A Night to (Almost) Remember

Prequel to Lions, Tigers, and Padawans, Oh My!. A fundraising bar crawl? Only Jemmiah could arrange something like that.

Note: This is a group fic written mostly by Jemmiah, with a little help from (in order of posting): Sybelle, Jedi Kylenn, HealerLeona, Wampasmak, Lilith Demodae, LadyJedith, Krelo Rei'ch, Jedi_Daphne, and mouse2. The original thread can be found at theforce.net.

Disclaimer: Qui-gon Jinn, Obi-wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Yoda, Depa Bilaba and the universe they live in belong to George Lucas. They are respectfully borrowed with no intent to profit thereby.


~~~~~~~


Jemmiah turned to face the source of the voice. �I�ve got nothing to say to you.�

�Well I�ve got something to say to you,� Kryztan snapped. �You told Krelo what happened between us��

�Go to blazes,� she said. �I wouldn�t waste my breath. You�re not that important.�

�I don�t believe you,� he shot out a hand and circled it firmly round her already bruised wrist.

�If you don�t let me go you are going to spend the rest of your miserable existence drinking through a straw.� She attempted to loose his grip, but instead he only tightened it, causing her to wince. �Why don�t you try Captain Demodae? I think if you want to have a go at someone it should be her. Although I don�t think you�d dare.�

Kryztan stared at her as if trying to search her face for the truth. �OK,� he said it reluctantly, releasing her hand. �I�m sorry.�

�Sorry for what?� She massaged the bruises that had already come up. �Not believing me or trying to force me to��

�Both,� he cut in too quickly.

�It might not surprise you to know that I don�t care.� Jemmiah said angrily. �I don�t know how you got it into your head that I could ever think of going out with you when you�re prepared to do something like that.� She backed off slowly. �I don�t even know why I�m speaking to you now.�

Kryztan tried to block her move past him. �Maybe you care more for me than you�re prepared to admit.� He fixed her with glittering eyes. �I think you secretly like the idea of two people competing over you.� He paused �Or is it three? Master Jinn was pretty quick to come to your aid, wasn�t he? Maybe he was jealous.�

�You are sick!� Jemmiah growled. �I have never�there�s never been anything between Master Jinn and myself.�

�Only a matter of time.� Harkley smiled. �Is that why you dress like that? To get the old boy�s attention?�

�Let me past.� Jemmiah was furious.

�I don�t see what you can have against me.� Kryztan refused to budge. �You�ve been with a considerable amount of people both within and without the temple.� He frowned as he tried to reel off a list of names. �Let�s see. Your mathematics tutor. I saw you two in the temple gardens. His idea of multiplication obviously was to your liking. I�m sure Master Sovalla would love to hear about that one. Who else?� He pretended to be deep in thought. �Jay Abran? Your precious Obi-Wan would be ecstatic if someone were to mention that to him. I know you and Zak V�Aladee were close. For all of one night.� He enjoyed watching the blood drain from her face.

�Then there was that healer whatsisname? Gethin Territ? Trying to cure you of possible food poisoning? I DON�T THINK SO.� He grinned. �An-Paj might be concerned by his colleague�s interest in fifteen year old girls.�

�Go away.� Jemmiah said lamely.

�And then I�m sure Qui-Gon would be most put out if he were to find out about you and that Corellian half-breed that works behind the bar of this very cantina. And how you spend all your spare time. Does he know that you ride swoops?�

Jemmiah didn�t meet his look.

�I thought not. And I bet he doesn�t know that you occasionally help out at that massage parlor back yonder in order to fund your little hobby.�

�You�ve been following me,� she breathed.

�Oh, yes. I�ve been following you for over three months.� He nodded. �Not that you�ve ever noticed.�

�There are laws against stalking.�

�I don�t think you can do much to stop me. Not considering what I found out about you.� He leaned against the cold wall, regarding her carefully. �One word in the wrong place is going to make life very uncomfortable for you.�

She swallowed.

�I think you know what I�m going to suggest.�

�I think you know what my answer is,� she spat. �Nobody tries to blackmail me.�

�I don�t see what the problem is.� Kryztan said insistently. �We could have made a great couple. Why don�t you see it? Why did you have to go out with Kenobi?�

�Because he�s never tried to force himself on me!� Jemmiah hissed. �He�s not obsessive or deranged like you are.�

Kryztan�s eyes narrowed in anger. �I don�t imagine that�s a problem for you. You should be used to hiring yourself out to clients, huh? Did you miss your old life so much that you felt you had to recreate it here on Coruscant?�

�I�m not listening to this,� Jemmiah said in shock. Kryztan again tried to block her way past.

�I know all about you. I heard Master Jinn discussing your rather sorry past with my master a year or so ago. Doesn�t it make you feel guilty knowing that you were the only one who got off that planet with their life intact?� He watched her flinch. �I�m sure that must haunt you terribly, hmmm? All those people dead and then there�s you enjoying a life of pampered freedom��

�SHUT UP!� she screamed at him.

�I think I must have hit a nerve there.� Kryztan smiled. �Do you dream about them? Do you see their faces?�

She swore at him in Corellian, aware of the fact that there were tears running down her face.

�Oh, what coarse language.� Kryztan replied. �Must be what comes of associating with working girls for such a length of time. You really did start young, didn�t you? How old were you? Five? Six? And what about that crazy person who swore he�s going to come back and get you? Do you feel safe walking the streets of Coruscant?� He smiled at the pain he was evidently causing her. �It makes you think, doesn�t it? He could be anywhere. Just waiting his chance. A person could easily disappear in these back streets and never be seen again. And poor Obi-Wan would have to find himself another girlfriend.�

He reached out a hand to wipe away the tears from her face. �I thought Qui-Gon said you never cried.�

Satisfied at having caused such an extreme reaction in her, Kryztan took a step forwards. �I wonder that you dare set foot out of the temple. So many evil people outside��

A hand descended on his shoulder and clamped down hard.

�And so many evil people inside.�

Obi-Wan spun Kryztan round before knocking him to the ground.

