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MISSION OF JUSTICE

By MasterHawke, 1999

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DISCLAIMER: I do not own Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan, Anakin, or any of the other Jedi Masters from the Star Wars Universe, *unfortunately*.

HOWEVER: Jedi Master Shan-Dowe Kwai, Padawans Keira and Deain Caliterra, and a few others are the product of MY OVERACTIVE IMAGINATION!!! This Story begins about a week after the end of TPM. I have changed the outcome of the movie to suit my own desires, *After all WHO in their right mind could bear to watch such a wonderful, gorgeous, magnificently splendid speciman of a Jedi Master be killed* (OKAY, so I'm a little hung up on Qui-Gin Jinn, but a girl's got to dream, RIGHT?????)

Rating: This story is rated PG for violence and if you have any other ideas about anything else-----SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Part One

CORUSCANT----The Story Begins

It was one of those days when you thought that there was absolutely no way for things to get worse-----but they always did!

Jedi Master Shan-Dowe Kwai leaned on the railing as she stared out across the city-world of Coruscant, she'd only been here for three hours and already she was anxious to leave. It wasn't Coruscant, she just couldn't shake this feeling of uneasiness that had been haunting her since she left her two Padawans on Dellatair. A decision that wasn't hers, that's for sure, the Council had requested that the two Padawans remain behind as Shan-Dowe flew to Coruscant to pick up some much-needed supplies for the mining colony on Mlori. Shan-Dowe knew that Keira and Deain could handle most anything that could pop up before she returned in three days, but that didn't diminish this disquieting feeling of impending doom. She sighed in frustration and turned to leave only to be greeted by Master Yoda, who had somehow managed to sneak up behind her.

"Worried, you are, Shan-Dowe." The diminutive Master cocked his head as he gazed up at her, "About your Padawans, perhaps, hmm."

Shan-Dowe nodded once, "I shouldn't have left them by themselves, Master."

"Asked you to, the Council did."

"I know, but I'm still worried."

"Worry not, you should." Yoda replied quietly, "Return to them, you shall, in due time."

The silence that sprang up between the two Masters was almost palpable. Of all of the Jedi Masters currently serving the Council, Shan-Dowe was senior to all except Yoda, a fact that wasn't well known and was belied by her youthful appearance. Few would guess that Shan-Dowe was almost five hundred years old. Her history was shrouded with mystery and legend, and while all of the young students at the Temple knew the stories of her many exploits, but few realized that the current Jedi Master Shan-Dowe Kwai was, in fact, the same one from the stories.

"How did the mission to Naboo go?" Shan-Dowe asked quietly.

"Ended, the trade dispute was, Naboo is safe." Yoda looked up at her, "Safe also, will your Padawans be. Worry will do no good." The small Master turned and left the balcony, leaving a calmer Master in his wake.

Shan-Dowe smiled to herself, Yoda always had that effect on her, She turned and headed inside. She was almost to the dining hall when she spotted a familiar figure, "Qui-Gon!"

The Jedi Master turned and grinned as she hurried up to his side, she looked around, acting slightly confused, "Why, Qui-Gon, whatever did you do with your shadow?" she teased her friend as she asked about Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"He is no longer my Padawan, Shan-Dowe." Qui-Gon answered with a smile.

Shan-Dowe arched an eyebrow, "He's been Knighted?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, and you don't need to act so surprised, Shan-Dowe."

"Sorry, Qui-Gon." she grinned over her shoulder at her friend as the two of them entered the dining hall.

"I'll bet you are." He commented wryly.

"No, really, I always knew that you would turn him into a Knight." She walked over and picked out a few pieces of fruit, "What happened on Naboo?"

"Plenty."

Shan-Dowe looked up sharply at the tone in his voice, "That bad?"

Qui-Gon nodded silently as they walked over to a secluded table and sat down. He told her the story, starting with the arrival on the Trade Federation ship and ending with the battle with the Sith.

