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MISSION OF JUSTICE: Part Two

By MasterHawke, 1999

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DISCLAIMER: Same as before--doggone it nothing changes--

Rating PG: Same warning as before----KEEP YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER!!!!! There's a story to be told here!!!!!

Feedback is always welcome

STARHAWKE---The Story Continues.....

Qui-Gon paused by the open door and glanced into the room, he saw that Shan-Dowe had finally drifted off into an exhausted, grief-stricken sleep. He was worried about her, losing a bond-connection like she had could be very dangerous to some Masters, especially the ones like Shan-Dowe who had known their Padawans for a long time. He entered the quarters across the hall and laid down on the bed, he knew that he was going to have to keep a close eye on Shan-Dowe for the next few days. A thought occurred to him and he sat up suddenly, *Why had Shan seemed so convinced that Danni was behind this disappearance at first* "Starhawke, has Shan-Dowe been receiving any more messages from Danni?"

"Not really." Starhawke sounded slightly confused.

"What do you mean, *not really*?" Qui-Gon asked suspiciously.

"About six months ago she started receiving messages again, only they were in a slightly different tone."

"What did they say?"

"Things like, *like your hair down and loose, not pulled back all the time*, *you look beautiful with the sun setting behind you*, *I can't live without you*, *if I can't have you, then no one else can either*."

"Was the Council aware of this?"

"Shan told the Council that the messages were coming in, but I don't think she told them what they really said."

"Stubborn Jedi." Qui-Gon muttered as he laid back down, "Let her sleep as long as she will, but I want you to wake me at six a.m."

"Certainly, Qui-Gon." the lights in the room dimmed as the hallway grew dark as well.

Qui-Gon sat up with a start, he reached out with the Force to find what had awaken him. It was Shan-Dowe, her dreams were disjointed and confused, her sleep was restive and uneasy. Qui-Gon reached out to try to calm her with his mind and she settled down a little. He lay back down and fell asleep again.

She was running from *something*, she didn't know why, but it frightened her, (Jedi do not feel fear), but she *was* afraid, (fear leads to the darkside), she didn't care--she *was* afraid of what she would *find?*. She stopped running and looked around her, seeing what was there, trying to discover the truth, *the truth?* She knew what the truth was, ~Keira?~ ~Deain?~ ~Where are you?~ ~Why won't you answer me?~. The truth was that they were dead. ~NNNOOOOOO!!!~. They can't be, but they are. You deserted them, left them alone, what kind of Master leaves their Padawans by themselves? ~But, I was ordered to leave them there.~ *Coward*, since when have you paid any attention to what the Council really wanted? You killed them just as surely as if you had run your lightsaber through them. ~No, I didn't. I wasn't there.~ *That's right*, you weren't there, you weren't there to help them when they really needed you. You weren't there to pull them back in when the screen collapsed. You were on Coruscant with **him**. ~Qui-Gon?~ Yes, *him*, you were having a good time with him while your Padawans needed your help. ~But Qui-Gon is a friend, that's all.~ **LIAR** He means more to you than that. Admit it. ~But it's not true.~ *Liar* he means more to you than your Padawans. ~That's not true!~ Yes, it is, admit it, *you want him*. ~No, I don't.~ Yes, you do, I can feel the lust burning in you now, give in to it. Call out to him, and he will come running to your side. ~NO!~ It is what you both want! ~NNOOO!~ ***Give in to your desires*** ~NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!~

Shan-Dowe sat up as she panted for breath, trying to control her fear, she was a Jedi Master, she wouldn't let fear control her. Suddenly she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her and pull her close to a bare, muscular chest. "NNNOOOOOO!!!" she pushed away from him, threads of her dreams coming back to haunt her, "Leave me alone!" She cried as she struggled against the inescapable strength, "Let me go!"

"Shan, I'm here." Qui-Gon held her as her struggles increased, "SHHHHH, it'll be alright."

"NNNOOOOO!!!" she cried, "I killed them, I left them there, alone, what kind of a Master does that?" she pounded on his broad chest, "Let me go, please!"

"No." Qui-Gon pulled her closer to him, "Shan, let it out, let go of your anger."

Shan started sobbing uncontrollably, as she continued to struggle against Qui-Gon's strength, "Let me go, please, let me go."

Qui-Gon held her as she stopped struggling, "That's right, Shan, let go of your fear." He sat down on the edge of the bed as Shan collapsed against him and wept. "Shhhh, it's alright now, Shan, it's alright." He murmured to her and consoled her as he would a small child, "It's going to be alright, Shan." Finally her sobbing subsided as she fell into an exhausted sleep once again.

