"Defiant"
by Jedi Adia

Disclaimers: Star Wars belongs to the greatest Jedi of them all - George Lucas, but the characters of Anya and Tasha belong to me.

This is two years after Anya arrives on Coruscant and is apprenticed to Tasha Jade. This is their first mission of real conflict.

"Master, where are we going?" Anya asked. "Where is the Council sending us?"

"Riots have broken out on Bothawui. We've been sent to investigate." Tasha would say no more. It was something that the Council had known about for a long time and had just now told her. They had also instructed her to give as little information as possible until they boarded the ship. Tasha had told Anya about the riots, but she didn't say why they were occurring, exactly who was involved and how bad the riots were. "We are to leave immediately," Tasha said. She sent her apprentice away to pack a small bag and then she herself went to do the same.

When they were ready, a shuttle arrived to take them to the spaceport, the same one Anya had come through only two years before. Only now she was leaving and was no longer a civilian.

Tasha sensed her apprentice's turmoil, although she knew nothing of its nature. She just assumed that Anya was nervous about the mission and Anya let her believe that. She'd never tell her what it really was. Anya tried to push her disturbing thoughts from her mind and relax. It wasn't working.

"Anya, what?"

"I've just opened myself to everything, Master. There's something wrong."

"I'm not picking up anything, Anya. What's this about? Is it the mission?"

Anya shook her head. "It's Obi-Wan."

Tasha sat back. She was wondering the same thing. They had been sent on a mission two and a half weeks ago and were supposed to have returned three days before. But they hadn't and it was starting to worry Tasha. "Just concentrate on the now, Padawan. It'll all be OK." She looked up and saw the spaceport come into view. They would be away from Coruscant shortly.

When the shuttle stopped at the spaceport, Anya followed Tasha onto the ship they'd been given for the mission. She would be told the nature of the mission soon.

When the ship had taken off, Tasha sat down with Anya in Anya's room. "Padawan, I haven't told you everything about the mission." She took a deep breath. What she'd said earlier, it felt like a lie. But it wasn't. Anya just hadn't been told the whole truth. "There are riots on Bothawui. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had been sent there two and a half weeks ago for their mission. But when they'd gone, there had been only growing unrest. They were there for three days before the riots broke out. The riots are against the local government and are threatening to destroy it. Anarchy will be there soon, if we don't stop it." Tasha explained.

"And? What about Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon?"

"They're supposedly still on Bothawui, but they've disappeared. We've been sent to find them."

Anya choked back a sob. "They can't be dead...I can still feel them!"

"I can, as well," Tasha said, her own voice cracking, as she watched her apprentice struggle to control her tears. "We'll find them, Anya. I promise."

Anya rose to her feet and went to the window. She watched the stars race by, as they flew through hyperspace, and inwardly cried out for Obi-Wan to survive.

***
"Anya." He had heard her cry and he tried to sit up, but was unsuccessful. Instead, he lay there on the cold concrete floor and tried to figure out where he was...and, more importantly, if Qui-Gon was there with him. Obi-Wan reached out and felt for his master's presence. Qui-Gon was in the room with him, but was unconscious at the moment. They were both here in this place, but what was this place? Obi-Wan felt he was about to get his answer as a door in the opposite wall opened, allowing light to spill into the dark dungeon. An Aryllian stepped through. He's got our lightsabers, Obi-Wan thought, as he looked up at the man who was responsible for their capture. "You," he whispered. "What do you want with us? We are peaceful. We intend you no harm."

"You are allies with the Bothans. That is harmful enough," The Aryllian said.

"This is their home! You and the other Aryllians are refugees to whom the Bothans have granted political asylum and this is how you thank them? By rioting against the local government?"

"They gave us political asylum, but we didn't have what we really wanted - our freedom."

"And they won't negotiate," Obi-Wan said. "Why would you have political asylum, but no freedom?"

"The Bothans' idea of political asylum is housing us in ghettos. That wasn't good enough, so we rebelled."

Qui-Gon had regained consciousness by this time and was listening to the conversation his apprentice was having with their captor.

"We're your captives. We'd be useful in negotiation," Obi-Wan said. He paused and looked at the Aryllian. He seemed to have his attention, so Obi-Wan continued. "Tell the Bothans to give you your freedom. If they do, you let us go. If they don't, you let Qui-Gon go, but you keep me here and kill me if you choose to do so." Qui-Gon stiffened. Obi-Wan, no!

The Aryllian took a breath. "Agreed." He turned and left. The door closed, dropping darkness like a cloak over the dungeon.

Obi-Wan dragged himself over to his master's side. "You're getting away from this place, Master," he whispered. "Soon, I promise."