Shan-Dowe listened with growing concern as her long-time friend calmly told his tale. When he had finished she sat back in her seat, "Sith Lords." she commented, her voice devoid of all emotion.

Qui-Gon nodded slowly, "If that laser-wall had stayed up for a few more seconds, I wouldn't be here right now. As it was, Obi-Wan and I had a hard time with him. He was good, Shan-Dowe, he was real good."

Shan-Dowe frowned, "I ran into a Sith about three hundred years ago, Qui-Gon, I know how fast they can be."

"Really? Where?" Qui-Gon asked, curious about his friend's past. It was rare that she mentioned anything past fifty years ago.

Shan-Dowe leaned forward and rested her arms on the table, "There was a time in my life when I didn't have a Padawan with me for almost sixty years. I think it was that encounter that brought me back to the Temple to seek out another one." She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, "I was quite a renegade at that time as well. It was just after I got Starhawke, so the Council wasn't too pleased with me anyway." Shan-Dowe stared down at the table for a few moments, "I was on a diplomatic mission to Ulirtoi, they were having a dispute with one of the neighboring worlds about a colony that they had set up on one of the moons. I was sent in to negotiate a settlement between them and the Je'aot. Things were going fine until the Sith Lord attacked the Je'aot delegation. They immediately assumed that it was a Jedi because she was using a lightsaber."

"The Sith was a woman?" Qui-Gon's surprise was evident in his voice.

Shan-Dowe nodded slowly, "And a young one, she couldn't have been more than twenty."

"What happened?"

"I called in some reinforcements, three Jedi Masters joined me and we were able to settle the dispute between the Ulirtoi and the Je'aot. And face down the Sith." Shan-Dowe shuddered slightly, "I've never sensed so much anger, fear, or hatred in one person, before or since. The four of us were heading back to Starhawke when she jumped me, the others were aways behind me so I drew my lightsaber. Her speed was phenomenal, her skills matched mine, *and* she was prepared. It took me just a few seconds to realize that she could take me if I didn't concentrate. I really don't remember much of the battle itself, Master Garrick T'on told me about it later, all I was doing at first was defending, but finally I was able to press an attack. She was good, Qui, real good. I was finally able to disarm her, quite literally disarm her, she opened her stance too wide one time and I took her arm off at the shoulder. Fortunately for me it was also the arm which she was holding her lightsaber with at the moment. She charged me, her eyes glowing with hatred and I had no choice but to finish what I had started." Shan-Dowe sat back in her chair and glanced across the table at her friend.

Qui-Gon sat quietly, remembering his recent battle with a Sith Lord, he knew exactly what Shan-Dowe was talking about when she had mentioned the hatred and anger. And he realized that his brush with death had changed something in him, a realization that he wasn't as young as he used to be.

"Gives you something to think about, doesn't it?" Shan-Dowe's voice was quiet as she watched Qui-Gon.

"Yes, it does." He nodded and smiled, "Did it change anything for you?"

"Yes." Shan-Dowe smiled, "I realized that while I might be near immortal because of the accident with the cryo-sleep chamber, I could still be killed by foolishness." She grinned roguishly, "So I came back here and didn't leave until I had a Padawan with me. I haven't been without a Padawan for more than three months since then." A frown creased her brow suddenly as she remembered her current Padawans.

"Speaking of that, where are Keira and Deain?" Qui-Gon asked as he glanced around the room, half expecting them to walk in.

"They are on Dellatair." Shan-Dowe's voice was flat and emotionless again.

Now it was Qui-Gon's turn to raise an eyebrow, "And what are they doing there if you are here?"

"Council's orders." She growled ominously, "I came back here to pick up some supplies for the mining colony on Mlori, and the Council told me to leave them there."

"That's strange." Qui-Gon's brow furrowed in concentration as he wondered about the decision. He looked up to see Shan-Dowe leaving the table, he got up and followed her, "It worries you, doesn't it?"