Qui-Gon heard the faint chime in his ear, "Starhawke?" he asked quietly.

"It's seven a.m., Qui-Gon, I didn't wake you earlier because I figured after last night you would need some rest." Starhawke's voice was barely audible.

Qui-Gon nodded, "Thanks." He glanced down at the sleeping woman her head lay resting on his broad chest, it had been a rough night. Shan-Dowe had woken up four more times screaming, sobbing, and heartbroken. It was all he could do just to console her and calm her down again. Her cries broke his heart, grateful that he had never had to feel the loss of a bond, he did his best to help her get through the night. Now she slept, completely exhausted past the point of dreams or nightmares. He eased her head off his chest and onto the pillow beside him, she never even moved as he slowly slipped off the bed and walked over to his room.

Half an hour later he emerged from his room, feeling halfway decent again. Wearing a simple tunic belted over his loose pants, he walked barefooted into the lounge and stopped in surprise, "I didn't think you'd be awake for awhile."

Shan-Dowe shrugged, "I woke up when you left, I couldn't get back to sleep. In all honesty, I didn't want to." Her hair had been roughly combed and loosely pulled back, but a few strands hung loose. Her tunic and pants were covered by her Jedi robe and her legs were drawn up underneath her.

"You're barefoot too, aren't you?" Qui-Gon grinned at her.

"Guilty as charged." Shan grinned back. "I didn't feel like putting my boots back on."

"I can't argue with you there." He walked over to the counter and fixed up some cocoa, he carried two cups over and handed one to Shan, "As comfortable as mine are, I still like walking around barefoot." He drank his cocoa and stared off into space.

Shan stared at his profile as she sipped her cocoa.

"Shan?"

"Yes."

"What are you staring at?"

"Nothing in particular, Qui-Gon, why?"

"That's what I thought." He turned to face her, "Are you going to tell me about last night."

"What about it?" Shan asked curiously.

"I think there was more going on than just grief over Keira and Deain."

"What makes you say that?"

Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow as he stared at her, not speaking, just watching.

Shan could feel herself blushing, "Will you stop that?" She turned away from him, hoping that he wouldn't come nearer. She heard the chair move quietly and felt the movement as he sat down behind her.

"I was right, wasn't I. There is something else going on here." his low voice startled her with its closeness.

"I haven't got the faintest idea of what you're talking about." Shan swung her legs down and started to stand, but Qui-Gon stopped her.

"Shan, running away from things just means you have to face them later on."

"Qui, I think you know how I feel about you?"

"That depends."

"Depends on what?"

"On your reaction last night and the one you're having right now."

Shan refused to turn and look at him, "I'm not having any reaction."

Qui-Gon reached around her and pulled her back against his chest, "Remember the first time we met."

"How could I possibly forget it, Qui, you almost got me killed." Shan remembered that day very well. "I do believe Yoda told you to watch out for swimmers in the lake, did he not?"

He nodded, "He did, but he didn't tell me to watch out for persons unknown to appear out of nowhere and startle me."

"A Jedi should always be prepared for the unexpected."

"Just how many of those sayings did you come up with?"

Shan grinned, "I have almost as many as Yoda does."

Qui-Gon groaned, "I should have known." he brought his hand up to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear and stopped when he felt the roughness of a braid behind her right ear. "What is this for? You haven't been a Padawan for four hundred and fifty years." He pulled it free and was surprised to see strands of pure white woven into the rich chestnut color of Shan-Dowe's hair.

Shan laid her head back against his chest and felt the warmth of his breath tickle her ear, "It's a promise to someone."

"Who?"

"My first Master."

"Master Lokar?"

"No." She shook her head slightly, "Master Lokar was my second Master."

"I didn't know that you had another Master before her. What happened?"

"Have you ever been to Toilusa?"

"Yes, it's a very peaceful world."

"Have you ever seen the stone that stands on the Great Plains?"

"Yes. I've often wondered who the Jedi Master was."

"His name was KenDahl Brancala, he was my first Master." Quietly Shan told him of the mission and how Master KenDahl had died to save her life.