*******

Qui-Gon looked at his wrist chrono. �I think Yoda�s going to be very displeased.�

�With what?� Leona stared up at him. �Everyone being a little the worse for wear?�

�Oh, no.� Qui-Gon dismissed the suggestion by blowing an uncharacteristic raspberry. �What�s really going to get on his nerves is the fact that nobody is going to be there to hear him singing.� He tapped at the chrono and indicated the time.

�I didn�t realize how late it was getting.� Leona gazed up at him somewhat shyly again. �It�s true what they say. Time does fly when you�re having fun.�

Jinn blinked. �Are you having fun, then? Are you sure you wouldn�t rather find someone younger to talk to?�

�N-no. I�m fine as I am, thanks,� she said reddening a little. �Do you want another drink?�

�Why not?� Qui-Gon shrugged. �One for the road. Master Berlingside has agreed we should finish our little game at the next cantina.�

�Yes, it�s been very successful.� She glanced around at the scene of drunken and disorderly Jedi masters, knights and padawans that littered the cantina. Spider was showing off her tattoos to an awe struck Kylenn, whilst Mace hovered by a small wall mirror, rubbing at his disfigurement with his unbandaged arm. �Jemmiah�s made a very good job of organizing the whole event.�

�It comes of having an over-inventive brain.� Qui-Gon mumbled. �And too much time on her hands.� He idly scanned the surrounding bar for some sight of her, but found nothing.

�You were going to tell me,� Leona hesitantly probed him for some information.

�Tell you what?� he frowned.

�About why you feel so overprotective of her.�

He stared sightlessly in another direction for a moment, thinking. Leona wondered if she hadn�t done the wrong thing in bringing the subject up. �It�s only partly my story.� He offered eventually. �I went away on a mission and came back with another stray in tow. Not what anyone was expecting.� He snorted. �I sometimes wonder if Yoda didn�t know. He and Jemmiah get on so well. He was my master for more years than I can remember and I admire and esteem him more than I can say, but that doesn�t mean that on occasions I don�t feel slightly intimidated by him.� He laughed, picking up his new drink. �Ridiculous, isn�t it? Someone my height being humbled by a little troll like him.�

�Not really.� Leona smiled. �Look at Dex Berlingside. I know that Quirida-Xac still treats him like he was twelve.�

�Quirida-Xac treats Yoda like he was twelve! It�s a good thing his mind IS going, otherwise Yoda would hit him with that darned stick of his.� He sobered somewhat as he considered what to say. �My padawan and I were supposed to locate a missing envoy from Korrassi. She was a personal friend of the Chancellor, who I am also lucky to consider a friend.�

�Name dropper,� Leona grinned.

�Anyway, she�d hit some sort of trouble with her transport and sent a message that they were going to have to put down on the nearest planet, which was Nargotria. The inhabitants of that planet had been in recent talks to join the Republic. It had a few things to recommend it: sparse population, possible agricultural potential. Interesting flora and fauna�� He grimaced, remembering his own close encounter with a particularly unpleasant variety of nettle. �Anyhow, we were sent to see if we could find out what had become of this envoy. There had been some�unpleasant rumors� regarding a settlement on the planet so it was suggested that we might wish to go incognito, as it were.�

Qui-Gon recalled the events of that week with a shudder.

�We found the place where the transport had come down. All the male crewmembers were lying dead in their seats. There were no signs of the female co pilot or the envoy we were charged with locating.�

�And?� Leon said gently.

�We made our way to the colony we had been warned about. It became obvious that the rumors had more than a grain of truth to them.� Jinn paused. �It was a large-scale harem. A stopping off place for some of the more dangerous criminals or even just common or garden pleasure seekers. The man in charge was more akin to a prison governor than anything else. He made damned sure that none of his workers got away. I think he was becoming somewhat worried that with the possibility of transferring power from Nargotria to the Republic he was more than likely going to get his operation discovered and shut down.�

Qui-Gon swallowed a large mouthful of his Alderaani rum, feeling it burn his throat on the way down. �There was some sort of wasting illness that had been spreading round the camp. A lot of the women who were there had contracted it. I was told by one of the �workers� that anyone who had shown any signs of the disease had been disposed of. We arrived too late to be of any help to the envoy, or the pilot. It was clear that a good few of the woman had some of the symptoms of this illness and I knew that if they were left behind then there would be no hope for them. One of the women had asked me to smuggle out one person as a witness. Any more than that number would be missed. So they agreed I should take the youngest of their group. Jemmiah had only turned ten a couple of weeks before our arrival. So we contrived to get her out without being noticed. It didn�t quite work out that way.�

Leona looked shocked. �She was with those women.�

He nodded. �Her mother had been dead for over three years, so she told me. My padawan had already made a friend of her.� He smiled briefly. �I think when she first met me she was absolutely terrified. I was rather tall and fearsome, according to her. But I liked her very much, straight away. She never let things get her down. There was a great deal of determination there. Not to mention a temper to match. It�s not something she�s been able to deal with very well.�

�I�ve noticed,� Leona said dryly.

�I gave my word to one of the women at the camp that I would make sure that she was taken care of. I don�t think she expected me to volunteer personally, but I confess the whole situation was a very emotional one, and I don�t make promises lightly. Obi-Wan got on very well with her. I thought I might have a harder time trying to persuade the council to give her into my custody but they acquiesced rather surprisingly.�

Qui-Gon paused again.

�We did manage to get away, as you can see. The others weren�t as lucky. We saw every last one of them massacred.�

Leona watched his emotions play out on his face.

�Of course, you�ll recall when we brought her back. She was at the healers for a few weeks with that wasting disease I told you about.�

�Yes, I remember.� Leona muttered.

�And then we had that whole dreadful affair when her relatives were traced. She�d already settled well with Evla and then they decided they wanted to take her back to Corellia. Frankly, if it hadn�t have been for Yoda I think they would have succeeded.�

�You�re very fond of her, aren�t you?� she smiled.

�I admire her very much for the way she has managed to put everything behind her and keep looking forwards. It�s a lot to ask of a child, but she didn�t buckle.�

�Children are very resilient.� Leona agreed. �But are you sure she�s coping?�

�What do you mean?� he frowned.

