Kerge lay on the floor with his chin propped up on his fists, watching his master and Master Jinn talking on the couch.  They were talking about important master stuff, and although he pretended not to be listening, it was much more interesting to eavesdrop on them.

"And then he called me earlier today and was looking for him and accused me of hiding him when I said he wasn't here."  Qui-Gon cast a quick look in his direction and Kerge feigned a deep interest in the carpet.

His master made a sound deep in his throat, one that Kerge had come to recognize as annoyance.  It had sounded like a growl to Kerge for a long time and was very close to his noise of amusement.  Sometimes living with his master could be very confusing.

"I don't know, Qui-Gon.  Something about him just sets me off.  I can't quite place it, but..."  He shook his head and his eyes fell unerringly on Kerge.  "Don't you have something to do, Padawan?"

"I'm helping Obi-Wan, Master."  Kerge shifted a little closer to the younger boy who was sitting cross legged next to him, intent on assembling another of his models.  It wasn't that he didn't like Obi-Wan, or want to help him, but Obi-Wan didn't really need his help and the conversation his master and Obi-Wan's master were having was far more interesting.

His master grunted, but it was a distracted sound and Kerge knew he wasn't really paying all that much attention.  "I just think it might be a good idea to keep an eye on them.  I'm still trying to come up with some information on him, but so far he's mostly clean.  His files are normal, apparently he and his master don't speak much, but that happens sometimes.  All his class rankings are well within acceptable limits, and nothing is off on any of the official documents.  There are even a couple commendations along the way."

"Kerge."

Kerge nodded in Obi-Wan's direction but didn't actually look at him.  Obi-Wan had a tendency to talk endlessly and if he had to acknowledge everything the younger boy said, he wouldn't be able to listen to the other conversation.

"I'm not saying that there's necessarily going to be something in his records or past, I just think that there might be something..."

"Kerge."  Obi-wan tugged at his sleeve and Kerge missed the last of Master Jinn's sentence.

With a sigh, he nodded again at the young boy.  "That's nice, Obi-Wan."  He was just glad he was off rotation as lab assistant.  It was like having a room full of Obi-Wans only less mechanically inclined, and older.

"I know.  Maybe that's the link.  I'll see if I can't get any more information on that.  You're right, it does say something that they don't speak."  Now he had completely lost the thread of the conversation.  Kerge sighed as Obi-Wan pulled on the fabric of his tunic.

"Kerge."

"Padawan, will you answer the boy?"  His master turned his attention away from Master Jinn.  "Perhaps later we can work on some meditations to enhance listening skills."

Master Jinn laughed and winked at Kerge.  "I don't know, I think his listening skills are better than you think.  He's learning from the best, after all.  What did you expect?"

Kerge smiled a little at Master Jinn before turning his attention to Obi-Wan.  The boy’s wide blue eyes stared at him impatiently.  "What do you need, Obi-Wan?"

With a sigh, Obi-Wan showed Kerge his model.  "It doesn't work.  I did everything I was supposed to and it still doesn't' work."  The younger boy was in quite the mood; Kerge didn't think he'd ever seen Obi-Wan so sullen.

"Let me see if I can find out what's wrong."  Kerge sat up and took the small model of the Calamarian Cruiser from Obi-Wan and turned it over in his hands.  He followed the smooth lines of the craft, searching for the problem.  "Here it is, see, it's just a little thing."  Kerge tilted the model in Obi-Wan's direction.  "You just forgot to connect these two wires.   Now it will light up just like it's supposed to."  He handed the fixed model back.  "Now give it a try."

Obi-Wan flicked the switch on the model and smiled as the small ship lit up.  "Thanks, I couldn't figure it out."

            "It's okay, sometimes--"  At the sound of his master's comlink, Kerge broke off and looked up.  His master didn't usually get calls from friends.

            The voice on the other end of the comlink was too soft for Kerge to hear, but he knew something was wrong immediately.  His master stiffened in his seat and he cut off the device with a sharp movement.  Swearing, his master stood abruptly. 

