wan anymore for the night. Her mind was spinning, and she didn't want to be forced to make some polite small talk, so she spent as much time as she could in the refresher. Finally, she took a deep breath and ventured back into her room. Luckily, he was gone. She had offered him her spare bedroom earlier and assumed that's where he was. Climbing into bed, she turned off her light and snuggled under the covers wanting desperately to just go to sleep.

Obi-Wan heard her come out of the refresher and go to bed. He couldn't sleep, so he had been trying to meditate. It was difficult, he found, to calm his mind enough to focus on just one thing at a time. The children were his main priority, and he knew that. They were his duty, and he always fulfilled his duties. However, thoughts of Sari kept interrupting, and when she opened the refresher door and he could smell the clean scent of her, he simply gave up trying to meditate all together.

'You're acting childish, Obi-Wan!' he scolded himself. 'You were too presumptuous and bold, and now she thinks you're a fool. This would have never happened on Coruscant. Now Anakin thinks... who knows what!' The Jedi laid back down and made another attempt to get some sleep despite the circus playing in his mind.

Chapter 5

Morning brought a refreshed outlook to Obi-Wan. He had finally gotten to sleep and rose before sunrise, as usual, to meditate. During this much more focused session, an idea dawned on the Jedi that would hopefully solve the mystery of the missing children. He couldn't wait to share it with Sari even though he was unsure of how she would react.

Sari's alarm went off and jolted her out of a sound slumber. She sleepily sat up trying to remember what she had been dreaming because she knew for sure that she had dreamed all night long. As was her habit, she stumbled to her closet to find something to wear to school and quickly got dressed. Then she shuffled to the refresher to finish getting ready. The memory of the night before had not yet emerged until she suddenly heard someone moving around in her kitchen. She froze in place and her heart dropped.

She had forgotten Obi-Wan was still there.

"Oh, no," she groaned before opening the door. With great trepidation she made her way to the front of the apartment. The smell of breakfast cooking perked her senses as did the sight of a wide awake, smiling Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Good morning!" he announced with a twinkle in his blue eyes. "I was beginning to wonder about you. I hope you don't mind, but I've made breakfast. It's not very often that I get to have real fresh food."

With a bewildered look on her face, Sari entered the kitchen and had a seat at the table. The Jedi sat a plate of something delicious in front of her, and she hesitantly began to eat.

"This is pretty good," she admitted continuing to eat. "I didn't realize how hungry I was."

"I'm glad you like it," Obi-Wan said. "Sari?" She looked up from her meal to meet his deep soulful eyes across the table from her. "I want to thank you for all you've done for me while I've been here. You've been so kind to tend to my injury and allow me to stay here. I hope I've not been too much of an inconvenience to you."

Sari had to snap herself out of it. It was a mixture of his smooth sexy voice, mesmerizing eyes, and quiet sensuality that kept drawing her right back under his spell. She was sure it had to be his manipulation of the power he called the Force that was causing her to feel this way. Jaik's words about other women crept back once again. Looking at the man sitting there, she was sure he had to have women all over the galaxy longing for his return. How could he not?

"It's been no trouble at all," she blurted out. "Well, except for last night..." she quickly added. Obi-Wan suddenly looked away, a slight blush showing on his cheeks.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that. I was too... bold, and I apologize."

"You apologize for rescuing me?" she asked. Realization slowly dawned on Obi-Wan. She was talking about the incident in the mountains--- not the one on her couch.

"Oh!--- of course not. I was... I was referring to.... to something else." Now he really felt like a fool. Suddenly, Sari jumped up from her chair.

"What time is it?!" she declared.

"Huh?" Obi muttered.

"I've got to get to school! I'll drop you at your hotel first, though, but can you get a ride back to the school later?"

"Yeah, sure," he answered. He was relieved the subject was changed, yet disappointed that he didn't get to share his plan. Instead, he readied himself to leave.

"My padawan may send some information here for me later today. Would you be sure to save it for me?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied as she closed the door behind them. 'Whew!' she said to herself. 'I'm glad that worked! I wouldn't have known what to say to him.'

The day was going rather smoothly for Sari despite the frequent thoughts of Obi-Wan and his kiss, always quickly followed by the memory of Jaik's words that stole her joy every time. She wanted so much to believe that there could possibly be something between herself and the Jedi, but the seeds of doubt had been sown, and try as she might, she couldn't get past the thought of Obi-Wan in the arms of another woman. He probably laughed about his conquests from planet to planet... but that kiss...

"Miss Zendar?" came the voice on the intercom. It was Chairman Calder.

"Yes, sir?" she replied from her now empty room. The children were gone to art class.

"Would you please come to the office?" the man asked.

"Sure," she answered. It wasn't very often that he called on the intercom, so Sari was sure that it must be important.

She was surprised to find Obi-Wan, Jaik, and a few others in the chairman's office when she arrived. The Jedi was dressed in a clean black outfit and stood at the head of the room as a quiet but powerful presence. Jaik flashed one of his winning smiles when she entered and politely offered his seat to her.

"Thank you," she replied casting a quick glance at Obi-Wan. He shifted uneasily and his brow wrinkled as he frowned and looked away.

"Anything for you, my dear," Jaik whispered into her ear. Of course, Obi-Wan heard the remark even if no one else did, and his lip curled into an imperceptible snarl. He didn't trust the man anymore than he'd trust a Bothan politician. Why was he feeling so possessive of this woman? Did one kiss mean that she'd pledged her life to him? No, of course not... but he couldn't help feeling a tad bit jealous for some reason.

Chairman Calder began to speak once everyone was situated.

"I've called you all here because of the recent kidnappings of some of our students. As you all know, Jedi Kenobi was sent here to investigate the matter and last night discovered the location of some of the perpetrators."

Sari shifted nervously in her seat. Would Obi-Wan reveal that she had been with him? That might be a little embarrassing in front of all of these people. The chairman continued.

"He has come to me with a plan for solving this crime. I believe it could prove successful, so since it will involve some of you, I thought you should hear it straight from him. Jedi Kenobi...."

Obi-Wan moved to the center of the room and explained his plan.

"Are you insane?!" Sari yelled as she sprang from her chair and quickly covered the distance between herself and the Jedi. She could tell from the surprised look on his face that he was caught off guard by her reaction despite his attempts to appear unaffected. She glared into those piercing eyes and refused to back down.

