"We are never doing it that way again. Wasn't that your idea, Mace?" Payter growled at the other man.

"It would have been fine--"

"We don't have time for this. We need to get the others and get out of here." Payter stepped closer to his Padawan, watching the boy closely.

"Master?" Kerge turned wide eyes up to meet his own, already beginning to glaze. The boy was already pale and beginning to waver. It was only his close proximity that allowed Payter to catch him as he fell.

"It'll be all right, Padawan," he said softly as he lifted the boy over his shoulder and began running down the corridor. He reached out along their still forming and slightly tenuous band and began feeding energy to Kerge, hoping it would be enough until they made it back to the ship.

Long before they reached the room, Payter could hear the sounds of the Feeder flies. With a quick glance at Mace to make sure the man was still on his feet, Payter began searching for way to get inside the room. Through the Force, he could feel the presence of the others; they were all alive, though he couldn't tell if they were still conscious.

"Once I have the door opened, we only have a few moments to get them and leave before we'll be overwhelmed. I'll get Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, you take the other two. I don't care what you have to do or what kind of shape they're in, we leave no one behind." Payter waited only a moment for Mace's nod before he keyed the door and rushed into the room.

It was far worse than he expected. The Feeders were so thick in the room, his vision was clouded. The sound of so many in one area created a high pitched shrieking noise he didn't think any of them should be exposed to for very long.

Shifting his grip on his Padawan, Payter quickly located Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon through the Force and was at their sides in a moment. It helped that the two were together, but when he actually saw them, he was not as relieved. Obi-Wan was tugging valiantly at Qui-Gon's robes, trying to drag the tall man across the floor to the door. The small boy was already wavering on his feet and was so intent in his task he screamed in fright and surprise when Payter touched his shoulder.

"Don't use your muscles, the Force is a better ally," Payter said shortly as he began pulling Qui-Gon with the Force. He wanted to take more time with the boy but knew they only had a few moments; he would have to deal with Obi-Wan once everything else was settled.

Obi-Wan stared at him in shock for only a second before he added his strength to Payter's. Payter had only a moment for surprise at the boy's strength before he had to turn all of his attention to getting the four of them out the door. He ran, trusting Obi-Wan to follow.

"Mace!" he called over the piercing roar of the Feeders.

"Right here," Mace called back, his presence in the Force only slightly behind them. Payter picked up his speed, his boots sliding on polished floor as he tried to stop himself outside the chamber. He waited only long enough for the group to step just outside the chamber doors before he keyed the mechanism to close them. Breathing heavily and trying to clear the Feeders that had followed them from the room, Payter quickly surveyed the small group. He knew their best chance was to make it to the ship, but the odds of their success did not look good.

Qui-Gon was still unconscious on the floor with Obi-Wan kneeling at his side, his small chest heaving with exertion. Mace was supporting Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo Koon was slumped on the floor at their feet. Worst of all, Kerge had ceased to move in his arms, and he could feel the young man clinging to life only by the thinnest of threads.

Pushing all of his worry aside, Payter drew a breath. He could worry about them all once they were safely on the ship and away from the planet. Right now, they needed him to make the decisions. Forcing more energy into his flagging Padawan, he jerked his head up to face the rest of the group. "Let's go," he said shortly, taking off down the hall again, part of his attention focused on pulling Qui-Gon, though he unfortunately had to leave the majority of the work to Obi-Wan.

Payter raced down the hallways he had memorized while they were in-flight to the planet. He took the shortest path to get them back to the landing pad, knowing more than likely they would have to deal with some sort of resistance once they arrived there as well. Still, the information he had about the people they were facing indicated a lower level of technology, so he hoped they would come out of the confrontation in one piece. As long as the others followed his lead, they should be fine.

When they reached the landing pad, Payter paused just outside the door and reached out with the Force. As he did, though, several hostile beings were in the hanger and waiting near their ship. Looking over his shoulder at Mace and the others, he took only a moment to consider.

He pulled his lightsaber from his belt, igniting the purple blade and motioned for Mace to do the same. "I'll get them to the ship, you cover us."

Mace nodded, for one taking the direction of another without question. He drew his own lightsaber and set Mundi to stand on his own.

Payter spared only one more glance at their sorely wounded group. "Help who you can, but get to the ship," he ordered tightly. He gave a sharp nod to Mace and keyed the door.