"You can't sacrifice yourself, my Padawan. Especially for me," Qui-Gon said. "I won't let you."

"Master, if I stay, you will have to let me go. I'll do anything for you, even if it costs me my life," Obi-Wan said, urgently. "It is the will of the Force, Master. If the Aryllians do not succeed, it is the will of the Force," he paused, taking a breath, "for me to die. And you...to live."

"Then I guess we have to hope the Bothans give them what they want."

***

Anya paced the length of her quarters, her head resting in the palms of her hands. Obi-Wan's life-Force, as well as Qui-Gon's were slowly draining away. She turned at a knock on the door, and watched, as Tasha entered.

"These decks were not built for pacing, Padawan," she chided, gently. "It will be OK. We'll find them." She went over to Anya and sat her down on the bed. "Rest now, Anya. Worrying will not help them."

Anya settled back and Tasha covered her with a blanket that had been thrown over a nearby chair. She closed her eyes and was gone before Tasha had even left.

She found herself back home on a beach on Alderaan. She watched as the waves crashed into the sandy shore, imploding and sending spray high into the air. She heard a voice call her. Obi-Wan's voice.

"Anya!"
She turned and watched him come down the nearest dune. Rushing toward him, she seized both his hands in hers. "Did they hurt you?"

"They've let Qui-Gon go, but," Obi-Wan paused, "my life is over. They're going to kill me, Anya," Obi-Wan said. "Now. I have to go. I will always be with you." He kissed her and she pulled him into a hug, burying her face in his neck. "No," she sobbed, "Obi-Wan..."

"Anya, I will always be with you," Obi-Wan said. "Remember..." He slowly disconnected himself from their embrace and let go of her hand.

"Obi-Wan -" Anya said.

"I know," he said. "I love you too." He turned and walked away from her, back up the dunes. She stood, watching him go, tears falling, the tide crashing behind her.

And that was when Anya woke up with a sharp cry. She got up and dressed. After meeting Tasha in the corridor, she went to the bridge, where preparations were being made to land somewhere on Bothawui.

"We need to land in a desolate area, so that we don't attract attention, but we need to be close enough to help," Tasha said. She scanned a readout and selected a place. "Here," she said. "It's near a settlement, jus tnorth of the city, but we'll be safe." The pilot nodded and began the descent.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Master," Anya whispered.

"So do I," Tasha said. She stared ahead, unblinking, her lips set in a firm line. She felt certain that nothing good would come of this.

As the ship touched down, and the ramp lowered, she and her apprentice stepped out onto Bothan soil and toward an uncertain future.

***

Obi-Wan woke up some time after he and Qui-Gon had spoken, and he wasn't sure if it was night or day. He pulled himself up on his elbows when the door opened and the Aryllian entered, his jaw grimly set.

"The negotiations have failed, Jedi," he said. "I have decided to keep my word and your master can go."

Qui-Gon slowly stood and exchanged a meaningful look with Obi-Wan. He accepted his lightsaber from his captor. The Aryllian moved aside and Qui-Gon took him by surprise, knocking him unconscious. He grabbed Obi-Wan's lightsaber and tossed it to him. "Obi-Wan, go!"
Obi-Wan caught his lightsaber and ran past his master. Qui-Gon followed him out and they made it away from the dungeon.

After leaving the dungeon, the two Jedi made their way out of the city, hiding behind walls and skirting the numerous riots, which were slowly ceasing. To Qui-Gon, that meant only one thing - the Bothan government would fall.

***

Anya and Tasha made their way into a settlement near the Bothan capital. This settlement was sparsely populated, and the inhabitants hadn't met them yet; it was almost as if they were hiding. But from what?

"I have a bad feeling about this," Tasha whispered. Her bad feeling was justified when two men leapt out at them, their blasters ready to fire.

"What are you doing here?" one of them asked. He and his companion were both Bothans. "What do you want with us?"

"Disarm your weapons," Tasha said, her hand reaching beneath her robe for her lightsaber, in case the Bothans didn't comply. "We come in peace." She saw something flicker in the eyes of the Bothan who had spoken, and both her hands came within his line of sight.

The Bothan nodded to his companion and they replaced their blasters at their sides. "I'm Amar Kre'lya, and this is my companion, Reylan Corfey. This is a dangerous place to be in right now, even for Jedi," Amar said.

"What's happened here?" Tasha asked.

"The Aryllians have revolted against us, because, even though we gave them political asylum, they claim they're not free," Amar explained. "As a result, many lives have been lost and our government is about to fall."

"What of the two Jedi who came here a couple of weeks ago?" Anya asked. Her hope surged through the Force, and Tasha felt it, augmented only by her own wish that they would find them alive.

