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Double Trouble

by PaRu ([email protected])

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Rating: PG for violence.

Synopsis: When Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan find a set of twins in the lower levels of Coruscant, the adventure leads them to more than just trouble.

The man came after her with a vibro-knife. Because she wasn’t half as quick as her twin, he slashed the sleeve on her shirt, drawing blood in a thin line there. ‘Tya,’ Mya thought. ‘Where are you?’

"You cheated me," the man growled again. He came after her, the knife aimed at her throat when someone stepped in front of him. Mya sighed with relief when her sister stopped the blow by grabbing his wrist. Mya shrunk down in the corner as she always did when they got in such a piece of trouble. Tya was so busy with the thug, that she didn’t notice the second man coming up behind her. Mya would have been able to warn her if she had the weird sense that her sister did. Unfortunately for the pair, the second man got the drop on them and sliced through part of Mya’s throat.

When Tya fell to the ground, the two thugs ran off. Mya ran forward to find that her sister was still alive and slightly coherent. Tya put her sister’s hand on the wound at her neck and gave her a look that said ‘Now hold it there.’

Hold it Tya did. As tightly as she could. But she wouldn’t be able to stop the bleeding so, what now? "Somebody help me," she cried. After a few minutes of it, she began to plead and cry. "I need some help!" she said as she cried.

Her tears streaked down her cheeks and she looked around for someone, anyone, who would be willing to help the two women. When she looked back down, her bloody hands were joined by a second set of hands, strong and firm and squeezing tightly against the blood loss.

"What are we doing, Master?" Obi-Wan asked as he and Qui-Gon walked through the dark and dank under levels of the city of Coruscant.

"We are being aware of the world around us Young Padawan," Qui-Gon replied. "What do you sense?"

Obi-Wan stretched out with the Force. "Despair," he said. "Weakness, sadness." He jerked suddenly to look into his Master’s face. "Did you sense that?"

"A cry for help," Qui-Gon replied, already moving in the direction that the call was coming from. The two Jedi rounded a corner and saw a horrific sight.

There were two women, identical in every way, save that one lay on the ground, bleeding profusely from a wound in her neck while the other held her hand tightly to the wound, trying to get the bleeding to stop. Qui-Gon rushed forward and placed his hand at the bleeding girl’s throat. With the Force and his hand, he applied pressure as he gained the concentration to help stop the bleeding.

Her carotid artery had been cut and the woman was probably lucky to be alive, but when Qui-Gon reached out to her, he found that she was strong with the Force, helping him along as he guided her through the task of stopping the bleeding. Once it had slowed to a pace which at which she could be moved, he took his bloody hand from her neck and picked her up very carefully. The other woman followed with Obi-Wan, his hand on her shoulder.

"Why were you in the lower levels?" Mace Windu asked Qui-Gon.

"Practicing attention to the world," Qui-Gon replied. "If we had not been where we were when we were there, the girl would have bled to death." He paused. "She is strong with the Force."

"I know," Windu replied. "She disappeared from training when she was fourteen."

They were in the corridor just down the hall from the surgery where the girl had been taken. Her twin sat on a chair against the wall talking softly to Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon glanced down at them. "How is it that her sister is strong with the Force while she is not? I have never seen twins who weren’t both strong with the Force."

"I have never heard of such a thing happening either," Mace said. "But Mya has a midichlorian count that is unusually high while her twin’s count is unusually low. Mya worries about Tya because of this and the fact that Tya always wants to help the way her sister can but doesn’t have the skills necessary to keep herself out of major trouble." He paused. "That is probably why Mya left her training." He paused. "Or is it Tya that has the strength with the Force?" Mace said thoughtfully.

"To keep her sister from getting herself killed," Qui-Gon said. "I take it they are very close."

Windu nodded. "They are closer than anyone I have ever seen before." He looked down the corridor at the waiting Mya then nodded a goodbye to Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon joined Obi-Wan and the girl down the hall. "How are you doing?" he asked her.

"As well as can be expected," she replied.

"Mya, this is Master Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan introduced.

"Thanks for your help," Mya said as she stood and held out her hand.

As Qui-Gon took her hand to shake it, he noticed the bandage around her arm. "You’re welcome," he said. "What happened to you?"

"I didn’t move fast enough," she said. "I wish I had seen that other guy coming."

"It was no fault of yours," Obi-Wan said.

"But it was," she said. "I usually pay more attention."

"Don’t worry," Qui-Gon said as the healer came out of the surgery. "She will be fine."

"Qui-Gon is right," the healer said. "Your sister is doing fine. You can see her in a few minutes."

"Thank you," Mya said with relief. The healer nodded and turned back to the room.

"You see," Qui-Gon said with a soft smile. "Can I ask you something about your sister before you go in to see her?" At Mya’s nod he went on. "Why did your sister leave her training?"

Mya had known this was coming. "Our parents died and I had been taking care of myself. A friend of mine needed some help and I tried to help, but I got into some major trouble. She came to bail me out."

"If she completes the training she’ll be able to help better," Obi-Wan said.

"She doesn’t want to be a Jedi," Mya said. "I’m the one who always wanted to be a Jedi..."

"But you haven’t got the talent for it that she does," Qui-Gon said.

"No I don’t," she said. "I can fight, but nowhere near as well as she can."

The medic came back out and waved Mya in. "I just want to thank you both for your help," she said as she went in. "I’ll keep in touch."

Six Months later

Tya sat in the pilot’s seat of the "Twin Moon" fingering the scar on her neck. She had taken up the unconscious habit when she had been stabbed in the neck six months earlier. Mya and the Jedi had saved her, but still she bore the scar.

They were on their way back to Coruscant. The Jedi council had sent word that they wanted to see them. How they knew where they had been, home on Camaas brokering information to get an orphanage built, she would never know.

Mya came to sit beside her in the co-pilot’s seat. That was how it had always been. Tya the pilot, Mya the co-pilot. "We’re coming into the Coruscant system," she said, but knew that Tya had already known. She looked at her sister and knew something was wrong. She was fingering her scar, and Mya knew that she was troubled about something when she fingered the scar. Mya was sure she knew why. "I did it," she said.