Helping the others the best he could, Payter tried to keep his lightsaber between the group and any weapon fire not deflected by Mace. To his credit, the other Jedi did an admirable job, especially considering he hadn't been on a mission in months. Payter and Mace hung back from the main group just long enough to ensure that all the Jedi made it aboard before following them through blaster fire and dart projectiles.

As soon as the hatch to the ship closed behind them, Payter sprinted to the cockpit with Kerge still held closely to him. He settled the boy in the co-pilot's chair and began flicking switches and touching pads to ready the ship for take-off as he was trusting that Mace would have enough sense to man the turrets. Payter's fingers flew over the console, already aligning the nav computer to take the shortest, most easily calculated jump anywhere. They could set the course for Coruscant once they were out of danger. He flicked on the ship-wide intercom.

"Everyone hold on, we're taking off." With no further warning, he released the docking clamps, and pulled the engines up to full power, causing the ship to lurch forward. Payter guided the craft with practiced ease past the docking bay entrance and out of the city. As the ship cleared the outer atmosphere of the planet, Payter wasted no time in punching in the command that thrust the ship into hyperspace.

The moment the tranquil field of stars shifted the streaking light that signified their hyperspace travel, Payter jumped out of the seat and once again pulled Kerge into his arms. The boy's skin was clammy to the touch and ashen in complexion. His breath came in harsh, labored gasps and Payter could barely feel the weak and fluttery pulse at the boy's neck.

He rushed down the narrow corridor of the ship to the small Medcenter. Giving a nod to Mundi on his way, Payter barley paused to speak. "You'll need to set us on a course for Coruscant." He didn't have time to deal with it himself, and the Councilor was the closest at hand still standing.

When he entered the Medcenter, Payter was only distantly aware of the others who were already in the room. His sole focus was his Padawan and making certain the young man survived the mission. He gently paced Kerge on one of the empty beds and began rifling through their supplies, trying to find the antivenom. It was his hope that they had carried more than was strictly necessary; he didn't even want to think about what he would do if there was none.

Finally, he found the precious antivenom and loaded it into sub-dermal implant, which he pressed into his Padawan's neck. As the antivenom worked its way through his padawan's bloodstream, Payter barely dared to breathe as he waited. It had to be enough; he had to have arrested the poison in time. There was no other option.

He ran his hand along the boy's forehead, willing him to recover. He couldn't have just found the boy and accepted his place as a Master only to have him pulled away. It wasn't supposed to work that way, not after Kerge had worked his way into his life and gained a place at his side. He couldn't lose his padawan.

After what seemed hours, the rigidity of Kerge's limbs began to relax and a little color began to return to the boy. His breathing eased and his pulse strengthened as Payter took a moment to let out the breath he had been holding. Payter drew a deep and shaky breath. He closed his eyes for a moment, allowing himself the precious time to release his fears to the Force. He had more meditation to do on what had happened, but now was not the time. He brushed a gentle hand over his padawan's short hair and eased the boy into a healing sleep.

It was only then he allowed himself to turn and face the damage that had been inflicted on the rest of the Jedi. Plo Koon and Qui-Gon were unconscious on two of the beds, and a moment's exam showed they were both down due to excessive exposure to the Feeders. From what he knew of the Feeder flies, it was nothing that would harm them in the long run, and a little sleep would go a long way to making them whole again.

Mace was sitting near them with his head resting in his hands, shoulders slumped forward. He too was suffering from the effects of the Feeders, but it was not nearly as severe as the others. A quick call to Mundi confirmed the other councilor was in about the same state as Mace, as well as his inability to set the coordinates for Coruscant. Apparently his muscle control was not at its best.

That left only Obi-Wan. Payter scanned the room for the small boy and did not immediately spot him. Only after he'd gone to stand by Qui-Gon, assuming the boy would want to be by his master, did he find him.

Obi-Wan was tucked in a corner of the room nearest Qui-Gon, his robe pulled tightly around him. His small face was frighteningly pale and even from a distance Payter could see the boy was shaking. Payter swore under his breath and knelt beside the boy.

"Obi-Wan?" he asked softly, wanting to get the boy's attention before he touched him.

Obi-Wan said nothing and did not even acknowledge his presence. He was rocking slightly and Payter grew more concerned by the second.

"Obi-Wan? Can you hear me?" Deciding it was worth the risk, and thinking he didn't have much time, Payter rested a gentle hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder.

Blank blue-grey eyes turned to the hand on his shoulder before following them up to Payter's face.

"Hey there, why don't we come out of the corner now?" He held out his arms to the boy and used his most reasonable and coaxing tone.