"You want my students to play the bait in your little trap?! Surely you can't be serious, Jedi Kenobi." She hoped he noticed her use of his formal title. "They're just children, and I refuse to purposely put them in danger's way.... No.... I won't allow it." With that she crossed her arms to emphasize her resolve on the matter and thrust her chin defiantly into the air.

That was that, she thought, quite proud of her boldness. Everyone was silent for a moment as their eyes went back and forth from Sari to the Jedi waiting to see who would speak first. Obi-Wan frowned as he studied the young woman in front of him. In the short time he had spent with Sari, he had realized how devoted she was to her students, much like himself. However, he hadn't expected such heated opposition from her.

"Now just wait a minute, Sari," a voice spoke, but it wasn't Obi-Wan. It was Jaik. He moved in between the two and attempted to calm the situation. "I know that you're concerned about the kids, but Kenobi's plan may be our only hope of ending these abductions. He's got it all figured out. He does this kind of thing all the time. I think we should trust him."

Both Sari and Obi-Wan were now looking at Jaik like he was some alien life form never before seen by man.

"YOU want me to trust HIM?!" Sari asked trying to straighten it all out in her mind. Jaik was the last person she expected to defend the Jedi. Obi-Wan was just as shocked.

"I agree, Miss Zendar," Chairman Calder interjected. "I believe it may be the only way, and despite your opposition, I'm afraid I'm going to cooperate with Jedi Kenobi's plan. You can help... or not. The choice is yours."

Everyone was uncomfortably silent again as Sari pondered her options. If her students were going to be involved, then she had no choice.

"All right... I'll cooperate--- but I still don't like it." If looks could kill, then the one she shot Obi-Wan would have knocked him over instantly.

Sari was so angry that she couldn't see straight. How could Obi-Wan even suggest such a thing? And how could the others go along with such a crazy plan? She somehow forced herself through the rest of the school day praying that she wouldn't run into the Jedi. She didn't trust herself not to belt him in the mouth.

Jaik was right. That's what she kept thinking. He was right yesterday when he said he didn't trust Obi-Wan. She had trusted him until he came up with the idea to lure the kidnappers by using her students. She just had a bad feeling about the whole situation. Something wasn't quite right.

She made it out of the school without seeing Obi-Wan again. She didn't know if he was even still in the building, and right then, she didn't even care. All she kept thinking about was the danger the children could be in as soon as tomorrow.

Once inside her apartment, she walked back to her room to change into something more comfortable. She wasn't going anywhere tonight except to bed. No jaunt to the mountains or even downstairs.... just bed. As she dressed, her holoprojector beeped alerting her to an incoming call. Sitting down at her desk, she turned it on and was surprised to see a handsome young man with a head of tousled blond hair and big blue eyes.

"Hello?" she said, sure that he must be Obi-Wan's padawan.

"Oh, hello," he replied with a nice smile. "I'm Anakin Skywalker. I'm trying to contact Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Hello, Anakin. I'm Sari Zendar, a teacher at the ---"

"Yeah, I know. Obi-Wan told me about you," he said with a grin. "And I saw you briefly last night."

Sari felt her face heat up at the memory. "Oh..." she muttered. "Anyway, he's not here. He's back at his hotel, if I had to guess. We haven't spoken since earlier today."

Anakin could sense that all was not well. He had been able to tell from speaking to Obi-Wan the night before that something was happening between his master and this woman. The way his face had turned bright red when she had entered the room... it was something all right! The young man instantly liked this woman and couldn't believe that his master had messed things up already. Well, Anakin thought to himself, he would just have to fix them.

"Do you think you could deliver some information to him for me? I'm sending some printouts to your computer, and they're very urgent."

"Well...," she was thinking it over, he could tell. "I'll probably see him tomorrow..."

"No, he really needs to get this stuff right away. It's for his investigation." She was a tough nut to crack, but he was not giving up that easily.

"Oh, all right," she finally conceded. Anakin gave a silent cheer at his accomplishment. He had given Obi-Wan another chance, and hopefully the man would use it to his advantage. She was very pretty and seemed quite likable.

"It'll take a few moments to complete the transmission, so just hang on," Anakin said. "You know, I think he really likes you."

"What?" Sari asked, suddenly very interested in what the boy had to say.

"Obi-Wan is not one to get close to many people. He pretty much stays to himself and focuses on his work... all the time! But I could just tell that he seems to genuinely like you." Anakin was watching Sari's face trying to gauge her reaction. When she finally grinned, he felt victorious. Maybe there was hope for his lonely master after all.

Sari felt herself blush a little. Was this boy right? Did Obi-Wan truly like her company and hers alone? The possibilities made her heart flutter.

"Okay, Anakin Skywalker. You've won. I'll see that he gets this information tonight." Sari smiled as she said good-bye and switched off the holoprojector. So much for staying in. Pulling out a clean outfit from her closet, she quickly dressed and took off to find the Jedi knight.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was not used to dealing with a woman's scorn. It was quite an intimidating thing. Sari's reaction to his idea earlier that day had been very unexpected, but now in hindsight, he should have known she would fight to keep her students safe, like any good teacher.

However, one thing he had learned as a Jedi was to give people space and time to cool down, so he hadn't tried to speak to her anymore that day. He had even avoided her hallway in the school so as not to risk receiving anymore of those killer glares. She had quite a temper along with all of that sweetness, and he was confused and intrigued all at the same time.

After interviewing a few of the school staff, he had left to set things up for the next day. He wanted to make sure everything was just right, so that none of Sari's fears would prove founded. The children's safety was important to him, as well. It was his job... his duty to keep them safe.

After a hectic day, the Jedi made his way back to his hotel room. He snickered as he realized he hadn't spent much time there, and blushed when he thought about where he'd rather be. For the first time since his childhood friendship with the Mon Calamari girl, Bant, he found that he truly enjoyed the companionship of a female. Only this time he was an adult, and he found himself thinking of Sari in a slightly more 'adult' kind of way. He licked his bottom lip and remembered kissing her the night before. She had stirred feelings within him that he didn't even know he was capable of having. He had just thrown his cape over a chair when there was a knock on his door.

Opening it, he was shocked, and pleased, to see Sari standing on the other side.

"Hi," she said sheepishly.