�When An-Paj mentioned restraints earlier when he was looking to take her back to the Infirmary, she refused to come out from under the table where she was hiding. She really was frightened.�

�That�s where they were.� Qui-Gon muttered. �I wondered. Obi-Wan must be getting better at shielding from me.�

�They�re all growing up,� Leona nodded, sipping her flameout. �Even Jemmiah.�

He looked at her.

�You can�t keep her safe from everything. It�s commendable but impossible. I don�t see why you object as strongly as you do to Obi-Wan and Jemmiah as a couple. Surely you�d rather it was somebody reliable and trustworthy like him than someone like Kryztan Harkley.�

Qui-Gon gave that one some thought. �Perhaps,� he admitted. �I shall have to consider it. I confess it doesn�t sit well with me. If they argue or fall out, I am going to be caught in the middle. And it just doesn�t feel right.�

�Are you sure you just don�t want your little girl to grow up?� Leona teased.

�She already has. I must have blinked and missed it.� Qui-Gon mumbled. �The whole thing has got very �complicated.�

Leona was about to ask him what he meant when a clearly nervous Meri sidled towards them. �Master Jinn, can I have a word?� she asked.

*******

�Kenobi!� yelled Rela through gritted teeth. �Let go of him!�

�After I�ve smashed his brains out, yes!� Obi-Wan lowered his head and butted Harkley in the stomach.

�Ben, NO!� Jemmiah tried to pull them both apart. �Stop this!�

Obi-Wan�s only answer was to aim a punch at Kryztan�s face, which Harkley dodged at the last moment. The blonde padawan rolled to one side and Kenobi�s fist contacted heavily with the wall.

�Missed!� Kryztan spat.

Rela tapped him on the shoulder. As he turned round she whacked him on the unblemished side of his jaw, sending him spinning back into Obi-Wan�s reach.

�I didn�t,� she replied heatedly. �I�ve changed my mind. Smash his brains out.�

*******

Meri regarded Qui-Gon uncomfortably.

�It�s about Jemmiah.� she said reluctantly.

�What about her?�

Meri sought the right words. �I think�I think there might be a problem. I�m not sure if she knows or not, but for a while now one of the padawans has taken to�following her wherever she goes.�

Alarm bells began to sound in Jinn�s mind. �It wouldn�t be Kryztan Harkley by any chance, would it?� he asked grimly.

�Yes.� Meri looked surprised. Behind her some of the others were starting to file out the cantina and head towards the next one on the list. �I think he�s maybe a little bit upset that she�s seeing Obi-Wan. Sybelle seems to think he�s somewhat besotted with her.�

�How long has this been going on for?� Qui-Gon replied in a dark tone.

�About two months, maybe three. At least that�s what Sybelle thinks.� She shrugged under his scrutiny. �We were just worried, that�s all. I wouldn�t have said anything but I think he�s deliberately trying to provoke your padawan.�

�No, you did the right thing.� Qui-Gon said. �I�m glad you mentioned this.� He looked round again. �I�ve not seen Jemmiah for a while. Did you see where she went?�

�Kylenn said she went out to get some fresh air,� Meri answered. �I�ve not seen Obi-Wan either so I assume he�s with her.�

Qui-Gon mumbled his thanks once more and drained the remainder of his drink. �I suppose we ought to try and locate them,� he said to Leona.

�I�ll do that,� Lilith offered from nearby. She nodded to Leona. �Finish your drink. Krelo and I will go look for them.�

�Thank you, Captain Demodae,� Qui-Gon smiled.

�I�m sure they�ll appreciate it.�

*******

After what she'd heard from Qui-Gon, Leona's compassion for the young Corellian girl climbed immensely. And just the thought of what that swine, Kryztan Harkley, had attempted made her blood boil. Anger leads to the dark side, she scolded herself silently, sneaking a quick glance at the tall Jedi's profile. She felt honored at being given this glimpse into the heart of the large Jedi Master. It brought out the maternal instinct in her and induced a pressing need to check on her own padawan.

"I'm just going to check up on Dimallie, see how she's feeling." she said, hating to leave his side. "I'll be right back." she excused herself, hopping off the tall bar stool.

"I'll wait for you here," he said with a smile that caused her heart to flutter.

Making her way through the rather rowdy cantina patrons Leona reveled in the way this night was turning out. Granted there were some embarrassing moments, most notably her dress coming apart, but even that had turned in her favor when Qui-Gon had offered her his robe.

Now if only the rest of the night could turn out so fortuitous for her.

Simeon, Jay Abran, Sybelle, Dimallie and Meri were seated around a table looking extremely bored. Dimallie had recovered enough to be sitting upright again, though she held her head in her hands. "Bit of a headache?" Leona asked as she strode to the table.

"Run me through now, put me out of my misery." Dimallie groaned loudly through her fingers.

The healer placed her hand on the girl's forehead sending warm, comforting waves of healing to her apprentice. "Maybe next time you'll use some of your Force-given sense before being goaded into another round of Corellian Deathmatch." Leona angled a pointed glare at Simeon who had grace enough to look ashamed.

"Are we going to leave for the next cantina soon?" Jay inquired in a slurred voice.

"Just as soon as Obi-Wan finishes up with Kryztan," Sybelle tittered spitefully.

"What do you mean?" Leona quizzed the girl.

"Jemmiah went out front for some air and Kryztan followed her out. Then I saw Obi-Wan head out there. None of them came back in yet so...," the girl let the rest hang in the air.

"I'll go get them," Leona said glancing hesitantly at the door.

"Is something wrong?" Meri asked, seeing the healer's strained look.

"No, not a thing, dear," Leona answered as she headed to the exit. That boy must be suicidal, she thought darkly opening the door slightly.

*******

Kryztan Harkley was on the ground surrounded by Rela, Lilith and Krelo. Off to the side Obi-Wan moaned loudly, cradling his hand. Jemmiah stood by him, her face red and tear stained.

It didn't take the Force to guess what had happened.

Walking over to Obi-Wan, Leona examined his already swelling hand. Pressing as tenderly as possible she was able to feel at least three broken bones.