Obi-Wan stared at him blankly for a long moment before he moved slowly to Payter.

Payter held the small body close to him for a moment, trying to give some of his own heat to the chilled boy before moving. He stood finally and turned, meeting Mace's troubled gaze.

"What's wrong?"

"Well I'd say that was a pretty traumatic experience first off, Mace." Payter nearly sneered at the other man. "He also dragged Qui-Gon nearly by himself with the Force all the way here. That's much more Force power than he's probably every used for an extended amount of time. I think he's in shock."

"What should we do?" Mace didn't seem to be all that well-off either. Usually the other man was far more perceptive.

Sighing, Payter walked across the room and gripped Mace by one arm, steering him to a bed. "You are going to lay down before you fall down. Don't worry, I'll take care of things."

Mace put up a few token protests, but he was fading fast. It was really just as well, the other man wasn't in much of a position to help things any more and the best he could do was sleep.

Finally, Payter dropped heavily into a chair halfway between his padawan and Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan was reviving ever so slowly and was now clutching him tightly. Payter wrapped him in his own robe and spoke to him in low tones, trying to reassure the boy. He'd need to be examined by the Healers when they got back to determine there was no lasting damage, but right now he needed to feel safe and warm.

"You have to help my master," Obi-Wan said faintly, his voice holding a slightly dreamy quality.

Payter held the boy tighter. "He's okay now, Obi-Wan. We're all okay."

Obi-Wan shook his head insistently. "No, something's wrong."

Payter opened his mouth to argue but checked himself. Obi-Wan had been right on more than one occasion since this whole situation started and his connection to Qui-Gon was deeper than most bonds. Taking the boy's words on faith, he stood and moved over to Qui-Gon's side and immediately noticed the pronounced pallor of his friend's skin. Payter's eyes flicked up to the health readings and was alarmed by what he saw. Qui-Gon was not only unconscious, he was drifting perilously close to a coma.

"I don't understand...what's wrong?" Payter looked from the readings to Qui-Gon, trying to determine the best course of action.

"The bugs were bad for him. They um, they hurt him."

Payter looked at Obi-Wan for a moment trying to understand what he was trying to convey with his limited vocabulary and experience. "But they weren't as bad for you or the others?"

"No, just him. They made him sick."

Payter glanced between the master and the padawan trying to understand. Finally, all the pieces fell together. "Oh, he's allergic to them?" Payter ran a quick scan and it confirmed his thoughts. "Okay, we can deal with that." He found the appropriate counter to the toxin the Feeder flies produced and injected it into his friend. He stood with Obi-Wan, waiting as Qui-Gon gradually pulled back from the edge of the coma and fell into a more natural sleep.

"If you promise not to wake him up, I'll let to stay with your master," he told Obi-Wan. "I need to go up to the cockpit and set us on a course for home."

Instead of the immediate affirmative reaction he was expecting, Obi-Wan paused to consider. "Um, can I come up with you?"

Payter looked curiously at the boy, all his instincts telling him to listen to the child. "If you want."

Obi-Wan nodded and rested his head against Payter's chest.

With one last glance around the now filled Medcenter, Payter walked out of the room and down the corridor to the cockpit. Mundi was sitting slumped in the pilot's chair, awake, but only barely.

"Do you think you can make it to the Medcenter?" Payter asked as he came to stand next to the councilor.

Mundi nodded slowly. "I think so." He allowed Payter to help him stand and walked slowly of the room, a distinctive wavering in his steps.

Watching until he was outside the room, Payter settled into the chair and began the process of setting a course for Coruscant. As soon as they dropped out of hyperspace from their first jump, he wanted to immediately start the next one. As he worked, he kept part of his attention on Obi-Wan. The boy's small hands twitched toward the work console frequently and Payter knew he was trying not to touch anything.

"That's not right."

Payter looked down at him. "What?" He'd put in the correct coordinates for Coruscant, and he doubted the boy would have them memorized at such a young age.

Obi-Wan's hand strayed to the readout of the engine stats. "It's not right."

Payter looked at the readout, it was a little off, but not anything that should be dangerous. He had pushed the engines quite a bit during their getaway after all. "It's nothing to worry about, Obi-Wan. It's only off a little."

Obi-Wan's eyes went distant. "More than that. Something's there that shouldn't be."

Payter stilled, giving over his entire attention to the boy. "What do you see?"

"They did something to the ship. They put something in? Something on it." Obi-Wan's eyes moved, though he was not looking at anything Payter could see.