"Did what?" Tya looked up at Mya.

"I sent reports to the council about where we were," Mya replied.

Tya didn’t respond but just sat and watched as Mya pulled back the hyperdrive lever, pulling them back into normal space. "You know, you’re getting better at that," she said finally.

"Better at what?"

"Hiding things from me."

Mya looked over at Tya before she continued. "Is this a result of all those messages from a certain Padawan Jedi?"

Mya blushed. "OK, so I like him," she said. "Is there any crime in that?"

Tya shook her head. "No," she said. "Just be careful."

"I’m not going to persue any kind of romantic affair or anything," Mya said. "I like him as a friend. He’s been helping me center myself." She paused. "Or as much as a non-Jedi can center herself using Jedi techniques."

"You don’t have to touch the Force to use a lot of their meditation techniques," Tya said.

"I know that," Mya said as they received clearance to land on the Jedi Temple’s private landing platform. "They help, don’t they?"

"You *are* a lot braver," Tya said. "You don’t hang to the back anymore when I’m protecting you."

Mya said nothing but simply watched as the ship landed. Both sisters went into the back and down the ramp together.

"Tya?" the Jedi at the bottom of the ramp asked.

Tya raised her hand. "That would be me," she said.

"The council is waiting for you," the Jedi said.

"What about me?" Mya asked.

"The council thanks you for keeping us informed of your whereabouts but they just need to see Tya," he said then smiled sheepishly. "They can’t tell you apart even when you are standing side by side."

Tya looked back at Mya with a grin and followed the Jedi to the council chambers high up in the tower above the Temple. There, he left her at the door and she nodded to him before going in.

The members of the Council sat in their respective chairs with Mace Windu and Yoda in their chairs at the head of the room. She was a bit surprised to find Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi standing behind the two co-heads of the council.

"What can I do for you?" she said, a little too informally for the comfort of some members of the council.

Mace Windu ignored her informality. "A couple of things, actually," he said. "One, we want you to take the trials to become a Jedi..."

"What?!"

Mace ignored her and went on. "Second, we have an assignment for you."

"An assignment for me?" Tya asked. "What if I don’t pass the trials?"

"You won’t be taking the trials until after you return," Windu replied.

"Why even have me take the trials?" she asked. "I haven’t been a Padawan since I was fourteen. What about the Jedi who have been Padawans and have gone through the training? I left... gave up... decided not to finish the training."

"Still a Padawan you have been," Yoda said. "Needed to learn from a different kind of master did you." He paused to let his words sink in. "A good influence on you your sister is and a good influence on your sister are you."

"You know all that you require," Windu went on. "If you take this mission and pass the tests, you will be a full Jedi."

She looked at them incredulously. "Who said I wanted to be a full Jedi?!"

"Tya, calm yourself," Qui-Gon said. Mace and Yoda gave the floor to him as he went on. "This assignment is very important to the Republic and it is something that will require both you and your sister to use all of your talents. You will be working as a team with your sister." There was a pause. "Obi-Wan and I will be joining you."

Tya was calm. "You want me to play intergalactic chauffeur to the Jedi."

Yoda smiled. "More than that it is," he said.

"How much more?"

"Very much more," Windu stated. "You and your sister will be running interference at a peace conference. This peace is something that the people of the Andooine system want." He paused. "Unfortunately, the warlords who have been supplying the weapons for the conflict would like to know that they are not losing any business."

"The people truly want this peace," Qui-Gon stated. "Several attempts have been made to stop the conference..."

"What kind of attempts?" Tya asked.

"Assassination attempts on members of the Ambassadorial parties for both side," Windu explained. "The warlords have gone so far as to try kidnapping to try to stop the treaty from being signed."

"Want peace they do," Yoda put in. "Asked for Jedi intervention they have."

"This is right up your alley," Qui-Gon said. "Protecting the innocent."

Tya looked at the three men who had been speaking then around at the other members of the council. They were all in agreement for her and her sister to do this and just as in agreement about something else.

"You are really serious about putting me through the trials?" she asked Master Yoda.

"Serious we are," he replied. "Jedi you must become. Important to the future you will be."

Tya wasn’t so sure about this part and she said so.

"Then simply agree to this mission," Qui-Gon said softly. "The rest will be decided later."

Tya was silent as she looked deep into Qui-Gon’s eyes. She seemed for a minute to almost drown in them, then pulled back to give the council her answer.

"Yes," she said. Before the council could react in any way, she had turned and walked out of the chamber.

prt 2

"Get the ship ready for departure," Tya called to Mya as soon as she got within earshot of her waiting sister.

"We’re leaving already?" Mya asked.

"We’re going on a mission for the council," Tya explained.

"You’ve got to be kidding," Mya said as she began to comply with her sister’s request. "They trust us on a mission by ourselves and we’re not even Jedi."

"Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are coming with us," she went on matter-of-factly.

"Wizard," Mya said as she hurried to comply. "What’s the mission?"

"We’re running interference for a peace conference on Andooine," Tya replied.

"What are we supposed to be doing?"

"Qui-Gon will explain things to us when they get here," Tya said. "They’ll be here in a few minutes."

Mya looked at her twin. "What is it?"

Tya looked back up at her sister. "You may not have the Force, but you have powers of observation second to none."

"Thanks," Mya said. "Now are you going to tell me what else is wrong?"

"Not yet," Tya said. "Ask me again sometime."

They worked in silence for several minutes before Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan came aboard where Mya hugged Obi-Wan and welcomed them both. Tya headed to the cockpit to start the takeoff sequence while Mya showed the two Jedi where they could stow their things. When Mya and the Jedi joined Tya in the cockpit, the ship was ready to take off.

Clearances were quickly given and in a short time they were out of the planet’s orbit. Tya pulled back on the hyperdrive lever and the stars turned to the streaks of hyperspace. They would be in hyperspace for only a day.

Tya and Mya played sabacc while Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan went over the briefings of the mission. "I don’t believe it," Obi-Wan said.

Mya put down her hand and folded. "What is it?" she asked.

"The Andooinians have planned a diplomatic ball," he replied.

"We will be required to blend in," Qui-Gon went on. "This means that we will be required to dance with some of the female guests."