"He attacked me!" Kryztan cried out indignantly, pointing an excusing finger at Kenobi.

"You should of heard what he was saying to her," were Obi-Wan's only words in defense.

Glancing at Jemmiah, the girl cast her eyes down in shame. Leona gritted her teeth angrily, casting a disgusted glare at Kryztan. Returning her attention to Obi-Wan, "I want you and Jemmiah to go in and have An-Paj take a look at your hand."

"But..." Obi-Wan glowered at Harkley who still sat on the ground.

"Mr. Harkley's going to take a little walk with us" the healer nodded in the direction of those standing guard over the padawan, "and we're going to have a little discussion about the correct way to treat a lady."

"I will not go anywhere with the four of you!" Kryztan spat defiantly.

"Then we'll take this up with the Council," Krelo stated flatly.

"And if by some slight chance they see fit to allow you to continue your training I'll personally make sure your libido is put on hold permanently with a prescription of Council approved vitamins." Leona whispered icily.

Kryztan's mouth hung open, his eyes wide with fright.

"Get on your feet boy," Lilith roughly grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet.

"We'll meet you at the next cantina," Leona said as she followed the two Amazonian women and Rela down the ally.

Lilith kept her grip on Kryztan's arm tight and her hand high enough that he had to stand up on his toes. She could hear the even steps of Rela, Krelo and Leona behind her as she marched the pathetic excuse for a human being farther away from the bar entrance and listening ears.

"Do you know what we do to people like you on Corellia, you Bantha-brained Sith-spawn?" she asked in a low, threatening voice.

"Lil, we're not on Corellia," Krelo tried to remind her, hoping that her friend wouldn't take things too far. Coruscant had a much stricter set of rules governing law and the enforcement of it than Corellia did. Where Lilith came from all it took was a half dozen sober citizens and a local constable to carry out execution of justice if the crime was beyond doubt. And with all the witnesses to what Kryztan had done, there was no doubt at all.

"He's got it coming to him, Rei'ch!"

Krelo knew that the smuggler meant business. Lilith hardly ever called anyone by their last name. When she didn't use any name was when a sane being should run and hide and the Jedi realized that Lilith had not even once uttered even the young miscreant's title, let alone his name, first or last.

"Kre, stand look out over there." The tall bleached blond jerked her head to the alley opening to the right. "Rela, you watch behind us, please. Leona, can you heal this slimy, sniveling loser? I want this to be as fair as we can make it."

The healer looked unsure for a moment, then stepped forward and placed her hands on Kryztan as Lilith finally released her grip on the young man. Calling on the Force, Leona helped Kryztan accelerate his body's natural healing processes. It took a while.

Obi-wan had been very mad.

The whole time, Kryztan had a hard time tearing his attention from Demodae's hard level stare. He'd seen murder in Obi-wan's eyes, but what he saw in her muddy green gaze in that darkened alleyway was vastly different. This spoke of pain and more pain and wishing for a death that would not come.

"You have committed grievous crimes," Lilith grated out when Leona finally stepped back. "You have assaulted Jemmiah not once, but on two different occasions now. You have attacked her physically, verbally and emotionally. The first is merely criminal, the second is inexcusable, and the third unforgivable to a Corellian. How do you plead?" Krelo's eyes went wide as she realized that Lilith was indeed conducting her own trial right there in the alley behind a dingy, third-rate bar.

"Plead?!" Kryztan Harkley was feeling a lot better now that his body was getting closer and closer to fully healed and he was beginning to forget the strength in those big hands of hers. "Assault? You've seen how she dresses, how she acts. How can you actually accuse me of doing something she didn't want me to do?"

Rela snarled in fury and Lilith's eyes narrowed dangerously. Leona gasped, horrified that someone raised in the Temple could actually think that way, could actually believe that sort of thing.

"Hit him, Lil, before I do," Krelo grated, cracking the knuckles of one hand within the other palm.

Lilith waved her back. "No, keep your watch." She never took her eyes from Harkley. "Well?"

The young man straightened his tunics and had the gall to look affronted by her continued questioning. "Plead? You can't really be serious?"

"She's Corellian, Harkley." Rela had been watching carefully, but suddenly wasn't so sure she wanted to see what was going to happen. She very deliberately turned her back on Kryztan and looked down the empty alleyway.

"Well? The court is waiting for your answer, scum." Lilith's eyes glittered in the dim light and Krelo, too, turned away from the spectacle.

"Of course I'm not guilty," Kryztan shouted at the women. "She practically asked me."

"Let the record note that the defendant has pleaded not guilty," Lilith spoke calmly to Leona who stood just behind her.

"So noted." The healer's voice was low, dead, her shock at his behavior giving way to anger.

"Noted?" Kryztan asked in disbelief. "I can't believe you're actually going to let her get away with this," he demanded of Leona, but the healer simply stared straight through him.

Kryztan recalled suddenly that he hadn't a single friend among the four women, that two of them had actually seen that after effects of his drugging attempt, a third had come into the alley with Obi-wan and had caught the tail end of his threats to Jemmiah. Harkley began to look back and forth, almost frantically. This was getting out of hand. Sure, they meant to scare him, well, they were doing a pretty good job and now it was time for them to stop.

"Look, this has gone far enough," he began shakily.

"Silence."

Kryztan's jaw snapped shut, his teeth clicking together forcibly enough to be heard by everyone.

"Miss Rela, what did you hear in the alley earlier this evening?"

Rela turned smartly, her gaze never once landing on the now trembling young man standing in the alleyway corner. "I heard Kry-, the Defendant say that if he were to say certain things, Jemmiah's life could be made very uncomfortable. I heard him threaten her, try to coerce her to date him instead of Obi-wan. I heard him slander her name by intimating that she had been a whore at the illegal age of five." The shorter woman's eyes finally touched lightly upon Harkley, disdain and loathing plain on her face.

Kryztan started to stammer out an excuse, some way to make it sound less wicked than it was, than he had entirely meant it to be.

"Silence." That ringing tone was a command he could not disobey and Kryztan watched mutely as Rela turned back around to watch the alley leading to the bar.

"Healer Leona, what were your findings when you examined young Jemmiah earlier this evening?"

