Title: Knight Time
Author: Banaoire
Rating: G to nnnnggggghhhhh!
Archive: Yes, please!
Disclaimer: GKL is the owner of everything and I am the owner of...well, besides a kick-ass G4, nothing really. So, I guess you could say, that the Knight in this story belongs to his Flannelness. Hope I don't offend!

Prologue: It is two years after the events of The Phantom Menace. The first stirrings of the Clone Wars are evident in the Galaxy; and the Jedi are determined to help those less able to defend themselves. Even as the conflict stuns some worlds into shocked inertia; so, some brave groups try to fight. Knights are dispatched throughout the Galaxy to teach and train those who would resist...

The Jedi Knight stepped out onto the balcony of his room and looked down at the city below him. Evening was approaching, and the sunset had turned reddish gold in the past few moments. The Elorian's sun's rays bathed the whitewashed walls of the inn behind him, turning the cool plaster warm with it's honeyed light. He blinked against the brightness, and walked to the corner of the small balcony.

In the distance he could hear vendors calling out their last bargains of the day as they prepared to close their shops. On the street below him a mother hurried along, with a basket over one arm and a child in her other. Two men walked slowly, talking--arguing perhaps, over a business deal. A single woman walked even more slowly along the cobbled street. She was young, but held her body as if she had seen more than her share of difficulties.

Obi-Wan's senses easily picked up their moods, and as he had done every day for the past week, he still did not sense the one he had been sent to meet.

In the distance he could just make out the rooftop of the suspected clone factory. He'd walked by the oppressive building every day for a week, and was still surprised by its daunting size and foreboding exterior. Amid a city of curving, almost organic white plaster and warm red tile roofs, the factory's steel and black stone facade gave off a chill to anyone sensitive enough to feel it.

Obi-Wan heard the soft beep of his comlink in the room behind him, and turned quickly. He stepped inside and retrieved the small device from the table next to his bed. Obi-Wan quickly switched on the transmitter and sat on the edge of his bed.

"This is an automated message for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Please identify."

"The Force will be with you." The knight said softly.

"Identity confirmed."

"Greetings, Knight Kenobi." He recognized the lilting voice of Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"I have good news. The Elorian resistance-cell has finally agreed to meet with you."

Obi-Wan sighed and then smiled. It was about time!

"Your rendezvous will take place at the second hour tomorrow morning in the city marketplace. Your contact will approach you wearing a green snake charm. He will escort you to their hiding place."

"I know I don't need to tell you how vital it is you succeed in this first meeting. I can tell from the tone of their messages to us that they are still wary of outside help; but help them we must if the resistance it to succeed."

"I also want you to know that your Padawan is healing well. Masterhealer Senar reports that his femur is nearly strong enough for him to walk without support and she expects a full recovery. He has continued his studies in your absence and asks about you every day. We have assured him that you are well."

"We await your report, Knight. May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan pressed the signal button in a pattern that would indicate he had received the message then placed the comlink back on the bedside table. He then turned and eased back against the wall and stretched his legs out over the bed.

His gaze followed the shadows against the wall as they flowed with the setting sun. Outside, he realized, the vendors had finally closed up for the day. Now, he heard the sounds of families gathering for dinner, the laughter of children, and the shouted greetings of spouses. He could smell the heavy scent of spice fill the air, as it had every night on Elora--a subtle, exotic scent that made him instinctively breath deeper.

From down the street he recognized the strains of Elorian instruments tuning up in the tavern. He smiled, remembering how much he had enjoyed the unusual, but surprisingly compelling music--especially the singer who seemed able to weave spells with her songs. He had been watching her for a week as she waited tables, and the grace of her body had alerted every sense he had. But, when she had taken the stage the evening before, he had been overwhelmed by her voice.

Her rich tone had whispered enticingly to him in his dreams, and he wondered if she would be in the tavern this night. Obi-Wan eased off the bed, and then reached for and placed his Elorian hat on his head--tilting it slightly in a rakish manner. His lightsaber was concealed under one of the layers of his long tunics and he wore a curved handled knife at his hip, in the fashion of an Elorian merchant.

Obi-Wan stood up and pulled a black cloak off a peg on the back of his door and swung it over his shoulders. He could already feel the quickening chill outdoors as the sun slipped below the horizon, and welcomed the soft warm wool of the garment.

He left his room, locking the door behind him, then went down the stairs. In the small lobby, two elderly travelers were checking in and a single businessman sat at on the divan. Obi-Wan nodded to the proprietor and then left the inn through the open front entry.

The street was abandoned, but glowed happily from the homes and restaurants that rose on either side. Obi-Wan turned to the left and walked toward the tavern on the corner. He could hear the minstrels in full swing already, and he found himself walking in tempo with their strong beat.

He entered the small establishment and eased through the growing crowd. The owner saw him and they nodded at each other. He had eaten here every day since he had arrived, and the middle-aged man had begun to treat him like a regular. Obi-Wan spied a small table on the far side of the room and made his way for it.

He sat on the stool and rested his back against the wall, tapping his fingers against the well used table in time to the music. The song's tempo quickened as the players urged each other along, weaving intricate harmonies and rhythms with the wind instruments and the drums. Obi-Wan found it difficult to sit still in the face of such playing.

"What'll you have?" Asked a woman's voice.

He looked up and found the singer standing beside his table. He smiled at her, but her eyes had glanced toward the stage. She held a tray at her hip, in a long practiced posture of a waitress. He wondered why someone with a voice such as hers would need to wait tables.

"What's good tonight?" He asked.

She finally turned back to him, and he made an effort to keep his posture casual. Her glossy brown hair was pulled over one shoulder, and her matching dark eyes held mysteries untold. He felt his mouth go dry just from her glance.

"The roast looks edible." Was her short soft reply. She was not rude so much as impatient. He could see that she did not want to be waiting tables, but wanted to be up on the stage with her mates.

"Then, that's what I'll have." He told her.

"Something to drink?"

"Ale, please." He responded. Her eyes met his for longer than was necessary to finish taking his order, and then she was gone. He watched in rapt attention as her hips swayed across the room and then disappeared into the kitchen.

He suddenly rubbed his hand over his face and grimaced. This was no time to become infatuated with a bar maid. His mission hinged on tomorrow's meeting. He should eat and head back to his room with all possible haste.

The musicians were taking their first break of the evening when the waitress brought him his meal. She set down the plate and mug of ale quickly and turned on her heel.

"Will you sing tonight?" Obi-Wan asked before he had time to think about why.

She turned back toward him slowly, her dark hair partially hiding her face. Her lips pursed in an expression he could not read.

"Yes." Then she turned toward him completely. Her brown eyes glittered in the darkening room, catching the flickering light of the oil lamps hanging from the low ceiling.

They just looked at each other for a moment. Obi-Wan felt the blood rush to his face and realized he was embarrassed--and had no idea why.

"Well..." He stammered, "I look forward to hearing you again." He swallowed with difficulty.

"Thank you." She nodded to him and then turned back into the crowded room.

Obi-Wan watched her disappear from view and shook his head slowly. He could not keep his eyes away from her when she was in the room, nor could he stop thinking about her when he was away from the tavern. It had been a while since he had experienced these kinds of feelings, and while they were not unpleasant, they were most definitely inconvenient.

If the council were to somehow find out how unfocused he was, he would be dismissed from the mission. He had to regain his perspective and prepare for tomorrow's meeting.

He took a large sip of his ale, and then dug into the platter of roasted meat and vegetables in front of him. The food was rustic, but satisfying in an exotic way. The use of heavy spices on Elora had been a shock at first; one which had given him a bellyache the first night. But now he understood the importance of imbibing the local ale with his meal. The golden liquid acted as a buffer between his stomach and the spice and once he had realized this he had begun to enjoy the fiery heat of the spice.

Half of his meal was consumed before the musicians began to make their way back to the small stage. He saw two of the men leave scantily clad women, and another leave a gaggle of fawning teenagers--both male and female. He chuckled under his breath at the way the musicians carried themselves--kings of all they surveyed.

Then she came out from the back room. His eyes immediately tracked her dark head as she wove through the crowd. She had changed into a dark green dress which clung to her curves in a way that renewed his earlier feelings. The skirt swayed with her hips. Tiny bells were attached to the hem, making a shimmering sound as she moved. He felt his mouth go dry and took a deep drink of his ale.

She stepped up on the stage and the crowd quieted, as if by a command. She stepped into the light in the center of the performance area, and sat on a high stool, arranging her skirts around her legs in an offhand way.

Obi-Wan's eyes traveled the length of her body, appreciating the tilt of her hips, the curve of her waist, the fullness of her bust. She was not a typical beauty, nor was she in any way flaunting the beauty she did posses. But, she was stunning nevertheless. Her youth was enriched by a grace that reminded him of a Jedi.

Behind her the musicians settled and then the drummer started the beat for the song. A quick tempo piece that he remembered from the night before. Her voice joined the instruments on the third stanza.

The way she vocalized the words was enchanting--weaving the magic of her song with unusual inflection and surprising intonation. She immediately entranced the crowd, and in no time her spell was complete.

She told a story of mystery, bidding the listener to look within himself for universal truths.

"What is light and what is dark and can we know the truth? You say you know, and yet you keep on searching..."

He had heard the words the night before, but had been so stunned by her beauty that he had not paid close attention. Now, he realized, she was singing about a subject that he struggled with every day of his life.

"Softly you proclaim love is the truth of light and I am willing to believe, and yet you keep on searching..."

Her eyes closed, and she swayed slightly to the rise and fall of the instrument's accompaniment. Obi-Wan found it difficult to breathe as her words touched his soul.

"Darkness is all around I can feel its touch You deny its power, and yet you keep on searching..."

There were more stanzas, but these three branded themselves into his brain. And then her voice flowed over the melody in a wordless siren song of aching beauty--carrying the listener to the edge of bliss and back. He had never experienced anything like her talent.

She finished the song, and the crowd was silent for a moment before breaking out into boisterous applause. She lowered her head slightly in acceptance of their praise and then the musicians jumped right into the next song.

The set continued for six more songs, and he had finished his meal by the time they took a break. Obi-Wan walked to the bar with his mug for another ale, and leaned against it to get the tavern owner's attention.

"Another?" The man asked, taking his mug from him.

"Yes, thanks." Obi-Wan replied--his eyes not on the man, but instead on the singer who was leaving the stage.

He watched her retreat to the back room and he sighed. He looked up to find the tavern owner watching him closely.

"Um, thanks." He said as the man set down his filled mug.

"She's a beauty, no?" The man asked, with an indulgent smile on his face.

"She is that." Obi-Wan agreed. "How long have you known her?"

The tavern owner laughed. "All her life, young man."

"Oh?" Obi-Wan replied.

"She's my daughter...and I'll be watching the way *you* watch her, stranger." He said with a smile on his lips, but Obi-Wan felt the certain definite warning in his tone.

Obi-Wan met his gaze and they studied each other for a moment. "I understand, sir. You have nothing to fear from me." He assured the older man.

"Then I will continue to look forward to seeing you here." The tavern owner said before he moved to the other end of the bar to get another patron a drink .

Obi-Wan let out a breath he had not realized he was holding and finished his ale in one gulp. Her father! As a Jedi, he did not know much about the father-daughter bond, but he recognized the protective attitude the tavern owner was exhibiting.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and set the mug on the bar. He turned to leave and found her next to him, picking up her tray. Her skin was flushed from her exertion on stage, and her hair was slightly tousled. Her arm brushed his as she retrieved the tray, and he stifled a gasp at the warmth of her skin.

Obi-Wan looked nervously around for her father and could not find the man. When his eyes returned to her, he found, to his surprise, that she was staring at him. Not just casually observing him as she always had before, but intently studying him.

"Um," He swallowed, "You sang beautifully..." He complimented her.

"S'aimelle."

"Excuse me?"

"My name. It's S'aimelle." She said, her eyes still fixed on his. Once again her expression was difficult to read. He could not decide whether she was pleased with his attention or disdainful.

"S'aimelle." He repeated, and this time saw a corner of her mouth turn up quickly, before returning to her customary sober look. "A beautiful name." He continued.

"So I've been told." She said, looking behind him and then abruptly moving away into the crowd.

Obi-Wan was struck dumb by her sudden retreat, until he sensed her father behind him. He straightened and turned around to find the older man looking at him with a grim look on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'll just be saying goodnight then." Obi-Wan said, then nodded to the man.

Obi-Wan waited for him to say something--anything, but the man remained glacial. The Jedi decided retreat was the best and only option, and so turned and left the tavern.

Outside, the street was abandoned. He felt the sudden quiet like a blow to his over stimulated senses, and shivered despite the warmth of his cloak.

Obi-Wan walked quickly to his inn, and let himself into his room. While he dressed for bed he went through all the reasons why he had to forget about S'aimelle. He knew his mission should be the only thing on his mind.

And yet, as he drifted off to sleep, her voice sang to him of darkness and light, and her body moved before his closed eyes with a seductive grace.

***

Obi-Wan woke before the dawn the next day, eager for the day. He stayed in bed for a while meditating and centering himself, before he rose and showered.

The faintest hint of dawn slipped through the wooden shutters of his balcony door when he stepped out of the tiny bathroom. The knight toweled off quickly and dressed again in the manner of an Elorian merchant. The layers of tan and black clothing were very similar to his Jedi tunics, but longer and cooler.

Outside his window he could hear the first signs of life in the city. Children laughing on their way to school, a wife yelling after a husband, someone whistling in the distance. It all sounded remarkably mundane....

He wondered how many of Elora's citizens realized the evil in their midst. Was it possible that such a heinous establishment as the clone factory could be ignored by so many people? And if they did know about it, why did they not try to bring it down?

Well, he knew that at least a portion of Elora's population wanted to--and he would meet with them today to help them do it.

Obi-Wan thrust his feet into his boots and then stood up. He secured his lightsaber to the hidden buckle under his outer tunic and then left the room.

Downstairs, the innkeeper's wife was cleaning the lobby and she nodded to him as he left the building. He turned to his right and walked up the narrow cobbled street, past homes and businesses stirring to life.

He walked on for several minutes before the narrow street opened onto the city square. Hours before dawn the stalls had been erected and the merchants had begun setting out their wares. One row of the market was set aside for the food sellers, and the rich smell of the local stimulant beverage filled the air.

The delicious smells helped Obi-Wan decide to buy breakfast straight away. He walked by several booths before choosing a clean looking stall operated by an old woman. He paid for his cup of stim and a thick slice of the sweetened bread they ate with it. He walked away, blowing at the steaming cup and taking a bite of the bread. His eyes scanned the market, now filling with shoppers.

Obi-Wan continued to eat his bread and walk up and down the aisles. He appeared at ease and almost disinterested in the happenings around him; but in truth, he had his senses fully alert and felt everything around him.

He had finished his bread and half his cup of stim when he was "bumped" into by a young man--a boy really, with dark brown hair and a red hat. Obi-Wan's stim splashed out of his cup and spattered the front of his tunic.

"Oh, excuse me." The boy said.

Obi-Wan turned to the boy and instantly saw the green snake charm hanging from a leather cord around the youth's neck. He also instinctively understood how this should play out.

"Clumsy boy. Look what you've done." Obi-Wan did not shout, but spoke loudly enough for any eavesdroppers to hear and believe the circumstances of their meeting.

"I... I'm so sorry, sir." The boy actually recoiled from Obi-Wan's 'anger.'

"I'm visiting here, and this was my last clean tunic!" He brushed at the soiled fabric as if trying to clean off the brown stain.

"Again, my apologies, sir. If you'll come with me, I'm sure my sister can clean it for you."

Obi-Wan looked up at the boy with a scowl on his face, and seemed to considered the young man's offer of help.

"All right. But she had better be quick. I have a business meeting this morning."

"Right this way, sir." The boy motioned toward the North end of the square and they moved off together through the crowd.

They walked on in silence through the market and onto an adjoining street. Obi-Wan sensed no pursuit and relaxed a little once they had turned off the main street and onto a smaller ally.

"Well done." He said to the boy.

The young man glanced at him briefly, and nodded, but said nothing.

Three times they turned onto different streets. Obi-Wan had thought that he had explored the city thoroughly in the week since he had arrived, but now saw that there was a labyrinth of alleys and streets that he had not even imagined.

He followed his young guide for nearly a half hour before the boy finally stopped at a nondescript door on the side of a building. They seemed to be in a manufacturing part of town, and there was some activity on the street. Men dressed much as Obi-Wan was, hurried along to their next appointment or back to their own businesses.

The boy knocked three times and the door opened from inside. They stepped into a dark room and the door closed quickly behind them. Obi-Wan used a Jedi technique to help his eyes quickly adjust to the change in light and saw that they were in an ordinary office. There were books and ledgers, a small computer and two desks. Nothing that should not be in an office in this part of town.

He looked behind him, and nodded to a man standing at the door. He turned to face him.

"Not here." The man said quietly, and then walked past Obi-Wan. The knight shrugged and followed silently.

They walked out of the office and into a hallway. Obi-Wan noticed that the facility was clean, and deduced from this that it was in use. He could hear the quiet sounds of machinery in the distance and wondered what kind of product was manufactured here.

The man opened a door, and indicated that Obi-Wan should proceed him though it. He did and found a stairway leading down. He looked behind him and saw the man and the boy following.

The stairway went at least three stories below ground before it ended at another door. Obi-Wan reached for the handle, but the man abruptly grabbed his arm and pulled his hand away.

"There's an alarm." The older man said brusquely. Obi-Wan nodded his understanding, and watched while the man placed his hand on a metal plate on the wall. Soon there was a quiet click and he opened the door.

Behind the door, there was darkness--complete darkness, and yet, Obi-Wan sensed no danger. He was pushed slightly and he walked into the black room. He felt his arms held and he was led a few steps into the room. He felt something solid against his boot and stopped.

"Sit." The older man said. Obi-Wan reached out with the Force and sensed the chair before him. He slowly turned and sat in the cool metal chair.

And then there was silence. He waited for either the man or the boy to speak, but they had moved off. His instincts told him he should wait to speak until he was asked to.