"Come on, Kerge, we need to go.  Now."  He turned to Qui-Gon as Kerge scrambled to his feet, already on the way to the door.  "Sorry about this.  I have some business to take care of."

"Is there anything--"

"I don't think you want to get involved in this sort of thing, my friend.  I'll let you know."  His master strode out the door without a backward glance, his movements stating that Kerge had better follow.

Nearly trotting to keep up with the longer and more determined stride of his master, Kerge said nothing as they moved through the halls.  His master was muttering under his breath, but it wasn't anything Kerge could distinguish except for a few random curses.  Whatever had happened wasn't good, but he knew better than to ask questions right now.

When they entered the lift and his master pounded the terminal for the appropriate floor, he finally turned his gaze to Kerge.  "I need you to listen very carefully, Kerge.  One of the children from the Temple has been taken.  The preliminary search has failed and it's now my job to head the search.  This is one of my specialties, and it's also one of those things we talked about, how I do things that not all Jedi do or can do.  I want you to stay close to me and watch.  Understood?"  His master's tone was even, but Kerge could see the effort it cost him to keep his voice steady.  He'd never seen his master so angry.

Kerge simply nodded.

Laying a hand on his shoulder and squeezing lightly, his master nodded in return.  "Good boy."

The doors to the lift opened and his master set off down the hall; Kerge once again had to half run to keep up with him.  Nearly halfway down the long hall, his master finally began to slow and finally came to a halt before the doors to one of the knight's apartments.  His master's hand faltered slightly as he raised it to the door chime and a deep growl started low in his chest.  Kerge looked past his master to the door panel as the words of the occupants made his breath catch.  It couldn't be.

In an abrupt move, his master ignored the door chime and instead entered his personal code, which allowed him access to any room in the Temple at any time.  He strode through the door as it opened and bore down on the startled form of Master Rian.

"What did you do?" 

Rian backed up until he was pressed against the nearest wall and his master's bared teeth hovered just shy of Rian’s face.

"I didn't--"

His master's large hand slammed against the wall next to Knight Rian's head.  "I wouldn't be here if you hadn't done anything.  Where is Slade?"

Kerge could actually see Knight Rian swallow.  "I...we were separated and I couldn't find him.  There were so many people."

Finally taking the last few steps into the room, Kerge allowed the door to close behind him.  Slade's master had lost him.  He sat on the couch and watched in fascination as his master continued.

"You lost him?  You lost him."  His master moved closer.  "You have only one function in life as a master and that is to protect your padawan.  Do you understand that?  He's your responsibility.  How--"  His master clenched his jaw.  Kerge saw him take a deep breath.  "The first sweep of the area didn't' find any trace of him.  You'll need to give us some sense of where he might be."

Knight Rian blinked slowly.  "I don't know what you mean."

His master bared his teeth again, an angry growl escaping him.  "We don't have time for this, Rian.  Use your bond and tell me where he is."

Knight Rian pushed Master Payter away from him as he walked into the center of the common area.  He ran a hand through his greasy-looking black hair as he paced the room.  The knight was silent for a long moment before looking over at Kerge's master and backing further away.  "Do you think I'm stupid?  Don't you think I would have looked for him if I'd been able?  I can't find him.  The bond doesn't work."

Kerge sat back on the couch, feeling sick.  If the bond wasn't working, that meant Slade could be hurt, or worse.  He wrapped his arms around himself and looked over at his master.

"Something's happened to Slade?"  His master had stilled completely.  Kerge couldn't even see him breathing.

"No, no."  Knight Rian shook his head.  "It never worked.  That's why I couldn't find him."

Kerge had never seen his master move so quickly.  Within the space of a blink, his master had Knight Rian pinned against another wall and held him roughly by the shoulders.

"You never bonded with him?  You took your padawan, whom you can't even feel not only outside the Temple, but on missions?"  He shook Knight Rian.  "Do you know what you've done?  Do you understand what's happening here?"