"I found that Jemmiah had been given a rather large dose of Diloxamide."

"What does Diloxamide do, please, Healer?"

"Diloxamide promotes symptoms similar to drunkenness," Leona's description came out in a dispassionate lecturing manner. "It makes the victim drowsy, more susceptible to suggestion. It is commonly used as a date-rape drug."

"Thank you, Healer Leona. Is there any member of the court who wishes to speak out on behalf of the defendant?" Lilith's voice rasped low and ominous and the silence that followed Demodae's question deepened and grew thick. Rela and Krelo remained with their backs to the other three. Leona's gaze went right through the young man as if he wasn't even there and Lilith's direct stare was even more unnerving than the silence itself.

"There is no one to speak on your behalf, Kryztan Harkley. There are no mitigating circumstances and the proof, in the form of eyewitnesses, is overwhelming. The Court has no choice, but to find you guilty of the charges leveled against you." Those hard green eyes bored through him and burned with barely controlled anger.

"There remains only the sentencing." The young man definitely did not like the sound of that!

"Sentencing?!" he cried out in disbelief. "You can't sentence me. You are not a legal court. Not here, not even on your precious Corellia."

Lilith blinked slowly and said nothing, only waiting. Kryztan began to tremble visibly under that unwavering gaze.

"The sentence is a thrashing by a Court appointed official and then community shunning." Lilith turned to Leona without taking her eyes from Kryztan. "Has the sentence been noted?"

"It has been noted."

"Let it also be noted that the Court appointed official shall be Lilith Demodae." There was a small growl of satisfaction from Krelo's direction, but the redhead did not turn around.

"It is so noted," Leona said, satisfaction evident in her voice as well.

Lilith nodded, then actually looked at Harkley as if he was a person.

"Are you healed?"

A shaky nod was his answer.

"Healer? If you please?"

Leona stepped forward and made a quick examination. "He is sound."

"Very well." A wicked glint reflected in the blond amazon's green orbs. "I will allow you to defend yourself, if you can." Lilith shrugged out of her vest and handed it to Leona. "Let us see how you do against a woman who is not drugged out of her wits."

There was grim promise of pain and humiliation in the smuggler's voice as she moved forward to apply the thrashing.

"Defend myself?" Kryztan looked up at the woman who loomed over him like the very shadow of doom. "I thought you said you wanted this to be fair?" he asked in an accusing tone, his typical sneer finding it's way to the front despite the tension of the situation.

A feral smile twisted Lilith's lips. "You are healed. You have been trained since you were able to stand to defend yourself and others. You have the Force. I am as Force-sensitive as a rock, and began to learn fighting only after I was twenty. I think the odds are as fair as we can reasonably make them."

Harkley spit at her, but Demodae calmly moved the side, avoiding it, and lifted her hand from her side in a ringing, open-handed slap. Kryztan's head snapped side-ways with the blow and he stumbled back, his hands going to his wounded cheek. She'd barely moved, but there had been some serious power behind that blow. He knew now that his first instincts, to fear her, had been the correct ones.

Lilith stepped forward and Kryztan dropped into a fighting stance. When the woman's hand lashed out again, still open-handed, he dodged out of the way, ducking under her swing and stepping behind her, thinking to take her unawares. His retaliating kick didn't make it farther than ankle high; however, blocked neatly by Lilith's own booted leg as she turned the other way to meet him.

Experience often counts higher than training.

Lilith lifted a foot for a kick and hopped forward with the motion, then lanced out with that same slapping hand again instead. Kryztan staggered under the blow and tasted blood in his mouth.

She'd split his lip! The Corellian witch! He'd show her.

On he came, darting punches and flashing kicks at his opponent and she moved back steadily before him. A triumphant grin paraded across his face as Lilith bumped up against the alley's wall. He had her cornered! he thought smugly.

Harkley sneered at the taller woman, certain that he had her right where he wanted her . . .

When it was really the other way around.

Lilith's hands went down to the wall behind her, in what looked like a reflex to bumping into the wall. But Demodae had not been surprised at all by the wall being there. She always knew exactly where she was and where things around her were. Her hands braced themselves on the pipe just under her hips that ran the length of the wall. Her long legs coiled tightly up to the smuggler's stomach and then lashed out, and Kryztan took both booted feet right in the chest, flinging him back and landing him in a gasping heap against the opposite wall.

Lilith calmly walked over and lifted him up. Harkley was still having trouble catching his breath and there was not enough strength left in him to fight her off. With her left hand fisted in his tunic, Lilith shoved Kryztan up against the wall and growled low in her throat.

"Doesn't feel too good to be helpless, does it, punk?" she snarled at him.

Her right hand came up and delivered another of those ringing slaps with her broad palm. Back and forth, left to right and back again, over and over, her hand moved with the precision and timing of a finely tuned metronome. Kryztan's head rocked with the blows and blood trickled from his nose and split lips.

"Doesn't feel good to be powerless, does it? To be humiliated? Denigrated?" Each question was accompanied by another slap. "Think about this next time, before you lay your hands on a girl and decide you know better than she does what she wants."

Lilith let go of Harkley and he sagged away from the wall. The smuggler carefully gauged the distance and then punched him in the gut as a final parting shot when he had leaned far enough away for her blow to hurt, but not damage anything.

Leona looked slightly shocked by the violence of it all and momentarily, the kind-hearted healer thought to help the young man who had crumpled to the filthy ground of the alleyway. But then she remembered why they were out there in the first place, what this boy had done, and her face and heart hardened.

Lilith caught the look, before Leona had stifled it. "Don't worry. He'll live. He'll probably puke in a minute or so and he'll be woozy for at least half an hour, even with Jedi healing techniques," behind her, Krelo nodded wryly. She had reason to know about that. "But other than that he'll be fine. Let's not let him ruin the night any more."

The four women moved toward the alleyway mouth headed toward the next bar on the list and the rest of their group. Leona, Rela and Krelo would inform everyone who needed to know that Kryztan was to be totally ignored for at least the rest of the night. It was up to him to explain to his master why the women had chosen to inflict that punishment upon him.