Payter drew a careful breath, and rubbed a soothing hand over Obi-Wan's back. He wanted to make absolutely certain that he handled the boy as carefully as possible; a string of Force visions could be very traumatic for the young. He didn't envy Qui-Gon in this respect at all. "Okay, Obi-Wan. We know what we need to now. Why don't you relax? You don't need to see anything else; we have all the information we need." He spoke softly and carefully. The last thing he wanted was to the frighten the boy, but he really needed not to use the Force for a while.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I want my Master."

"I bet you do. Why don't I take you there, then you can get some sleep? How does that sound?"

"Okay."

"Okay."

***

Qui-Gon woke slowly, his entire body a mass of aches and pains. He didn't immediately remember how he'd gotten himself into this state, but instead drifted for a time. When he finally opened his eyes, he found Payter sitting nearby.

"How do you feel?"

Qui-Gon paused. "Terrible."

"Actually, considering what almost happened, that's probably an improvement. You know, you might want to let us in on a few of your medical secrets there, Jinn, like oh, I don't know, allergies that can kill you. Do you realize how few people in the Republic have a fatally allergic reaction to Feeder flies?"

Qui-Gon looked at the other man for a long moment trying to understand what he was saying. "Okay," he said slowly.

"You don't remember."

"We were in the chamber at the meeting...and then," Qui-Gon closed his eyes. "Oh, that idiot, Plo Koon drew his lightsaber. What was that about? And then, Obi-Wan! Is he all right?" Payter smiled and pointed his chin at the bed. "Tired, confused. He'll need to see the Healers when we get back, but he's mostly okay."

Qui-Gon looked down in surprise at the small form tucked against his side. He hadn't even noticed. "What happened?"

"You're really going to want to kick yourself for this one, Qui-Gon. He was right all along; he did need to be here, just not for what we all thought. After they released the Feeder flies, to which you have an unfortunately strong reaction to, he helped drag you here, then he identified your allergy and as if that wasn't enough, he found out they'd put an explosive on the ship." Payter held up a hand. "Don't worry, I've taken care of it and we're fine. We're actually only about an hour outside of Coruscant. But the point is, he was right. We would all be dead if he hadn't been here."

Qui-Gon shook his head slowly, trying to understand. He ran a hand over Obi-Wan's head and the boy shifted closer in his sleep. He'd tried so hard to keep Obi-Wan away from this mission, and to find out now that he'd been meant to come...Qui-Gon had to wonder when he'd stopped listening to the Force so willfully.

"You aren't the only one who didn't pay attention to what the Force was trying to tell us." Payter smiled. "Don't look so surprised. You get this certain expression when you're feeling particularly self-flagellant."

Qui-Gon sighed. "It's a wonder that he managed to get here at all."

"Not a wonder really. The boy really has a sharp mind, and with the cohorts he's been keeping company with, well, you knew it was only a matter of time. I got the story out of Kerge the other day. Apparently, the tantrum he threw before you left was mostly an act to distract us all. Then pretending to be really upset at your departure, he asked Bel-San if he could go over to Slade's. Of course with Bel-San being the pushover he is, he agreed. Then Slade helped Obi-Wan sneak on board with a little interference from Kerge. All that 'unpacking' Kerge wanted to do when we got onboard was actually helping Obi-Wan settle in." He laughed. "Quite beautifully executed if you think about it."

"The Council isn't going to be happy."

"I don't think they'll be able to have much say in anything that goes on. This whole thing has gone badly from the beginning and with the stunt Plo pulled, they will have far greater concerns." He paused and gave Qui-Gon a significant look. "And I imagine from that little comment earlier that Yoda will be up and around again soon, in which case I can't see him being all that happy about what has gone on."

"I think you're right about that."

"Were you going to clue the rest of us in on that nice little bit of information?" Payter sat back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Qui-Gon's. While there was no accusation in his tone, there was quite a bit of hurt.

"I only found out myself just before the mission, and while I didn't agree with the Council's actions, I did see the need. They were trying to protect the rest of us. How long would it have been before they went after the children? I know; it doesn�t excuse it, but there it is." Qui-Gon shrugged lightly, careful not to disturb the small boy at his side. He wanted to think the matter through more, but it was difficult. His head was aching and he was still incredibly tired.

With a sigh, Payter patted his arm. "Don't worry about it now. There's little that can be done. Get some rest. I'll let you know before we reach Coruscant."

TBC