"Hello," Obi-Wan responded, a bit confused by her appearance at his room.

Sari pulled a small disk out of her jacket pocket and held it up. "I have some information for you. Your padawan sent it to my computer."

"Oh... please come in," Obi said as he moved aside to let her enter. She took in the surroundings and then faced him.

"Wow... this is nice," she said.

"Yes... it is," he replied nodding his head. The tension was being poorly covered by inane small talk, something neither was very good at. Obi shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

"Here's your disk," she finally said, shoving it into his hands.

"Oh... right." He took it and headed over to the data pad sitting on the desk. "Let's just see what young Anakin found for me." He sat down in front of the screen, and Sari moved to stand behind him. She was grateful for the distraction the disk created. Obi-Wan pulled up several documents from the disk and skimmed over each of them looking for what he was certain he would find.

"A-ha! I was right!" he exclaimed as he pounded the desk and looked at Sari whose face was now right beside his. Her skin looked so unbelievably soft that it took his breath away.

"Right about what?" she asked.

"I...," he almost couldn't speak. His throat was tightening by the second. Finally, he regained his Jedi composure and continued. "I thought that I had heard that name before... the one the men mentioned.... Perrin. Turns out he has been linked to several slave operations. He's a big time courier. He hires mercenaries to collect the slaves, then delivers them to the slavers, making a mighty large profit in the process. He makes a show of being legitimate to the authorities, but he's dirty... plain and simple. He's got to be behind all this. I just have that feeling."

Sari chuckled at the excited look on his face, just like a little boy. Suddenly, she felt awful about how she had treated him at school and about being so quick to think ill of him. He certainly seemed honest and sincere.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out. He looked at her with bewilderment, as if to say,"What?"

"I'm sorry about how I acted today. I shouldn't have gone off like that... especially in front of a room full of people. It wasn't professional--- or the least bit kind."

Obi-Wan gently took her hand in his. "No, don't worry about it. I know you're just concerned about your students, but believe me... I am not going to let anything happen to them. I promise." His other hand moved to tenderly touch her cheek, and she willingly nestled into his warm palm.

He slowly stood up without moving his hand away from her face. Her heart and breathing sped up, and she couldn't take her eyes off of his. With his other hand, he brought hers to his lips and placed a soft kiss on her palm and then her wrist. A slight whimper escaped her lips as his touch brought all of her nerves to life.

He let her hand go and placed his free hand on the other side of her face. She was forced to look only at him. His eyes hungrily studied her whole face, and she melted under his gaze. Obi-Wan had a million things he wanted to say to her running through his mind.

//What is this woman doing to me?// he thought. //I am a Jedi. I'm not supposed to let myself be distracted from my duties, yet all I've done since I first saw her is think about her... dream about her... long to hear her voice and see her smile.//

Part of him wanted to spurt out all of the feelings he was experiencing, but his lips wouldn't allow it. He had kept himself isolated for so long that the thought of revealing himself to anyone terrified him.

Slowly, he dropped his hands from Sari's face and looked away. She was totally confused. Her body had been prepared for whatever he would offer, and now he was stepping away. She could feel herself redden with embarrassment, and the silence hung heavily in the room. Suddenly unable to breathe, she knew she had to get out or pass out.

"I'm going to leave now," she began as she moved toward the door. Obi-Wan simply stood facing away from her with both hands on the back of the desk chair and nodded. "I need to get some rest before tomorrow. Bye." As quickly as she could, she exited the room and breathed a heavy sigh.

//Well, that went well,// she told herself while walking down the hallway. What had went wrong? It had felt so right, but then... he had stopped--- just like that. Had she totally misjudged the signals? Was she that out of practice with romance? She felt so foolish rushing to his room. This man was so frustrating. It was like he wanted her, but then again, didn't.

On the drive home, Sari made up her mind. She was finished with Obi-Wan Kenobi. After tomorrow he'd most likely be gone anyway,..... back to glamorous Coruscant and all of his sophisticated, elegant companions. Maybe he had done her a favor by stopping. It would make it easier to forget they had ever met. Yes, she'd keep telling herself that--- despite the tears that were slowly trickling down her cheeks.

Chapter 6

"Jedi are strong, yes... but they are still mortal beings. This Kenobi is not invincible. I have seen Jedi defeated before. It simply requires a bit more.... ingenuity in executing our planned venture."

Gustaf Perrin, in all his arrogance, refused to concede his livelihood to the likes of a self-righteous Jedi. Ridding the galaxy of inferior types, aka non-humans, appealed not only to his pocket book, but also his sense of human supremacy. He would gladly continue herding these aliens onto worlds where they could contribute something to the human race, be it mining or some other menial task. He knew his main employer felt the same way and was working to make the galaxy everything a human could dream of. Some misinformed humans, such as this Jedi, fooled themselves into believing in equality between species, but Perrin would never go for that.

"My operative will contact you later to comprise a new approach." Perrin continued speaking to a figure in the hologram. "If confrontation is what this Jedi desires, then we shall not disappoint him." An evil smirk twisted Perrin's face into a frightening sight, and then he switched off the machine. He was not afraid of a single Jedi. No, this would just add some excitement to his work that had been all too monotonous as of late.

Obi-Wan Kenobi had wanted to be a Jedi for as long as he could remember. When he was but a child at the temple, he longed for the day he would be chosen as an apprentice. Through a long obstacle of events, he eventually ended up with Qui-Gon Jinn, one of the greatest knights in the history of the order. Then Obi-Wan only dreamed of the day he himself would become a Jedi knight. Unfortunately, that had come only at the expense of his master's life taken by a Sith lord. Next, he was suddenly thrown into the role of a master to a padawan thought to be the 'chosen one.' He knew he had made many mistakes with Anakin, but theirs had grown to be a special relationship over the years. Anakin was not exactly like his son, but rather a younger brother... the family he never had.

Not having a family had never really bothered Obi-Wan because becoming the ultimate Jedi had been his main focus for so long. However, the past two days had changed all that. He found himself wondering what it would be like to settle in one place and maybe even have a family of his own. When he was with Sari, he could almost see his life taking a turn towards normalcy. She was the type of woman that he could spend forever with and never get tired of her presence. She had intelligence, wit, a heart of gold, spunk, and beauty--- inside and out. Everything a man could want---- everything he wanted.