Lilith looked back over her shoulder at the shuddering wreck she'd left behind and felt no remorse whatsoever.

"Court is adjourned."

*******

�Where�ssssss next?� Abran asked in a voice that had taken on a slight lisp from repeated alcoholic consumption.

Sybelle shrugged. �I want to see what�s happening here with Obi-Wan and Kryztan.� She smirked again. �I�ll lay any odds they�ve killed each other!�

�Ssssuit yoursssself.� Abran shrugged and gently prized himself out of his seat. �I�m followin� the othersss to the�to the�wherever it isss.�

Kylenn and Spider grabbed him before he fell down. �How do you like your Caf, black or blacker?� Spider drawled. �Take his arm.�

�Why?� Kylenn blinked.

�Coz I don�t trust him.� She turned to Meri. �How about you?�

�I�ll come with you.� Meri agreed, snatching a quick look at Qui-Gon as he waited for Leona�s return. �The others can catch us up. I think they might want to be on their own.� She added with a snicker.

�Cates? How about you?�

�Yeah, me too.� Simeon nodded then he looked at Dimallie still with her hands over her face. �Actually, I�d better wait for Leona. I�m sure she�ll make certain that nothing violent will occur��

The sentence was barely out of his mouth when the stricken Obi-Wan limped in through the door holding his hand in a way that suggested he hadn�t hurt himself playing tennis. There was the faintest suspicion of bruising on his cheekbone.

�In that case Leona�s idea of violence must differ slightly to yours.� Sybelle said almost happily.

�Maybe it WAS Leona!� Abran chuckled.

�As if.� Meri winced sympathetically as Obi-Wan sought out An-Paj. �She�s a nice, passive sort of individual. Like a healer should be.�

�Don�t let that professional exterior fool you.� Simeon shuddered as if at some dark memory. �She can get as mad as Sith when the occasion demands. You never saw what she was like when she had a go at me for improper use of the Infirmary sluice!�

There was a brief exchange of knowledgeable winks amongst the little group in response to Simeon�s muttered recollection.

�I think now would be a good time to clear out.� Meri said as she watched a rather shaky looking Jemmiah follow her boyfriend over to where An-Paj was finishing his last drink.

�I�m waiting for Griff.� Sybelle repeated. �He won�t be long.�

�As you wish.� Meri nodded as Kylenn and Spider hauled a giggling Jay Abran towards the door. She didn�t so much think Sybelle was waiting for Griff as looking forwards to the firing squad when Qui-Gon realized what had happened�

Jodi Mullicar burst back through the doorway.

�Guys, you have GOT to see this! Master Biwo and Master Berlingside have challenged Depa Billaba and Vernice Ashdal to a three legged race round the block!�

There was only a momentary pause until a stampede swept up poor Jodi and nearly pinned him to the floor. Simeon stared at the space with the almost visible kick back of dust filling the area where his fellow padawans had been seconds earlier, then across at Qui-Gon, then towards An-Paj and Kenobi.

�It�s quite obvious to me that we two are the only sane people in this place,� he said as Dimallie just gave another headache-induced groan and slid her elbows along the table. Simeon looked at her.

�Do you want to see my trick with the toes?�

*******

�What in the seven furnaces of hell happened to you?!� An-Paj�s eyebrow�s shot up.

�Leona�says it�s broken,� he hissed through his teeth in pain.

�Then it is broken,� An-Paj said as he examined the injury with both the force and his own hands.

�SITH�it hurts!� Kenobi yelled.

�I expect it does,� An-Paj said. �I�ve got just the thing.�

�Does it involve needles?� Kenobi asked warily, guarding his hand from further mishap.

�Yup,� The healer nodded. �It�ll freeze the area more or less. Then I�m going to put it in a sling. We can take a better look at it when you get back to the temple.� He looked at his watch. �If we get back to the temple.�

He looked in the medi-kit that Leona had brought with her. Yes, there it was. Hypodermic.

�I don�t feel well,� Obi-Wan mumbled.

�It�s nothing to how I imagine you are going to feel when your master catches up with you�� An-Paj switched his gaze to Jemmiah. �And how about you?� he asked gently. �Are you alright?�

She said nothing, merely kept her eyes on the floor and nodded.

�Right. Well I�ll get you sorted out then, Kenobi. Hold still please.�

�Leona said it was broken in three places,� he grimaced.

�Really?� An-Paj said surprised. �Well, you might be interested to know that she was wrong.�

�That�s a relief.� Kenobi screwed his eyes up.

�It has four breaks in it.� An-Pal tapped the hypodermic a couple of times.

�Sith.� Obi-Wan muttered.

A large shadow cast itself across the padawan.

�Oh, Sith indeed.� Qui-Gon growled.

*******

�What is it?� Meri asked as she hovered nearby the start line that had been chalked hastily on the permacrete. �What are they doing?�

�It�s an old Jedi ritual. One that is rarely seen by padawans, so think yourself extremely fortunate to be witnessing this today.� Windu said.

�Yes, but WHAT?� Meri asked again.

�It�s a coming of age ceremony. Like an initiation from padawan to knighthood. You map out a course and tie two people together by one leg. You give �em a glass of expensive Florizan Brandy to carry. Then they�ve got to go round the course without spilling a drop.�

�And do they?�

�No. Not usually. The person with the most brandy left in the glass is declared the winner and is exempt from the extremely nasty penalty that is demanded as a punishment for failure. We used to play this game a lot when we�d just been knighted.� Windu sighed. �Somehow Qui-Gon always contrived to win it.�

�And the penalties?�

�Don�t ask,� Mace said flatly.

�We have four challengers,� Sal-Fina called out in a clear, crisp voice. �Does anyone else want to take part?�

*******

�I�m waiting for you to explain,� Qui-Gon breathed dangerously.

�There�s nothing to explain,� Obi-Wan snapped.

�How did you get that injury to your hand?� The master demanded coldly. �Did you hit him?�

�I hit the wall instead,� Obi-Wan said truthfully. �It�s my own punishment for being stupid.�

�Stupid for trying to hit him?� Jinn pressed.