Instead he reached out with the Force and used its power to feel the room. He felt the man and the boy behind him, on either side of the door. There were several pieces of furniture, and perhaps some computer equipment. But, that was all. He completed the survey quickly and reached out further with the Force.

He sensed the new arrival shortly before he heard the door unlock. The room was briefly illuminated as the door opened and then was thrown into pitch black again. He heard soft footsteps and then they stopped behind him.

"Who are you?" Asked the older man who had let him into the building.

"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am a Jedi Knight."

"Why are you here?" The boy asked.

"I was sent here by the Jedi Council to assist in the founding of a resistance group." Obi-Wan knew that if, by some chance, he had fallen into the hands of the clone forces, he would now die for what he had just said. But he had sensed no evil, and he had to show these people that he trusted them if he were to gain their trust.

"And why would you want to do that?" A woman's voice asked. He started at the nearness of her voice, having lost track of her somehow as he had answered the other questions.

And, her question was strange. Why would he want to do what? It threw him off balance.

"I...I don't understand. Why do I want to help?"

"Yes, why would you--an offworlder--care about us?" The woman said.

Now, he understood better. They still did not trust the Jedi and their motives.

"I am a Jedi Knight. I am sworn to serve those who need my help. I am also a defender of justice. Isn't that what you want? Justice?"

"Among other things." The woman said. Her voice nudged at him...he felt himself respond to it, but tried not to focus on it too much. If he lost perspective he might miss something else going on in the room, and that could be disastrous.

He sensed her circling around him. It was almost as if she was watching him, but unless she had on an infrared visor, he did not know how.

She circled him once more and then said, "I think I trust you." He tried not to let his relief show, but felt it down to his toes.

"Kreef, what do you say?" She asked.

"I'm with you, as always." The older man answered from behind him.

"And you Jep? You've been watching him the longest." She said. Obi-Wan lifted an eyebrow. He had not sensed anyone watching him over the past week. Was it possible the boy had been watching him and he not know about it? The idea at once impressed him--and scared him.

"He's okay." Came the boy's nonplused response.

"Very well." She said finally. Suddenly, the lights were on, and Obi-Wan blinked. His eyes only took a moment to readjust--using the Jedi technique he had upstairs, and he soon saw the woman that was evidently the leader of this group.

If his jaw could have hit the ground it would have.

"S'aimelle!!" He gasped.

"Good morning, Obi-Wan Kenobi." She responded, backing up and pulling a chair to her. She sat on the corner of the seat and set an arm over the top of the backrest. She tilted her head to the side and continued to study him. Her face wore the same non-expression he had observed in the tavern--and this time it made him nervous.

She was dressed as he had seen her in the tavern--soft brown boots, full tan skirt and tight fitting vest over a sheer blouse. Her hair was different though. She had it braided and pinned close to the nape of her neck. This observation only took an instant, and then he sat silently looking at her eyes...wondering what he could possibly say to her.

"So, you're a warrior." She said, crossing her legs.

"I have the ability to defend myself...and protect those that need protection. If that is what a warrior does, then I am one." He said softly.

She sniffed, "The term offends you?"

"I only fight when I have to." He said.

"As opposed to fighting for fun?" She asked, tilting her head again. He did not know why, but he was becoming more uncomfortable by the minute.

"I use the Force for defense, never attack." He answered, and could almost hear Yoda's voice in his ears.

"And what if we have to attack that cloning factory? What then?"

"If attacking it means that innocent lives will be saved, then I fight." He said simply.

Finally, he saw her mask shift slightly. Her eyes seemed slightly less hard, and her posture relaxed somewhat.

"Then get ready to fight, Jedi." She said, standing up and walking behind him. He turned in his seat as she walked by and saw her signaling to the older man--Kreef. He brought a comlink out of a pocket and spoke quietly into it.

"So, how long have you lead this resistance?" Obi-Wan asked S'aimelle when she walked by again.

"Since they took my mother, six months ago." Obi-Wan watched her closely and could see that talking about her mother was a difficult thing, and he filed that information away for future reference.

"They?" He asked.

"The freaks in charge of the cloning plant. My mother is a geneticist. They asked her to work for them, and she refused. They didn't like that and took her one night."

Obi-Wan nodded his head in understanding, but did not offer sympathy--he could tell she would not appreciate it. He also noticed her use of the present tense when she spoke of her mother. S'aimelle believed her mother to be alive.

"Do you think she's in there now?" He asked.

"I do. They needed her DNA expertise. We know they haven't been shipping any clones off world yet, and that means they haven't fixed the problems they've been having with the replicated DNA. They need her to fix it."

Obi-Wan sat back in his chair, crossing his legs. He understood her line of her logic, but it was entirely possible that her mother had been killed in the abduction.

"I have to ask what your group's objectives are." He said, and heard the boy Jep hiss behind him. Evidently, no one questioned S'aimelle's authority. "Am I here to help shut down the clone factory, or rescue your mother?"

S'aimelle's eyes flashed for a moment, and she stepped toward him with her fists balled tightly at her sides. Then she seemed to relax and raised her head.

"Both, if we can. If we can't...I want to see that monstrosity burned to the ground."

"All right." Obi-Wan said slowly. And then he leaned forward, holding her gaze with his own. "I have one more question."

She sniffed and said, "And what would that be?"

"How many other jobs do you have?" They looked at each other for a moment, and then he smiled. The tension finally broke and she lowered her head--hiding a smile from him. But, he was pleasantly surprised when the smile was still on her face when she faced him again.

"This isn't my job, Obi-Wan. It's my cause." She said. The way his name sounded on her lips made him shiver, and he felt his mouth suddenly go dry.

"Of course." He responded with a somewhat shaky voice.

They continued to look at each other for a moment longer, until the door opened behind them. Obi-Wan sensed several new presences, and he stood up to meet them.

Fourteen women and twelve men walked into the room. Their ages ranged from Jep's age to perhaps 60. Obi-Wan knew at a glance that none of them had had any military training, nor were they adventurers. They looked like ordinary citizens--citizens who knew evil when they saw it and were determined to fight it. Now, they looked to him for guidance.

*****

They spent the rest of the morning listening to S'aimelle outline their objectives. She had a map projected on the far wall, and outlined the various positions they had under surveillance.

Obi-Wan was pleased at the organization as it stood. The network of information was solidly in place, as was evident by the surveillance he had been under. He had racked his brain trying to remember the boy Jep from the past week and could not recall ever seeing the youth. He very much wanted to talk to the boy.

"But, the most disturbing bit of news," S'aimelle was wrapping up her briefing "K'era reports increased shipments of food to the factory." This information caused an instant rumble of distress among the group. "If my mother's projections were correct, the clones will need food immediately upon reaching maturation. I can only conclude that they have reached that point."

Again, more worried whispers. Obi-Wan surveyed the room from his place against the wall. They were afraid, but not for themselves. They feared the horror of a clone army loosed on the galaxy.

"Then what are we waiting for?" One of the new men asked. He was a burly man in his late forties, with a thick neck and thick arms. Obi-Wan guessed that he was a manual laborer of some kind.

S'aimelle coolly looked at the man, and the room became silent.

"You know very well what we've been waiting for, C'hire." She said, and Obi-Wan watched the man squirm a little under her gaze. "We *all* decided to ask the Jedi for help--you included. Now that we have that help, we will proceed."

"No offense, young man; but you hardly look like a warrior to me." C'hire said.

S'aimelle stepped toward the man, her eyes flashing, but Obi-Wan's step was quicker. He swiftly placed himself between S'aimelle and the thick-necked man.

"I understand your feelings, C'hire." Obi-Wan said. Then he looked at the rest of the crowd. Obi-Wan reached out to the Force--what he said in the next few moments would determine his success with the group.

"But, looks can be deceiving." He studied each face in the group. For a moment he wavered on the point of drawing his lightsaber to show these simple people what he could really do; but the Force suggested that that would be overplaying his hand. So, instead, he gathered his power, and began, very slowly, to lift C'hire off the ground.

The startled man shouted and then began flailing wildly around. The people around him backed away and seemed as startled as the man himself.

Obi-Wan carefully held him several feet off the ground, and then walked forward. "I will not hurt you, C'hire. But, imagine, what I could do if I wanted to." This suggestion silenced the room.

He turned and faced them all again, setting C'hire back on the ground. "I trained with the best warrior the Jedi have known for centuries. I am well versed in all forms of covert warfare. And, I believe in your cause."

He stepped back and glanced at S'aimelle, whose eyes showed a little more white than usual.

"I am yours to command." He said to S'aimelle, bowing slightly to her.

When he lifted his eyes back to hers, he found that her face had drained of color and her mouth had opened slightly. He held very still, and used the Force to subtlely reinforce the positive feelings she had for him.

"Thank you." She said in the quietest voice he had heard her use yet, and then she raised her voice. "I thank you on behalf of Elora and her people. We accept your offer of help."

Some in the group clapped while others cheered briefly. Obi-Wan smiled and looked back at the gathered citizens. He had jumped the first hurdle successfully.

Now, all he had to do was figure out how 30 untrained citizens were going to destroy a massive, hyper-secure cloning factory.

S'aimelle kept surprising Obi-Wan. His first impression of her in the tavern had been of a beautiful, no-nonsense woman, who was waiting tables until something better came along.

Then, he had heard her sing. He still remembered the goosebumps he had had. Her presence on stage was mesmerizing, and he longed to hear her sing again.

But, now, things were different. She was serious, she was dedicated, and above all, she was intelligent. He had listened to her planning session fully expecting to find something that needed to be changed--but, as the afternoon wore on, he had begun to feel a little foolish. She had a gift for seeing problems and had planned for every contingency that he could imagine.

He was impressed. He had never met a civilian that seemed as capable as she.

It had been decided earlier in the afternoon that Obi-Wan would pose as the new owner of the business housed in the building above them. The group had been running the company as a front for their organization for several months. The product of the company was ale barrels--which gave S'aimelle an excuse to visit the company frequently. Obi-Wan was satisfied that he could play the part with little difficulty.

Mid-afternoon, S'aimelle had dismissed everyone but himself, Jep and Kreef. The four sat around a table in the planning room. Jep and Kreef were discussing a few more details concerning their surveillance of the food warehouse. The boy, Jep, planned to sleep on a rooftop across from the warehouse, while Kreef would see if he could get a job inside.

He listened to Kreef and Jep for a while, before his eyes wandered toward S'aimelle. She was comparing information on two separate datapads, her brows creased with concentration.

"Something wrong?" He asked her quietly.

She looked up and moved a stray wisp of hair away from her eyes. "I'm worried about the timeline. If we move too quickly, we might not be ready. If..."

"If we move too slowly it might be too late." He finished for her. She nodded her head, leaning back in her chair and rubbing at her neck with her right hand.

"Timing is the most difficult part of any endeavor. May I suggest something?" He asked her.

"Of course, that's why you're here."

"The Force allows me to sense things. If you approve, I could use it to tell us when to strike." Obi-Wan said.

"The Force..." S'aimelle said slowly. She bit her lip and looked at him for moment longer, before looking at the ceiling. "I...I don't know." She said finally. "I don't know if I can place all our lives at the mercy of your... of the Force."

"I understand." Obi-Wan replied. It was not unexpected, but he had hoped that she trusted him a little more.

"I will think about it." She said.

"S'aimelle...your father." Kreef remarked. S'aimelle looked at her chrono and cursed.

"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised by her outburst.

"My father doesn't know about this." S'aimelle admitted. Obi-Wan's eyebrows shot up, and S'aimelle half grinned at him. "He thinks I come here to replace our ale barrels."

Kreef leaned over and grunted at S'aimelle. "He doesn't want her in danger." Kreef told Obi-Wan. "He doesn't know anything about this. If he did, he'd have her off planet so fast...overprotective fool." Kreef remarked sourly. Evidently S'aimelle's father was a subject of discord.

"Kreef." S'aimelle admonished.

"Well, he is. You'd think he'd understand after he lost your mother." Kreef grumbled.

"That's exactly why he is this way." S'aimelle explained, and Obi-Wan could tell it was not the first time they had had this discussion. "He's just trying to protect me."

"Humph. If that's what you want to call it! I call it smothering you. You're old enough to make your own decisions, S'aimelle." The older man said.

Obi-Wan watched the interchange with interest. There was something more to what they were arguing about than S'aimelle's involvement with the resistance group. He recalled her father's protectiveness the night before in the tavern, and could well imagine her father telling her she could not become involved in the resistance. He seemed like a man who expected his daughter to obey him.

"He'll understand...someday." S'aimelle said. Kreef looked like he did not believe that, but he nodded to her.

"Well, Jep and I had better get going. Not much of the day left." Kreef said as he stood up. The boy nodded to S'aimelle and then to Obi-Wan. After the two left the room Obi-Wan looked back at S'aimelle.

"How have you managed to keep this a secret from your father?" Obi-Wan asked.

"He thinks that I spend my days taking care of tavern business--which I sometimes do. But, usually I can get everything done in the morning, leaving me the rest of the day for this." She said waving her arm around the room.

"However, I'm late today. Father will be upset when I return." She stood up, and Obi-Wan rose as well. She stretched and rubbed at her neck again.

"That's the second time you've done that." Obi-Wan remarked. S'aimelle looked up at him, and shrugged.

"I suppose so. It hurts, I rub it. So what?" She gathered her datapads and stored them in a cabinet against the wall.

"It's probably from carrying the tray." He said as he walked up behind her. He had a sudden, almost irresistible urge to reach out and touch her neck. He could imagine his hands kneading the tension out of her shoulder as she purred with pleasure.

Obi-Wan froze and blinked. The image was so vivid! Where was his control? What had happened to his concentration? He was shocked with himself.

S'aimelle turned around and walked past him, oblivious to his thoughts. He felt her skirt brush by the sides of his boots, making him even more off balance. He closed his eyes and reached out to the Force. He had to banish these feelings. They were completely inappropriate.

"Kenobi?" He heard her say his name. He opened his eyes and saw her waiting by the door looking at him with an odd expression on her face. "Are *you* all right?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He lied.

"Right." She said as if she did not believe him. "Well, I need to get back to the tavern."

"Of course." Obi-Wan followed her out of the room. She turned and made sure the door was locked before they began climbing the stairs.

"Ask Kreef to get your ID set up for the door release tomorrow." She said as they neared the top of the stairs.

"All right." He agreed, "Anything else?" He asked.

"Well, if I'm not here you can take the surveillance reports when they come in. And..." She stopped as they entered the "office."

"And, what?" Obi-Wan asked, sensing her discomfort.

"It's nothing." She said and walked toward the exterior door.

"S'aimelle, what is it?" He asked more persuasively.

She turned to face him, but did not meet his eyes. "I didn't admit it to Kreef, and I don't really know how bad it is, but..." She stopped again. Obi-Wan stepped closer to her and waited for her to continue.

"My Father is suspicious." She breathed. "I don't know how it happened, I've been so careful. He can't know what we're doing...I need to keep him out of this."

It was the first time Obi-Wan had heard her voice express any emotion other than for her cause. He sensed that she loved her father very much, but that he could become a huge problem should he find out.

"Has he followed you?" He asked.

"Yes," She admitted, finally looking at him. Her dark brown eyes looked almost black in the dim light of the office.

"I told him I was checking on our ale barrels, but he didn't believe me." She said.

Obi-Wan pursed his lips and thought for a moment. He could tell she was very worried about this complication; and she did not need to be distracted. They needed to throw her father off the scent.

"He needs to think you're sneaking behind his back for some other reason--something that will totally throw him off." Obi-Wan thought aloud.

"Yeah, but what?" She sighed.

"Maybe you're singing somewhere else?" Obi-Wan suggested.

"During the day?" She smiled, shaking her head.

"Okay, how about...you have a sick friend...and...and...maybe not." He laughed when he realized how weak that suggestion was.

"It has to be compelling." She said smiling, but still worried. "Something that he will believe...something he knows I know he doesn't want me doing."

Obi-Wan retraced the convoluted line of her logic and finally saw where she was going. Besides the resistance group, what would her father most object to? Then he smiled at her.

"A lover?" He suggested. Her head snapped up as if he had slapped her and he stepped back from her look.

"I'm sorry...it just occurred to me...considering how protective your father is...." Obi-Wan saw the shock in her eyes and regretted his suggestion.

"Forget I said it." He waved his hands in front of him in a placating manner.

"No." She said softly. "It's good." She bit her lip. "Father would believe that...in fact, that would totally distract him." She sighed.

Obi-Wan tilted his head in confusion. Her reaction to his idea had been so strong, almost violent--and yet, she liked the idea?

"Ooookaaaay." He said slowly. "Um, so that's you're story?" She nodded her head, and now her cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

"I'm sure Kreef will enjoy the role." Obi-Wan joked, trying to lighten her mood.

"He's married." She whispered, looking at her boots.

"Well, Jep's a little young to be believable. Is there someone else in your group who your father would believe you're interested in?"

"My father has no idea what kind of man I'd be interested in." She remarked, almost bitterly. "And he believes that every man is interested in me."

Obi-Wan had to admit that she was right. Her father definitely gave off that impression.

"One of your bandmates?" He suggested.

"Hmm, perhaps..." She said without conviction.

"Well, how about we not worry about it until we have to? Okay?" He said. He sensed many mixed emotions rolling off her, and was frankly curious by her reaction. But, he also sensed that this was a touchy subject for her, and really, it was none of his business.

"Shall I walk with you back to the tavern?" He asked.

"No, I think you should stay here for a while and look over 'your' new business." Suddenly she was in control again, thinking on her feet.

"Right." He answered.

"But, do come by the tavern tonight." She added. "If you are being watched, you shouldn't change your routine." She opened the door and let herself out. "I'll save the best cut of the roast for you." She laughed, and then left the building.

Obi-Wan sank back against the desk behind him and took a deep breath.

"That went well." He said to himself.

*********

Obi-Wan explored the "barrel factory" for several hours after S'aimelle left. He was surprised to find that there were several coopers working in the space. They nodded to him and one of the members of the resistance group walked over to him...the thick necked man he had demonstrated his power on earlier that day.