Yet he was holding back, keeping her at arms length. He kept telling himself it was for the best. If he hadn't pulled away from her tonight, he might never have. He had never felt so vulnerable and out of control in all his life. There was no room for a romantic entanglement. The majority of Jedi never married or even had involved relationships, and those that did usually ended up leaving the order. Being a Jedi was his life's dream.... all he had ever wanted. He was bound to his role... to his duty. His whole life revolved around it, and he had gladly played the part -- but now... this mission was changing everything.

He rolled over in his bed and tried once again to go to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

Sleep had not come willingly to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Thoughts of Sari and the students invaded his dreams all night long. As he stood in the refresher looking at himself in the mirror, he almost didn't hear the knock on his door. Only half-dressed, he grabbed a tunic and headed to the front of the suite.

"Good morning!"

Obi-Wan furrowed his brow at the visitor. "Good morning," he responded with a hint of suspicion. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure," Obi-Wan replied as he moved out of the way to let Jaik Rafe enter. He got a strange vibe from this man. Maybe it was just jealousy raring its ugly head. Jaik plopped down nonchalantly on the sofa spreading his arms along the back and offered a large, yet obviously phony, smile.

"I've been sent as the messenger," Jaik began, just a little too eagerly. "There's been a change in plans. Chairman Calder realized that Kameer Park is hosting a festival today and will be packed with people. He thought it would be better to use a less populated location, so he decided on Drameen Park on the other side of town."

"Does Sari know about this?" Obi-Wan questioned. Something wasn't quite right about this fellow's story.

A pained look flashed almost imperceptibly on Jaik's face at the mention of her name.

"She will, as soon as she gets to school," he stated flatly. Now he was showing his true self as all pretense was dropped. "You like Sari, don't you?"

The question surprised the Jedi. "I... I... she seems to be a wonderful person, yes," he finally responded.

"You know, we're kind of an item, she and I. In fact, on the night you arrived, we were scheduled to have dinner together. Did she tell you that?" Obi could sense the anger building in Jaik and actually got a little offended. This man did not own Sari.

"Yes... yes she did tell me about your date. Although she didn't say that you two were a... what did you call it?--- ah, yes... an 'item'. " What are you doing?!," he asked himself. Jedi were not supposed to antagonize, they were supposed to diffuse. However, some kind of primal male urge was bringing out his competitive spirit.

Jaik's face betrayed his attempt at civility as he stood up from the sofa and snarled at Obi-Wan. He took a deep breath and forced a polite smile. "Anyway, you'll be gone soon, and then things will be back to normal. Right now, I am supposed to escort you back to school."

Obi-Wan remained calm and collected. This man was so full of himself that Obi-Wan almost laughed out loud. Yes, he could continue this contest of the wills, if he so desired. He could tell Jaik that just last night Sari had been right here ready to fall into his embrace. He could tell the creep that just the day before he had spent the whole night in her apartment. But he wouldn't. He would never bring himself to that level. He would rather just force punch him into the next room.

"All right," he conceded. "Just let me get the rest of my things." The Jedi turned to go into his room when Jaik's voice caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

"That won't be necessary."

And as Obi spun back around, he barely had time to see the blast gun as Jaik fired straight at his chest.

Sari found herself trembling a little more with each block closer to school. Even though she had great faith in Obi-Wan's plan and abilities, some little voice kept nagging at the back of her mind. Something big was going to happen today.

Chairman Calder was waiting for her by the office door as she entered the building.

"Please, come in, Miss Zendar." She walked into his office and waited for him to begin. He motioned for her to sit down, and she did.

"I just wanted to go over the specifics for today. You'll take the children to Kameer Park a few miles out of town. Only the transport driver and yourself will visibly be with the children. Jedi Kenobi, along with some others will be there the whole time, out of view, in case these criminals show up, as we expect they will. You can rest assured, Miss Zendar, your students will be perfectly safe." He leaned back in his high-backed chair and grinned.

He was a strange little man, Sari thought. He had no family of his own, so he spent all his time and energy at the school. It was almost bordering on obsessive in Sari's opinion, but the man seemed sincere, and she had no reason not to trust him. But that nagging feeling just wouldn't go away.

"I spoke with the Jedi this morning and all is in order. He's going straight to the park to wait for you and your students."

Sari was slightly relieved that she wouldn't have to face him this morning. After last night, she didn't know if she could look him in the eyes. Calder dismissed her, and she went to her classroom to prepare for the day.

If there was one thing her mother had taught her it was to always be prepared for the unexpected, so she nervously double-checked the added 'accessory' to her outfit -- a tiny silver blaster concealed in the pocket of her jacket. Her father had insisted she have it even though she detested violence and weapons. Somehow, having it with her didn't make her feel any better about the whole situation. As the students began entering the room with excited voices, she felt the gun in her pocket one more time hoping she would not have to use it.

Throbbing pain in his head and chest slowly brought Obi-Wan Kenobi back to consciousness. Forcing his eyelids to open, all around him was nothing but black. At first he thought he was blindfolded, but then realized he was just enclosed in a small, dark room. His aching head gradually began to recall what had happened--- the surprise visit from Jaik Rafe, and the even more surprising stun blast that Jaik delivered straight into Obi-Wan's chest.

He tried to stand up when he suddenly remembered Sari. Panic was his immediate reaction. If Jaik was a part of these crimes, then she and the children were in grave danger. Anger set in next as he tried to get free from the wrist restraints that had been applied once he was out cold. He had been right about this man the whole time. The uneasiness had been the Force telling Obi-Wan to beware, but he had simply written it off as petty jealousy about Sari. Well, some of it still had to do with her, Obi admitted reluctantly.

After unsuccessfully struggling with the restraints for a few moments, the Jedi realized that he was making things too difficult for himself. Closing his eyes and calming his mind, he focused the Force on the lock, and in just a few seconds the bolts clicked open and dropped to the floor. Obi-Wan quickly found the door and attempted to open it, but to no avail. Jaik had set the lock. Using the Force once again, Obi-Wan issued one powerful Jedi kick, and the door fell from its frame.

Jaik Rafe had no idea who he was dealing with.

"... fifty-eight bottles of Correlian rum on the wall, fifty-eight bottles of rum...."