"Captured by the Aryllians. We haven't heard anything from them since," Reylan said. "We've mounted a resistance against the Aryllians and could use your help. If you help us, they will be defeated and, if the Jedi are still alive, they would survive."

"We'll help you," Anya said, receiving a sharp glance from Tasha. The Bothans looked to Tasha, and she hesitated. "May I have a word with my Padawan?"

"Of course," Reylan said. He watched, as Master and Padawan walked to a place where they could be alone.

As they stood in the shadows of tall trees, Tasha faced her Padawan. "There's so much about being a Jedi you should have grasped before now," she said. "Two things come to mind right now. One. Jedi are not impulsive; they think before they act. Two. I am your master and I make the decisions for both of us. You don't. Especially when it comes to a life-threatening situation."

"But what about Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan?" Anya protested. "We've got to help them!" Tasha remained silent. "We've got to help the Bothans - it could save a lot of lives, including those of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan!"

"We've got to look at this objectively, and you're not helping very well. I should never have told you anything about the situation, even if the Council thought I should enlighten you," Tasha whispered. Her hand was on the shoulder of her apprentice now.

"I am," Anya said. "If we don't help the Bothans, power will shift, throwing the galaxy into turmoil. The lives of many would change. That is the objective view, Master. The view you wish me to see."

"You are wise, my Padawan. You will make a great Jedi someday," Tasha said. "Very well, then. But next time, try not to be so impulsive that you would go over your master's head."

"Yes, Master." They went and rejoined the Bothans. "I concur with my Padawan's decision," Tasha told them. "Although there is one thing I must bring up. As a Jedi Knight, I strive for peace and justice, and will not condone any actions that may lead to a civil war. If a civil war should erupt, we, my Padawan and I, will withdraw immediately from Bothan space."

"The Aryllians are a violent people," Reylan said. "There can be no peaceful resolution."

"Then I guess we'll be leaving now," Tasha said. She turned to Anya.

"Master, no! Please, you promised!"

"Anya..."

"Fine. Leave if you wish to do so, Master. But I'm leaving when I find Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Not before then," Anya said. "I won't leave without them." She backed away, and turned to the Bothans. "I will do this with or without your help," she said to them. "But know this. If you help me find my friends, I will help you against the Aryllians."

"Agreed," Amar said.

Anya turned back to Tasha.

I could bring you before the Council for this. I could turn you away. Your life as a Jedi would be over, Tasha thought to her.

"Good-bye, Master," Anya said.

"I guess this is good-bye, Anya," Tasha said. She turned and walked away. And as she left, Anya watched her, sensing the betrayal her master felt being projected between them.

"Will you be alright?" Reylan asked.

Anya nodded. She knew her life in the Jedi Order was over before it had barely begun, but at least Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would survive.

***

Obi-Wan felt the forest was almost sepulchral, as he followed his master through the trees. The silence penetrated his thoughts as the Aryllians had penetrated the Bothan government. Obi-Wan's sense of his master had changed since they arrived on Bothawui. Qui-Gon was deeply troubled, as he knew what the fall of Bothawui would mean for the rest of the galaxy. Thoughts of people they knew came forth in Obi-Wan's mind, as did the dreaded thought that they might never see them again. "Master, how do you plan on getting out of here?"

"I don't know, Obi-Wan. The Aryllians destroyed our ship when they captured us. My hope is that we'll find a friendly settlement with something."

"Like a small freighter?"

"Anything that would get us out of here," Qui-Gon answered.

Again, Obi-Wan's mind flickered to friends back home. This time it was Anya and Tasha. He remembered when Anya had cried out to him, begging for him to survive. It seemed so long ago, but it had really been only a couple of days, maybe even yesterday. With that memory came a vision of her when she had spoken. That surprised Obi-Wan, so that he stopped walking. She had been on a ship, coming to Bothawui. "Master!" Obi-Wan said. "It's Anya and Tasha - they're coming! They may even already be here!"

"Obi-Wan?"

"I feel it, Master... why did they come? Why would the Council send them?"

Qui-Gon turned. "If they sent them, they shouldn't have done so," he said.

"Are they fully aware of the danger facing any Jedi who comes here?" Obi-Wan asked. He began walking again, and Qui-Gon fell into step beside him.

"They are aware of the situation, yes, but are they fully aware of it? Even a Jedi couldn't be, unless he or she actually came here for a first-hand experience," Qui-Gon answered. He paused. A break in the trees lay just ahead of them. "Proceed with caution, Obi-Wan," he warned. "I sense no hostility on the other side, but that doesn't mean we aren't walking into a trap."

As they broke through the trees, they were met by Bothans bearing weapons. "Who are you?" one of the Bothans asked.