Knight Rian tried to shake off his master's grip.  "You have no right to treat me this way.  I--"

"I have every right!"  He slammed Knight Rian back against the wall.  "You lost all privileges when you placed your padawan in danger.  Now I have to clean up your mess.  You have no idea what you've done."  His master leaned in and looked at the knight directly.  "The main sweep of the complex failed, which means there are no leads.  Slade didn't leave any significant memories in the minds of the people at the complex.  You have no bond with your padawan.  We have no way to find him, Rian.  Do you understand?  Your padawan is gone, and I don't know if we will ever get him back."  His master pushed Knight Rian against the wall once more before turning away and running a hand across his face.

Kerge sat silently, afraid to move.  He'd never seen his master like this, not even when he'd helped Obi-Wan sneak on board the ship.  Knight Rian was pale and shaking and looked as though he might be sick.  Kerge thought he might be as well.

"I'm sorry, I didn't--"

His master whirled and pointed a finger at Knight Rian.  "You don't get to say that.  It doesn't' matter if you're sorry or if you didn't mean it, because it happened.  You had more opportunities than I can even imagine to fix this, to make the bond between the two of you work.  You had Qui-Gon willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, willing to help you in any way.  You had every chance!  And now your padawan is gone."

"If the help desk at the complex had been more helpful, this wouldn't have happened."  Knight Rian shook his head and lifted his chin just slightly.

"This isn't about them, Rian.  This is about you and how you lost your padawan.  What were you doing?"

The knight didn't speak until his master took a step forward.  "I had a message come in from the Temple.  I couldn't hear and I told Slade to buy us another round."

Kerge's master stared at the knight speechless.  He moved only to sit heavily beside Kerge on the couch.  When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.  "A call.  I hope it was worth it."

"Was it your girlfriend?"  Kerge asked before he could think better of his words.  His master tilted his head in his direction and Kerge shrugged nervously.  "Slade was always talking about his master's girlfriend," he ended uncertainly, glancing between his master and Knight Rian.

"Is he right?"

"I thought--"

"Your padawan is out there somewhere, alone and afraid, in the hands of someone who wants to do Force knows what with him.  He's alone and has no contact with the Temple because his master neglected him and his bond.  And he's in this situation right now because you left him alone in a crowed public place to talk to your girlfriend."  His master's voice was deceptively quiet.  "Do you know that if we can't get them in the first three hours after they've been taken, the likelihood of ever getting them back alive or dead is almost nonexistent?  They could already be off planet by now and if that's the case, I'll spend the rest of my life looking for him but I can almost guarantee that I'll never him.”

All the strength seemed to leave Knight Rian as he slid slowly to the floor.

Oddly, it was the other man's defeat that seemed to ignite his master's anger again.  He shot to his feet and stalked to the other man.  "No.  Get up.  You don't get to have any reprieve from this."  He gripped the knight's upper arm tightly and hauled him to his feet.  "If I have to go through this again, you're going to be there every step of the way.  You're going to see what you've done."

Knight Rian looked as though he might say something, but his master wouldn't let him speak.

"I hate this!  I hate doing this.  Do you understand what this is like?  We don't find them."  His master took a breath and glanced back in his direction.  "Kerge, could you wait outside for a moment, please?  I need to speak with Knight Rian for a moment alone."

Nodding as he got to his feet, Kerge started for the door.  "Yes, Master."

***

"I want to see Slade."  Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest and set his chin defiantly.

"How many times do we have to go over this Obi-Wan?  I said no."  Sighing, Qui-Gon looked at the small boy standing before him, trying to understand what had gotten into Obi-Wan.  The boy had been irritable and out of sorts for most of the day.

"I want to see Slade."

Qui-Gon stood from the couch and placed his hands on Obi-Wan's shoulders and directed the boy back to his room.  "That's enough, Padawan.  I think you need to spend some time in your room and think about the things you say.  You can't always have what you want and it's inappropriate to demand them."