Sari was oblivious to the loud singing voices of her students as the transport turned into the park and pulled to a stop. Her eyes nervously studied the surrounding area while the children began unloading. She didn't see Obi-Wan anywhere. Either he was great at camouflage, or he was nowhere around. Sari preferred not to even consider the latter possibility.

"That's all of 'em," said the elderly transport driver. "Am I supposed to stay here?"

Sari was surprised by his question. Apparently, he hadn't been informed about the plan. She had assumed Chairman Calder would have warned him about the possible danger involved in this little 'field trip'.

"Um... I'm not really sure how long we'll be here," she replied honestly. They were supposed to wait until something happened, and if nothing did by two o'clock, it was back to school. Artie, the driver, said he would wait awhile just for her sake and then flashed her a flirtatious grin.

A couple of hours had passed with no appearance of the kidnappers. Artie had left to get lunch. The children had toured the educational center and were now playing on the park's variety of physically enriching equipment. In other words, it was recess time.

Sari still had not seen the Jedi or anyone else suspicious looking. She was beginning to think that the plan was going to be a bust, when a familiar face seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Jaik?" she said as the handsome teacher approached her. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at school?" He sat down next to her on the park bench and offered up one of his heart-melting smiles.

"Calder found someone to cover my class. I wanted to be here to... help you, Sari." He smoothly put an arm around the back of the bench and laid his hand on her shoulder. She shifted uneasily and looked around to see if 'anyone' was watching. "Are you looking for someone?" he asked, trying desperately to contain a smirk. "The Jedi maybe?"

Sari felt herself blush as she looked away from Jaik.

"You know, Sari, I don't think you should put so much faith in that guy. Sure, he's got some fancy moves and a flashy sword, but I still don't trust him. He doesn't owe us or these kids anything. When he's done here, he'll just leave and go back to wherever he came from. What happens to these kids is no skin off of his back." Jaik leaned back triumphantly. Sari was slightly angered by Jaik's attitude toward Obi-Wan. She shifted her body to face him.

"No, Jaik. I think you're wrong about him. He didn't have to come here in the first place, but he did. And he's offering his help freely. I think he does care about the children." She was getting more fired up as she continued.

"And you know what? I think you're jealous of him." Jaik pulled his arm back into his lap and shot Sari a contemptuous look. "Yeah... you're jealous of him because he ruined our date the other night. You are so egotistical that you couldn't bear to have me cancel our date. I guess that was a new experience for you, wasn't it?... being 'canceled'."

She almost regretted her words because his male pride was so obviously wounded. Her eyes bore into his, and she refused to be the first to look away.

"Are you finished?" he asked flatly. She stuck her chin into the air and nodded her head 'yes'. "Then I think you need to stand and put your hands above your head."

"What?" she asked in confusion. However, his meaning became perfectly clear when she saw the blaster he had pulled from his pocket. Her mouth dropped, and her body began reacting even before her mind had time to fully process what was happening. As she stood, she suddenly noticed that a group of men with blasters had circled the playground and were closing in on her students. She wanted to scream at them to run away, but all she could do was look sadly back at Jaik.

"Why?" she asked as her voice caught in her throat. "Why are you doing this?"

Some of the children were screaming for her now, pleading to know what was happening to them. One small Rodian boy tried to run through the blockade but was caught by the man Sari recognized as Korey, the man who had struck her that night in the mountains. Before she could yell out for him to stop, the man threw the boy onto the ground, and Sari heard the dull thud of his head as it hit.

"Noooo!!!!" she screamed, but Jaik reached out and grabbed her with his free hand covering her mouth. The children were looking on in horror and bewilderment.

"If you want to keep these kids from getting hurt, you'd better tell them to cooperate," Jaik whispered harshly into her ear. He began to walk her closer to the group of students frozen in terror and then thrust her into their midst. First she checked on the Rodian boy, and then the children ran to her, clinging onto any free spot they could find. Tears were falling down her cheeks as she looked into the tiny faces that had trusted her to protect them.

She shushed their many frightened questions and rose to their level. The terror in their eyes broke her heart. Where was Obi-Wan Kenobi?!

"Listen to me, kids. You have to do what these men say. Even though it's not right, if you try to run or talk back... they might... hurt you." It was difficult for her to get the words out. "Can you do that for me? Can you listen to them?" Their trusting faces nodded slightly and the questions resumed.

"Where are they taking us, Miss Zendar?"

"Who are they?"

"Are they going to kill us?"

"No," she answered. "If you listen to them, they'll not hurt you. I'm going to take care of this. I promise." She hugged as many of them as she could.

"Yeah, yeah, sweetheart," said Lonzo, another familiar face from the mountains.

"That's enough good-byes." He grabbed her and pulled her away from the children as they struggled in vain to keep hold of her. Once again, Jaik pulled her to him. The other men began to move the students toward a recently landed air transport.

"I'm going to be a wealthy man because of this,"Jaik whispered in her ear. His hot breath made her stomach turn. "You know, I really liked you, Sari. You could have gotten in on this whole deal with me. We could've gone away to some exotic planet and gotten to know each other a little better."

"You disgust me," she spat back. "I would never want to be with you.... not for any amount of money in the galaxy. You betrayed me. You betrayed these students. I'll never forgive you."

Jaik chuckled. "Strong words for someone who may be looking at her last moments of daylight."

Obi-Wan chided himself for all of the mistakes he had been making ever since arriving on this planet. If the council knew about the most recent, it would simply seal the fate of his dream of becoming a council member someday.

After escaping the locked closet of his hotel room, he had fled outside desperately searching for any type of transportation. Upon seeing a tough looking character leaning on a nearby swoop bike, Obi-Wan simply issued a brief wave of his hand and a persuasive comment via the Force. In seconds, he was on the 'borrowed' swoop and headed toward Kameer Park. He prayed it was the right place to look first.

Sari was frozen in disbelief. Had Jaik really just threatened her life? How could she have been so fooled by this loser?

She had always heard it said that when faced with death, a person's life would flash before her eyes. Only for Sari it was all of the things she had hoped for her future that flashed and not the past. She would never have a chance to experience a true lasting love or the joy of having her own children. No, Jaik Rafe-- if that was even his real name-- was going to take it all away.

Well, not without a fight. How had she forgotten? The tiny blaster snuggled safely inside her jacket pocket seemed to be calling out to her... 'Use me! Use me!" Now all she needed was an opportunity.