�No. Stupid for missing him,� Obi-Wan spat, barely keeping his anger in check. �If you�re trying to find out if I attacked him and if I was not in control of my actions and basically trying to murder him, the answers in order are yes, no and yes.�

�Padawan�� Qui-Gon shook his head.

�You told me there was nothing I needed to know! You lied to me!�

�Calm down�what I told you was true. From a certain point of view.�

�A certain point of view?� Obi-Wan was incredulous. � You�re standing there giving me a verbal flaying when YOU hit HIM!�

�That�s enough!� Qui-Gon hissed.

�Are you telling me you didn�t hit him?�

�That was his punishment. When a padawan does something wrong his behavior sometimes needs to be corrected.�

�You never heard what he said! What he was trying to get her to do!� Obi-Wan swallowed his ire.

�When was this?� Qui-Gon looked uncertain for the first time.

�Just now, in the alley.� Kenobi raised his head indignantly. �If you had you would be out there just now helping Leona, Rela and the others instead of objecting to me taking a swipe at him.�

�What are they doing?� Jinn looked alarmed.

�If they�ve got any sense they�ll break his neck.� Obi-Wan glanced at Jemmiah, who hadn�t looked anyone in the eye or spoken a single word since the fight had been broken up. �Why don�t you ask her what he said?�

�Jemmiah?� Qui-Gon asked. He received no acknowledgement.

Qui-Gon felt doubt tug at him for the first time since he had began his lecture. She�d been crying, that much was obvious. That in itself was enough to make him take note. �Are they still in the alley?� he asked eventually.

Kenobi nodded and then yelped as he felt the ice-cold injection begin to work.

�There�s not a lot I can do other than immobilize it until I can treat it properly with bone knitters,� An-Paj said. �And for what my humble opinion�s worth, as a healer I can�t condone your action, nor as a Jedi.� He started to sort out the sling. �As a father and a human being, I have to say that I would probably have had the little vrelt split from sternum to crotch.�

�Ask Rela. She�ll back me up,� Obi-Wan said in disgust.

�I intend to.� Qui-Gon answered, looking his apprentice squarely in the face. �Does it hurt?�

�Not as much as it did,� Kenobi mumbled.

�Good. Look after Jemmiah. I�m going to find Healer Leona and see what she has to say about all this.� He put a large hand on Jemmiah�s shoulder. �I won�t be long.�

Obi-Wan watched him leave, a sour expression on his face. �I�m glad I can use either hand to hold an ale glass,� he said irreverently to An-Paj. �I�m going to get another drink.�

So preoccupied was Obi-Wan with his bandaged arm that the force completely failed to alert him of the bottle that fate had casually left to roll underneath his right foot. An-Paj was left once again to wonder why it seemed that some people were almost permanent patients in his care, as Kenobi went flying backwards. Trying to protect his injured arm he put out his other one to save himself.

An-Paj heard the crunch from yards away.

He sighed.

�Make that five broken bones.�

*******

Qui-Gon paused briefly at the back exit of the dingy cantina. His feelings were well and truly mixed. His padawan did possess a quick temper but had learned with the passage of time to control it. Or so he had thought. It did not please Qui-Gon in the least to discover how easily Obi-Wan had let himself be goaded into violent action. When this whole evening was over there was going to be a lengthy discussion about the dangers of willingly succumbing to hatred. And yet Qui-Gon knew Obi-Wan well enough to feel certain that such action would only have been taken if his apprentice had been severely provoked. The exact nature of the provocation was what he was attempting to find out.

He stretched out with the force, trying to get a feeling for the situation around him. Anger and outrage mixed with a certain degree of satisfaction seemed to be prevalent. It was superseded only by the acute pain that came flooding from the direction of the alleyway Obi-Wan had mentioned. From back in the cantina Qui-Gon felt distinct discomfort emanate from his padawan as An-Paj continued to treat the young man with his usual efficiency. From Jemmiah he could only feel�numbness. Shock.

He spurred himself onwards in his personal quest for the truth. Questions formed in his mind, such as what on Coruscant had persuaded Healer Leona and Rela to get themselves mixed up in this whole affair? And Lilith and Krelo too? Rela had known Jemmiah for a long while now. They seemed to possess many similar characteristics and he knew of Jemmiah�s sneaking admiration for Rela. Both had been put through the masher and then some, so he supposed it was not unnatural for her to stick up for her friend. In the same way Krelo was Lilith�s friend and would back her up if she felt there was some justification.

Lilith herself bothered him. He�d watched her keeping a keen eye on Jemmiah all night, and whilst he�d been grateful in the extreme he couldn�t help but wonder if there was some ulterior motive behind it all, other than merely helping out a fellow Corellian�

Leona was a healer. That she would be party to any further violence was unthinkable to Qui-Gon. She�d impressed him very much in the last few hours. The infirmary should consider itself lucky indeed to have such a compassionate being working for them.

He saw them returning from the darkened alleyway in groups of two. Krelo was speaking to Lilith in hushed tones whilst Jinn could easily make out the sly contentment that reposed on Captain Demodae�s features. Behind them, Leona and Rela seemed more guarded in their mannerisms.

Leona spotted him first and gave a nervous gulp.

�Master Jinn.� she stammered. �I didn�t think that��

�That I�d come out to see for myself the damage that my padawan has inflicted on Padawan Harkley?� Finished Qui-Gon. �Surely you must have realized that I would be interested in getting to the bottom of this whole unpleasant affair.�

�Unpleasant is an understatement.� Rela snapped, surprising him with her vehemence. �Personally, I would have done exactly what Obi-Wan did and a little bit more. He was only so restrained because he broke his hand when that snakespit dodged at the last moment.�

�Restrained?� Qui-Gon couldn�t believe her words. �If that�s what my padawan is like, what condition is Master Berlingside�s padawan in?�

�Don�t worry, Leona healed the little Florizan Weasel.� Lilith stared at him balefully. �Not that he deserved it.�

Qui-Gon shot Leona a thankful glance, which caused her to blush.

�You might not be so grateful when you hear what WE did to him.� Lilith couldn�t resist cracking her fingers.

�What gave you the right to do anything?� Qui-Gon queried.