Obi-Wan shook off his hands and stalked ahead of him to his room.  He flung himself down on his bed and glared at Qui-Gon.  "I--"

"I got the point earlier, Obi-Wan.  No.  Slade needs to spend some time with his master and it will be a little while before you can play together.  There will be no more of this.  Is that understood?"  Qui-Gon crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the young boy calmly.

            Chewing on his lip, his padawan was obviously on the verge of arguing again, but apparently he thought better of it.  "I just wanted to see Slade," he muttered, staring down at the floor as he swung his legs off the edge of the bed.

"You can come out in a little bit when you feel like you can act appropriately."  Qui-Gon turned and left the room, covering his sigh until he was well out of range of the boy's hearing.  He wasn't trying to be mean, even though he knew Obi-Wan saw it that way.  In truth he was just as upset about the separation of the two boys as Obi-Wan, but he thought it would be better to give Rian some time to adjust to being a new master. 

Hopefully the younger knight would understand that he was only trying to help and perhaps in time, Rian would foster the friendship between the two padawans, which would be very important to them both in the future.  He treasured the friendships he had made as a padawan and relied on them for so many things.  He didn't want to deny that experience to Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon took his place at his desk and began looking through his messages that had accumulated throughout the day.  Most were general messages that went out to most of the Jedi both on planet and off, a few were more specified to his rank and status at Coruscant.  There were even a couple messages from friends; it looked as though Bel-San had managed to spare another free moment to remember the little people.  One message at the bottom of the screen, however, caught his attention.  URGENT was printed across the subject line and had been sent to all Jedi. 

Opening the memo, Qui-Gon felt as though the temperature in the room had dropped twenty degrees.  He read through the message again, hoping that he might have been mistaken, but that wasn't the case.  He didn't even know what to say, or how to ask, but he needed to know.  He knew that Obi-Wan was more sensitive to some aspects to the Force than other children his age, but he hadn't thought it had developed to the point where he could independently create friendship bonds.  He hoped for both Slade's sake and his own padawan's that nothing had happened to the lost boy.

Rising from his seat, Qui-Gon took a moment to collect himself before he headed back to his padawan's room.  Obi-Wan lay on his stomach in the center of his bed with his face hidden in the crook of his arm.  As he approached, Obi-Wan didn't look up or even acknowledge his presence.  Sitting carefully beside the boy, Qui-Gon rubbed small, soothing circles in the center of his back.

"Obi-Wan?"

"Yes, Master."  He didn't look up, keeping his small face hidden.

He released more of his anxiety to the Force, trying once again to calm himself before speaking so he wouldn't alarm his padawan.  "Can you tell me why you want to see Slade?"

Obi-Wan said nothing for a long time and Qui-Gon thought the boy wasn't going to answer him.  Finally he shrugged a little.  "I don't know, something's wrong."  He looked up finally and Qui-Gon could see that he'd been crying.

Brushing the boy's short hair, Qui-Gon pulled him into a hug.  He'd hoped that wasn't the reason, that Obi-Wan's recent irritability had been nothing more than a phase.  Just once he would like to have a day or two with his padawan when they weren't overrun by trauma.  He had no idea how to explain this to Obi-Wan.

"Can I see Slade now?"

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon picked the boy up and carried him into the common room settling them both on the couch.  "I'm afraid something has happened."

Obi-Wan sighed and wrapped his arms tightly around Qui-Gon.  "I know.  We need to go."

"Where do you want to go, Little One?"  He tugged lightly on the small padawan braid, which was just beginning to grow in more fully.

"Slade's."

Drawing a breath, Qui-Gon didn't know how to answer.  He knew what he would find there and while he didn't want to hide anything from Obi-Wan, he certainly didn't want to expose him to what was likely to be happening.

"Please?"  The boy's tone was so soft he nearly didn't hear him.  Debating only a moment longer, Qui-Gon decided to trust in Obi-Wan's sensitivity to such matters and take him there.  He hoped it would do something for the boy.