"So?" Mya said. "Sounds like fun."

"Obi-Wan can’t dance." Qui-Gon tried to hide his slight grin, but Tya saw it from her place across the room and tried to hide her own smile.

"You never taught him?" Mya asked.

Tya stood and crossed the room to join them. "Do you know how awkward it is to learn how to dance when your partner is the same gender as you are?"

Qui-Gon fought to hide his laughter. "That’s it exactly," Obi-Wan said with a sidelong glance to his master.

"Then I’ll teach you how to dance," Mya said. "I can teach you a basic waltz that will get you through anything in three-quarter time and a box step that can be used for almost anything else." She held out her hand to him. "If that is acceptable."

Obi-Wan grinned and took her hand. He took off his robe and lay it carefully on a chair then stood before her. Qui-Gon stood and took a place next to Tya and watched as Mya showed his apprentice where he was to put his hands and feet. When she was satisfied with how he was doing, she put some music on and they swirled around the floor. Tya choose to do some work on some minor systems in the cockpit and left them to their dancing. A few minutes later, Qui-Gon followed.

"Do you need any help?" he asked.

"I don’t know yet," she replied from the captain’s seat. "Why don’t you tell me about what you have gone over in the briefing."

"After the diplomatic ball there will be the negotiations," he said. "The best place for them to strike will be at the ball."

"That’s what I was thinking," she glanced back at him. "Although, we’ve got to make sure that the negotiations themselves are well guarded as well."

"Agreed," Qui-Gon said. "This is what I have been thinking." He explained the plan.

"I’m not sure that Mya will like that much," Tya said. "We tend to work better as a team."

"You will be working as a team," Qui-Gon replied. "Just a different kind of team."

"A tag team," Tya said. "I think she should be shown to the rooms and I will make my way there later."

"Agreed," Qui-Gon said. "Which one of you will go to the ball?"

"Mya is very observant with people and happenings," Tya said. "But I have the Force on my side. We’ll have to discuss it." She stood.

"Now?"

"No time like the present," she replied as she went back into the common room to find something very strange going on.

Obi-Wan and Mya were dancing to a very fast moving music selection. Both Tya and Qui-Gon tried not to laugh. Finally, Tya stopped and looked at them. When Obi-Wan realized that she had stopped, he stopped and turned to find the master and Tya staring at them with amused expressions.

"I thought you said waltz," Tya said with amusement.

"Not Corellian Boogie," Qui-Gon went on.

"We’re just having a bit of fun," Mya protested.

"Maybe I should start getting ready for bed," Obi-Wan said as he moved in that direction.

"Maybe we all should," Tya agreed.

Mya nodded and headed towards the room that she and Tya shared. Tya stopped her as Qui-Gon gave them a nod and a "Goodnight" before heading off after his Padawan.

"I’m not in trouble, am I?" Mya said after the two men had gone.

"No," Tya said. "I just need to talk to you about the upcoming mission."

"Ok, sis," Mya said. "Shoot."

Tya adjusted the dress again and slipped her feet into the matching shoes. In the full length mirror in the room that she was to share with her sister, she looked at herself. She had poured herself into a nice dress borrowed from Mya. This blue dress was two sizes smaller than she was comfortable with. She pulled at the low cut neckline that showed off the pendant she wore as well as more of her cleavage than she was comfortable with.

"Leave it alone," Mya said. "It looks incredible."

"I wish you had brought one of your other dresses," Tya said. "One a bit less... revealing."

"You look great," Mya repeated.

"And how can you walk in those shoes?" Tya demanded gesturing to the heals on her feet.

"Very carefully," Mya responded. "And with lots of practice."

"That helps a lot," Tya said sarcastically then pulled at the hem of the dress. "It’s too short."

"It’s all I have with me," Mya said and pushed her sister out the door.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan waited in the hall of the living wing of the Andooinian government building. Obi-Wan whistled at her appreciatively. "Not bad," he said.

"Mya you look wonderful," Qui-Gon said.

Tya looked up at him. "I’m Tya," she said.

Qui-Gon winced as Obi-Wan tried not to laugh. "I thought you had decided that Mya would go," Qui-Gon said.

"SHE made that decision," Mya said from the doorway. "Because she didn’t have anything to wear."

"Mya decided that I should go because I would have the benefit of sensing something before it happened," Tya said.

"She reluctantly agreed when I offered to lend her my dress," Mya said. "I think that she’s regretting that decision now."

Tya pulled at the neckline again then winced as Qui-Gon took her hand and hooked her arm into the crook of his elbow. "Don’t worry," he said. "You look great."

Friendly, charming, beautiful. These were all things that the people at the ball had said about the beautiful woman who had joined the Jedi for the party. They were from both sides of the conflict and she was charming them—and herself—to death.

She was conversing with the Chief of state of the Andoonian delegation when she felt the disturbance. Her eyes found Qui-Gon and the look told her that he had felt it too. Seconds later, all hell broke loose.

A thermal detonator came flying into the center of the small group that Tya was in the middle of. She turned to see the person who had thrown it running towards an exit and took off after him. Behind her, people were scattering and making it hard for her to get to the exit that he had gone through. She left her shoes and found that barefoot she could run faster.

Qui-Gon used the Force to lift the thermal detonator and throw it out a window where it harmlessly exploded. He was unable to do anything more as the crowd of people cut him off from the exit. Obi-Wan was similarly trapped.

Tya pushed her way out and into the corridor, the Force leading her after the would-be assassin. When she came to a hallway quiet enough, she pulled out her comlink and set her sister on the trail of him as well.

He had taken to the water. Under the government building were catacombs full of water. The fast flowing water ran through the building, bringing water in and providing a way for the filtered sewage to get out. Tya followed after tucking the comlink back into the space between her breasts.

The water carried her through the building then dumped her into a pool at the bottom. She bobbed to the surface and looked around to find the man escaping through a tunnel. With a few small kicks and a paddle, she was at the tunnel and pulled herself out of the pool. Out of the water, she pulled a small blaster out of a holster strapped to her thigh. She ran down the hall as she contacted her sister again, telling her of their new location. Using the Force as her guide, she found a way around and in front of the man. He sprinted around the corner and slammed to a stop.