"C'hire." Obi-Wan greeted him.

"Mr. Kenobi." C'hire nodded to him. "Boys!" The large man called out to the coopers working at assembling barrels. The men left their work and walked over to C'hire and Obi-Wan.

"Boys, this is our new boss. Mr. Kenobi." The men nodded to Obi-Wan, and he nodded in return. "Mr. Kenobi, this here is P'tin, Vyk and Sedd." Again, Obi-Wan nodded to them.

"I understand you men make good barrels, and I look forward to selling a lot of them." Obi-Wan told them.

They seemed to enjoy his praise, and joked with each other as they returned to their workstations.

"How much do they know?" Obi-Wan asked C'hire.

"They're completely out of it. They're hard workers, and the do make good barrels, but they aren't part of our group, if that's what you're asking." C'hire told him as they walked across the warehouse.

"And you? What's your job up here?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well, I'm a trained cooper, so I know how to talk to them. S'aimelle made me the foreman."

Obi-Wan nodded his head and clapped the man on the shoulder. "Then it looks like we'll be spending some time together."

"Yeah, about earlier..." The large man stuttered.

"Forget it." Obi-Wan assured him. "You're not the first person to question a Jedi about his abilities, and you won't be the last. And, I have a feeling you'll see what a Jedi can do before this is all over."

Both men looked at each other with grim expressions.

*******

Obi-Wan left the barrel factory as the sun began to set. It had been a long day, but he was surprisingly energized. He felt the anticipation of the mission building. Now that he had been accepted by the resistance group, he looked forward to working with them. Especially S'aimelle....

His steps quickened on his way to the tavern, but he hesitated outside it's doors. He needed to center himself, to prepare himself for the part he was now playing. And yet, he could not help but wonder if she would be the same--cool, aloof; or would there be a difference?

He stepped through the open doorway. The main room was already crowded, and several groups waited for a table. Obi-Wan looked through them to the small tables he usually sat at, and found that one was available next to the stage.

"Excuse me." He said as he pushed his way through, and then wove through the room to finally take his seat at the tiny table.

He looked around casually for any sign of S'aimelle, but her dark head was no where to be seen. He did see her father behind the bar, and the man looked harried. Obi-Wan looked again at the considerable crowd, and realized there was a larger group here tonight than usual. And they were loud, as if they were excited.

Obi-Wan sat for several minutes wondering if he should go to the bar to order his dinner, when S'aimelle's father left the bar and began walking around the room, talking to the patrons. When he finally got to Obi-Wan's table, he turned and his face had that same glacial expression as the knight had seen the night before.

"It's busy tonight." Obi-Wan commented.

"It is." The man said, "They're here to see S'aimelle."

"Well," Obi-Wan began, "I congratulate you then." He hesitated for a moment, wondering what was on the older man's mind.

"What will you have?" The tavern owner finally asked.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow in surprise, but said, "The roast, and an ale."

S'aimelle's father nodded his head and left for the kitchen. Obi-Wan grimaced and shook his head. He sensed there had been something on the man's mind...but what?

A commotion behind him made him turn toward the stage. Several of the musicians were walking across it and taking their places. Each picked up their instrument and began softly tuning it. Obi-Wan moved his chair so he faced the stage completely.

Then S'aimelle walked out of the back and up onto the stage. As it had the night before, the room became silent as soon as she took her place on the stool.

She looked even more beautiful than she had the night before, if possible. And, he found his nearness to the stage disconcerting. Would he be able to hide how he felt--especially when she sang?

She had unbraided her hair, and it cascaded down her back in shining brown waves. Her dress was a soft brown to match her eyes, and was cut provocatively low. Now that he knew her father, he was surprised that she got away with a dress like this.

Obi-Wan swallowed carefully and steadied his breathing as she began to sing. The group started with a slow song that he had not heard before. He found it difficult to concentrate on the words with her body swaying before him, but once he caught a phrase, he could not concentrate on anything but the words.

At first he was not sure, but then he realized she was singing a song of seduction, and thinly veiled descriptions of sex. S'aimelle sang with a passion that made his blood pound in his ears. Against his will, he began to imagine them together, the beat of the instruments driving his fantasy. By the end of the song, he was nearly trembling with desire. The crowd around him, erupted with applause, and all he could do was grip the edge of the table.

He did not, would not look at her. He wondered what she thought of him, sitting right in front of her, looking at his table top as if it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen. But, he did not trust himself to look anywhere else.

Suddenly, a plate of food clanked onto the table, and he jumped. Obi-Wan slowly looked up and saw her father scowling at him. The tavern owner was about to say something else, when S'aimelle began to sing again. The music was too loud for him to be heard, so he gave Obi-Wan a stern look and walked off.

Obi-Wan looked back at the food and found, that between S'aimelle's song and her father's strange behavior, he had lost his appetite. He did manage a few bites, however, and he drank his ale gratefully. The alcohol relaxed him, and he was finally able to look toward the stage again.

S'aimelle was beginning the song he remembered from the night before. The one about darkness and light, and she sang it beautifully. With the ale soothing his nerves, he actually was able to sit back and enjoy it. He found it resonated with him, and now that he knew who and what she was, it meant even more.

She finished the song, and the crowd went wild. Obi-Wan looked around at all the new faces and realized that S'aimelle and her group must be drawing from all over the city.

He looked back at the stage and found S'aimelle looking at him. He smiled in return.

"Follow me." She mouthed to him quickly. He was surprised, and his expression must have shown it. "Please." She mouthed again.

He watched her leave the stage and then he stood. He looked around him quickly, and not seeing her father, he slipped through the crowd toward the back of the tavern.

Obi-Wan pulled back a heavy drape covering the doorway and walked through. He felt a hand on his left arm and he turned quickly, instantly taking a defensive posture.

"It's me." S'aimelle hissed. He straightened and froze.

"What's wrong?" He asked. He sensed her distress.

"Father was furious when I returned. He's more than suspicious, and..." Suddenly, Obi-Wan staggered back as S'aimelle's arms flew around his neck and she kissed him hard. Considering his earlier fantasy, this should have been a nice thing, but he was so completely surprised that he did not have time to enjoy her kiss before he heard her father barking her name.

"S'aimelle!" Her father grabbed one of her arms and pulled her away from Obi-Wan. "I knew it! So, this...this is..." The older man sputtered.

"Father! I can explain." She pleaded. Obi-Wan assumed that his expression of shock was appropriate for the part he was now playing.

"I told you to leave her alone." The tavern owner leveled his glare at Obi-Wan.

"I...I..." Obi-Wan managed to stutter before S'aimelle interrupted.

"I'm a grown woman, Father. You can't treat me this way!" She was screaming now, and trying to pull her arm out of her father's grasp.

The older man looked at his daughter with shock. Obi-Wan nearly recoiled from the man's anger, but S'aimelle seemed impervious to it.

"We'll discuss this later." He said ominously, and then he turned to Obi-Wan. "I. Want. You. OUT!"

"Father, he hasn't even finished his meal." S'aimelle pleaded. Obi-Wan on the other hand was more than willing to beat a retreat. This whole scene was more than he was prepared for.

"I mean it S'aimelle. If you ever want to step foot on that stage again, he must leave right now."

"Sir, I meant no offense. I'll go." Obi-Wan told the man. He looked at S'aimelle for a moment, shocked to find she actually had tears in her eyes. She was not only a great singer, but a gifted actress as well!

He nodded to them both and then turned. The mainroom of the tavern was very loud and he had difficulty making his way through the crush of patrons. When he finally reached the street out front he leaned heavily against the cool plaster exterior and let out an explosive breath.

When he finally gathered himself together he turned and headed back up the street to his inn.

Once in his room, he walked into his small bathroom and ran cold water in the sink. He took off his hat and threw it behind him into the bedroom. Cupping his hands under the cold water he splashed some over his face and into his hair. The temperature came as a needed shock to his system and he did it again.

He turned off the water and leaned heavily against the sink. Taking deep steady breaths, he felt the effects of the ale leave his system. He peeled off the damp tunics and flung them over top of the bathroom door to dry, then pulled off his boots and pants. He considered pulling on his night clothes, but the night was unusually warm, and he decided to sleep as he was. He flung himself into bed with a grunt and covered his eyes with his arm.

Obi-Wan knew he was in serious trouble.

The mission he could handle without too much difficulty, if...it were not for S'aimelle. She had effected him, made him off balance. He had not anticipated her kiss in the tavern's backroom, and had, for a split second actually thought she returned his feelings.

Obi-Wan groaned and turned on his side. This was bad. He knew personal entanglements with those he was supposed to serve was forbidden. And it was a wise rule. It prevented distractions and kept a Jedi focused on what was important.

If only he had not seen her before the meeting this morning. Every time he felt he knew who she was, she changed--and he could not help but feel he wanted to see her again...often in fact...just to see who she would be next time.

Just so he could be close to her.

Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes closed and began reciting a Jedi mantra to still his mind. He would find his center again if it took reciting every mantra, every bit of Jedi lore he could remember.

~*~

Obi-Wan woke later than usual the next morning. His sleep had been filled with dreams; only some of which he remembered when he awoke. One dream, however, did stand out. He remembered a dark room, and rows and rows of coffin-like chambers. S'aimelle walked next to him, and she was crying. The image of her tear streaked face hovered before his eyes even awake.

He took a deep breath and tried to shake off the feeling of foreboding, then got out of bed. The knight showered quickly and dressed in his merchant's garb. He left his inn after paying the innkeeper for his next week's stay, and walked out into the street.

The day was warm already, making the morning feel more like afternoon. Obi-Wan stopped at a street vendor and purchased iced stim instead of the usual steaming brew he drank, and a sugary roll. He ate and drank as he made his way to the barrel factory.

He had memorized the warren of streets on the previous evening when he had left the factory, and was able to find his way back to the building with no difficulties. Obi-Wan entered the office and set down his half full cup on the desk. C'hire sat at a table and greeted him. Obi-Wan walked over to the man, and they began discussing the normal operations of the factory.

An hour later Kreef walked in.

"Good day, Kreef." Obi-Wan greeted the man.

"Jedi." Kreef nodded to Obi-Wan. He beckoned them to follow him down stairs. The three men descended to the planning room, and Kreef pressed his palm against the ID reader. Once inside, he quickly had Obi-Wan's hand scanned so that he could let himself in when he needed to.

"Did you get the job, Kreef?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Not yet. They told me to come back after noon-meal. I think I've got it, but we will see." Kreef scanned the computer for the morning's reports.

Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment. Then asked, "Have you seen or heard from S'aimelle this morning?"

Kreef's face lifted away from the computer consol and he looked at the Jedi steadily. "No."

"Hmm. Don't the two of you make contact fairly regularly?" Obi-Wan felt the older man's sharp gaze.

"Yes, and I was surprised that she didn't meet me in the cafe as usual. But, I'm sure she'll be along shortly. Sometimes the tavern needs her attention."

Obi-Wan took a breath and hoped Kreef was right.

Kreef left them shortly after that, saying he needed to check on the job in the food distributors. Obi-Wan spent the next hour receiving reports and waiting for some sign of S'aimelle.

*********

S'aimelle walked down the busy street quickly. Her head was bent, and she did not see the inquisitive eyes that noticed her as she passed by. Her body shook with barely contained anger and not a soul she passed would have challenged her.

She had had a very bad morning. Her father had kept her up very late, haranguing her about her "affair" with the stranger. She had played the part until her head had begun throbbing with a headache. Then, with perverse parental delight, he had woken her at dawn to meet with their solicitor. The weasily man was there to outline the family's future now that their mother was gone.

The whole thing infuriated her, and as soon as the solicitor had left, she had tried to make her escape. Her father, however, had had other ideas.

They had spent the next two hours screaming at each other, until she had been shaking with rage and he had been hoarse. She had escaped when he had taken a breath, slamming the door behind her.

Now, she brooded through the city, hoping to walk off her mood before she went to the barrel factory. She knew could not take care of resistance business in the mood she was in.

"S'aimelle!" She heard her name shouted and stopped. Turning to her left, she saw Kreef walking across the street.

"Kreef." She said, and then continued to walk.

"Wait," He called after her. When he caught up, he matched her stride and said, "We wondered where you were."

"I've been arguing with father." She said curtly.

"What's the old fool up to now?" Kreef asked, trying to keep up with her.

"He thinks I'm having an affair." S'aimelle growled.

Kreef absorbed the information and his mouth took on a grim line. "And why would he be thinking that?"

S'aimelle stopped and turned to Kreef. The older man's dark eyes locked on hers instantly. She nodded to their left and they walked off the sidewalk to a doorway. S'aimelle lowered her head for a moment as if gathering her wits and then looked back at Kreef.

"Because I let him think that."

Kreef's mouth dropped open, but he remained silent.

"You were right. He was becoming suspicious. After you left the building last night, the Jedi and I had a talk, and we decided that I had to find a way to distract him. Kenobi suggested that an affair might do it, and I agreed."

She could see that Kreef was not pleased. Whether it was because he had been left out of this particular planning session or because of the plan itself, she could not tell. She swallowed with difficulty and continued.

"By the time I got back to the tavern last night, he was in a state. I had to go with the plan before I had time to tell the Jedi. Then, when I was trying to tell him what was going on, my father caught us and I kissed Kenobi to distract my father."

Kreef's expression was one of shock. S'aimelle's cheeks burned from her admission and the memory of what she had done.

She had acted on instinct and it had only made things worse. She only hoped the Jedi would still help them. He was an insightful strategist, and his training would be invaluable when they finally made their move against the clone factory...

and...she was attracted to him. Something she had only admitted to herself in the middle of the night. She had known who he was for several days, and had been watching him in the tavern. She liked the way his eyes sparkled when he spoke to her, and the way he carried himself. His voice had made her shiver before she had been able to steel herself against it, and the way he looked at her when she sang had almost made her mute. Her brief, hard kiss had only left her wanting more.

But, she did not admit any of this to Kreef. Nor would she admit it to the Jedi. Everyone depended on her staying focused, and that is what she intended to do.

Kreef seemed to recover from his shock, and asked, "What did he do?"

"Kenobi?" She asked.

"Ah, noooo," Kreef tilted his head and looked more sharply at S'aimelle, she blushed and he continued. "Your father. Did he go ballistic?"

"Oh, yeah." She admitted with dramatic emphasis. "You of all people know how he would react."

"Yeah." Kreef groaned.

The two friends and compatriots stood and looked at each other for a long moment. S'aimelle wanted to say so many things...he looked so much like his brother when he was upset.

It had been two years since her father had destroyed any hope she had ever had of love...two years since Kreef's brother, Lile had left the system for the Republic Flight Academy...two years since her heart had been broken....

"Be careful, S'aimelle. I don't think he'll be any friendlier to Kenobi than he was to Lile. That could become too much of a distraction."

S'aimelle nodded somberly. "I know. I shouldn't have kissed him. I should have picked someone else. I just wanted to tell him that we had to go ahead with the "affair" plan. It was unfortunate." She stopped and looked back at her old friend. "Have you seen the Jedi today?"

"Yeah, he was at the factory first thing this morning." Kreef almost smiled. "He was asking about you."

I'll bet he was, S'aimelle thought to herself. What he must think!

"Well, I should go there now." S'aimelle said as she stepped back on the side walk. Kreef walked next to her.

"I got the job." Kreef told her quietly.

"That's the first good news I've heard all day." She said. And they walked on in silence.

******

S'aimelle pressed her hand against the security panel and let herself into the planning room. Obi-Wan stood, leaning over the computer and looking at the screen. His brows were gathered together, his face pinched with worry.

"What is it?" She asked, before he'd even greeted them.

"Ships." He said quietly, pointing to the monitor.

Kreef and S'aimelle walked swiftly to the computer and froze when they saw the report.

The operative they had in Elora's traffic control reported the impending arrival of six heavy cruisers. All other traffic in and out of Elora was to be suspended until these ships made orbit and left again.

This was more than a sign, this was the impetus for action.

"Call everyone in. This is it." S'aimelle told Kreef.

~*~

"Call everyone in. This is it." S'aimelle told Kreef.

Kreef sat down at the comm center and began calling in all the operatives. In minutes they began arriving at the factory.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and S'aimelle discussed their plan of attack. They wanted to destroy the factory, and all the clones within. Obi-Wan had learned the day before that the resistance group had been stockpiling explosives for months, which were now stored in barrels in the warehouse. He sat at the computer for a moment and quickly calculated how much explosives they would need to blow the building up. The figure was a little startling.

"We need to get 50 barrels into the building." He told S'aimelle quietly. She bent over his shoulder and looked at his calculations. His hand flexed briefly on his leg, unseen by her. Her nearness was distracting him...her loose hair brushed by his ear, and he could sense her warmth through his tunics. He shifted slightly in his chair and then she was gone.

"50 barrels." She almost moaned. If they had had time, they had planned on having Kreef deliver the barrels with his food deliveries. Now, that was no longer an option. They had to move tonight.

The ships were due in eight hours, and that meant the clones were mature. Obi-Wan also feared that meant security would be at its highest.

Kreef, S'aimelle and Obi-Wan sat together at a table in the corner and spent the next hour trying to figure out what to do.

S'aimelle was all for a frontal attack. She figured they still had the upper hand when it came to surprise, and wanted to use it as a weapon.

Obi-Wan agreed that surprise was an element in their favor, but he argued for going in at night. He hoped the confusion inside the clone factory as they prepared to leave would be enough of a distraction to get them inside without being discovered.

Kreef listened silently to them both and then said, "I think both plans have a lot going for them. Can't we do both?"

S'aimelle looked at the older man and tilted her head. Obi-Wan nodded, seeing where the man's thinking was headed.

They soon devised a plan where Kreef would drive one of the food delivery trucks he had been assigned to in his new job. The truck would be loaded with explosives and he would take it as far into the building as possible.

Once inside he would signal them and they would create a distraction outside the building. Obi-Wan was adamant that the fewer people the better, and S'aimelle, after thinking about it for a minute, agreed. She knew her people would not be happy about being left out of the attack, but there really was no point in having more bodies than necessary.