Shan-Dowe nodded once, "Yes, it does." she headed for the door with Qui-Gon following closely. Suddenly she stopped, so suddenly that Qui-Gon had to grab a hold of a nearby pillar to keep from knocking her over.

"Shan?" He asked quietly, "What's wrong?" But he could tell from the look on her face that she didn't hear him.

Shan-Dowe concentrated, she knew she had felt something wrong, but she couldn't place it. She reached out for the comforting thoughts of her Padawans and was immediately assaulted by a white-hot fire of pain. She cried out and sank to her knees, dimly aware of Qui-Gon's concerned presence next to her. She fought her way through the pain and reached out for Keira and Deain only to be surrounded by another wave of pain that was so intense that she collapsed in a dead faint.

Qui-Gon barely caught her as she fell forward, he turned her over gently, "Shan?" he called out quietly, "Shan?" his concern was growing by leaps and bounds. He reached out with his mind and tried to find the cause of her pain, he caught a slight glimmer of it as it receded out of her mind. "No!" he gasped as the implications came clear, he knew of the strong bond between Master and Padawan, if Shan-Dowe's link had been severed from Keira and Deain, it could kill her. He carefully gathered her into his arms and slowly stood. As he reached the doorway Obi-Wan and Anakin came into the room.

"Master?" Obi-Wan's voice was etched with concern, "What is it?"

Qui-Gon shook his head, "I don't know, Obi-Wan." He left the room with Obi-Wan and Anakin trailing him. Qui-Gon knew that the healers had all left the infirmary by now, the last of the training sessions had ended hours ago, so he carried Shan-Dowe towards her rarely used quarters. Just as he reached the door he noticed Master Yoda and Master Windu standing there. He nodded to them as Mace opened the door for him and the four Jedi followed him into the room.

"Qui-Gon, what happened?" Mace asked quietly as the other Master gently laid Shan-Dowe on the settee.

Qui-Gon shook his head silently as he glanced at Yoda, "Is it what I think it is?"

"Possible, it is, Qui-Gon." The diminutive Master answered vaguely.

Obi-Wan glanced at his former master, "What happened?"

Qui-Gon glanced over his shoulder at his former Padawan, "She cried out in pain and then fainted."

"That doesn't sound good." Obi-Wan frowned, he rather liked Shan-Dowe, she reminded him alot of Qui-Gon, "Can we do anything for her?"

Qui-Gon shrugged, "Not until she wakes up." He glanced over at Yoda again, "Are you going to tell me why the Council had her leave her Padawans on Dellatair?"

"Need to know, that you do not." Yoda's ears twitched slightly, "If she wishes you to know, she will tell you."

Qui-Gon frowned and sighed, "Very well, Master Yoda." he turned back to watch Shan-Dowe.

Obi-Wan laid his hand on Anakin's shoulder, "Come, Anakin, we've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow, we both need some rest."

"Yes, Master." Anakin replied softly as the two Jedi left the room.

Qui-Gon smothered a quiet grin as he knelt beside the settee, Obi-Wan was even starting to sound like him. He looked up as he heard a low moan, Shan-Dowe's eyes were fluttering slightly, "Shan?" he called softly.

"Qui?"

"Yes, it's me." Qui-Gon smiled at the nickname she had given him years before, "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been run over by a herd of bantha's." Shan-Dowe raised a hand to her forehead as she slowly sat up, "Ohhh." she sighed as she laid her head against the back of the settee, "What a headache."

Qui-Gon left the room but he returned quickly with a cool moist cloth which he gently laid across her forehead. "That should help some."

"Thanks." She murmured softly as she closed her eyes and used the Force to ease the pain as much as possible.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Qui-Gon's voice was filled with concern, his eyes filled with quiet caring.

"In a minute." Shan-Dowe reached into her belt and pulled out a comlink, thumbing it on she spoke softly, "Starhawke, how soon can we lift off?"

"We can lift off in fifteen minutes, Master Kwai." the computer's voice responded just as softly.