"What are you a Sithin’ Jedi?" he exclaimed.

"Something like that," Tya said as she covered him with the blaster. "Now do you want to start back down the hall and back up to the main building?"

The man grinned. "Yeah right, like you’re going to shoot me with a wet blaster. I don’t think they work in that condition."

"Yeah," came a voice from behind him. "But this one works fine."

He turned to find Mya standing behind him and took a double take. He looked from one sister to the other and back again. "I’m seeing double," he said with a shake of his head.

"No," Mya said with a flip of a switch on her blaster. "You’re seeing twins." She blasted a ring of blue stun energy at him and he fell to the floor.

Part 3

Tya stood in the middle of her quarters soaked to the bone in Mya’s dress. The dress now showed more than she had ever imagined it could. Obi-Wan shook his head in dismay as Qui-Gon tried not to laugh at the soaking wet and disheveled woman.

"I’m cold, I’m wet, I’m tired and I’m hungry," she said. "And all you can do is laugh." She took the robe that Mya offered and put it on.

"You know," Qui-Gon began. "You didn’t have to follow him into the water."

"I caught him, didn’t I?" she said as she pulled the tie of the robe tight.

"That you did," Qui-Gon said. "The bad news is that he killed himself."

Tya looked up at him. "When?"

"Minutes after you handed him over to the security," Qui-Gon answered. "He wrestled free, grabbed a blaster and shot himself in the head."

Tya growled, threw her hands up and sat down on the floor. "I knew it was just too easy," she said.

"At least nobody saw me besides him," Mya said. "Our secret can stay carefully hidden."

"Tomorrow," Qui-Gon went on. "Obi-Wan and Mya will be heading to Alamarain to escort their Ambassador here. It shouldn’t be a hard job and I trust Obi-Wan to do a good one."

Tya nodded and ran her hands over her still wet hair. "Mya has a good head on her shoulders and a gift for observation," she said. "They’ll make a good team."

"We’ll be telling them that you are staying here," Obi-Wan put in. "It’ll seem like I’m going alone, but Mya will be piloting the ‘Twin Moon’ on the way there and back as an escort for the ambassador. The Alamaranians will think that it’s you with me."

Qui-Gon nodded in agreement. "Now I think it would be best for us to let you get some rest. We all have a very big day tomorrow."
Tya picked herself up off the floor. "What do you mean WE? I thought we were staying here."

"We are," Qui-Gon replied. "We will be taking a tour of the war ravaged areas north of here."

Tya groaned and rolled her eyes. "Was that in the briefing?"

Qui-Gon smiled. "You should have read it more carefully."

Mya had snuck on board the ‘Twin Moon’ early before anyone else was up. Obi-Wan joined her just after sunrise to find that all they had to do was take off and make the short hyperspace jump to Alamarain. Everything went smoothly on the trip there.

The day consisted of a tour of the planet given by President Jaim Garton himself. They met the ambassador and boarded their ship for the return trip to Andooine, but soon after take off Obi-Wan jerked and warned of an attack.

Given only seconds to prepare, Mya powered up the weapons and put up the shields. Once the ambassador’s ship went into hyperspace, they would be safe until they got to Andooine. Mya planted her ship between the attacking ships and the escaping ambassadorial ship—and fired at them until the ship could go into hyperspace.

"Shields are down to five percent," Obi-Wan announced. "One more shot on that left quadrant and we’re done for."

"Great," Myra growled. "I’ll just have to evade." She flipped the ship over and headed away.

A few more shots hit the hull. "Shields down!" Obi-Wan exclaimed.

"I’m heading back to the planet," Mya said. "It’d be better to land there and get repairs than to go into hyperspace and hit something that would turn us into a big fireball." She paused to shake her head. "Tya is going to kill me."

"I think she’ll understand," Obi-Wan said. "As long as *WE* come back in one piece."

Mya didn’t take the time to acknowledge Obi-Wan’s comment, but steered the ship towards the planet. Just as they hit the atmosphere, they were hit by another blast and Mya lost control. "Hang on!" she called as she tried to regain control of the ship’s systems.

Obi-Wan checked his bindings and hung onto the co-pilot chair’s armrests. With a whistle they plunged down through the atmosphere and toward the forest north of the capitol city. Just above the treetops, Mya gained control and was able to make a more controlled crash. With a scream the ship tore through the trees and came to a very abrupt halt.

Obi-Wan realized that he had been holding his breath and let it out slowly. Panic set in when he looked over to Mya to find that she was unconscious.

Qui-Gon and Tya had a very uneventful tour of the war torn areas of Andooine. Upon the return to the government buildings at the capitol—just in time for the arrival of the ambassador from Alamarain—they were told of the attack. When Mya and Obi-Wan didn’t arrive soon after, they became worried. The Andooinians and Alamaranians promised to work together to try to find them as Qui-Gon and Tya could do nothing but worry.

Night had fallen and Tya stood in her nightclothes at the window in her room, her arms wrapped around her body. She was trying not to cry, but Qui-Gon could feel her worry and the tears that threatened to pour from her eyes. He came up behind her and snaked one arm around her waist while her wrapped the other around her shoulders. Tya lay her head back on his shoulder.

His touch was as intimate as she had ever felt from a man yet was not sexual. Tya was glad of that; she was too worried to do anything in that direction. But she didn’t want to be alone tonight. After many minutes of standing that way, Qui-Gon led her to the bed and she lay down in it. Qui-Gon lay next to her and snuggled down with her head on his shoulder where she fell asleep.

Qui-Gon listened to her breathe as he thought about her sister and his own Padawan. Had he lost his friend and student or were they alright? He would not know until they found them. For now, they had to try to concentrate on keeping the conference secure until the treaty was signed. He wasn’t sure how well Tya could keep her mind on the task at hand, but he hoped that he could keep her mind on it. Slowly, he drifted off into a troubled slumber.

Mya came into consciousness slowly, then remembering what had happened, jerked awake and up only to be punished for it with a dizzy spell. Obi-Wan was at her side with a damp cloth and was wiping her brow with it. She was still strapped into the captain’s seat of the ‘Twin Moon.’