They were about to outline the plan to the rest of the group when Obi-Wan noticed that S'aimelle had become very quiet and withdrawn. He had thought she had been slightly different all day, but since he did not know her well, he figured it was a mood he had not seen. Now she was looking at her hands and had a look of troubled concentration on her face.

"S'aimelle? What is it? Is there something you think we need to reconsider?" Obi-Wan asked. Kreef looked up from the map he was working on.

"I'm going in with Kreef." She announced.

"No." Kreef said at the same time as Obi-Wan said "Why?" She turned and looked at both men calmly.

"I have to find my mother." She said, and the look in her eyes invited no debate. Both men looked at her and then at each other. Obi-Wan wanted to argue--wanted to keep her safe, but it was her mother and her resistance. There really was no strategic reason why she should not go with Kreef. They could allow a short search before they blew the explosives. The knight nodded his head in understanding and agreement.

But, Kreef was not convinced. "Look, S'aimelle, I know you want to find her. I'll look for her," S'aimelle opened her mouth to protest, "I can do it."

Obi-Wan knew he was trying to tell her what she wanted to hear. And so did S'aimelle.

"I appreciated that Kreef, but I have to do this. If I don't at least try, I will never forgive myself."

Obi-Wan felt the bond between the two old friends pull and shift. He reached out with the Force and tried to use it to guide him. He sensed S'aimelle's determination and her need. And, everything in him told him she needed to do this.

"Kreef, she has to do this. You know that." Obi-Wan finally said. The older man looked angry, and S'aimelle looked stunned. "We all have to follow our own paths." Obi-Wan said quietly.

Kreef looked back at S'aimelle who pleaded with him with her eyes. He finally sighed and nodded his acceptance.

*******

Two hours later, Kreef had the delivery truck inside the barrel factory, and resistance members were filling it with explosives. The night was quickly darkening outside, and they worked in a hurried frenzy.

Obi-Wan had selected five of the younger, more experienced resistance members to help him create a diversion at the front of the building. They would also be taking explosives, but only enough to destroy the main entrance, and then they would go to ground to avoid capture. At least that was the plan. Obi-Wan had an added objective.

Obi-Wan was leading them through the plan for the last time, as it was nearly time for them to leave for the factory. They had all changed into black knit clothing provided by one of the resistance members. He had checked each of their weapons personally, and was grimly satisfied that they all knew how to handle the blasters and pistols they had been issued. They were ready.

The knight had been busy for the last two hours, and now stopped to look around the barrel factory. The truck Kreef had stolen was filled from top to bottom with barrels. He counted quickly, and was surprised to realize there were more than 50 barrels in the truck. They were not taking any chances.

Kreef walked around the side of the vehicle and nodded to Obi-Wan when he saw him. Obi-Wan held out his hand to the older man, who grasped it and shook it.

"Good Luck." Kreef said to Obi-Wan. The knight noticed the grim set of Kreef's eyes.

"May the Force be with you Kreef." Obi-Wan said. Then he looked behind and around the older man for S'aimelle. "Where's S'aimelle?" He asked.

"She's downstairs. Said she had one last thing to do." Kreef shrugged and walked toward the cab of the truck.

Obi-Wan looked back to the transport where his people were gathering. He waved to one of the men, "I'll be right back." He called out to them.

Obi-Wan ran down the stairs to the basement planning room. His hand slapped against the security panel, and the door immediately unlocked.

"...so forgive me Father. I love you." S'aimelle was speaking into a computer consol, and Obi-Wan had caught the end of the message. He froze in the doorway, realizing that he had intruded on her privacy.

"I'm sorry." He said, when her eyes met his. The dark brown irises looked calm and determined. "Kreef said you were still here. I wanted to...my group is about to leave and I..." Suddenly, the young knight felt foolish.

S'aimelle pulled on her black jacket and walked out from behind the desk. "It's all right. I was just leaving a message for my father." She said, approaching him.

"Oh." Obi-Wan replied. He wanted to say so many things. He wanted to tell her how much he admired her, how smart he thought she was...how much he wanted her...."

"It's time to go." She said quietly, watching him closely. He nervously fingered his lightsaber for a moment, and he realized she noticed. "Is there something wrong?" She asked.

"No. I think we're ready. I just wanted to say good-bye, and may the Force be with you."

To his surprise, S'aimelle suddenly blushed and lowered her eyes. He stepped closer and studied her reaction. "Maybe I should ask *you* if anything's wrong." He reached out and on impulse, took her hand in his own. She gasped and tried to tug her hand away. But, not soon enough. He had felt her swirling emotions. She was thinking about him...hoping he would...

Obi-Wan pulled her closer, wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and then kissed her. Her exclamation was part alarm and part gasp. He felt her shudder in his arms and cupped the back of her head with is left hand. She struggled for a moment--but he felt it was only a token struggle--and then she was returning the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she leaned against him.

Obi-Wan soared with the kiss. Her mouth was warm and sweet, and she responded just as he had dreamed she would. Her sensuality--so strong when she was on stage, and so submerged when she was in command--was there for him to explore. He changed the angle of his mouth and felt her shudder. His body instantly reacted and he felt drawn as if by a magnet. He had to know more of her...had to know all of her.

The kiss ended when they both gasped for air, and she pushed him back a little. He kissed her forehead and pulled back farther, understanding her need to restore her serenity.

"Gods, no." She breathed. "I can't let this happen."

"This? This what?" He asked, caressing her back with his hands. Her eyes closed and her head lolled to the side. She clearly enjoyed his touch, and it excited him.

"I must stay focused." She breathed, and then she pushed him away with an almost angry look on her face. "Stop." She growled.

Obi-Wan let his hands drop to his side, and he nodded. He understood, but did not like it.

"When this is over..." He began, but she shook her head.

"No." She finally raised her eyes and looked at him. "When this is over, you'll leave and I'll be running from the law."

Obi-Wan remained silent. Her scenario was certainly one possibility...but the future was always in motion. He reached out and gently took her hand. She tried to pull it away, but he held it firmly, and raised it to his lips.

He kissed each finger on it's tip and then turned her hand and kissed her open palm. She sighed and he released her hand. "We'll see." He told her.

They stared at each other for another awkward moment, and then Obi-Wan turned and opened the door. He held it for her and they walked up and out to the factory warehouse in silence.

********

Obi-Wan hid behind a parked landspeeder a block away from the entrance of the clone factory. He watched as the transport his team was using drove into view. It slowed in front of the security droid and stopped. The droid remained at its post (just as they had predicted) and one of the young men got out.

For several moments the man made a show of trying to get the speeder to start up again. He fiddled with the engine, he got back in, he swore at the machine and then finally approached the droid. That was Obi-Wan's signal to move.

With the security cameras on the young man, Obi-Wan and one of the women on his team ran to the transport and opened the back. They quickly armed the explosives and then walked around the front of the vehicle. Obi-Wan checked his chrono. They were right on time.

"Hey," Obi-Wan yelled, "You can't leave this vehicle here, this is a shipping route. You need to get it off the street."

"I can't!" The young man yelled back.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan said, walking closer to the man.

"It quit on me. I'd get it off the street if I could."

"Here, I'll give you a hand." Obi-Wan offered.

He glanced at the droids but they remained frozen. He observed the three cameras around the arched entrance to the building, and saw them tracking each of the team members as they moved to their places. Obi-Wan went to the passenger side of the transport and began pushing, as the other man pushed on the driver's side. Soon they had the medium weight vehicle moving toward the factory entrance.

Finally, the droid's programing detected trouble.

"You may not move that vehicle here. This is a restricted area." The lead droid said in his metallic voice.

Obi-Wan gave his team member a wry look and they kept pushing. They built up speed and the woman dropped behind. She pulled a remote control from her pocket and switched it on. The men suddenly ran clear, as she started up the engine and steered the vehicle into the droids.

The sound of metal colliding with metal reverberated in the abandoned street, and then there was the sound of metal on stone as the transport collided with the front of the building. Alarms began to go off.

Obi-Wan turned to the rest of the group, checked that they were all there, and all unharmed. They ran away from the entrance and back into the side streets. Obi-Wan checked his chrono and nodded to the woman with the remote control. She pressed a switch and a second later they heard the explosion.

********

Kreef and S'aimelle were not having as much luck. Kreef was unknown to the guards at the shipping entrance, and they had stopped him. He had documents from the food supply company, and had shown them the inside of the truck. The rear of the truck was stacked high with crates of freshly butchered meat. The mess alone would have deterred a living guard, but as at the front, these guards were droids, and the site of blood and bone gave them little discomfort.

Fortunately, the resistance group had anticipated this. S'aimelle (who was hiding in between the barrels of explosive) had a scrambling devise attached to the site of her blaster. With it, she could precisely target a droid and short out it's programming long enough to get them inside.

The essentially malfunctioning droids closed the door of the delivery truck and stood by as Kreef pulled into the factory.

S'aimelle felt the truck moving and sagged with relief. She leaned against the side of a barrel, trying to forget that inside was enough explosive to blow up her father's tavern and every other building on her block. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, and every time she took a breath she tasted the awful metallic taste of the bloody carcasses at the back of the truck.

After a short while the truck stopped again. S'aimelle held very still, listening for any hint of trouble. Her hand gripped the blaster at her hip, and she fiddled with the safety. Seconds turned into hours, minutes turned into days.

Finally, the door opened, and she heard Kreef whistle the all clear. She carefully crawled out from behind her hiding place and peered through the barrels. He stood on a cement floor, hauling pieces of meet out and placing them in a large crate. S'aimelle crawled forward and grimaced when her hand pressed into a puddle of blood on the floor of the truck. She gritted her teeth and continued.

"Get out now." Kreef hissed. She scrambled forward and hauled herself past the grizzly cover of meat. S'aimelle slid off the back of the tailgate and landed on the concrete with a barely perceptible slap of leather.

"I passed some rooms on my way in. They're back there...some of them had laboratory type decontamination booths outside." Kreef whispered. She looked back along the route he indicated and nodded.

"I'll be back in 15 minutes." She told him, and then she was off.

S'aimelle ran like she'd never run before. They had a rough idea of the layout of the building from the days when they had watched the building being built. Now, that map was the only thing that kept her going the right direction. It was dark, and there were no signs or distinguishing marks that helped her. She counted hall ways, and doors until she came upon a door that she believed was the right one.

She tried the handle and was surprised when it opened. She walked in and found an abandoned lab. She walked around the counters, spotting familiar instruments and boxes of chemicals. It was just like the one her mother had worked in for the Elorian government before she had been kidnapped. She saw a clipboard with handwritten notes on it and rushed to it.

Her eyes began to tear up as she saw her mother's handwriting. There was no mistake, her mother was there, in the building, and she had been working in this lab. S'aimelle looked frantically around the room, looking for anything that might tell her where to find her mother.

It was night. Would she be asleep? Would the scientists sleep close to the lab? Perhaps one of the rooms she had passed...

S'aimelle retraced her steps. Once in the hall she began opening doors carefully. The first three she tried were supply rooms. The fourth looked like a conference room. With no hint of the residential rooms, her heart began to sink.

She turned a corner slowly, and gasped.

Before her stretched a cavernous room. As far as she could see in the dim light, were row upon row of coffin like chambers, illuminated from within. At the far end she could see some activity, but at her end, all was quiet.

She walked to the first one and peered through the glass. A young man slept within. She stepped to the one next to it, and stifled a moan when she saw the same young face inside that one.

And on and on. She looked into 10 of the chambers and found the same face and the same body. It was not anyone she knew, and for that she was thankful, but the site disturbed her deeply, nonetheless.

She was turning to leave the cloning room when some movement to her left caught her eye. She dropped down between two chambers and suddenly the room flared to light and alarms began ringing out.

She had been caught! Or Kreef had. Either way, it meant the building was their tomb. The resistance members on the outside knew that if they did not come out in time they were to blow the explosives no matter what.

She almost felt relieved. To come this close and not find her mother would have devastated her. At least this way she would not have to live with the guilt.

S'aimelle brazenly stood up and walked further into the cloning chamber. Her blood pounded in her ears, and she felt herself draw her weapon as if she were a robot.

"S'aimelle!" She heard her name shouted, but continued walking. She was in a daze, hungry for any kind of violence that would satisfy her anger before the end. She raised her weapon, and a young man turned to her...the same face she had seen 50 meters behind her in the first chamber.

"S'aimelle!" A woman's voice screamed louder. It tugged at her, and she looked to her side slowly.

Two rows over, her mother was frantically trying to run to her. The flashing lights of the alarms bounced off her graying brown hair, and there were tears staining her face.

"MOTHER!" S'aimelle screamed, turning and running to her.

That's when the building shook with the explosion at the front entrance. The mature clones stumbled and fell against each other, looking for someone to direct them. The humans in charge rushed for the far end of the chamber and out of site.

S'aimelle squeezed through another row of cloning chambers and finally fell into her mother's embrace. The two women held each other tightly, S'aimelle sobbing, her mother muttering words of comfort.

"Mother, we have to go!" S'aimelle was tugging at her mother's arm, and the older woman started moving.

"S'aimelle, what's happening?" She cried out.

"We need to get out! Run, mother!" S'aimelle looked at her chrono and knew that they did not have time to discuss the impending explosion.

She pulled her mother along, and noticed that the older woman was limping. She stopped and pulled her mother's arm over her shoulder and then pulled her along. She struggled under her mother's weight and her own fatigue was starting to take its toll. They were not going to make it.

She found the hallway that lead back to the food preparation area, and skidded around it--running smack into Obi-Wan's chest. They both grunted from the impact, and S'aimelle's mother fell to the ground, knocked unconscious.

"Kenobi!" S'aimelle shouted when she had her breath back. She scrambled to her mother and helped her to her feet.

"You found your mother?" He yelled, clearly surprised.

"Yes, but we're not going to make it. Get the hell out of here!" She screamed at him.

"I think not." He said, easily supporting S'aimelle's mother's weight, and hoisting her over his shoulders. They ran down the hallway and into the food-prep area. S'aimelle saw the truck, and it was surrounded with droids.

Obi-Wan's hand flew out and he grabbed S'aimelle by the shoulder as she began running toward the truck.

"No." She hissed, trying to free herself from Obi-Wan's grasp. He struggled to keep her mother balanced on his shoulders as he fought S'aimelle's determined pull.

"It's too late." He whispered at her. His voice was calm--almost soothing, and it broke through her hysteria better than if he had screamed at her.

Then she saw what he meant. Kreef slumped against the back of the truck, a gaping dark stain on his chest. His head flopped to the side in an unnatural angle. S'aimelle choked back a sob, and raised her blaster again. The door of the truck was still closed, and that fact offered her a ray of hope.

"Get her out of her." S'aimelle told Obi-Wan. "I need to make sure they don't find the explosives."

"No, we don't have time." Obi-Wan hissed.

"I have all the time I need. I'm not coming out." She ground out between clenched teeth. She pulled free of his grasp and started walking toward the group of droids. Obi-Wan checked his chrono and cursed aloud.

"You're coming with me." He said, just barely flicking his wrist in her direction. He held his breath and watched as she turned around. "You're mother needs you." He said, waving his hand again.

S'aimelle's eyes unfocused for a moment, and then she stepped next to him. He sighed and started off for the exit.

They were half way out when the alarm went off on S'aimelle's chrono. She had regained her senses by this time, and though angry with Obi-Wan, she was trying to help him with her mother. The alarm meant they had only three minutes before the explosion. They looked at each other and ran faster.

S'aimelle's lungs burned, and her legs felt like lead. Unrestrained tears ran down her face, and she felt sweat mingle with them on her cheeks. Obi-Wan ran silently beside her, barely breathing hard, and yet his face had become very grim.

They saw the large metal door at the end of the hallway. Their one and only escape route. On either side stood two droids.

Obi-Wan carefully set S'aimelle's mother down, and the older woman roused enough to stand on her own feet. Obi-Wan looked at the two women and made a decision.

"Stay behind me. When I shout, run." He looked at S'aimelle for a brief moment more than he should have, given the circumstances, and then she stepped out of the shadows. The droids tracked him instantly, ordering him to halt.

The knight kept moving, getting nearer and nearer to the droids, who had now raised their weapons. S'aimelle felt a scream raising in her throat as she watched the Jedi direct the line of fire away from them and the door to himself.

The first droid began firing, and Obi-Wan's blue blade was cutting through the air, deflecting every bolt of energy. He walked steadily toward them, swinging with precision and control. He had all four droids turned with their backs to S'aimelle and her mother.

Never sparing them a glance he shouted, "NOW" and S'aimelle was dragging her mother out of their hiding place. They flew across the floor as quickly as they could. S'aimelle saw a group of six more droids headed their way and she moaned as she neared the door.

And then they were out. She could see several of her resistance friends waiting beyond the gate, and she hurried toward them. They had cut a hole in the metal lattice and she shoved her mother through it.

She saw her mother safely pulled into a waiting speeder and then she turned. With her blaster drawn she ran back to the building she knew was about to blow up. Her friends screamed at her, but she knew no one could withstand the assault of 10 droids without help. She ran back to the building to bring Obi-Wan out.

He stood with his back to the door, trying to get out. How he had turned the whole group of droids was beyond her imagination; but his blade continued its brilliant dance, and he seemed oblivious to anything but it.

She crouched in the doorway and started firing. She hit three droids squarely in the chest before they began to fire at her. Hiding behind the doorframe she saw Obi-Wan use their distraction. His hand flew out and suddenly the droids were flying across the room, their metal bodies landing in a heap.

He finally turned toward her, his eyes brilliantly green, and ran to the door. He grasped her wrist as he ran across the threshold and virtually dragged her along.

They had made it to the fence and he was pushing her through to her friends, when he suddenly stiffened and fell through the hole behind her. His weight knocked into S'aimelle and she went sprawling into the sidewalk, hitting her head on the pavement.

A brilliant flash behind them sent them all to the ground, and then all went black.