"Hey, Rafe!" called one of the other men. "We're just about ready to go." Both Sari and Jaik looked toward the air transport. Only a few of the children remained outside of the ship. The rest were already forced inside to be carted off to who knew where.

Now was her chance.

As Obi-Wan pulled off the road leading to the park, he could sense a group of terrified little minds through the Living Force. His master had repeatedly urged Obi-Wan to focus more on this aspect of the Force, and Obi had never forgotten the admonishment. He was frequently making himself acknowledge its influence and power, if only to prove that he did indeed learn something from all those years with Qui-Gon.

Yes, this was definitely the place.

He parked the swoop and dismounted, unclipping his light saber from his belt as he walked. This park was larger than he expected, but not many people were around. A large sign stood at the entrance path displaying a map. He noted a large educational building across a field with a playground on the other side. The perfect place to take a group of children. Obi-Wan Kenobi, fighting his anger at Jaik Rafe and the rest of the criminals involved, took off at a flat run, ready for a fight.

Jaik called back an answer to the other man. "Yeah, I'll be right there," he said. In that brief second, Sari had fumbled inside her jacket and clumsily pulled the blaster from its hiding place. By the time Jaik turned back around, he was quite surprised to be on the other end of an aimed blaster.

"If I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me," Sari stated bluntly.

Obi-Wan had reached the educational building and could see the playground in the distance. As he got closer, he saw the air transport parked in a clearing near the play area, a few men standing near the loading ramp, and a few small children being forced on board. Another quick scan of the surroundings stopped him dead in his tracks. Sari and Jaik stood facing one another, each with a blaster aimed at the other's head.

"Noooooo!!!" Obi-Wan screamed as he ignited his saber and began running again, trying to quickly cover the final distance between himself and the terrifying sight in front of him.

All eyes turned to see the source of the yell, no one more surprised than Sari. Upon seeing the Jedi coming full speed with a glowing light saber, the men near the transport pushed the last children up the ramp and jumped on board.

While Sari stood agape at the approaching man, Jaik seized the opportunity granted him and pulled the trigger on his blaster. Obi-Wan watched on in horror as the blast plummeted her through the air and onto the ground several yards away. Jaik couldn't believe what he had done and looked at his smoking blaster in shock. Another yell from Obi-Wan jolted him, and he took off towards the transport as it began to take off. The man barely made it on as the ramp closed shut behind him.

Obi-Wan watched helplessly as the transport loaded with Sari's students lifted off and rapidly zoomed out of sight. How had he let this happen? His plan had been foolproof--- or so he had thought. Overconfidence had been his mistake. Now innocent children were paying the price. Sari would be devastated.

Sari!...

He suddenly remembered she had been shot by the traitorous scum. As he spun around, he spotted her, and his heart stopped. She was lying motionless and face down at the edge of the clearing. He ran and knelt by her side. He gently rolled her onto her back and tenderly reached to wipe a smudge of dirt off of her beautiful face.

It only took him a moment to realize that there was no wound. Placing his hand gently on her neck, he could still feel a faint pulse. A flood of relief washed over his whole being. She had only been stunned! Rafe had probably forgotten to set his blaster off of stun mode from earlier in Obi's hotel room. The Jedi pulled Sari into his arms and hugged her tight. She was alive!

But how would he be able to face her? Especially after promising the children's safety? He had let her down along with the children and their families. Well, he would worry about all of that later.

It would be a while before she awoke from the stun bolt, and even though his mind raced with things to do next, he knew taking care of Sari was his first priority. Taking her limp body in his arms, he carried her back to the borrowed speeder, placed her carefully in the back seat, and headed back to his hotel.

Chapter 7

Over an hour had passed since the incident in the park. Sari was still out cold from the stun blast-- courtesy of Jaik Rafe. Obi-Wan Kenobi sat in a chair next to the bed where she lay, watching intently for any sign of her waking. He could sense through the Force that she was not in any danger from the shot, but until she opened her eyes, his heart was tied in a knot.

He kept rehearsing in his mind what he would say when she did regain consciousness. She would be angry, most definitely, but also probably quite devastated at the loss of the children.

Well, he was ready for either response.

The past hour had not gone to waste. His bag was packed. He had already booked passage on a ship that would take him to a space station known to be a switch point for many slave traders. As soon as she was awake and able to go home, he would leave and begin his search for her students. He had promised they would be safe, and he was bound and determined to find them and bring them home. Even though he knew it bordered on the dark side, he almost hoped to run into Jaik and repay the 'kindness' Rafe had offered to Sari and himself.

Obi-Wan studied the sleeping woman on his bed. How was it possible that she had carved a niche in his heart and soul in such a short time? When he saw Rafe shoot her, he felt as if he himself had been shot. The anger had completely engulfed him until he found that she was only stunned. Even so, some of the anger remained and propelled the Jedi forward. He would not fail her again.

"... mmmm..." A small moan sounded and startled Obi-Wan. His heart leaped with joy and relief. Sari's eyes struggled to open, and her hand moved to her forehead. After a few more waking moans, she opened her eyes and tried to figure out where she was. Obi-Wan moved from the chair to the bed and helped her sit up.

"What?--- Where am I?" she asked, still a little disoriented. Obi-Wan held her hand gently.

"You're in my hotel room. You were shot. Do you remember?

She shook her head in an attempt to jump-start her memory. It apparently worked because her eyes widened and she tried to jump up from the bed.

"The children!!! Where are they?!" Obi-Wan gently pushed her back down. He had been ready for this only moments before, but now, looking into her panic-stricken eyes, he was speechless. Sari desperately searched his face and found her answer in his eyes.

"They're gone, aren't they?" she said sadly, already knowing the truth. The Jedi nodded. She gazed down at her lap in silence. Obi-Wan could tell she was deep in thought because the expression on her face went from sadness to anger in no time at all. Suddenly, her face rose to meet his.

"Where were you?!" she asked angrily. "You said you would be right there the whole time, so how did this happen?" By the time she got out the last few words, her voice was trembling, and tears were beginning to well in her eyes. He couldn't bear to see her cry and took her hands in his.

"I am so sorry, Sari." He glanced down in shame before continuing. "Jaik came to my room this morning. He told me there had been a change in plans, and before I knew it, he had stunned me and locked me in the closet." He pointed to the fallen door and cracked frame on the other side of the room. "I eventually escaped, but...," his eyes fell again, "...but it was too late."