"Shan-Dowe, what's wrong?" Qui-Gon questioned again.

"Keira and Deain. Something's happened to them." Shan-Dowe's voice was thick with worry.

"Go to them, you must, Shan-Dowe." Yoda's voice was also tinged with concern, "If called to you, they did, then go you must."

Shan-Dowe nodded slowly, mindful of her aching head, "I'm leaving as soon as Starhawke is ready, Master Yoda." She glanced over at Qui-Gon with an unexplainable look on her face, "I would like Master Jinn to come with me." her voice sounded formal as she looked back at Master Yoda.

Yoda nodded slowly, "Go with you, he will. Find your Padawans, you must."

Shan-Dowe sat up quickly, "Wait a minute, FIND THEM?" she looked from Mace's face back to Yoda's. "You knew." she whispered, "You knew something was going to happen to them and you told me to leave them there? By themselves?" Her voice didn't rise in volume, but it intensified with a certain apprehension. "With *him* out there, you had me leave them alone?" She stood quickly, strode across the room and grabbed her duffel. "How COULD you do *that* to me, Yoda." She slung the bag over her shoulder and stalked out of the room leaving a mystified Qui-Gon staring at a concerned-looking Yoda.

"I suppose that asking either of you what that was all about is useless?" Qui-Gon glanced from face to face, when no answer came he stood and left the room as well.

Mace looked down at Yoda, "I hope this turns out alright."

"Much anger she has, concerning him, control it she must." Yoda turned to the door, "Needed to be done, it was. Change it, we cannot."

TEMPLE LANDING PAD

Qui-Gon walked over to Starhawke's ramp and quickly boarded the cruiser. He left his duffel in the lounge and walked forward to the bridge where he found Shan-Dowe conversing with Starhawke.

"How fast can we get to Dellatair, Starhawke?"

"Two days and three hours, Shan."

"Is there any way to cut that time down?"

"That is cut down as much as possible." Starhawke sounded apologetic, "It's the distance that's the problem, Shan, we've got a straight shot to the planet, there's just no way to shorten the distance between here and there."

Qui-Gon laid a gentle hand on her shoulder as she glanced up at him, "We'll get there, Shan."

Shan-Dowe sat back in her chair tiredly and masssaged her temples, "I can't sense them any more, Qui-Gon. That worries me more than knowing that *he* could possibly have them."

"Who? Shan, who is this unnamed man that worries you so much?" Qui-Gon came around the chair and knelt in front of her, worry showing in his eyes, "It's not another Sith Lord, is it?"

Shan-Dowe's eyes widened in sudden apprehension, "By the Force, I hope not. I don't think even *he* would go that far." Shan-Dowe sighed deeply and closed her eyes, "About fifteen years ago, when I was on a mission, there was a young man named was Danni T'Ure, that I was working with. It was one of the rare occasions that I didn't have a Padawan with me. Morg'ia had been Knighted about a week before and I was sent off on this mission before I chose another Padawan. Anyway, this young man mistakenly felt that I was attracted to him the way he was to me, nothing I said or did could discourage him. After the mission was finished he followed me back here, to Coruscant. He ended up getting a job somewhere, but he wouldn't stop calling me or showing up wherever I happened to be."

"Nothing worked?" Qui-Gon arched an eyebrow in an unspoken question.

Shan-Dowe shook her head ruefully, "That was the first thing I tried, Qui-Gon, he was one of those rare humans that can't be compelled with the mind trick. And I tried it more than once. About that time I happened to be on Corellia and found Keira and Deain, so my life got a little bit unsettled for awhile. It was about two years later that I realized the calls, the letters and the messages had stopped. I thought it was over."

Qui-Gon grinned, "You never did tell me how you found those two."

"You want to hear that story know?" Shan-Dowe's eyes sparkled with mischief.

Qui-Gon shrugged, "Well, it isn't an everyday occurrence that the Council allows a Master to teach two Padawans, in fact when I requested it they very nearly handed me my head on a platter."