Part 7

Obi-Wan moaned and tried to open his eyes. He was able to open one eye a crack and then realized that his face was pressed into something soft...like a pillow.

He tried to raise himself, but his back screamed out with pain when he flexed the muscles of his shoulders, and he sank back to the softness under him with a grunt.

"Ah, you're awake." He heard a voice say. Obi-Wan looked around his line of vision, but could not find the owner of the voice.

And then a gentle hand touched the skin of his lower back. It was cool but not cold. "Don't try to move, the synthetic flesh is just starting to take."

"Where am I?" He managed to rasp out.

"You're safe." The woman's voice said. "I'm a friend of S'aimelle's." She continued. Then she walked to his side and knelt down. Finally he could see her face.

He recognized her from the resistance meetings. She was a little older than S'aimelle with dark red hair and green eyes. She had been one of the team members waiting for them when they had escaped the clone factory.

The clones!

"S'aimelle!" Obi-Wan gasped as he tried to get his arms under him. He struggled to put his weight on his arms and rise off the bed.

"Stay put. You're going to ruin all my hard work." The woman easily pushed him back down to the mattress. "S'aimelle is downstairs. She's fine. A little bump on the head, but none the worse for wear."

The news flooded his system like a drug. She was fine! They had all escaped alive...well, almost everyone. Kreef had not made it, he remembered with sadness.

"I want to see her." Obi-Wan whispered. His back was on fire and he began Jedi healing techniques to help him through the pain.

"Of course. I'll get her. Now, don't move." The woman said.

"Thank you...for everything." Obi-Wan opened his eyes and looked at her clear green ones. She smiled and stood up.

"You're welcome." She said before she left the room.

In only a few moments he heard footsteps outside the door, and then S'aimelle walked in. He could only see her legs from the knees down, but he knew it was her. She had changed back into her skirt and boots. The hem swayed as she drew closer to him. He tried to roll to his side, but again, the pain in his back prevented him from moving more than a few centimeters.

"Hey, don't do that." S'aimelle told him. She sank down to her knees next to him and pursed her lips. "Liddy's a fine healer, but don't make her work on you again, okay?"

He stopped moving and settled for turning his head toward her--his three day old beard rasping on the material of the pillow. He found a comfortable position and settled into the pillow with a sigh.

He looked her over carefully. She had a bandage on her left temple, and her face had a few small scratches that had scabbed over. Her chin was also scraped up and it was shiny with an ointment of some kind.

But, her eyes were bright and alive. She saw him studying her, and she did not seem to mind. Then Obi-Wan realized she was doing the same thing. It was as if they had never seen each other before. He felt himself blush under her scrutiny.

"Good to see you awake." She said softly.

"How long have I been out?" He asked.

"Almost a day." She responded. He groaned and she smiled--the first smile he had seen from her for two days. "What? You don't like sleeping a day away?" She asked.

"Not particularly. Is everyone safe?" He asked.

S'aimelle dropped her eyes for a moment and then looked back at him. She sank to the floor and sat cross-legged next to his head.

"Yes, everyone made it, except for Kreef." He heard her voice hitch. He had known how close they were. It would take time for her to come to terms with Kreef's death.

"And your mother? How is she?" He asked.

"She's fine. She's with Father." S'aimelle replied. Her eyes darted to his back and he saw her wince when she looked at his wound.

"And you?" He breathed. "How are you?"

Her breath hitched, and her eyes darted neverously around the room before returning to his. They stared at each other for a moment.

"I'm fine." She finally said. Obi-Wan knew it for the lie it was, and was about to tell her so, but she interrupted.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" She asked.

"Nothing I don't know how to deal with." He said. She raised an eyebrow at this but stayed silent. "So, was it one of the droids?" He asked.

"Yeah, Liddy said they were pouring out of the door just before the explosion. One of them managed to shoot you in the back." Her eyes looked at his back again. "If you hadn't been there it would have hit me in the head."

Obi-Wan saw that she was shaken by that idea. He knew what it was like to have your life saved by another--and it was never an easy concept to deal with. He wondered how she felt about it.

"Perhaps, perhaps not." He said. She shook her head slowly, and sighed.

"Well, thank you anyway." She said, and then surprised him by leaning over and kissing his cheek quickly.

His breath hitched quickly, and with the quick intake of air he absorbed her scent. She had showered recently, he could smell soap and something herbal. Her hair brushed against his cheek when she drew back, softer than silk.

Her kiss and these impressions were over in a moment, but Obi-Wan felt the impact of her nearness down to his toes. Did she have any idea how much she effected him? They had kissed before the mission the day before, and she had seemed aroused by his touch. But, how was it now? Did she want more than a peck on the cheek?

S'aimelle stood up slowly and walked away from the bed. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and tried to get a grip on his emotions. He heard her pause behind him, and wondered what she was doing.

"I have to go soon." She said in a whisper, as if vocalizing the news made it unbearable.

"Go? Go where?" He asked.

"I don't know, but they're looking for me. If I stay here they'll find me. I've broken up the resistance cell, and some of the others are going off planet." She paused and he heard her soft footsteps cross the room.

"Perhaps I can help?" He suggested. She walked back to the top of the bed, and knelt down next to him again. She was shaking her head.

"Yes!" He said as loudly as his sore back would allow. "The Jedi council wanted me to help you."

"You already have. We have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams." She said.

"But, now *you* need my help." He added, trying to struggle off the surface of the bed. He had to make her understand. He could not let her go without making sure she was going to be all right.

Her hand reached out and touched his bare shoulder. His eyes met hers and they froze for a moment. He tried to show her with his gaze how much he cared, how much he wanted to be with her...

But, she dropped her eyes to the ground and pulled her hand away. "I need to check in with my parents tonight, and then I'll be back to say goodbye to everyone."

And then with a lurching motion she was turning and running out of the room. Obi-Wan struggled against the pain in his back for a moment more, trying to haul himself off the bed and after her, but the searing pain in his back held him down. He gave up with a curse and a gasp as he felt the synthetic flesh pull and almost tear.

He fell back to the bed and clenched his eyes closed.

********

It was late at night...Obi-Wan knew that from the sounds of the city and his own internal clock.

Liddy had brought him food and drink a little while earlier, and he suspected that she had drugged the beverage because he had fallen deeply asleep soon after finishing his meal.

When he woke he sensed there was someone else in the room, but from his prone position could not see who it was.

He reached out with the Force and felt S'aimelle's unmistakable presence. She was sitting in the shadows across the room and behind him. He sensed she was confused and sad. Then he heard her almost silent sniffle.

"Why are you crying?" He whispered softly. He heard her gasp, but she did not answer him. He cursed his wound now for the inconvenience it was. He wanted to go to her, to wrap his arms around her, to touch her....

"Has something happened to your friends?" He asked in the same soft voice. All the while he focused on the Force, willing it to block his pain so that he could move.

"No, they're fine." She finally whispered back.

"Has something happened to you?" He asked. He tested the skin on his back by pushing up a little. The pain was much less than before and he realized that the synthetic flesh must have knit in place. This should mean that he could sit up.

"No," She almost sobbed, and then she was silent again. He heard her moving and knew that she was leaving.

"S'aimelle!" He hissed.

She stopped, and turned. Obi-Wan braced his hands against the bed and slowly turned to his side to face her. His forehead broke out in a sweat from this simple movement, but he would not allow any other outward sign of his pain.

S'aimelle's mouth dropped as she watched him turn toward her. She hesitated and then rushed to his side.

"You're not supposed to move!" She breathed, standing next to him so that he had to crane his neck to look at her face.

"Then stay here. Don't leave." He told her. He shifted his weight and leaned on one elbow and then reached out with his free hand. He quickly took her hand and pulled her closer. S'aimelle pulled against him slightly.

"Don't..." She whimpered.

"Why not?" He asked, pulling harder.

"I can't...I have to go." Her voice was higher than he had ever heard it, and there was an almost desperate edge to it.

Instead of arguing with her, he did the one thing that his instincts cried out for him to do. He pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it gently. He felt the tremor in her arm, and pulled her toward him again.

"No." She breathed, but she sank to her knees and closed the distance between them.

He turned her hand, and looked into her dark eyes. His mouth caressed her palm and the heel of her hand, then he placed tiny kisses up the curve of her thumb. Obi-Wan held her there, immobile, and then his mouth softened and he sucked at the tip of her thumb, his tongue sweeping over the skin in a wet caress.

S'aimelle's eyes rolled back in her head and her eyelids slid shut. She made a sound that shook his world, and sat back against her ankles.

"No." She breathed again, but with far less conviction.

Her reaction was more than he could have hoped for. He knew there was a wealth of passion hiding under her calm exterior. Obi-Wan rejoiced that he had seen a glimpse of her deeply hidden sensual side; and of course he wanted to see more.

"What are you afraid of?" He asked, feeling her tremble again.

"I'm not afraid..." S'aimelle began, but he interrupted her.

"Don't lie to a Jedi." He told her, "I sense your fear. Do you still not trust me?" He asked, caressing the backs of her fingers with his lips.

She made a small almost moan, and then she stiffened. S'aimelle pulled at her hand again, and this time she opened her eyes and pinned him with a fierce look.

"I trust you Jedi." She admitted, "But, I have to leave--so there's no point to this, is there?"

He knew the question was rhetorical, but he held her hand and answered her anyway. "The point is that we are attracted to each other. The point is that I want to kiss you again, and I sense you want to kiss me as well. The point is that I don't want you to leave. Please."

"I have to leave. The longer I stay, the more I put everyone here in jeopardy." She pulled again and this time he released her.

They looked at each other for a moment more and then she spun on her heel and left the room. He heard her soft boot steps race down the stairs and then the sound of a door closing.

"Blast!" Obi-Wan hissed, pounding the bed with his fist.

Knight Time, Part 8

S'aimelle had never felt so unbalanced...so out of control. She had dreamed of the day when the clone factory would be destroyed for so long. She had envisioned the way she would feel--the righteous pleasure, the gratified relief.

But, she felt none of these things. Kreef, her oldest and closest friend was dead, the factory his tomb. She had known there was the possibility that some of her friends would not come out alive, but that it had been Kreef who had been lost was doubly painful. With his death went the last link to her one and only love.

S'aimelle walked silently through the city. It was only an hour until dawn and she knew people would be on the streets soon. She resettled the dufflebag over her shoulder and kept walking.

Somehow, when she had dreamed of the destruction of the factory, she had not foreseen the fact that she would never be a free woman on her own planet again. She had not foreseen the way she would be cast adrift by her need to save her friends. She had not foreseen the stranger who would make her moan with a look....

What could she do? What should she do? S'aimelle was a goal oriented person. She had worked for nearly eight months on the surveillance and destruction of the clone factory, and now that it had been achieved, she felt lost, and alone.

The spaceport was still a kilometer further, and once there she had to have a plan. She only hopped that in the time that it took her to walk there she would have one.

********

Obi-Wan had been in pain before; many times in fact. And so it came as no surprise to him that he was able to shrug off the worst of it enough to get up, and get dressed. When Libby came in shortly before dawn, she found him pulling on his boots.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked.

"I have to find S'aimelle." He told her.

"With that wound? You're just going to get up and leave?" She walked to him quickly with a disapproving scowl on her face.

"I've had worse." He told her, and smiled at her exasperated huff. "I appreciate everything you've done, but I have to go." He told her.

Liddy's chin came up, and she looked closely at him. "Good luck finding her." She said.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan's heart suddenly leapt to his throat.

"She's gone." Liddy said.

"Gone? Gone where?" He asked, standing up. His back complained, but not enough to trouble him. She handed him a fresh tunic to replace the one that he had been wearing when he had been shot.

"We don't really know. I think she planned on booking passage off planet, so I would assume she would be headed for the space port, but..."

"Right." Obi-Wan fastened his belt to his black clad hips, and clipped on his lightsaber. "Thank you again, Liddy." He took her hand briefly and bowed over it, then he left the room.

********

Obi-Wan was surprised that he had not been followed to the space port. It was on the edge of the city, and he had had to take a taxi there, which had made him nervous, but he never once sensed anyone watching him. Still, he was wary and it made for a long ride in the small speeder.

The driver pulled up in front of the spaceport. Obi-Wan paid him with the last of his local currency, and stepped out into the heat of the day. He looked up and down the long promenade of buildings...each host to a different spaceline company.

Where to start? He reached out with his feelings and walked slowly in one direction. His eyes scanned the crowds for her chestnut hair, and her distinctive stride.

He had to be in time!

He had passed ten different buildings and still he had not felt her presence. He turned and began walking back the other way. His heart began to beat faster, distressed that he might have missed her...might never see her again.

Still, he probed the crowds around him. Searching for her. He came to the last building and nearly turned away because of the seediness of the establishment. It's faded sign and crumbling walls gave every indication of unreliability.

"No! I need to leave today."

Obi-Wan froze. It was her voice. Soft and strained, but undoubtedly hers. He turned quickly and entered the building. S'aimelle stood with her back facing the door. She was wearing a darker variation of her normal skirts and vests. Her hair was braided and pinned to her head in a lustrous mass. He tried not to smile as he neared her, but could not contain the relief he felt.

"Sorry, lady, we're having some mechanical problems." The lazy man behind the counter was telling her. He was fiddling with an engine part, rubbing it with a cloth and looking her over very suggestively.

"Why don't you just stay here with me, and I'll see if I can get a ship going before then?" He leered at her.

"I don't think so." She hissed, stepping away from the man.

"You ain't gonna get a better offer for the kind of money you're talking about, lady." He leaned forward and tried to grab at her.

Obi-Wan was instantly between the crude man and S'aimelle. She gasped and the man cursed.

"She said no." Obi-Wan voice was very low, very ominous.

"Okay, okay. Jeez, she's not worth it anyway." The man said, turning and walking back into the building.

Obi-Wan turned, his lightsaber swinging at his side with unspent momentum.

"What are you doing here?" She breathed. Her face was bright red, and her mouth gaped even after she asked him her question.

"I had to find you." He said simply. He wanted to touch her so badly. She looked so different from the world-wise waitress he had known only a week before. He wanted to hold her and reassure her.

"Well, you found me. What do you expect me to do? Thank you?" She suddenly stiffened and turned. S'aimelle grasped her duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder. When she faced him again her face had hardened and it was a mask of hostility.

But, Obi-Wan knew it was all an act. He felt her insecurity, her fear. She was scared and alone, and if he was very careful...

"I have a ship." He said so quietly only she could hear.

"I know." She told him, as if it were of no concern to her. But, her eyes said differently.

"Are you going to make me beg?" He hissed. He knew she was only treating him this way because she was so very desperate, but he was becoming weary of the act. And, he knew they did not have the time to play games.

"No, I'm not going to make you beg. Because I don't need your help. I can take care of myself." She started walking toward the door.

Obi-Wan was about to bite out a reply, when he saw the police speeder pull up at the promenade outside.

"S'aimelle!" He hissed and grabbed her wrist.

She spun on him, a curse ready on her lips, but the look on his face stopped her.

"Police." He hissed next to her ear. She tensed and nodded. "Follow me." He pulled her back into the building and through a door meant for employees. He was using the Force, finding his way toward the back of the building, and to the ship hangers beyond.

"Do you know where you're going?" She whispered.

"I have a pretty good idea." He answered. He found the exit and opened the door a crack. The hanger beyond had three wrecked freighters and one very sad looking yacht. Obi-Wan reached out with the Force and did not sense anyone in the space.

"Come on." He urged her.

They ran across the hanger and toward the open space beyond. S'aimelle had only been in the spaceport one time before and was now completely dependent on him.

Obi-Wan kept them moving. Running past the broken-down ships to the space beyond. They ran under an arch and suddenly they were in the bright sunlight. They had left the building and were now standing at the end of a very large, very impressive semi-circle of buildings. Each building was a hanger, some as large as two city blocks. S'aimelle's mouth dropped open with awe.

"Come on, my ship is in the private storage hangers." Obi-Wan continued to hold her hand as he lead the way to another building. He only hoped the police had not decided to lockdown the building.

It took them some time to reach the private hanger, and the merciless sun made them thirsty and tired. But, Obi-Wan knew they had to keep moving. He approached the door to the hanger, and opened it with the datacard he had been given when he had arrived and arranged to have his ship stored.

Obi-Wan opened the door and reached out with the Force. There were people in the area, but who they were was a mystery. However, since he did not sense hostility, he felt they should try for his ship.

"Stay close." He told her, and she nodded her head.

He lead them into the hanger, and slipped alongside the far wall. He could see his ship, a sleek, smaller version of the Nubian T-14 that the Jedi were using now. It's chrome skin shimmered in the sunshine.

They were almost to the ship, and Obi-Wan still did not sense danger. Could it be that they were going to make it without incident?

"Stay here." He whispered to S'aimelle, and then released her hand. He missed the contact as soon as her hand dropped to her side, but he turned toward his ship, and walked out of the shadows.

Obi-Wan walked nonchalantly toward his ship, and stopped underneath it. He pulled a remote from his belt and pushed the button. The ramp obediently hissed open and dropped to the ground. The knight looked around briefly, and seeing no one, he walked to the side of the ramp and held out his hand for S'aimelle.

She hesitated before she came out of hiding, obviously as wary of their easy escape as he. But, she did come forth, and he soon took her hand in his again.

"Hey, you there!" A shout came from behind them. Obi-Wan stiffened and released S'aimelle's hand, then rested it on his lightsaber. He turned around and faced a young man.

"Yes?" Obi-Wan replied.

"You leaving?" He asked.

"I am." Obi-Wan said, indicating to S'aimelle that she should go up the ramp.

Instead she stepped forward. Obi-Wan ground his teeth in frustration, and prepared to draw his saber.

"Tell Jep I will miss him." She said softly. The young man nodded and held out his hand. S'aimelle grasped it and shook it. "We'll all miss your songs S'aimelle. I hope you can come back someday."

"Me too, Taim. Me too." She was almost in tears. Obi-Wan released the Force and stepped to her side.

"You know Jep?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I'm his brother." The man said.