As he stood, Qui-Gon didn't place Obi-Wan on the ground to walk on his own.  Instead he settled the boy against his side and they began the long trek through the silent halls of the temple.  The few Jedi he passed on the way seemed to be aware of the news and directed a few concerned glances in their direction, but no words were exchanged.  When they finally reached the correct section of the Temple, Qui-Gon spotted Kerge standing outside of Slade's apartment.  As he neared, he saw the padawan looked particularly pale.

"Payter's inside?"

Kerge nodded.  "He's talking with Knight Rian alone."

Qui-Gon had seen Payter in a few instances of fury and knew there was nothing quite like the loss of one of the Jedi children to truly upset his friend.  It was his particular specialty, tracking lost children, and he imagined Kerge had seen most of it before Payter had sent him outside.  "Are you all right?"

Kerge looked up at him in surprise.  "Yeah, I'm fine.  I'm just glad he isn't angry with me like that."  The boy cast a glance over his shoulder to the door.

"How long have they been alone in there?"  He set Obi-Wan down gently next to Kerge.

"I don't know, not long."  The padawan shrugged and shifted nervously again.

They didn't really have time for Payter to indulge in his personal revenge.  "Could you watch Obi-Wan for a moment, please, Padawan?"

"Of course, Master Jinn."  Kerge stepped aside and took Obi-Wan's hand in his own.

As he stepped forward, the door slid open and Payter emerged, dragging Rian along behind him with a tight grip to his upper arm.  The young knight looked as though he had come face to face with death and been given an IOU.  However, Qui-Gon doubted he would have dealt much better with the knight after knowing he'd lost his padawan.  It was probably better that Payter had been the one to make the initial contact; if he'd had to deal with the denial and excuses his friend had surely met with, he would more than likely be in front of the Council again.

"What are you doing here?" Payter asked without any greeting.  He was obviously deeply seated in his work state of mind.

Nodding in Obi-Wan's direction, Qui-Gon stood his ground.  "Obi-Wan sensed something was wrong."

Payter's head snapped in the direction of the two padawans.  He stood still for only a moment before heading off down the hall, dragging Rian behind him.  "Come with me."

"Why?"  Qui-Gon had a sick feeling that he knew exactly why Payter wanted them to follow.

Turning, Payter heaved an impatient sigh.  "Obi-Wan may be the link we need to finding Slade.  I'll take all the help I can get at this point."

Qui-Gon motioned for Kerge to stay back with Obi-Wan before closing in on his friend.  "He's six, Payter.  I don't want him involved in this.  And besides, I really don't think he's going to be that much of a help."

"You think I want to be involved in this, that any of us do?  No, but the point is that we don't have a choice."  Payter looked over Qui-Gon's shoulder to the padawans.  "Obi-Wan, can you sense Slade?  Do you have some connection with him?"

"A little."

Turning back to Qui-Gon, Payter dropped his voice and leaned in, cutting off their conversation from the two boys.  "He's the best thing I've got right now.  No matter how tenuous his connection is to Slade, he has one.  Rian never developed a bond with him and if I don't have Obi-Wan,"  Payter stopped and took a breath.  "Slade is lost and alone and Obi-Wan may be his best chance.  He may only be six, but I'll take that over nothing any day.  Would you deny him the chance to help save his friend?  How will you explain to him when we never find Slade that he might have been able to help, that he might have been the link that kept his friend alive?  I know I wouldn't want to explain that, just as I  wouldn't want to live with that knowledge myself.  And frankly, I don't care if you could explain it to him, because I have a lost padawan out there who needs my help, and if that help happens to be in the form of a six-year-old boy, then so be it.  I outrank you in these matters anyway, so you can either help me or step aside.  Either way is fine with me."  Payter turned and started down the hall, calling over his shoulder.  "Kerge, Obi-Wan, follow me."

TBC