"Lower your weapons. We are here to help," Qui-Gon said. "We intend you now harm."
The Bothan considered the statement and then nodded to his companions to disarm their weapons. "I am Amar," he said. "Who are you?"

"We are Jedi Knights sent here by the Council -" Qui-Gon began.

"Say no more!" Amar said. "There is someone here who has been looking for you."

"Anya," Obi-Wan said.

"Yes," Amar told him. "She's here, safe with us." He turned and walked further into the settlement, leaving his guards at their post. The two Jedi followed him.

He opened the door to one of the tents and allowed them to enter. She sat alone and would not look up when they entered. But even though her face was not entirely visible to him, Obi-Wan could see the tears creep from her eyes. "Anya," he whispered, loud enough for her to hear.

"She left," Anya whispered back, "if that's what you're wondering."

"What?"

"I disobeyed a direct order. Let my emotion get in the way."

"Where did Tasha go? There's no way off the planet," Qui-Gon pointed out.

"Our ship is still here...at least, it was before she left," Anya said. "My life as a Jedi is over."

"No, Anya, don't say that..." Obi-Wan said. "You did what you had to do to save us."

Anya looked up. "I've put the Jedi in the middle of something that would require us to take aggressive action. If I ever get out of here, Tasha will bring me before the Council."

"Allow her to do so and we will go with you," Qui-Gon said. "They will need to hear us out."

"Then I guess we need to get away from here, don't we?" She got up and went to them. They caught her as the ground suddenly shook with explosions and the air vibrated with blaster fire. Drawing their lightsabers, the three Jedi made their way outside. "The Bothans have been preparing for this," Anya told her companions. "We have a plan."

They covered each other as they reached the open air. Left and right, the Bothans fell at the hands of the Aryllians. The Bothans' plan was failing; it was a losing battle.

Anya blocked the shots as they came, with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon fighting at her side. But suddenly, a shot got past her blade and grazed her arm. She dropped to her knees without a sound. Everything happened in slow motion after that. Obi-Wan dropped away from the fight and, dodging blaster bolts, came to her aid, leaving his master to continue the fight alone. He carried Anya into the shelter of a nearby tent, and put her down on the bed.

"It's fine...really," Anya whispered, the color leaving her face.

"It will be, as soon as we get you to a healer."

"And just how do you plan on doing that?" Anya asked. She paused as she heard something thunder overhead. "Who did you call?"

"No one," Obi-Wan said, surprised. He went outside to see the fight break up as the ship touched down. It was a Republic ship.

As the dust cleared, Obi-Wan saw Qui-Gon come toward him, bearing Anya's lightsaber. The ramp had lowered and a woman disembarked to come with Qui-Gon. It was Tasha. They saw Obi-Wan and began to walk faster. When they reached him, Qui-Gon handed Anya's lightsaber to Tasha, and Tasha went inside the tent.

"Anya..."

"I...really don't want to talk to you right now," Anya said.

"Anya, you're hurt!" Tasha moved to inspect Anya's arm, but Anya shrank back from her touch. "Anya... I'm no longer angry with you. I was on my way back to the ship when I realized...that you were right," she said. "We couldn't abandon them. They're our friends."

"Am I still going before the Council?"

"You'll have to. As will Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. The Council will need to hear the whole story."

"The Aryllians have virtually exhausted their resources and have backed off," Qui-Gon said, as he came in with Obi-Wan. "It's over."

"We need to get Anya back to the Temple," Tasha said. "Let's get her to the ship and get out of here."

***

"Thank you for telling us," Mace Windu said. The Council surrounded the four Jedi in the chamber. "The Aryllians have surrendered?"

"Yes, Master," Tasha said.

"We need to speak with Anya alone," Mace said. "The three of you may wait in the corridor. She'll be out in a few minutes."

They left, each laying a comforting hand on Anya's shoulder. When the door closed, Mace continued to speak. "Anya, we hope you understand the risks you took when you defied your master on Bothawui. You had no idea what would happen."

"That is correct, Master."

"Always in motion is the future. Remember that you will," Yoda admonished.

"Yes, Master."

"However, we realize that you acted in defense of, and sacrificed yourself for, other Jedi," Mace said. "That is why we're letting you off with a warning."

"Thank you, Master."

"We hope this will never happen again."

"I, too, hope it will not."

"You are dismissed," Mace said.

"Thank you," Anya bowed and went to meet the others in the corridor. "We're finished here. Everything will be fine."

"Of course it will be," Obi-Wan said, and Tasha and Qui-Gon readily agreed. The turned and walked down the corridor. Obi-Wan laid his hand on her arm, which was now healed from the ordeal on Bothawui. The mission was over. But it was the first of many.