"Tell him I will take care of S'aimelle. Tell them all." He added, and then he turned S'aimelle toward the ship and up the ramp. They entered the ship and the ramp rose behind them.

Part 9

Obi-Wan had never been so prepared for a fight, and so surprised to not have to.

When he requested clearance from Elora's flight control, he had been given it instantly. And when he had achieved orbit, he found the skies to be clear of hostile forces. Where were the ships that were supposed to be there for the clones? Had they come and gone? It was a mystery that he would never solve.

As soon as he reached obit, he had the navigational computers compute a hyperspace jump toward Coruscant, and moments later, they were safely in the streaking blue tunnel of safety.

For the first time in days, Obi-Wan relaxed. The planet Elora shrank behind them to a pinpoint and along with it the worries and fears he had been harboring for the last weeks.

He turned in his captain's chair and looked at the woman sitting next to him. S'aimelle's eyes had gone distant, and he could feel her sadness like a pressi ng weight. He still felt the need to comfort her, but he knew that time was really the only thing that would ease her pain.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, breaking the silence between them.

"Not really." She replied with a dull voice.

He pursed his lips and looked back at the streaking stars. "Well, I am. I'm going to see what I can find for breakfast." Obi-Wan stood up and left the cockpit.

In the rear of the ship, the galley had little to offer him, as he normally would have purchased provisions before taking off. He found some dried cereal, and added hot water. Mixing it slowly he thought about the woman sitting in the cockpit of his ship.

Now that they were alone--now that the resistance cell no longer needed her, now that her father was being left behind...would she allow his touch? Would she want him near? He felt a stirring in his belly and an answering rush in his groin. He wanted her so badly.

He heard her footsteps in the passageway, and clamped down on his emotions. He turned to face her as she walked into the galley.

"I guess I am hungry." She said, stopping just inside the door. They looked at each other for a moment. Obi-Wan traced the curve of her neck down to the skin of her chest. The fullness of her breasts just a hint inside the open neckline of her blouse. He felt the returning rush in his groin and turned away from her quickly.

"Of course. I have some cereal, but nothing much more. We need to stop for supplies." He told her, mixing her a bowl of the standard issue Jedi breakfast.

"I'm sure it will be fine." S'aimelle replied, and then stepped into the room. She stood next to him while he fixed the meal, and then took the bowl from his hands. Again, they froze for a moment when their eyes met.

They sat at the small table in the galley and ate in silence. Obi-Wan had never seen her eat before, and now found himself fascinated by the way she held her spoon, the way she licked it off after every other bite...the shape and color of her tongue.

He was lost. There was no other way to put it. He had probably been lost the first night he had heard her sing. He wanted to touch her, to bring the singer to the surface, to hear her sing with pleasure.

When she had finished her breakfast, he reached over to take her bowl, but her hand was still holding it, and they touched for a moment. Her gasp shot electricity to every nerve in his body.

Suddenly, the bowl fell to the floor and he was pulling her into his arms. He pulled her against his body, and kissed her with as much of his desire as he could express in a simple kiss. His hands pressed at her hips and the small of her back, firmly pressing her against him.

There was so much need. How could she not know how he felt?

He slid his mouth against hers in a desperate attempt to taste her, to understand her. She moaned in his arms, her mouth meeting his, and he shuddered with a new wave of desire.

His hands traveled down her waist and to her rear. He cupped her roundness and rolled his hips against her. His erection was now straining, hot and ready . Obi-Wan rubbed himself on her mound feeling the need intensify with every passing movement.

"No!" She gasped, forcibly pushing him away. "No." She said again, nearly sobbing in his arms.

He felt as if he had been sucker punched. Everything, including his Force honed senses told him that she wanted him as much as he wanted her; and yet she still refused him.

"S'aimelle..." He breathed, leaning in and caressing her ear with his lips. "Beautiful S'aimie, why do you fight this?" He took her earlobe into his mouth and sucked softly.

"I don't...nnnnggggghhhhh..." She moaned as his mouth moved down her neck and his tongue swirled over a particularly sensitive spot.

"You don't what?" He asked, his voice now working magic of its own. "You don't want me to do this?" Obi-Wan's mouth moved to the front of her neck and then he began working down to the flat of her chest, kissing her with an open mouth, making sure to lick and taste the spots that made her squirm.

"Or, you don't want me to do this?" He asked as his mouth dipped lower, grazing over the top of one breast as he nudged the edge of her blouse out of the way with his nose. He felt her sway in his arms, and knew she was surrendering to him.

Obi-Wan's hands worked at her blouse, pulling it free from her skirt and then they snaked up inside, touching the bare skin of her back for the first time. He marveled in the softness of her skin; softer than he had dreamed possible.

Her head sank back on her shoulders and she moaned again at the feel of his hands on her back. He paused his mouth's ministrations for a moment so that he could look at her. The rapture on her face was almost too much. He felt himself tremble at the indescribably erotic vision of her.

"S'aimie, please...." He begged her.

Her head came back up, and her eyes slowly opened. She licked her lips and swallowed with difficulty.

"Obi-Wan..." She whispered his name, and he shivered when he heard her say it. "You don't understand. I...I don't...gods!" She exclaimed, and pushed him away again.

His need fogged his brain could not comprehend her problem. He felt the waves of passion rolling off her, and the way she had responded to his touch made her desire more than evident. Now, he was becoming irritated.

"What don't I understand!" He hissed as he took a step back. Was she a tease? Was she getting some kind of a thrill, turning him on and then turning him down?

"Please don't be angry." She asked him, and he released some of his irritation because of the way she said it. She was honestly confused...or afraid, and he could not understand why.

"S'aimie..." He breathed, cupping her head with his hand and stroking her cheek with his thumb. "What is it? Why do you want me to stop?"

"Because, I can't begin to return the pleasure you're giving me." She said, just barely above a whisper.

Obi-Wan tilted his head and tried to understand her strange statement. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know what to do." She squeaked out. Her face had drained of all color, and she stepped back with trembling legs.

"You..?" He said, still trying to understand. The way she had wrapped her arms around her chest, and the way she held her body, which had only moments before been writhing with pleasure...it reminded him of....

"S'aimie!" He gasped, "Have you never been with a man?" He asked, almost disgusted with himself for asking.

"No, Obi-Wan. Never." She replied.

Knight Time, Part 10

S'aimelle watched him blink in surprise. His mouth dropped open slightly and he froze. She stepped back again toward the doorway, and bumped into the doorjamb. The immovable surface braced her up when her trembling legs would have let her fall.

He was reacting just as she had imagined. He was shocked, that was plain; but, she suspected he was also repulsed. A man such as him...

A man such as him, with the power to make her tremble with a touch; with the ability to take her breath away with a kiss; with the knowledge and experience to make her weak with a look...

What could she offer a man such as him? He had traveled to the edge of the galaxy and back. He must have known many women of every ability. The way he had watched her on stage had been enough to make her think he was probably the most sensually gifted man she had ever seen.

Now, she leaned against the doorjamb, watching him come to terms with her news, and wondering how he was going to react.

"You...you're a..." He finally stammered.

She winced and swallowed hard. He sounded as if he were finding out she had a plague of some kind.

"I'm a virgin." She said. Her insecurities had been overwhelming her up until now. But, his reaction, and the strain of the last few days were taking their toll, and now she felt a mild irritation at the way he was looking at her.

"What, you've never seen a virgin before?" She sneered. His head snapped up as if she had slapped him, and he finally moved. Obi-Wan stepped toward her and reached for her arm. She dodged his touch and glared at him.

"S'aimie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted that way." He was using *that* voice again. She felt her insides tremble, but kept her chin raised with a defiant tilt.

"React any way you want. It's not my problem." She started to turn to leave the room. She had to put some distance between them before she started to cry. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her loose it completely.

But, his hand grasped her arm, and the other slipped around her waist. He stepped closer.

"Shhhhh." Obi-Wan breathed. "Please forgive me."

"Sure, fine, whatever." She said in short choppy syllables. The tears were right behind her eyelids now.

Then he leaned in and kissed her forehead. It was such an unexpectedly tender gesture--and it undid her completely. The tears began to spill from her eyes and her breath hitched as she struggled with the raging emotions.

"Beautiful S'aimie." He sighed. "I guess I had assumed too much. The thought that you might be inexperienced never entered my mind. The way you sing...the way you move...your body is not that of a girls." He told her, while stroking her back and arms with his hands.

Their eyes met and she tried to understand what he was saying. "I'm a different person when I sing." She said.

"I know. Gods, do I know! And I allowed that person to lead me to some unfortunate conclusions. But, S'aimelle, you're hardly a youth. How old are you?"

"Twenty-three." She admitted.

"And you never...? Haven't you had a boyfriend?" He asked.

"One. More than five years ago. But, Father didn't like him and he got him sent away." She said, and the memories started the tears again.

"Ah." Obi-Wan replied. "Your father." He nodded as if he understood at least a part of the mystery.

For several moments the only sound to be heard was the constant thrumming of the hyperdrive. They stood frozen in time looking at each other. S'aimelle felt torn between her instinct to flee the intensity of the moment, and the indescribably wonderful feeling of his hands on her body.

"And now?" Obi-Wan reached up and caressed her face. "Your father's not here." He whispered. He leaned over then and kissed her sweetly. Sensation coursed through her and flooded her with need--for what she had only the slimmest of ideas.

He backed away from the kiss only a few centimeters, and opened his eyes at the same time she did. Green eyes met brown.

"If you want me to leave you alone, I will." He told her. She saw the quick tensing of the skin around his eyes, and realized that the declaration pained him. The idea stunned her.

"You still want me?" She breathed, barely able to form the idea, let alone speak it out loud.

Obi-Wan's eyes fluttered closed and one corner of his mouth quirked up. "Want you? S'aimie, I need you. But, nothing will happen unless you want it to."

She bit her lip and swallowed hard. His hands were holding her face gently. She leaned against the strong warmth of his right hand and rubbed against the palm. His eyes opened again and she knew she did not want to deny him, or herself...

"I want it too..." She had barely got the words out when his lips were on hers again, with the most mind-shattering kiss she had ever experienced. His mouth asked for her surrender again and again, until she was sliding down the wall, unable to keep her legs straight. She whimpered when his mouth left hers, but his hands stayed on her, sliding down to her waist and pulling her to him.

He lead the way, as if in a dance. His hands wrapped around her body and slipped under her blouse again. He touched the skin of her back while his mouth began discovering her neck again. More than once she cried out and shivered in his arms. The third time she did, he answered her with a groan that stopped her heart.

She had never heard a man make that kind of noise before...at least not with her. It shook her and she was almost scared of what it might mean.

As if he felt her discomfort, he pulled back a little and caressed her face. "Let's go someplace more comfortable." He told her, then kissed her again, and took her hand. He led her out of the galley and down the passageway to a closed door. It opened when they stood before it and he led her in.

S'aimelle saw his bed and felt her knees go weak again. But before she had a chance to let her fears overcome her, he lead them toward the bed. His hands were on her back, and he was pressing her against him again. She could feel the bulge in his pants, and as much as she was nervous about what it meant, it also fascinated her.

His mouth began its delightful maneuvers again, on her neck and collar bones, down the valley of her blouse. He set her nerves on fire with his tongue--tasting and tickling until she was finally brought to a moan again.

Then his hands moved to the front of her vest. Four quick flicks of his wrist and the buttons were undone. Obi-Wan pulled the fabric over her shoulders and let if fall to the floor. Her sheer blouse was already pulled out of her skirt and he made short work of its buttons.

Her heart was now racing, and her breathing quickened to feed her laboring lungs. S'aimelle was experiencing all the symptoms of arousal, but did not understand them. She began to make small noises at the back of her throat between the gasps for air. And, every time his hands got closer to her breasts, the noises turned into whimpers. She felt her blouse slipping down her arms and it joined her vest on the floor.

Obi-Wan leaned into her and kissed her again, this time probing her lips with his tongue. She gasped and he used the sudden opening of her mouth to slip his tongue in. She felt the wet velvet brush over her teeth and the search for her tongue. She held him tightly and submitted completely to his questing mouth.

Their tongues met and twined around each other. Obi-Wan's arms tightened convulsively around her and she suddenly realized that her touch could effect him; could in fact stimulate him. She would have gasped, had he not stolen her breath away.

His tongue so dazzled her with it's movement and the way it suggested unknown possibilities, that she was quite surprised when she felt his hands cup her breasts. The last she had known they had been stroking her back with long languid caresses, but now, they were between them, holding her full breasts and she broke the kiss with a cry.

"Obi-Wan!"

"Yes, S'aimelle. Feel, don't think. Let me show you what your body wants." His mouth nuzzled down the front of her chest again, and began lapping at the top of her right breast. Her hands clenched again and again on the thin black material of his shirt, and they itched to strip the fabric from his skin.

The wet heat of his mouth was suddenly matched by a burst of liquid between her legs. It made her feel at once heavy and lightheaded. When she felt the stubble of his chin graze over the top of her hard nipple, there was another rush.

Her chest heaved with every breath, and yet he kept his mouth at its wondrous torture. She was moving under his hands, straining toward something she did not understand. And then his lips slipped around her nipple. S'aimelle cried out again and arched toward him.

His tongue teased and then his mouth pulled, while the hand on her other breast softly caressed her into pebbled arousal. Obi-Wan moved his mouth to the other breast as she cried out her desperation, and engulfed the dark pink completely.

"Obi.....Wan.....I can't.....Gods!" Her knees trembled and she began to sway in his arms. She pressed at his shoulders now, trying to regain her balance. His tongue stopped and his face rose back up to hers. He looked at her for a moment before stepping back and pulling his shirt off.

Then he stepped back into her arms and pressed himself against her skin. They both sighed and he nuzzled her neck.

She felt herself being drawn down, and then she was reclining on the bed. He was pulling her legs up onto the mattress and then running his fingers lightly up the length of her skirt. S'aimelle squirmed as he passed by her waist and her side, but sighed again as he covered her breast with his hand.

"Okay so far?" He asked, his eyes moving from her breasts to her face. There was concern plain on his face, but something else too. Had she been experienced at all, she would have known that it was raw desire.