Sari looked at Obi-Wan and knew in her heart that she trusted every word he said. She could tell he was already placing all blame upon himself.

"Jaik," she stated with contempt. "Humph! What a fool I was. He shot me, too." Obi-Wan looked back up into her face and found compassion there accompanied by a sweet smile. "How could someone be so deceitful and mean? He saw those children everyday. They trusted him.... I trusted him. You know, he meant to kill me, Obi-Wan."

She was so hurt, and he couldn't stand to see it. He reached up and tenderly wiped a tear from her cheek, then leaned over and kissed the same spot. He sat back and wondered what he should do or say next but didn't have to wonder for long.

Sari sprung from the bed and put her hands on her hips. "So what do we do now?" she asked. Obi-Wan stood then and shook his head.

"Oh, no!" he began. "WE are not doing anything. I am going to look for them, while YOU are staying right here." He maneuvered her into the chair and tried to retain control of the situation. "I already have a lead on where to look first, and my ship leaves in just a few hours."

She popped back up out of the chair with fire in her eyes. "If you think that I am sitting around here while my children are who knows where and you're off trying to find them, well, then,... you are... very... wrong... Jedi Kenobi." His formal name was added for emphasis, and she hoped it made her appear more determined and capable.

"Sari, I can't put you in harm's way again. If Jaik did mean to kill you, then maybe next time--," he stopped, unable to speak the words, so she finished for him.

"What? Maybe next time he will?" Sari grabbed his hand. "Look, I appreciate your concern for my safety. I'm quite flattered by it, really," she said as a light blush colored her cheeks. "But the lives of those twenty terrified little people mean more to me than my own. I've got to do something, Obi-Wan. Please let me come with you."

How could he deny her anything? Those big blue eyes of hers melted his staunch Jedi resolve in no time at all. The hold she was taking on him should have frightened him, but strangely it delighted him instead.

"I can handle it... and I won't get in your way.... I promise." She kept trying to convince him, and as she spoke, she unconsciously kept squeezing his hand. Obi-Wan stifled a grin. "What would I do if I stayed here? I have no students to teach."

He knew she meant no harm in her remark, but it stabbed into his guilty conscience anyway.

"I shouldn't let you," he stated. "The council will never approve." His weakening defense became apparent, and Sari made one more attempt.

"Two heads are better than one, they say."

"All right," he said after a deep breath. "You can come,--- but only if you listen and follow my instructions. I know how teachers like to give orders--- not take them--- but it's for your own good."

Sari nodded her head eagerly, then threw her arms around Obi-Wan in a tight embrace. "You won't be sorry," she promised and ,without thinking, planted a big kiss on his lips. Pulling back, she noticed the look of surprise on his face. "Oh.... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have--"

"No," he interjected. The look of surprise was gone and replaced by something different. "Don't be sorry. I'm not." Putting his arms around her waist, he drew her back to him and slowly leaned in to place a very warm and very long kiss on her mouth. A little groan of ecstasy escaped as she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck. Their lips parted ever so slightly and the kisses continued, one beginning as soon as another ended.

The feel of his tender lips and strong hands around her waist made Sari feel rather light headed. It had been a long time since she had felt like this-- or had she ever felt exactly like this?

Obi-Wan broke from her lips and moved his gentle assault to her neck. Her breaths were rapid now and all nerves were awake and highly sensitive to his every touch.

"Is... is this some kind of... Jedi mind trick?" she managed to ask in a husky voice. He chuckled lightly in her ear and then whispered.

"Not unless you are a Jedi, too." He looked up at her and smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. "You must be working some kind of magic on me, Sari, because you're all I've been able to think about ever since I arrived on this planet."

Now she was the one wearing a look of surprise. "Really?" she asked, keeping her arms around him.

"Really," he answered. Looking into her eyes, he almost forgot about his mission. Part of him wanted to just stay right where he was--- in her arms. The man in him could think of a hundred things they could do right there... things he had never done before. However, reality reared its sobering head and snapped him out of his lover's trance.

"Sari, we have to get going if we're to catch our ship on time." It wasn't exactly what she was expecting next, and she frowned for just a second before realizing he was right.

"Right," she said as she slid her hands back down his chest to hang at her sides. As much as she hated to stop, the children were more important than her personal pleasure-- at least for now.

"We'll stop by your apartment so you can pack a few things and then head to the spaceport."

"I suppose I should call school and tell them I'll be gone for a while."

"No!" Obi-Wan snapped, much to her surprise. "I still think someone else at the school is involved. Right now they think you're dead, which might work to our advantage, so tell no one."

Sari nodded obediently, feeling with each passing moment that maybe she was getting in over her head. Obi-Wan sensed her apprehension and lightly ran the back of his hand down her cheek.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Sari. You mean too much to me." Then he softly kissed her again before leading her out the door.

After gathering a few things from her apartment, Sari and Obi-Wan headed for the spaceport. Few words passed between them on the way, but then few words were needed. Their changed relationship was entering a new kind of understanding, although neither knew where it would all end up.

Obi-Wan kept her close, either holding her hand as they strode through the spaceport or protectively putting an arm around her as they rode the turbo lift to their dock. It was new for both of them. She was used to being by herself--- self-reliant to the hilt. He was used to protecting others, but never had his heart been so involved. The two exchanged countless stolen looks and smiles, and Obi even brought her hand to his lips for a sweet kiss several times. One elderly woman even asked if they were newlyweds.

Sari giggled and glanced at a blushing Obi-Wan. He caught her gaze and a mischievous flare sparkled in his eyes.

"Why, yes... yes we are," he replied to the old woman, wrapping an arm around his 'bride' and pulling her to him for a quick kiss on the cheek. Sari couldn't believe what he had just said.

"Ah, yes," the woman sighed. "I remember when I was just married. Young love is such bliss."

"Yes, yes it is," Obi continued with a sly wink.

"Are you headed on your honeymoon?"

"How could you tell?" Sari responded before the Jedi had a chance. She squeezed herself up against him in a hug, ran a hand over his chest, and felt him take in a quick breath at her touch. //Two can play at this game!// she thought to herself.