"We’re OK?" she asked through a dry mouth.

"I’m fine," Obi-Wan answered. "You have a concussion."

"Is that why my head is pounding?"

"Take it easy," Obi-Wan said. ""Relax and your head should stop spinning."

Mya put her head back down on what she realized was Obi-Wan’s robe. "If I die," she moaned. "Tell my sister I love her."

"You’re not going to die," Obi-Wan said with laughter in his voice. "You’ll be fine in a few days."

"Oh good," she replied. "I thought I would be this way forever. Where are we?"

"You remember the forest north of the Alamarain capitol?"

Mya nodded only to see stars. "Yes," she muttered.

"We are about fifty miles north in that forest," Obi-Wan told her.

She looked out the cockpit window. "How’s the ship?"

"From what I can tell," he began. "The sublight engine is damaged, but not too bad. The bottom of the ship is such a mess that the ramp won’t go down so we’ll have to go out the top hatch."

"What about the communications?"

"Gone," Obi-Wan said. "They communications antenna was destroyed. It took all the damage for the sublight I’m afraid."

"Great," Mya said quietly. "How are we going to get out of here?"

"We’ll stay in the ship for tonight so you can get some rest," Obi-Wan answered. "Then tomorrow we’ll start walking towards the capitol—that is IF you feel up to it."

Mya nodded slowly. "Help me out of this thing," she said as she pulled at the straps.

Obi-Wan unbuckled the straps and helped her to her feet. She stood for a minute to wait out a dizzy spell before being helped to the back by Obi-Wan. The floor was at an angle and she wasn’t sure she could walk over it so Obi-Wan picked her up and carried her to the small room that she shared with her sister. Once there, he lay her down on the bed and covered her with the blanket. He was about to turn and walk out of the room when she spoke.

"Obi-Wan?"

"Yes, Mya?"

"Sleep in my sister’s bed," she said. "I’m not used to sleeping without her."

Slowly he nodded and lay down in the bed across from her. He rolled onto his side facing her as she faced him on her own side. She smiled and closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, Obi-Wan," she said softly.

"Goodnight, Mya," Obi-Wan replied.

Tya woke and didn’t know where she was. What she did know was that a pair of strong, warm arms were wrapped around her and she felt safe. Then she remembered her missing sister and began to push the arms aside.

"You OK?" she heard Qui-Gon ask.

"Fine," was Tya’s reply. "I just want to go find out if they have found anything about Mya."

"Just remember to not center your anxieties on that," Qui-Gon reminded.

"Easy for you to say," she mumbled as she went into the refresher.

Later, having found that there was no word about her sister, she tried to push it to the back of her mind and do her part for the negotiations.

Obi-Wan brought Mya a ration bar. She was awake, but incredibly sore. "Walking across the continent through a forest isn’t what I’d like to do right now," she told Obi-Wan.

"I understand," he replied. "But we have to start moving."

Mya groaned. "Let’s go before I change my mind."

Obi-Wan helped her out of the machine and she took a look at the underside before they took off. "Tya is really going to kill me," she commented.

"No she won’t," Obi-Wan said. "It’s not a total loss that can’t be repaired."

Mya looked at him. "You think so huh?" she said sarcastically then shook her head. "How far do we have to walk?"

Obi-Wan tried not to smile. "Not too far," he said. "I caught a glimpse of a building not far from here. I almost missed it because it was hidden in the trees."

Mya shrugged. "Let’s go then," she said. After following after him to the edge of the crash made clearing, she turned to look back at the ship. "I have a bad feeling about this," she mumbled.

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Tya said.

They had just averted another attempt to stop the conference and the culprit was being taken down to interrogation. With a sudden feeling, Tya stopped them and pried the man’s mouth open. Inside under his tongue was a capsule. Tya fished it out and handed it to Qui-Gon.

"Poison," he said as he examined it. "Fast acting."

"Crush the capsule with his teeth and swallow," Tya said. "He’d have been dead before they could get him halfway down the corridor." She looked back up at Qui-Gon then back to the man. Speaking to the guards, she ordered, "Take him to the infirmary. Give him the antidote to every poison known to the galaxy."

"And put him on a suicide watch," Qui-Gon added.

The guards dragged the man away, this time towards the medical center. Tya and Qui-Gon watched them go then turned away. "Good job," Qui-Gon mentioned.

"I relegated my worry to the back of my mind," she said but Qui-Gon could feel something niggling at the back of her mind.

"What is it?"

Tya looked up at him. "The security is tight," she said.

"How did they get through?" Qui-Gon finished. "I think we have someone on the inside."

"That’s just what I was thinking," Tya said. "I get the feeling that Mya and Obi-Wan are in more danger than we first thought."

"You want to go looking for them?"

Tya looked back up at him. "I trust them to handle whatever may come their way," she said. "As I trust that if they need us, Obi-Wan will be able to get a message to us through the Force."

"Besides, we’re needed here," Qui-Gon put in.

"We’re needed here," Tya added but to Qui-Gon she didn’t look convinced.

Mya followed Obi-Wan through the trees until the reached the edge of the small clearing where the building was located. They walked around to the front and inside to find that it was some kind of storehouse.

"I don’t like this," Obi-Wan said.

"Neither do...," Mya began when they were interrupted. The pair ducked behind one of the stacks of crates just as a group of men came in and started moving around some of the crates. "Sith!" Mya swore.

"They weren’t around the ship," one of them said.

"They’ll probably head towards the city," another said.

"If they get back," the first began. "They’ll be able to tell about our involvement in their crash."

"How would they know?" the second replied.

"Maybe they don’t, but I’m not taking any chances," the first went on. "Jaim insists that we get these weapons to the troops before he starts up another round of battles."

Mya covered her mouth in surprise and glanced up at Obi-Wan. The shock in her face mirrored in his own. "We know now," Mya whispered.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I can’t believe that Garton would be involved in this," he whispered back.

"He seemed a bit tense when he took us on that tour...," Mya whispered then quieted. The men had started their discussion again.

"Turk had better be to Andooine on time for his attempt," the first guy said.