"Just don't stop." She breathed, afraid that if he did, she would loose her nerve.

~~~~~~~~

Obi-Wan Kenobi had been trained in the art of self-control. All his life, his teachers, his master had insisted that control of his emotions would lead him to the Force, and would in turn make him powerful.

Now, looking at the beautiful woman in his arms, he found that his control was being put to its ultimate test. A thousand impulses pressed at him, made his groin ache with need, and his fingers tingle with anticipation. He wanted to bury himself in her and feel her body welcome his.

He had been dreaming of the way she would be for him for many days.

But, now, she trembled in his arms--inexperienced and more than a little frightened. He could sense the nervousness within her desire, each fighting with each other for supremacy. He knew that one rushed caress, one brusque touch would close her off to him, and he did not think he could take that.

Like a flower, he thought, she had to be allowed to bloom. He could not rush it--*would* not rush it. He reached out with the Force to judge her need, and let his senses monitor her readiness.

Obi-Wan looked down the length of her body, stretched out over his bed. Her skin was surprisingly pale for a dark haired woman, and he could see the blue tracings of her veins under the skin of her chest and neck. An artery throbbed at the side of her neck, and he bent to kiss it.

Her scent assailed him with its sweetness. He opened his mouth and suckled at the skin, and felt her body undulate beneath his hand. His fingers grazed over the top of the breast he was holding, and teased at the already tight bud of her nipple. Obi-Wan traced around the aureola with a tip of his finger, fascinated by the way it had contracted and the tightness that showed him her arousal.

S'aimelle felt overwhelmed in a very nice way. His mouth, his hands, his body stretched out next to hers all combined to make her loose sense of where she was. Her world had become nothing but him.

She felt his fingers trace the tips of her breasts with gentle, yet precise strokes and she could not help but move toward his hand. Her body did not feel like her own; it was as if she were enthralled. Moving and sighing every time he touched her.

"Obi-Wan," She sighed as she felt his head ease down from her neck and over her chest. His mouth was drawing out more and more sensations. She felt it hard and probing one-second and soft and wet the next. S'aimelle's hands tangled in the bed covers as he eased up toward the nipple and she felt a pulling throb between her legs.

His mouth engulfed her nipple once more, and she felt her back arch off the bed at an impossible angle. Her head pressed hard into the pillow and against his arm under her neck. She was straining toward something...and still had no idea what it was.

Obi-Wan felt her muscles tense, and her breathy moans urged him on. He nuzzled down the fullness of her breast and toward the softness of her belly. His arm slipped out from under her head as he eased his way over her body. Her skin was incredibly warm and he pressed his lips, nose and forehead into her gently, grazing at the swell of her abdomen and then he kissed her navel.

He dipped his tongue into the divot and she hissed. He chuckled at her response, but knew he himself had felt the erotic shock. His member twitched in his pants. The strain was becoming intolerable. All of his muscles were tensing toward the act he so wanted to share with her.

"Mmm, so soft." He told her.

He eased his hands over her hips and up to the top of her skirt. His fingers fumbled for a moment on knotted string that held the fabric around her hips. He rose away from her stomach for a moment to look at the knot, and was surprised when her hands joined his at the inconvenient tie.

"Here." She said. He was pleased that she was showing her willingness, and backed away further so that she could see the knot.

S'aimelle felt the goosebumps covering her body from his tongues sweet probe of her navel. She had felt a spasm of something almost painful inside when he had tasted her, and her heart had leapt in her throat. The slipperiness between her legs made her restless, and she was eager to move; to find out what else he could make her feel.

When his hands had begun struggling with her skirt's tie, the restlessness took over, and she pushed his hands away. The look on his face was more than gratifying.

Emboldened by his encouraging look, she eased to her side and then rose up to her knees. S'aimelle kneeled above him, swiftly untying the knot, and then easing the fabric over her hips. He rolled to his back and set an arm behind his head to watch her. Suddenly, she felt as if she were on stage again, looking down at him and wondering what indescribably wonderful things he was thinking behind those teal eyes.

She let her hands continue to push the skirt to her knees and then they eased back up her thighs. S'aimelle understood her own touch--it was all she had ever known to ease her own need. And so she let her hands roam over her thighs and up her belly and to the fullness of her breasts, closing her eyes when his mouth dropped open.

She heard his breath grow louder as her hands eased back down to the only bit of clothing she had left. S'aimelle rolled the top edge of her underwear down and continued to push it away from her hips, all the while swaying slightly as if in a trance. Suddenly, she heard her own song whispering in her mind. Seduction...heat...bliss. Was she about to know these things?

She let the small garment fall to her bent knees and opened her eyes. Obi-Wan's eyes were barely opened a slit, and his tongue swept out to lick his dry lips. She saw the barest hint of sweat on his chest and forehead, and he looked as if he were in pain. Then, she noticed his free hand twitching at his side. Her brows knit in confusion, not understanding the fullness of his need, and she reached out for his hand to comfort him.

He grasped her fingers in a death grip. Her hiss brought him to his senses and he loosened the hold. He opened his eyes wider and saw her hovering at his side, completely revealed to his hungry gaze. He knew she was confused by his reaction, but felt unable to explain it to her with words. Instead, he carefully brought her hand down to his covered erection and pressed it there.

She gasped, but did not try to pull away, for which he was thankful. Her hand sent welcoming heat through the material, and he eased his hips off the bed to press into it.

"Now, do you understand?" He asked.

She looked at her hand resting on his groin and shook her head. "Not really." She replied.

Obi-Wan's face lit up with a tiny smile, but he said nothing. It seemed she was more innocent than he had thought possible. He rubbed again against her palm, and then sat up. He kissed her belly, nuzzling into it with his nose; then he pulled away from her before he let himself sink down to her womanhood. His mouth watered to taste her, but he knew that in her innocence she would not understand that form of pleasuring...yet.

So, he eased away from her and unfastened his pants. Slipping off the bed, he pushed the black fabric and his briefs to the ground, releasing his member. Then stepped out of them and back onto the bed, all the while, his eyes held hers. They were going wider by the second, and he felt her nervousness return redoubled.

He kneeled opposite her on the firm mattress, but did not allow his rock hard shaft to touch her. Instead, he bent at the waist a little so he could kiss her. His hands pulled at the pins in her hair, and in a little while he released the braids. She pulled away from the kiss for a moment to slip off the bands at the ends of her hair and then shook her mass of dark hair free.

His hands dove into the silky warmth of her hair and he pulled her back into his kiss. There was more need coming from her now, he felt it in the Force and in the way her mouth pulled at his own. When her tongue actually swept out from between her lips to taste his, he moaned and gripped her shoulders.

"S'aimie!" It was his turn to gasp her name. She smiled wickedly at him, and arched her breasts into his chest. He growled in the back of his throat and pulled away from her touch. She froze, and looked at him. His face was lowered and his eyes were clenched shut.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked.

Obi-Wan had to swallow several times before he trusted himself to speak. "No, S'aimie. You're doing everything right...very right." Still, his head was bent, but she could feel his hands starting to move on her back. One hand slipped past her waist and traced the line between her cheeks. His calloused fingers touched her where no man had ever touched her, and she trembled.

Then he was pushing her down to the bed again. He grabbed the skirt and panties and pulled them free of her legs and tossed them to the floor. She felt his hands slip under her back and shoulders as he leaned over her, and then settled next to her.

His body burned next to her, it's muscular length new and exhilarating next to her own naked body. His face was buried in her hair as he nuzzled her neck and he was whispering something to her--she was almost too dizzy to hear it.

"So beautiful, S'aimie. Your face has been haunting my dreams, and now you're beside me. Let me touch you--all of you. Let me discover you." His mouth caressed her ear and she closed her eyes to center on the sensation.

"Yes, oh, yes Obi-Wan." She breathed.

His hand slid down her side to her waist and over the damp navel. He teased the skin there for a moment before continuing toward his goal. When he felt the first of her curls under his fingers his mouth watered, and his forehead broke out with new sweat. It took everything in his power not to rush her. He knew what was waiting for him...the thick liquid, the heat, the slippery caress of her flesh around his fingers....

He restrengthened his control, and then moved his hand to cup her mound. She moaned and arched again in the way that he was beginning to understand. Her legs were tight together however, and she seemed unwilling to part them. Obi-Wan leaned into her side and rubbed his chest against her arm and her shoulder, then he lowered his head and kissed her deeply.

Her mouth parted for him, and he swept past her lips to taste her. He paid particular attention to the roof of her mouth, and then slipped his tongue back out and kissed her lips. Then, while she smiled from his kiss, he eased his middle finger into her wetness and stroked her eager bundle of nerves.

She shouted and he did it again. He watched her carefully for her reaction, and saw that she was certainly surprised, but also relieved that he had finally touched her center.

He stroked her again, softly and slowly, then slipped the finger through the petals around her clit. She groaned and finally her legs drew up and parted. He turned his face to watch her body react to his touch, and when he saw the glistening evidence of her desire on the skin of her thighs, he groaned and grasped himself.

It was too much. He had to have some respite, even if he had to give it to himself. The need was becoming painful, and she was only just opening up to him. He stroked his shaft hard several times and felt it twitch in his hand. The need was still there, strong as before, and he continued to stroke himself. His eyes closed for a moment while he went inside himself to try and push through the wall of need.

He opened his eyes again when he felt her move at his side, slipping away from his fingers resting in her slit. She was looking at him with open astonishment. He stopped his hand's frantic movements and it shook when he removed it from his member.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't..." He began, but was stopped when her wet mouth met his in a sumptuous kiss. She reached for his hand and brought it back to her center, and opened her legs for him again. He groaned and broke the kiss with a cry.

He ran his finger down to her opening with a delicate stroke and then plunged inside. She made a strangled sound in the back of her throat, and he looked to find her eyes rolling back into her head and then she pushed toward his hand. He pulled the finger out and traced her opening, and then plunged back in. Her back arched off the bed and she grabbed his arms in a vice grip.

"So hot...so wet. Oh, S'aimie, you're ready."

The scent of sex filled his nostrils as he pumped her over and over again. Her muscles began to accept him and he inserted another finger. The added pressure he knew would send her closer to her climax, and he watched for the tremor in her body to show him where her secret spot was. He rubbed at her slowly, but deeply, and tried to discover every wondrous centimeter of her well.

His fingers pulled out once more, curved up, and she spasmed as if she had been shocked. He instantly dipped back in and scraped over the spot again. She cried out and he set up a steady rhythm. In and out, over her slick walls he pleasured her, until she was shaking next to him.

"Yes, S'aimie. Feel it. Let go and feel it." He licked his lips, sensing her nearness. "Allow yourself to be swept away." He quickened the tempo and she suddenly tensed, her voice strangled in her throat.

"Yes!" He hissed. His fingers felt her muscles clench and his hand was coated her dew. She collapsed to the bed beside him and he eased her down with a slow caress of his fingers through her folds. Then he removed his hand, and leaned over her to kiss her.

She was gasping and struggling to catch her breath. He kissed her briefly and allowed her to come down further.

"Oh, gods." She moaned, turning toward him and grasping his shoulders and arms. Her hands searched for somewhere to hold on, restlessly moving over his body. She opened her eyes at last and saw him hovering over her. He raised the hand he had pleasured her with and licked one of the fingers with the tip of his tongue.

"Oh...!" She breathed. She had never even imagined anything as erotic as seeing him taste her juices, and she was instantly catapulted back into the waves of desire. Unsure of herself, but more than willing to learn, she let one of her wandering hands travel to his straining member. She grasped it gently and watched him shudder.

Suddenly, it was her turn to discover him. The throbbing between her legs did not stop, but there was a burning need to touch him, to understand him. His length was thick and hard, but exquisitely smooth nonetheless. She ran her grip down his length and then back up, delighting in her first touch of a man.

"Nnnnnngggggghhhhh." Obi-Wan moaned. His head dropped to his shoulder and he seemed willing, at least for the moment, to let her experiment. Her fingers traced the ridge on the underside and then around the tip. She watched him purse his lips when she rubbed a finger over the glistening tip. She swirled the pre-cum around and over the tip, using it to slick her way as she grasped him again.

His hips twitched, and then he groaned. "S'aimie, I can't take this. I know you need to know, but..."

The sound of his voice shattered her. That she had the power to enthrall him as much as he had bewildered her was empowering. She stroked him faster and watched him react with a curse and then his chest was heaving.

"No." He groaned, but she was enjoying herself too much. Suddenly, he grabbed her arm and spun her to lay flat on the mattress. He eased over the top of her and pressed his weight into her softer body.

"You shouldn't play with fire, unless you're ready to put it out." He told her, then leaned in to kiss her. His body ground against hers until she gasped at the sharp pain of his erection against her hip. He eased up and they looked at each other for a moment.

His eyes asked, and she answered by parting her knees and slipping her thighs around his hips. He grunted with relief, and positioned himself over her center.

Obi-Wan then eased back, dragging his hands over her body from her shoulders, over her breasts, down her belly and then they grasped her waist. He pulled her to his waiting member, easing down to sit upon his ankles as he did so. Her face expressed trust, and anticipation....

He pulled on her again, and felt his tip nudge at her lips. Then it slid into her folds and he adjusted his hips to bring it into her well. He began the inevitable push, and cried out with her as he began to fill her.

She was so tight, so hot, so beautiful. How he was going to last beyond his first penetration was a mystery to him. He knew he had to go carefully, and though he had never initiated a virgin before, he had some idea of what was about to happen. He braced himself and pushed again.

She was keening, and her voice sounded so much like her singing that he shuddered and pushed again. He felt his shaft reach her barrier, and he stopped. He was only half way buried and he began to pull out again.

"No!" She rasped, and her hands reached for him. He sank down to her, shifting his hips so he would not loose her sheath. He finally eased to his elbows, feeling her nipples against his chest, and then sank into her well again.

"Just feel." She breathed in his ear, repeating his words to her. "Let go."

"I can't. I don't want to hurt you." He ground out between clenched teeth. Her muscles were already pulling sweetly at his half buried length, and he was struggling to keep ahead of the devastating wave that threatened to overwhelm him.

He had found her barrier again and was easing back up, when her hips suddenly curled under his and she bumped against his tip. He tried to back off again, but she rolled her hips under him in such a way as to squeeze his tip with almost painful pressure.

Instantly, he lurched forward and through the barrier. Obi-Wan sank to the hilt and they both cried out. He was immediately above her, braced on his arms, searching her for the pain he knew she must feel.

"I'm all right." She breathed, and he sensed she was telling him the truth. How it was possible that it did not hurt her, he did not know, but he was relieved.

Her tightness, and her warmth surrounded him and he began to move. Nothing could stop him now. He eased back to his to sit on his ankles again so that he could see her body completely. He grasped her hips and pulled her on himself and then tilted his hips to drive even deeper. He plunged into her aga in and again, finding a rhythm that set his nerves on fire. Her cries turned frantic -- and he found himself lost beyond all sense of control.

He moved a hand away from her hip and slipped his thumb into her drenched crevice. She screamed and he rubbed at her clit with a counterpoint to his hips thrusts. She started to tremble and he felt the first spasm of her muscles around his shaft.

The fingers of his other hand dug into her hip and he arched his back to drive into her even deeper. She spread her legs further and cried out his name.

Suddenly, he was there. "S'aimelle, oh gods woman!" He cried as he felt the cum flood his organ and begin to fill her. Her walls spasmed around him and he pumped her hard--his thumb never ending its stimulation.

They strained against each other for what seemed like an eternity; trying to become the one being that their joining hinted at. He wanted to become part of her--to be absorbed by her, and she, wanted to take him in completely. He finished her, and filled her as nothing she had ever imagined could.

The strained muscles finally released, and Obi-Wan collapsed to his elbows, careful not to crush her. She was panting and still keening under him, but quieted in a moment, to where her breath was just barely labored.

He opened his eyes and saw her rapturous face under him. Obi-Wan kissed her eyes and then allowed himself to slip out so that he could ease to her side.

His bones felt like jelly, and his muscles shook from the strain. He tried to be mindful of her, but in the end, he flopped to his back with a contented sigh. S'aimelle turned and put her head on his shoulder, raising one leg to cover his thighs--spooned against him completely.

The last thing he remembered feeling was her lips on the side of his neck as he drifted off to sleep.

********

S'aimelle woke to the rhythm of Obi-Wan's softly muffled breaths next to her
forehead. She was still curled against and over him, but they were now
covered with a light blanket. She felt incredibly warm, and comfortable in
his arms.

"Hello." He breathed against her hair, and then he kissed the top of her
head. "Did I wake you?"

"I don't think so." She mumbled back. She felt so relaxed that it was difficult to talk. "I don't know what woke me up."

"Perhaps you're hungry?" He suggested.

S'aimelle smiled and squeezed his chest with the arm that was resting over it. "Not really...at least not for food."

She felt his chuckle under her arm. His hand stroked her elbow, and then crept up toward her shoulder. His fingers still possessed the electric charge they had earlier, only now it did not frighten her.

"I was hoping you were going to say that." He said, and then turned to face her. Obi-Wan pressed the length of his body against hers, caressing her shoulders and neck with his hand and then pulling her up to be level with his face.

"It wasn't a dream." She whispered. He leaned in and kissed her eyelids, and then her lips. S'aimelle pressed her chest into his and his kiss deepened.

"No, S'aimie. No dream." He sighed as his mouth left hers and grazed along her jaw. She felt his growing erection on her thigh.

"As much as I have thought about it--even written songs about it--I was unprepared for how good it is. How good you feel." She told him. Her voice nearly trembled, and Obi-Wan swallowed past the growing lump in his throat.

"I think that is the nicest compliment I've ever received." He told her, and then he kissed her deeply. He encircled her with his arms and pulled her on top of him. His hands caressed her curves from her shoulders down to the swell of her behind and then rested there; warming her flesh with his hands.

S'aimelle rested her elbows on either side of his head and raised her head. "Obi-Wan?" She asked.

"Yes, Love?" He replied, barely opening his eyes.

"I want..." Her voice deepened, and her hands shifted to trace his hairline and the shells of his ears. She felt his erection hot and hard against her thigh.

"What do you want, S'aimie?" He breathed, opening his eyes. His hands began making lazy circles over her skin with his fingertips. Up her back and down until tiny goosebumps erupted over her entire body.

"I don't know exactly. I want to please you...make you feel..." She sighed as his hands dug into her hair and he massaged her head. His touch made her body move, and he groaned when her leg pressed against his shaft.

"Oh, S'aimie," He whispered, then kissed her tenderly. "You do please me." And he meant it. She had shared herself with him and it had been a wondrous gift. He remembered her body arching off the bed to meet his and her tiny whimpers of delight as he plunged into her body again and again.

The thought enflamed him, and he deepened the kiss, parting her lips with his tongue and coaxing hers to his mouth. He probed at her warm mouth and felt the growing heat between her legs. The knowledge that she was warm and probably wet for him made him shudder.

"S'aimelle." He breathed against her chin as he broke the kiss. "There are other ways of pleasuring." He told her.

He watched her eyes slowly open. They were darker than night in the dim light of his cabin, and he felt himself falling into their mysterious depths.

"Show me." She whispered to him.

Slowly, he drew her back to his lips and kissed her again. His hands cupped and held the back of her head gently, and then moved with almost trembling fingers to skate over her shoulders and down to her back.

He gently turned them both until she was on her back and he was at her side. He sat up away from her a little and looked down at her. S'aimelle's hair puddled around her head in a gloriously tousled mess, and her face had a flushed expectant hue. One corner of his mouth tugged up and then he leaned over her and kissed her again--only this time he was determined to taste her as well. His tongue worked around her lips and then moved to her chin. He could feel her smile against his face as he continued his trail of kissed over one side of her face and to the other.