�Because you wouldn�t have.� Rela remarked icily. �Do you really think that one thump on his jaw is going to teach him anything? Because I�m warning you, he�ll cause more trouble for her. You should go to the council and have him thrown out.�

�It�s no more than he deserves,� Krelo sided with the young girl.

�I can�t do that,� Qui-Gon replied.

�Because of Dex? Qui-Gon, he�s the one who is going to suffer if you keep this hidden from him. Kryztan will think he�s won and��

�It�s not about winning. It�s about consideration to others and giving people a second chance. There is a possibility that Kryztan will come to regret his actions tonight, heinous as they are. He�s a little drunk and��

�Garbage.� Rela said in an annoyed tone. �If you had heard what he said to her, and how he had said it, you wouldn�t be quite so keen to show all that compassion. Let�s face it. He�s scum.�

�And what did he say?� Jinn asked warily.

If Rela�s head for numbers was legendary, her head for remembering words and phrases was equally impressive. She started to reel off every word, every inflection of Harkley�s smooth tones, from the point where she and Obi-Wan had entered the alley. Starting with his admission of stalking her for some months and his base threats of blackmail and slanderous insults.

�I believe he said he could �make life very uncomfortable� for her.� Rela looked at him pointedly. �He also went on to suggest that there was some weird guy out looking for her who was going to come and get her. He said he could be anywhere, just waiting his chance, and that �a person could easily disappear in the backstreets and never be seen again�. What�s that if it�s not a threat?� she finished with a glare.

Qui-Gon grimaced. It had been Jemmiah's overriding fear since he had brought her back six years ago. Somehow, Kryztan had known it and contrived to make it work against her. If there was one thing that Qui-Gon couldn�t abide over anything else it was emotional torture.

�How did he find out?� he asked.

�He said he heard you discussing the matter with his master,� Rela scowled.

So, he was an eavesdropper, too.

�I�m telling you, if you don�t get the council to squash this insect you are sooooooo gonna regret it later.� Rela complained bitterly.

Qui-Gon thought of Obi-Wan�s damaged hand, and somehow found his anger to have completely evaporated.

�You healed him, you say?� Jinn looked at Leona.

�Yes,� she glanced at the ground.

�What was the matter with him?� he asked.

�Nothing a pair of tree pruners wouldn�t cure,� growled Rela.

�Bruising and cuts mostly,� Leona replied.

�It hardly seems fair.� Qui-Gon said. �My apprentice ends up with a broken hand and he receives only cuts and bruises.�

�I can assure you he�s got more than a few cuts and bruises now,� Lilith spoke up.

Qui-Gon nearly laughed. He was quite sure the big Corellian woman had been very thorough. If she punched as passionately as she kissed, Kryztan would be in BIG trouble.

�Where is he?� he asked eventually.

�We left him being violently sick by a rain barrel,� Krelo said dryly, pointing the direction.

Jinn nodded and walked slowly in Kryztan�s direction.

�I think we ladies should go and get ourselves some refreshment at the next cantina.� Krelo watched the tall master disappearing round the corner.

�Yes,� Rela permitted herself a thin smile. �Qui-Gon�s got this under control.�

*******

As it happened Kryztan wasn�t too hard to spot. He was, as Lilith had intimated, a bit of a mess; hardly the immaculate and spotless image he usually presented. When he sensed Qui-Gon�s presence the young man nearly stopped breathing.

�Feeling well, Harkley?� Jinn asked the cowering padawan.

He received no answer other than the waves of genuine terror that were rolling off him.

�No?� Qui-Gon wondered. �Well, that�s no surprise. You know, you look like you�ve been worked over by a large gang of rampaging Wolfmen.�

Kryztan just stared, trembling.

�Are you afraid of me, Harkley?� Jinn questioned.

The blonde padawan nodded slowly, careful of his split lips. Qui-Gon moved to within feet of him.

�Good,� He said.

Qui-Gon watched dispassionately as the boy retched in the corner yet again. There were no doubts that he was going to have a hard time explaining this one away to his master.

�When you have an animal in your care that is in need of teaching and disciplining, you do it gently and with understanding. Are you in need of understanding, Kryztan?�

Harkley swallowed and nodded again.

�Master Quirida-Xac once owned a large and unruly Korrassi Tree Pup that wouldn�t be housetrained no matter what he did. Do you know how he taught it to regulate itself?�

No answer.

�He picked it up and rubbed its face in the mess it left on the floor. It soon learned in what areas of the apartment it was welcome in.�

Kryztan shuddered and Qui-Gon grabbed him firmly by the collar.

�You are going to stay away from Jemmiah. You are going to stop following her, do you understand me? You will not try to cause any trouble for her or my padawan, because if you do and I get to hear of it, there will be more gentle disciplining,� he broke off as he rubbed Kryztan�s face in his own pile of vomit, �starting with a mild rebuke and working its way up in scale to my throwing you out of a balcony.�

�I�m glad we understand one another.� Qui-Gon let go of the sick stained apprentice. �Because I would�ve really hated to have to show you what I would have done with my lightsabre.� He activated the glowing green blade with the familiar snap-hiss sound that every Jedi knew and waved it elegantly from side to side, eyeing Kryztan intently.

�Think about it,� he said before deactivating the weapon once more, and turning on his heel and walking back to the cantina.

*******

He was glad to be able to step back inside the darkened, smoke filled rooms in search of his injured padawan. There were still many issues to be discussed between them, and no doubt they would be covered in meticulous detail and thoroughness, but he no longer felt the urge to shout at the boy. There were no qualms in Qui-Gon�s mind that he had by far the better deal when he had accepted Obi-Wan as his padawan learner. Dexy�s troubles were just beginning�

�Obi-Wan?� Jinn tried to locate An-Paj, expecting to find his apprentice with the master healer, his hand neatly bandaged and tended to.

His mouth dropped when he saw Obi-Wan sporting a sling on not just one, but both arms. �Padawan? What happened?� Qui-Gon blinked in astonishment.

�He�s set a new record.� An-Paj stated wearily.

He�d only been gone for ten minutes, after all!