"I don’t see why Garton doesn’t just send the army over to attack them," the second said. "That would stop the peace talks."

"Because Norda the Hutt has his wife and kids, you idiot," the first replied. "He wants the war to continue so he can sell his weapons to both sides. And he wants it done quietly so no one will know his involvement."

For the second time in as many minutes, Mya and Obi-Wan looked at each other in surprise. "Too late," Mya whispered.

"But both planets want peace," the second said.

"Norda won’t make money if we have peace," the first said angrily. His face softened and he put his hand on the other man’s shoulder. "Look, I want peace just as much as the next guy, but there’s a lot of money involved and I’d rather my family be rich from my death as an assassin then poor from my death as a soldier."

"And we know how he feels," the second said softly.

"I’ve got an idea," Mya whispered and pulled out her blaster. She stood and raised her hands, her blaster in the upraised right hand. Obi-Wan followed suit with his lightsaber.

"I don’t want to hurt anyone," Mya said so they could hear. Suddenly, she had half a dozen blasters trained at her and Obi-Wan. "I want to help."

"What can you do to help?" the first man growled.

"We’ll find the president’s family," she said. "All you have to do is report that we are dead."

Obi-Wan nodded. "If you want peace enough, we can get it for you."

The first looked at them with a critical eye. "I do this for my family," he said. "Not the president’s"

"Don’t you think your family would like it a lot better with you were alive and poor than dead and rich?" Mya asked.

The group looked uncomfortable. Finally the first man spoke. "I want my family to be safe," he said. "That’s all any of us wants."

"We can’t guarantee peace," Obi-Wan said. "But we can help you to be able to decide for yourself."

The man looked thoughtful. "All we have to do is report you dead?"

Mya nodded. "It would give us a freedom to move about to find the president’s family without being caught."

He smiled with a slight snarl. "Not in that get up he won’t," he nodded to Obi-Wan’s Jedi robes. "I can get you some clean clothes, a ride to the capitol and a place to stay." He glanced back at his friends. "And a few credits to use to grease any palms you need to grease along the way."

Mya smiled. "All of the above will be appreciated," she said as the men holstered their weapons and she and Obi-Wan put theirs away. "We will do our best."

The second man waved a hand and they followed him out of the building to a tent nearby.

"*Grease some palms?*" Obi-Wan asked.

"Bribery," Mya said. "Don’t be such a Padawan."

"Sorry," Obi-Wan said. "I’ve never heard the term before."

part 4

"I’m sorry," the Alamarain Ambassador, Aren Tevan, said. "They were killed when the ship crashed."

Tya didn’t look surprised or sad or even angry. Qui-Gon had a feeling that somehow the reports were wrong and his Padawan and Tya’s twin were still alive. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"The President sends his most sincere apologies and sympathy," Tevan said. "He confirmed the reports himself." When there was no response from either one, he bowed and left them.

Tya looked up at Qui-Gon. "You sense them, don’t you?"

Qui-Gon didn’t speak but only nodded. "They are alive, that much I can sense," he said. "Unfortunately, I can’t get anything more from them."

Tya threw up her hands and turned to the window. She sighed. "Then maybe we should concentrate on finding our inside person."

"That would be a good choice," Qui-Gon said. "Has the Ambassador been in contact with Alamarain?"

"I’m not sure," Tya said as she turned back to Qui-Gon. "The Andooine government monitors and has been keeping records of every transmission that leaves the planet. It would be coded, but maybe we could tell who it is from and who it is to."

"Good idea," Qui-Gon said. "No one is outside of suspicion, so we need to keep an eye on the mannerisms of the delegates and their people."

"I wish Mya were here," Tya said. "She’s better at that kind of stuff than I am."

"I wish Tya were here," Mya said. "She would be a bigger help to you."

"Nonsense," Obi-Wan said. "She may have Jedi gifts and training, but you have the gift of observation..."

"It didn’t help when my sister was almost killed," Mya pointed out.

"You aren’t the same person you were six months ago," Obi-Wan pointed out. "You know things that will help me get around."

"Like what it means to grease someone’s palms?" Mya asked with a smile.

Obi-Wan smiled at the joke. "I would suppose so."

They were walking into the edge of town having been deposited there by the men from the warehouse. They had never said their names but had given them a trove of information and a lot more money than the pair had expected. They had also dressed the Padawan in a light brown jumpsuit with huge pockets. Obi-Wan had stowed his lightsaber in the most easily accessible one and the credits in the most secure one. They had pointed them to the most expensive hotel but at their protests had explained that Norda the Hutt was at that very hotel. Now Mya had a plan.

Mya led Obi-Wan in when they arrived and pressed the signaling button several times to get the attention of the manager, a man who stood not two feet away behind the counter.

Annoyed, he placed his hand over the button to stop her from pressing the button again. "May I help you?" he asked in a voice that said he thought they were nothing but riffraff.

Mya put her chin in her hand and looked up at the man as she batted her eyelashes. "I want a room," she said loudly. "I’m here to see Norda."

All activity in the hotel’s lobby stopped and everyone stared at the woman and her escort. "What are you lookin’ at?" she said even more loudly. Turning back to the manager she finished, "You’d think no one ever came in here lookin’ for the guy."

"They don’t," the manager said through clenched teeth. "Would you please leave?"

"And let Norda miss my performance?" Mya said as she held her hands out and turned. "Jaim Garton sent me as kind of a peace offering."

Obi-Wan snorted. "So to speak," he said with his best approximation of a snarl.

Mya laughed loudly then snorted. "I want to see his Huttishness immediately," she said. "And get me a room with a great big bathtub. Ben here and me might like to have a little fun after we show Norda what we’ve got."

The manager snorted and turned to his terminal. "The room with the second largest bathtub is right next to Norda’s room. I’m sure he will be pleased to see what you have to offer."

Mya gave him a jaunty salute with two fingers as Obi-Wan bowed. A short creature led them into the lift and up to the top floor of the building. The room that they were given was huge and luxurious. And being next door to Norda was a wonderful happenstance.

As soon as they got settled, they decided to visit their neighbor and map out the lay of the land. If their room was large, Norda’s was twice its size.