"You like this?" He asked.

"Yes." She replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Obi-Wan's mouth began moving down her neck and across to one shoulder. His mouth was warm and firm, and he seemed to instinctively know which nerves would respond to his touch. He kissed her and tasted her in random, warm circles down her left arm to her fingertips. At the ends of her digits, he carefully sucked each finger into his mouth until she made a noise and then he released her.

His mouth made a map of tingling energy back down her arm and to the other. He repeated his sweet discovery, and then he shifted his body down the bed a little. Her breathing was becoming shallower by the moment.

His lips caressed and teased at her collar bones, and then, without hesitation they slid down to her left breast. S'aimelle hissed as he took her nipple into his mouth and her body arched off the bed. Her hands grasped at his head and he felt her weave her fingers into his tangled hair.

He felt her pull him toward her and he sucked slightly harder. He was rewarded with her deep moan, which he answered with one of his own. He saw her knees rise off the surface of the mattress, and her hips tilting as he brought her arousal further along.

Obi-Wan's mouth moved to her other breast and this time he sucked with a quick tempo that had her panting just as quickly. Then he moved further down the bed.

He felt a ravenous need take hold. He wanted to taste her, everywhere, without exception. He wanted to smell her and feel her. He wanted to hear her as he touched her with his tongue, wanted to know and remember what her song sounded like.

He fought for control as all these thoughts raced through his head. The pressure was building again; and this time, knowing how good she felt, he knew he could not put it off too long.

His mouth was now at the top of her curls, and he felt her hands spasm suddenly in his hair. He kissed the top of the triangle of dark hair chastely and then looked up at her.

Her head was propped up with a pillow and she looked back at him with surprise on her face.

"S'aimie, I ache to taste you. Will you let me?" He asked, licking his lips. She seemed to stop breathing for a moment, and then nodded mutely to his request.

Obi-Wan pressed a kiss to her navel, and then moved to the end of the bed. He placed his hands on her knees and gently guided them apart. She complied and opened herself to his hungry gaze. His member jutted out and longed to delve inside of her, but he cast his need to the Force and took a deep breath.

He leaned over and kissed the tops of each of her knees and then returning to the left knee, he started to kiss her with a featherlike touch. He felt her pressing her leg toward him, trying to get more sensation, but he backed off and kept his touch deliberately light.

"Obi-Wan." She pleaded.

"Feel, S'aimie. Don't think." He told her. He moved to her other knee and repeated the delicate torture. Closer and closer his mouth moved down her smooth thigh. He could smell her now and even hear a slippery noise when she moved. He moved back a few inches and blew across the opening petals.

Then, Obi-Wan placed a firm kiss to the creases at the tops of each legs. She squirmed and her head tossed on the pillow. He smiled with delight, then with his hands resting on the insides of her thighs he used his thumbs to gently pull her nether lips apart and revealed the treasure within.

He immediately leaned in and kissed her just below her clitoris. She cried out and grasped at the bed coverings. He licked her firmly and saw her hips pop-up off the mattress as the tip of his tongue grazed over the swelling bud.

His tongue set her on fire. She was shaking and floating at the same time. S'aimelle opened her legs further and tried to push herself toward him, trying to get at something...

His lips were suddenly wrapped around her clitoris and he seemed to be kissing her. But, then she felt the suction, the indescribable pulsing. His hands slid under her rear and he lifted her up.

His lips pulled on her for a moment more and then he released her, slipping his tongue through her folds and swirling around her opening. She felt an itch like nothing she'd ever experienced before. S'aimelle ground herself toward his face. She could feel his stubble grazing at her thighs, bottom and inside her slit.

He was still swirling around and around and she started to cry out his name. He grunted and then plunged his tongue into her opening, burying his face between her legs. S'aimelle screamed with relief and tilted her hips to take him in further.

"So good." He rasped as he backed away for a moment to look at her face. Her skin was glistening with sweat, and she had flung her hands above her to push at the wall.

"Obi-Wan." She breathed at him, tiling her hips again, begging for him to complete what he had begun. He smiled and leaned back into her.

He teased around her clitoris for a moment, feeling her buck this way and that, trying to get him to take her in his mouth again. He used the Force to hold her above the mattress and then while taking her nub into his mouth to suckle, he plunged two fingers into her opening.

"Yes!" She screamed. Obi-Wan sucked and pumped her slowly at first, but when he felt her legs begin to tremble against his face, he quickened the pace until she was screaming and he felt the climax squeeze his fingers, coating his chin with her liquid.

She strained against him and he held her there for a moment, before easing her back to the mattress and then he kissed her nether lips tenderly, before easing himself back up to her face.

She was panting and her eyes were closed. He touched her cheek with trembling fingers and kissed her lips.

S'aimelle sucked in her breath quickly, trying to regain her equilibrium, and smelled herself on him.

"That was...you are...gods!" She breathed against his lips.

Obi-Wan's only response was to kiss her again, and gratefully sink into her embrace.

Their sweaty bodies slid against each other as Obi-Wan nuzzled the side of S'aimelle's neck. She was still trying to catch her breath, and the quick movement of her chest rubbed her breasts against him. "Incredible..." Obi-Wan muttered in her ear. He burrowed through the dark mass of hair to her neck, and sucked at the sensitive flesh on the side of her neck. She arched off the bed again, and wrapped her legs around his hips.

Obi-Wan felt her drawing him toward her center, and he was more than willing. The need for release was now crushing him with its weight. He wrapped his hands around the curves of her shoulders and slowly allowed himself to sink into her body.

She began to make a high pitched wheezing noise as he filled her, and he growled in response. Her hands dug into his back, her short fingernails digging in, but not really doing any damage. Still, the feeling of her frantically clinging to him was more than enough to inspire him.

Suddenly, he rose above her, propped up on his arms. He pulled out and thrust back in, then circled his hips, watching her face the whole time. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be mouthing words of some kind.

"Yes, ah S'aimie. Can you feel how much I want you? Can you feel what you do to me?" He pulled out and slipped into her again. Her back arched off the bed, putting her clitoris in contact with the top of his shaft and she whimpered when he ground himself against her.

He saw her straining muscles of her neck as she tried to push herself on him. The fierce primitive need to have all of her centers of pleasure stimulated. He had suspected that she would be an enthusiastic lover, but the image of her now, was beyond his wildest fantasy.

S'aimelle felt nothing but a rising, pulsing need. She had never experienced the kind of feelings he had given her, and she was desperate for more. Her hands slid up his arms and clung to his biceps, then she rocked herself down on him with a roll of her hips.

"Yes! Oh, you want it bad, don't you?" Obi-Wan hissed. He was still slowly pulling out and pushing in, with what could be described as a mercilessly slow tempo.

"Need!" She cried out to him. She finally opened her eyes and saw him above her. The fire in his eyes was almost too intense, and there was a tightness to his upper lip that she had never seen before. S'aimelle licked her lips and arched toward him again.

Suddenly, she felt him leave her body and she cried out. But, his hands were around her arms pulling her up until she was sitting up--him kneeling between her legs.

"What...?" She began, but before she could finish her question he was picking her up by her waist and pulling her toward his lap. She reached up and grasped his shoulders as they edged toward each other.

His eyes bored into hers as she felt the tip of his penis slip around her center. He removed one hand from her waist and repositioned his organ, then he grasped her rear and pulled her closer.

The sensation of him filling her, sitting on his sweaty legs, holding his arms--it all threatened to sweep her over the edge before she had even taken him all the way in. S'aimelle gritted her teeth and widened her legs, then with a pull on his shoulders she took him the rest of the way.

They both groaned as their bodies ground together. S'aimelle was now completely stimulated by his body. Her clitoris was slipping against the top of his shaft and inside her, she felt a delicious pressure. She wrapped her legs around his bottom, and swiveled her hips just a tiny bit.

Immediately, she felt the shuddering quiver. Obi-Wan leaned toward her, increasing the pressure, then he rocked back. She clung to him with every ounce of her strength and let him lead her. Again, he rocked forward, holding her around the waist and shoulders, then he eased back to his knees.

Every movement sent new jolts of pure pleasure throughout her body.

"Oh, gods!" She cried out when he did it again, then pumped under her for a brief moment. He licked his lips and took one of her nipples in his mouth, sucking her hard and grinding his hips against her.

"Nnnnnnngggggghhhhhhh!" S'aimelle moaned, then she started making short quick, high pitched noises.

"Yes, ah S'aimie. Yes!" Obi-Wan shouted as he began to buck under her frantically. He felt her walls squeezing him and her head flew back as she arched her body into her climax. Obi-Wan's hands dug into her rear as he finally crested the wave, and he filled her, crying out her name all the while.

Her head slowly tilted back up, and her eyes opened. Obi-Wan head was resting on her hand on his shoulder and he was fighting to catch his breath. She leaned forward and kissed the cleft in his chin.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her. Then he eased them both back down to the mattress, slipping out of her as he did. They collapsed on the bed, a tangle of arms, legs and hair; spooning around each other perfectly. In moments they were asleep.

It had been two days since S'aimelle had lost her virginity.
Two days filled with nothing but sleeping, eating and sex. Obi-Wan was
feeling sated...and a little tired.

The knight sat in the cockpit of
his small ship and watched the computer readouts, but his mind was
otherwise occupied. He knew they were only half a day away from
Coruscant, and he would be happy to see the Temple again...but,
Coruscant meant the end of his time with S'aimelle, and he was not
looking forward to that.

They had talked and she had agreed that the
best chance she had for starting a new life was on Coruscant. Obi-Wan
had examined his own wishes in the matter, and come away with a clear
conscious. S'aimelle's voice and her musical talent could provide her
with a livelihood, and there was no better place to break into the
business than Coruscant. Still, he wondered if he had not pushed her in
that direction just so that he would be able to be with her whenever his
duties allowed him free time on Coruscant. Assuming he ever had free
time....

"Obi-Wan?" S'aimelle spoke his name as she entered the
cockpit.

His face lit up with a smile as he turned in his captain's
chair to watch her enter the dimly lit compartment.

"Couldn't sleep
without me there?" He asked as he reached out and wrapped a hand around
her waist.

"Hmmmm." She raised an eyebrow at him and her tone suggested
that he was perhaps getting a little too carried away with himself. "The
chrono tells me that I just slept ten hours...I don't think my waking up
had anything to do with missing your snores."

Obi-Wan's hand pulled her
quicker to him, as he huffed at her good natured ribbing. "I do NOT
snore." He insisted. S'aimelle softly chuckled as he wrapped his arms
around her, and he looked up at her face. "Do I?"

She smiled and
kissed the top of his head. "Would it bother you if you did?" She asked
him.

Obi-Wan grimaced. "Bother me? Yes, it would bother me. I can't
tell you how many night's sleep I lost when I was a Padawan sleeping
near my Master." He sighed. "I hate to think that I would be the cause
of anyone missing their own needed rest."

S'aimelle hugged his head
against her breast, and kissed his golden hair again. "Well, my love,
you do not snore. So worry not."

Obi-Wan's face suddenly tilted up to
her and his eyes were round with surprise. "What was that?" He breathed.
"You don't snore." S'aimelle repeated, leaning over a bit to try to
sense his change of mood.

"No, not that. What did you call me?" His
hands were holding her firmly, and pulling her toward his lap.
"My...Love?" She whispered. He pulled her closer and she slid into his
lap. Obi-Wan shifted slightly in the leather seat and splayed his hand
against the small of her back, caressing her.

"That's what I thought
you said. I like it." He leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips.
He could feel her instant response, and was grateful that they had at
least a few more hours together.

"Obi-Wan?" She murmured when his lips
left hers to trail kisses along her cheekbones and over her eyelids.
"Yes, S'aimie?" His fingers began pulling at the sash of her robe.
"When will we reach Coruscant?" Her voice sounded shaky, and he knew he
could not hide the pain he felt at the nearness of their separation.
"Ten hours." He answered her, nuzzling his lips against the hollow of
her neck.

"Ten hours..." She repeated as if it were a death sentence.
Suddenly, S'aimelle stood up and began pulling at his hand. Her robe had
slipped open, and revealed her nakedness underneath. Obi-Wan's loose
sleep pants did little to disguise the state of his arousal. "Let's go
back to bed." She pleaded.

"I have another idea." He told her, pulling
her back to him. S'aimelle hesitated and then biting her lip, she
allowed him to lead her back to his embrace. But, this time, his hands
slipped under her robe and urged her legs over his own. Once she
understood his plan, she smiled and quickly straddled him.

Obi-Wan felt
her wetness through his light pants and groaned from the heat it
radiated. "Gods, S'aimelle. I can't believe that I want you so badly.
All we've done for two days..."

"All we've done hasn't been enough."
She answered, her voice husky with her building need. Her hand slipped
down between their bodies and cupped him gently. Obi-Wan sighed and his
head fell back against the top of the chair.

He let her caress him
until his penis began to strain against the fabric of his pants. He
groaned and then leaned forward to ravish her breasts. The time of
discovery was past, and now he claimed her with his lips and tongue and
teeth. S'aimelle's back arched toward him and she cried out gratefully.
His mouth locked onto a nipple and drew it into immediate hardness. His
tongue played at it until she shook in his arms and then he switched to
the other to repeat his attentions.

"Obi....Wan." She could barely form
speech. Her need doubled upon itself with every sweep of his tongue,
every slight shift of his hips. Her center was rubbing against his hard
member now, up and down, sliding over the fabric, and she could barely
restrain her instincts.

"Ah, S'aimelle. Don't hold back. Show me how
much you feel...how much your need is like my own." His mouth moved back
up to her shoulders as he slipped the robe off her body. The dimness of
the cockpit illuminated her body with blinking green and red lights. The
mottled light of hyperspace glowed faintly behind her through the front
viewport.

"I'm afraid." She hissed as Obi-Wan sucked one of her
earlobes into her mouth. His hands were caressing her now, up and down
her back and around her waist.

"Afraid of what?" He sighed.

"Of me. Of
the way I feel. I've never...nnnngggggghhhhh." S'aimelle admitted her
fear but broke off as Obi-Wan's fingers slipped into her wetness. He
knew what she was afraid of; it was the same thing he had been
struggling with for as long as he had known her.

He needed her, like
air and water. And when they made love, he felt himself loose sense of
himself...his body drove him and pulled him toward her, and he could not
fight it.

"It's all right, S'aimie. It's all right to let go." He told
her. "You're safe here." And he meant it in more than one way. Not only
were they safely hidden from the outside world and its distractions; but
she was also safe with him. He would not hurt her, and he cherished her
willingness to share herself with him.

As if his words had swept away
the last of her reservations, S'aimelle hissed and her hands flew to the
waistband of his pants. She pulled at them with frantic fingers, he
lifted his hips to allow her to slip the material off.

Obi-Wan grasped
her waist and pulled her over him. His mouth laved at a nipple
repeatedly while she whimpered and her fingers dug into his shoulders.
"I want..." She breathed, and in that moment he actually saw her need,
her desire. Obi-Wan gasped and his hips popped off the leather of the
captain's chair an inch or two.

She lowered her eyes to his and then
spread her legs on either side of his a fraction more. Her dark brown
irises bored into his as she found the tip of his erection with her
opening and then with determination fairly burning in her expression,
she began to sit down on him, impaling herself on his ridged cock.
Obi-Wan almost came right then and there. Pure sensuality radiated off
of her, and the feel of her wet sex enveloping his straining member was
rapturous. He gritted his teeth and let his head fall back on the head
rest again.

The muscles inside S'aimelle tightened around him as she
finally took him to the hilt and then the muscles of her legs worked to
let her rise off of him. The feel of him inside her set her on fire--an
instant sheen of sweat flashed on her chest and back. She slid down on
him again, circling her hips in his lap and felt all the subtle changes
of pressure deep within her.

"Need..." She finally whispered. Her
center was throbbing now, and she clawed at the back of the leather
seat. Her hips began to move, up and down, faster and faster.
S'aimelle's eyes slid shut as the moment overwhelmed her and she was
tossed into the carnal cravings of her body.

Obi-Wan had only a moment
to appreciate how far she had let herself go into the moment, before his
own instincts took over. His fingers dug into her waist and around the
curve of her rear as he helped to guide her up and down. He heard her
breath change and quicken, and felt her arms pull against the back of
the chair.

"Yes! By the Force, it's so good, S'amie!" He gasped. She
continued to ride him, her hips undulating, gyrating on him until his
legs began to tremble.

"Oh, gods! Come, S'aimie. I need to feel you
come." His hands flew to her breasts and began teasing her nipples.
"Aahh!" Her cry was short and high pitched, so that he almost thought he
had hurt her, but then he felt her legs trembling and her channel
tighten around him. Finally, he let his hips snap up to meet her, and
they moved together as he pumped his seed into her tightening sex.

Her
orgasm was the longest she had yet experienced and she was completely
unaware of anything but the fierce waves of pleasure that consumed her
body. When the last burst of bliss finally receded, she flung herself
forward against him and gasped for breath in his arms.

"Shhhh." He
stroked her hair, murmuring soft words against her brunette hair.
Obi-Wan's eyes slowly opened and focused on the weird patterns of
hyperspace. In that moment, there was nothing he would rather have done
than to turn the ship around and loose them somewhere deep in the galaxy
where they would never be apart.

*********

"Greetings Knight." Ki
Adi-Mundi's voice rang clear despite the whistle of the wind.

Obi-Wan
bowed low upon reaching the bottom of the exit ramp of his ship, and
then stepped aside so that S'aimelle could step off the ramp. She was
dressed in her greens and browns again. Her soft skirt fluttered in the
artificial Coruscant breeze.

"Master Adi-Mundi." Obi-Wan bowed again.
"May I present S'aimelle Tor. She lead the resistance cell on Elora."
The master bowed to S'aimelle and her face flushed as she bowed to him
in return. "I would like to express the deepest thanks of my people to
the Jedi." S'aimelle said when she had straightened again, and was
pleased by the look of surprise and delight on Obi-Wan's face.

"We live
to serve." Master Adi-Mundi told her. Obi-Wan placed his hand on the
small of her back and they all walked into the Temple together.

"So,
the mission was a success?" The master asked.

"It was, Master. The
cloning factory on Elora has been destroyed." Obi-Wan told the council
member.

"Well done, Knight. I expect that the council will want a full
report on your mission...tomorrow." Master Adi-Mundi smiled at the look
of relief on the younger man's face when the knight realized that he
would not have to report to the council straight away.

"Yes Master."
They continued to walk down a wide corridor for some time, until they
reached a busy chamber. Knights, masters and padawans bustled to and
fro, setting the space alive with their conversations.

"I will leave
you here, Knight. May the Force be with you." The Master said as he
nodded toward S'aimelle once more and then turned away.

Obi-Wan and
S'aimelle turned toward each other and there was an awkward silence.
"Well..." S'aimelle said.

"Well." Obi-Wan replied. He wanted to touch
her, to hold her, but the restraints of his Jedi training had taken over
the minute he had stepped off the ship.

"I suppose we had better find
you a place to stay." He said.

"Yes." She agreed. The strain was
becoming painful.

"I do have a few friends outside the Temple. Since I
don't have to report to the council until tomorrow we can find them and
see what they can do to help."

"All right." She agreed with a sparkle
of hope in her eyes.

********

Six hours later, S'aimelle was safe and
sound in a rented room not far from the Senate Building. Obi-Wan had not
lied about having connections outside the Temple, and he had contacted a
young woman who owned a small club on one of the higher levels of the
city. He had convinced S'aimelle to sing for her in that very club, and
she had been hired on the spot.

Now, she looked out a window at the
dizzying traffic of the city and the glitter of the buildings all around
her. She felt rather small compared to the immense city.

"You'll get
used to it." Obi-Wan breathed into her hair. She did not know if he had
read her thoughts or was just getting to know her so well that he
anticipated her mood.

"I suppose." She said philosophically.

"I have
to go." He said just barely loud enough for her to hear.

"I know." She
replied, then turned in his arms. They lips met for a sweet kiss, and
then Obi-Wan stepped back.

"Whenever I can, I will be here." He told
her and she felt a lump swell in her throat.

"I know." She croaked.
Then he leaned in and kissed her fiercely before turning and leaving her
room. She was alone--but his promise rang true. He would return to her,
and knowing that gave her the strength to begin her new life.

FIN