"You?" Shan-Dowe's curiousity was sparked, "Oh, do tell."

Qui-Gon shrugged, "I told you about finding young Anakin Skywalker."

"Yes."

"The Council didn't what to train him at first, so I offered to take him as my Padawan. I told them that Obi-Wan was ready to take the trials, but they told me no. And then, after the battle with the Sith Lord, when Obi-Wan was Knighted, they gave Anakin's apprenticeship to him." Qui-Gon looked sideways at her, "Nice sidetrack, Shan, when are you going to tell me about the girls?"

Shan-Dowe shrugged, pleased that Qui-Gon had figured out the obvious change of subject, "Someday, Qui-Gon, someday." She glanced forward as Starhawke shuddered slightly, "Is something wrong, Starhawke."

"No. Should there be?" his voice was tinged with a slight smile. "We've just made the jump into hyperspace."

"And you didn't tell me?" Shan-Dowe arched an eyebrow.

"Well, you and Qui-Gon were having such a good conversation, I didn't want to interupt."

Qui-Gon chuckled, "I do believe he wants to hear the story as well."

Shan-Dowe snorted, "He already knows the story."

"Not the whole story." Starhawke protested.

"Alright, I suppose the only way that I'll get some peace on this trip is to tell you what happened on Corellia." Shan-Dowe stood and left the bridge.

Qui-Gon followed her back to the lounge, he sat down as he watched her make something to drink. He grinned as she walked back over to the chair, "It's a pain to be nagged, isn't it?"

Shan-Dowe smiled, she knew one of the reasons that Qui-Gon had insisted on this story was to get her mind off of worrying about her Padawans. It didn't work, of course, but it's the thought that counts. She handed him a cup of cocoa and sat down beside him. "It all started because I was on Corellia to escape from Danni."

"A Jedi running from a problem?" Qui-Gon smiled, "That's a new one, especially from you."

"Do you want to hear this story or not?"

"Sorry, I'll be quiet." Qui-Gon's eyes twinkled with laughter.

"That's better. Anyway, I was on Corellia. Starhawke and I had gone there to see an old friend, a Corellian Jedi Master named Nejaa Halcyon, he and Rostek Horn, a friend of his at CorSec were working on a difficult case and Nejaa called and asked for my help. He thought that an extra Jedi up his sleeve would come in handy, especially since he's a little light in the telekinetic skills. It did come in handy, I got to charge in, lightsaber flashing, and strike fear into the hearts of the criminal minds." Shan-Dowe smiled impishly as she took a sip of her cocoa.

Qui-Gon shook his head and laughed, "I would have liked to have seen that."

"Oh, it was quite impressive. Rostek and Nejaa caught the bad guys, I got some exercise because one of the buggers took off running, and nobody got killed. The perfect mission. Until I went to leave Corellia, that is. I decided that I wanted to see Treasure Ship Row, Nejaa had told me about it, and I thought it sounded interesting. Mistake number one: A Jedi craves not excitement." Shan-Dowe intoned in a perfect imitation of Master Yoda.

"Well, if you're looking for excitement, Treasure Ship Row would be one of the places to look for it."

"Hmm, you've been there, I see."

Qui-Gon nodded, "About five years ago, I was through there with Obi-Wan. Interesting place."

"Interesting is hardly the word I would choose, more like dangerous." Shan-Dowe stretched out her legs, "Anyway, there I was walking down the Row when someone shouted, *Lookout, it's a Jedi*" She chuckled, "I've never seen so many people clear the street so fast. So I decided to head back for Starhawke when I felt a nudge from the Force. I never could ignore that particular nudge, it doesn't matter that everytime I follow it I end up rescuing some pitiful looking creature. I followed the leading of the Force through the alleys and backstreets near the Row."

"Dangerous proposition." Qui-Gon mused.

"Indeed, even for a Jedi Master. But no one approached me, in fact I didn't see that many people at all."