Mya bowed and spoke to the Hutt in his own language. Pleased by what she had to say, Norda laughed and waved her away.

"What did you say?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I told him I was a dancing girl who has been paid to dance for him for the next week. He’s also pleased that I speak his language," Mya said as she unbuttoned her blouse. There was a skimpy dancing costume underneath which she had bought on the way to the hotel.

"I hope you’re not planning to waltz with him," Obi-Wan said.

"Not a chance," Mya replied as she pulled off her pants and shoes. "More of a Corellian boogie."

Obi-Wan gave her a strange look and watched as she turned to bow to the Hutt. "The music is your choice," she said in Basic.

Norda muttered something to his chieftain and he skittered across the room to begin the music. As Mya danced, Obi-Wan only half watched as he reached out with the Force. There was a woman and two children in the far room and they were very frightened. The security inside the suite wasn’t tight, but there had been guards in the corridor and the lobby and probably some on the roof. A quick Force scan confirmed his suspicion. He brought his attention back as Mya was doing the last of four songs.

Fascinated by her gracefulness and stamina, he watched with adoring eyes. She kicked then swung and turned with her arms in the air in a graceful dance that he couldn’t believe she could do with no control of the Force. The song ended and she stopped in a graceful pose which she just as gracefully turned into a bow. Norda laughed and applauded. After a short chat in Huttese, Mya bowed again and turned to join Obi-Wan. She had a smile on her face and waited until they were out of the room and into their own to grill him.

"What did you get?" she asked.

"The locations of the guards and the whereabouts of the president’s family," Obi-Wan said. "And that you are a very wonderful dancer."

Mya blushed. "Ok, where are the guards," she said, ignoring the comment about the dancing. Obi-Wan told her what he had sensed in great detail and watched as she paced the floor. Suddenly she stopped. "Here’s what we are going to do..."

Tya paced the floor waiting for Qui-Gon to return to the room that they were sharing. She had found it impossible to sleep alone and Qui-Gon had consented to her sleeping in his room. A portable bed had been brought in for the purpose and Qui-Gon had slept there while Tya had tossed and turned in the regular bed. Halfway through the night, she had crawled into the portable bed with Qui-Gon and slept like a baby. Qui-Gon had no feelings one way or the other about the sleeping arrangement.

Now, however, he was away speaking to anyone who had witnessed any attempt to stop the peace conference. She paced until he returned with news.

"All attempts occurred after a transmission to Alamarain," he said to her.

"Which means that our culprit is Alamarainian," she finished.

"Not just anyone though," he said. "The transmissions are coded in a code that only members of the presidential cabinet have. And the only person who has received any of the transmissions is President Jaim Garton."

Tya looked shocked. "He was the one who initiated the peace talks!"

Qui-Gon paced the floor as he shook his head. "There is something more going on here," he said. "I get the feeling that Mya and Obi-Wan are onto it."

Mya shook her head. "Man I hope they’re OK."

"I do as well," Qui-Gon said. "Stay mindful and try to keep your attention on the conference."

"I’m trying," Mya replied at the same time as there was a knock at the door. She went over and opened it to find the Andooine president, Madina Pakine, standing on the threshold. "What can I do for you?"

"I have news for you," she said. "The talks are over and you may return to your home."

"Then peace has been made?" Qui-Gon asked.

"No," she said softly. "There will be no peace."

"You can’t just give up," Mya protested.

"I haven’t," Madina returned. "The Alamarain president has called back their Ambassador."

"Do you know why?" Qui-Gon asked.

"There are rumors," Madina said. "It has been said that the president’s family has not been seen around the palace in several weeks. The assumption is that they have gone to her mother’s home in the southern province but the rumor is that Norda the Hutt has kidnapped them."

"Norda the Hutt?" Qui-Gon said.

"He is the owner of the largest weapons syndicate in the quadrant," she explained. "He has sold weapons to both sides of the conflict."

"And now he is afraid that the new peace will hurt his profits," Mya said. "I know greed all too well."

"If the rumor is true," Madina went on. "Is there something you can do to help?"

Qui-Gon looked thoughtful. "I think we already are."

Mya gave him a look and thanked Madina for her report. "What was that supposed to mean?" she demanded when Madina was gone.

"I’ve been getting a little from Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon told her. "I get the sense that he is heading into something that he’s not quite sure he want’s to be a part of."

Tya smiled. "Sounds like Mya has a plan."

Darkness prevailed on the planet of Alamarain in all places but one. The capital city of Naarda. Mya looked out the window, watching the sun go down and waiting for her and Obi-Wan to be able to put their plan into action.

At her signal that it was perfectly dark, Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and reached out with the Force to see if the next room was empty. Carefully, he cut a hole in the wall and let Mya go first, her blaster drawn before shutting down his saber and following her into the darkness. He felt to the other side of the door to find that the party was definitely in full swing.

"All we have to do is sneak our way through the party and to the rooms on the other side," she said.

"You say that like it’ll be easy," Obi-Wan said.

"With your bag of Jedi tricks," she said. "It will be. Then we’ll stun the guards..."

"I could just use a Jedi Mind trick to make them leave the room," Obi-Wan said sarcastically.

Mya’s face lit up. "Good idea! Anyway, I tie off the rope and throw it out the window and we climb down into the courtyard. Tada, rescue complete."

She opened the door and stepped out into the party before Obi-Wan could do anything more. He shrugged and followed.

She had been right. Getting through the party and into the cell then getting rid of the guards was easy. Caney Garton and the children Mina and Jain were glad to see them, but when she pulled aside the curtains, she was faced with a set of narrowly spaced bars.

"No problem," she said. "Obi-Wan here can cut through them with his lightsaber."

Caney looked surprised as she spoke. "Small problem," she said. "The bars are hooked to an alarm that goes off if they are cut."

Mya looked at Obi-Wan. He shook his head. "Not a chance," he said. "Sneaking two people through a party is one thing. Five people is quite another."

"You can take them through one at a time," Mya suggested.

"The more trips, the more likely someone is going to suspect something," Caney pointed out.

"You’re the idea person," Obi-Wan said as he folded his arms. "What’s your plan?"

Mya looked confused. "I’m at a loss."