The old woman smiled. "You can always tell when two people are in love. It just radiates from their very souls. You two are very lucky to have found each other in this day and age, what with all the violence and anger out there. We've got to hang onto the good in our lives with all our might!" She was very passionate as she spoke to the twosome, and suddenly they both sobered. What she said was right.

Obi-Wan looked back at Sari. She was most certainly a 'good thing', and he wanted nothing more than to hold onto her, no matter what the cost.

Chapter 8: The Search

After boarding the passenger transport, Obi-Wan and Sari decided to meet in the ship's dining lounge after freshening up. Neither had eaten since breakfast that morning, and the day's excitement left them both feeling famished. Fortunately, Obi-Wan was able to secure a room for her right next to his own. The woman at the ticket counter had at first claimed no empty rooms. However, with a slight wave of Obi's hand and a subtle suggestion to check again, the lady had quickly found a cancellation.

Sari took a quick shower and slipped into a simple black dress that hit her mid-calf. Her mother had always told her a little black dress was perfect for any occasion, and now was as good an occasion as any. She liked the way the silky, lightweight fabric fell across her body and made her feel feminine, yet alluring at the same time. Her usual teacher's wardrobe left little room for sex appeal.

"I haven't forgotten about the kids," she assured her reflection in the mirror. "And besides... there's nothing wrong with being clean and looking nice, is there?" She felt giddy inside, just like when she was a teenager. It was the good kind of nervous butterflies flitting around inside her stomach.

After a little more primping, Sari slid into her shoes and spritzed a bit of perfume on her wrists and behind her ears. Now she was ready to go.

Making her way to the lounge, she tried to calm her anxiety, but a silly grin would escape every so often. Could everyone who looked at her tell how totally smitten she was with a certain dashing Jedi Knight? Part of her knew how irrational and impractical she was being about Obi-Wan, but the rest of her didn't care. She was forever being practical and realistic, and, for once, she just wanted to let go and live a little. Experience is the best teacher, she kept telling herself.

The lighting in the corridors was low, and Sari guessed it was purposely set so in order to hide the aging interior. This was definitely not a new vessel, perhaps not even built within her own lifetime. She had laughed at her room's garrish red velvet furnishings. It appeared to be the very epitome of every house of ill repute she had ever seen on a holovid or read about in a book.

The sound of a pulsating rhythm found Sari's ears before she even rounded the corner to the lounge. The music was even louder once she entered the dimly lit room. Off to her left was a bar lined with various unsavoury types, all of whom watched her entrance with uncomfortably lingering gazes. Sari suddenly became aware of how much skin she was showing and almost wished the dress wasn't so low cut.

Straight ahead was a dance floor filled with all sorts of beings performing moves that made her look away in embarrassment. Her father, if he were present, would suggest they all go get a private room instead of subjecting everyone to their indecent actions. This was definitely a new experience for the young teacher.

Over to her right was a dining area filled with tables. After searching unsuccessfully for Obi-Wan, she decided to find an empty table and wait. Just as she was about to sit down, the chair moved from underneath her.

"Let me get that for you, sweetheart."

Sari looked up to find a very tall, very rough looking man smiling down smugly at her. He had short bleached hair cut in a spike, but his unshaven face showed stubble of a darker hue. A hoop earring dangled from each ear, and his bare arms sported tattoos from wrist to shoulder.

He was holding the chair, waiting for her to sit down. Finally, she regained her composure and eased herself into the seat, now fully conscious of the cleavage she was showing. The man noticed, too, never taking his eyes off of her form even while pulling up a chair for himself. Sari wanted to smack the disgusting grin right off of his face.

"So, what's your name?" he asked.

"Jaira," she responded. This would give her an opportunity to try out the new persona she had adopted for this trip. Obi-Wan had decided that it would be best to travel incognito for the time being.

"Well, Jaira, I'm Ace, and I'm here to make all your dreams come true." Sari couldn't stifle a snicker at his conceit, and he stopped smiling for just a moment.

"And what exactly would you know about my dreams... Ace?" she asked. Despite his rather large muscles and tall frame, Sari was not one to be intimidated by a man such as this. He leaned in closer, placed an arm around her shoulders and stared at her chest the whole time he spoke.

"You, my dear, are a woman who needs a real man, one who can satisfy her every desire--- and I'm him." He nodded his head as he spoke the last few words. He definitely wasn't suffering from low self-esteem, Sari thought. She gently took his arm and moved it off of her shoulders.

"Thanks, but I'm not interested," she stated, thinking that he would surely get the message. Much to her dismay, he didn't quite make the connection. He scooted even closer to her chair and put his face in hers. His smile was gone and only a look of pure meanness shone in his eyes.

"I don't think you understand," he growled lowly. "Lots of women would die for a chance with me." A flutter of fright swept through Sari, but she wasn't about to let him know it. She pulled her face away from his.

"No, you don't understand. I'm not interested in a 'chance' with you." She spoke more slowly in hopes he would get the point this time.

It didn't work.

His male pride was pushed to the point of no return. Several other rough looking characters were now watching the scene intently, anxious to see the outcome. Ace wouldn't be beaten.

He grabbed her arm and jerked her up from the chair. His tight grip made her wince in pain, and, for a moment, the thought of what he was capable of doing to her scared her to death.

"I believe the young lady told you she wasn't interested."

The voice broke through the tension like a ray of light in a dark room. The accent was unmistakable. However, when Sari turned toward the voice, a new face looked back at her. It had to be Obi-Wan, but gone were his long hair and beard. He now had a much shorter layered cut and a smooth shaven face that made him appear younger than his thirty-some years. He was still dressed in all black, but instead of a cape, he wore a tailored nerf leather jacket to cover his black turtleneck shirt.

Ace scowled at Obi-Wan and dropped Sari's arm. He walked around the table and stood only inches away from Obi, having no idea he was facing a highly trained Jedi.

"I don't think it's any of your business... punk!" Ace spat as he poked a finger into Obi-Wan's chest. The man was quite a bit larger than the Jedi, but size mattered not when it came to using the Force. Obi-Wan fought down the desire to knock the man into next week, but couldn't keep a snarl from his lips. Types like Ace gave men a bad name.

Obi stood his ground. "Yes, it is my business. She's with me." Sari smiled at his defense of her. She liked being 'with him'. Ace glanced back at Sari as if to ask if this was true. In resp