"Were you broadcasting?" Qui-Gon asked quietly, it was a trick that some Jedi could utilize, a useful one in tight spots.

"I probably was, I wasn't aware of it at the time, but it does explain the absence of people. And it's something that I'm good at. So there I was, wandering through some of the worst streets of Corellia and suddenly I stumble upon an cul-de-sac with a small gathering in it. Instantly I knew this was were I was supposed to be. So I stayed back in the shadows to watch what was going on. After awhile it became obvious that someone was tapping into the Force nearby. It took me nearly ten minutes to figure out that it was the two creatures in the cage that were doing it. So I started to pay attention to them, they were barely clothed in hideous, smelly rags, their hair was all tangled in knots and looked as if it had never been washed. They could barely talk, basically using grunts and growls to communicate, one of them sat huddled in the back corner of the cage while the other one moved around in front, in a protective sort of way. Then the man in charge rattled the cage door with a rod and started stabbing it into the cage at the two creatures. About the time he hit the front one I felt a push in the Force and suddenly the rod was bent in half, the crowd laughed and the man grabbed another rod and started stabbing it into the cage, again the rod was bent. Before he could start in with a third round I interrupted." Shan-Dowe grinned sheepishly. "I went a little overboard."

"I bet that was an interesting sight." Qui-Gon grinned back at her, "What did you do."

"Have you every seen me *really* upset?"

Qui-Gon shrugged, "No, I can't say that I have."

"Good. Trust me, I get rather dangerous when I'm upset. I strode into the crowd projecting an image of someone standing eight-foot-tall and carrying a six-foot-long glowing lightsaber. People moved faster there than they had on the Row, which was an accomplishment in itself, I walked up to the man in charge and I picked him up with the Force and hung him upside down in front of me. I told him, in no uncertain terms, that if he did not want to be hung like that over a sewage dump for the rest of his life then he would never harm an animal again. Then he tells me that they are children."

"WHAT?" Qui-Gon burst out, "You've got to be kidding."

"I wish I was, Qui, I was so furious at him that he passed out in fright. I called Nejaa, without the comlink, and he was half a world away, at home. By the time he and Rostek got there the man in charge had come to his senses, although he was hanging upside down still, only from a lamppost at that time. And I was sitting near the cage trying to get the two little girls to trust me." Shan-Dowe arched an eyebrow as Qui-Gon started in surprise.

"Girls? You mean, that was Keira and Deain." Shock was written all over his face as he stared at her.

"It was Keira and Deain. It turns out that the girls' mother had died giving birth to them and the father wasn't around at the time. By the time their father showed up six months later, no one knew where the girls were. When I found them they were about seven years old, malnourished, mistreated and unable to talk. Nejaa did a DNA scan on them and we were able to locate their father, only now he was remarried, wealthy, and didn't want to be reminded of his youthful indiscretions. Nejaa offered to take them, we both knew that the likelihood of the Council allowing them to be trained was a remote one. But I had finally got them to trust me, they cringed everytime a man came near them, so I told him that I would handle the problem myself, after all, I did get myself into it."

"Shan, I really hate to interrupt this story, but a message just came in for you." Starhawke's voice sounded strangely subdued.

"That's okay, what is it?" Shan got up and walked over to the console to read the message. As she read the message her face slowly drained of all color until she was a ghostly white, she slowly turned and walked aft toward her quarters not saying a word.

Qui-Gon watched with concern as she disappeared down the hallway. He got up and went over to read the message. It was short, concise and to the point.

**Jedi Master Kwai, I regret to inform you of the loss of Keira Caliterra and Deain Caliterra in an unfortunate accident on the mining colony Mlori 5. We had a problem with the enviromental screens and the two Jedi were lost while trying to affect repairs. Their courage and dedication saved six hundred lives. Our sincere and heartfelt sympathy, Mlori 5 Colony**

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TO BE CONTINUED...............