"Then we’ll do things my way now," Obi-Wan said. "You got us in. I’ll get us out."

Obi-Wan lit his lightsaber and cut a hole in the opposite wall leading to another suite. A surprised man sat in his underwear watching some kind of sporting event on the vid when the wall fell lightly to the floor under Obi-Wan’s Force grip. Obi-Wan led the group through the room and to the door that led into the corridor. He looked out into the hall as Mya put the wall piece back up and leaned it over the hole.

The door leading down to the stairs was across the hall. It would be easier to sneak them past the guards in the hall than through the party. Obi-Wan made a Force generated noise down the hall in the opposite direction and scooted the woman and her children through the hall and in the stairwell. Mya saluted the room’s occupant and said, "You can return to your regularly scheduled program now," as she closed the door.

The man’s mouth hung open and the Corellian cigar that he had been smoking fell to the floor.

Tya stared into the darkness as she lay next to Qui-Gon unable to sleep. She lay still, as if asleep, so as not to wake him but he wasn’t asleep either.

"They’re fine," he said.

"I know," she replied. "I’m not worried about them. I’m thinking about something else."

"What?" Qui-Gon asked softly.

She thought about how she wanted to put it. "I think I’m falling in love."

"I’m afraid I can’t offer you any advice in that area," Qui-Gon said.

Tya turned her head to look at him. "I wasn’t asking for any," she said.

Qui-Gon turned to look her in the eye and suddenly understood what she had been trying to say. "Me," he said softly. It wasn’t a question.

Tya looked back at the darkness above her. "Yes," she said. "I’m not sure how to handle it."

"How do you want to handle it?"

"I don’t know."

They were both quiet, their thoughts their own, for several minutes when Qui-Gon spoke again. "I may have fallen in love myself."

Tya propped herself up on her elbow. "With me?"

His eyes locked with hers and she fell like she was drowning in the pools of blue. He didn’t have to say a word and she knew the answer to his question. Slowly, she leaned down and kissed him. The kiss deepened and she found herself drowning in his kiss.

Obi-Wan led the group down the stairs and they made it into the courtyard without incident. In the court yard, all hell broke loose.

Shots were fired from the gate leading to the street but Obi-Wan was quick with his lightsaber to block it. A man dashed out of the door behind them and grabbed Mya. She was prepared for hand to hand combat and hit the man in his genitals causing him to fall to the ground. "The alley!" she called to Obi-Wan as she drew her weapon and fired at the men at the gate.

While she kept the man at the gate busy, Obi-Wan cut an exit to the alley and led Caney and the children through. Mya followed and Obi-Wan pulled the heavy hole back in with the Force. "That ought to keep them," he said. "Let’s move."

They took the alleys to the president’s home and made it there without incident. When the guard at the gate saw Caney and the children, he immediately opened the gate and let them in. Caney opened the door and rushed into the house followed closely by her children with all screaming his name.

"Jaim!" Caney called. "We’re safe!"

Jaim appeared at the top of the staircase and his eyes went wide with shock. He stumbled trying to make his feet take him down the stairs. Caney, Mina and Jain met him halfway and fell into each other’s arms.

Mya looked back at Obi-Wan with a smile to find that he was smiling as well. But he was not watching the group on the stairs. He was watching Mya.

Mya gave him a puzzled look then turned back to the scene before her. The president finished hugging his family and together they came down the stairs to stand before the pair. "Thanks you for bringing my family back," he said. "You have risked so much to bring them back to me."

"Not to mention being in an attack and a crash," Mya commented. "I still have a headache from it."

"Then allow me to offer my sincerest apologies for your trouble," he said. "I would offer you a place to sleep and transportation back to Andooine." He paused. "I want to give you a reward, payment for your time and trouble, if I may."

"The best payment I could have is the end to this war," Obi-Wan said.

"That will be done," Garton said before turning to Mya. "How much would you like? I know that you are not a Jedi and therefore not bound..."

"My ship could use repair," Mya stated.

"Done," Garton said. "Are you sure you want nothing more?"

"I could use a place to rest," Mya said.

"I’ll have a room readied for you," he said as he turned at one of his servants, his arm still around his wife’s waist.

"*A* room?" Obi-Wan started.

His question went unanswered as they were led to a large room with a bed that filled at least a quarter of it.

"I can stay on my side," Mya commented after they had been left alone. "If you can stay on yours."

Obi-Wan grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. "What if I don’t want to stay on my side?"

Mya grinned. "I was hoping you’d say that," she said then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Successful peace talks with little incidents brought them home in the newly repaired ‘Twin Moon’, courtesy of the Alamaranians. Norda the Hutt had been driven off of the planet by angry hordes armed with the weapons which he had sold them and loaded down his ship with the useless machines since their power packs had been removed and the firing mechanisms had been deactivated. They four Jedi ambassadors has been hailed as heroes but had left before the parade in their honor.

Now, Tya stood before the Jedi council one again.

"Ready are you to take the trials?" Yoda asked.

"I am ready," Tya said, her head held high.

"What, no protestations?" Mace Windu asked.

"No protestations," Tya said. "I am ready and willing to take the trials."

"Are we sure this is the right girl?" Mace asked jokingly.

Tya smiled. "I’m not sure this is the right place to pull such a prank."

"No trials are to be needed," Yoda said. "Already know that which you require."

Tya looked up at him in surprise. "Then I am Jedi?"

Yoda and Mace stood. "Grant you status as full Jedi the council does," Yoda said.

Tya didn’t know whether to laugh or cry so she looked at Qui-Gon where he was standing behind the two council members. He was smiling so she focused back on Mace and Yoda.

"I accept," she said simply. "I am proud to be named among the Jedi."

"There is no braid to cut, no Master to be proud of the accomplishment besides Qui-Gon, so I guess that’s it," Mace said.

"OK," Tya said then headed to the door. Qui-Gon followed her out. When the door closed behind them, she chuckled and held him around the neck. "Now what?"

"Now we celebrate with Obi-Wan and Mya," Qui-Gon said.

"And a bottle of the best Alderaanian wine that money can buy?"

"Not a bad idea," Qui-Gon replied.