Qui-Gon listened as she told her story, very conscious of the fact that something had changed between them once again. He felt Shan-Dowe shift slightly and settle back into his embrace, their breathing matching one another's as he listened to the vibrant resonance of her voice as she spoke. He smiled faintly, he really wanted to find out what kept changing between them. He had known Shan-Dowe for more than fifty years, first as a young child growing up in the academy, then as an apprentice to Master Yoda, and finally as an equal, a Jedi Master in his own right. There had never been any barriers between them, it was as if they were kindred spirits, in more ways than one. It seemed as if she spent as much time in trouble with the Council as he did, but this uneasiness that he kept getting from her was more than the loss of her Padawans, it was different. Different in a way that troubled him, and it concerned him deeply. Their relationship was as close as friends could be, never more than a thought call away, it had never and would never go any further. There was no need for it. He listened to her voice, remembering the fear he had heard last night, fear tinged with something he couldn't put a finger on. Shan had stopped speaking and was breathing so softly that at first he thought she had fallen asleep.

<Not asleep, merely thinking> Shan's thoughts came quietly into his mind.

Qui-Gon smiled, <Good, because if you stay where you are much longer, my leg is going to fall asleep>

<Sorry> Shan sat up and let him stretch out his long legs.

They sat side by side now, Shan was nestled in the crook of Qui-Gon's left arm, happy to be in each other's presence. Qui-Gon raised his left hand and gently ran his fingers through her hair, unraveling the snarls he found there. Shan shook her head slightly, allowing her hair to come out of the loose knot. He smiled and continued his task, when he had finished her hair was loose and slightly flyaway. He drapped his arm around her shoulders again, he tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, feeling a slight roughness behind her earlobe he raised an eyebrow and murmured, "Two braids, Shan."

"No. Just the one." Shan stirred lightly, "I got bit by an insect my second night on Dellatair and it hasn't healed all the way yet."

"Bit by an insect?"

Shan nodded once as Qui-Gon ran his finger over the rough area again, this time willing the Force to complete the healing. Shan-Dowe suddenly sat bolt upright and pulled away from him. "Shan, what's wrong?" He asked as he reached out for her.

"Don't touch me." The plea was soft and tinged with regret.

*Here we go again* Qui-Gon thought quietly as he grasped Shan-Dowe's shoulders and forced her to look at him. "Shan, tell me what is wrong?"

"Nothing." She shook her head and dropped her eyes.

"Shan, you have got to be the worst liar that I know, your face shows everything."

"I am not a liar." She stood angrily and left the room.

Qui-Gon leaned back and sighed heavily, "What is going on with her?" he muttered to himself.

"Qui-Gon."

"Yes, Starhawke."

"I just picked up an unusual signal." The computer's voice sounded both puzzled and concerned.

"From where?"

"From Shan. It was when her mood changed, almost at the same time you were talking about the insect bite."

Qui-Gon sat up in surprise, "That's too weird to be a coincidence." He got up and headed for Shan-Dowe's room, he could sense her uneasiness and he knew it was directed at him in particular. He stopped at her doorway and knocked on the closed door.

"Go away, Qui-Gon." came a muffled reply.

"Shan, open this door."

"No."

"Starhawke, will you please open this door."

"Is it in her best interest?"

"Yes, it is. I need to find out why she keeps reacting to me in this way." Qui-Gon smiled as the door slid open. He entered the darkened room and switched on the lights to find Shan huddled in a ball in the corner. He went over and knelt at her side. "Shan?"

"Go away, Qui-Gon, please." She didn't raise her head to look at him.

"Not this time, Shan." His voice was low and husky with emotion.

Shan's head flew up and she stared at him, "No, Qui-Gon, please, not this."

"What are you so afraid of, Jedi Master." He stared back at her keeping his voice low and seductive as he finally figured something out. He reached out for her and brought her into his arms, "I know you haven't been with anyone in a long time, but I promise, I'll be gentle."

"NNNNOOOOO!!!!!" Shan's scream was a heart wrenching cry that tore at Qui-Gon's heart. She ripped her arm away from his grip and ran from the room. Qui-Gon quickly followed and with Starhawke's help he soon had her cornered on the bridge.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Shan." Qui-Gon watched as her eyes grew wider as he pulled her up against his body, he bent his head slightly to kiss her as he also brought his hand up the brush against the roughness behind her left ear. He felt the change immediately, the tension drained form her body as she collasped against him.

"Qui?" she questioned softly, "How did we get on the bridge?"

He looked into her eyes and kissed the tip of her nose, she was only slightly shorter than he was so he didn't have to bend very far. He smiled at her, "It's a long story, but I think I just figured out the cause of your emotional bouncing." He turned her head and moved her hair away from her left ear, he had been right, there was something just beneath the surface of her skin. With a slight pressure from the Force he was able to remove the tiny round dot from beneath the skin. He held it up to show Shan-Dowe, "I think this is the cause of your problem."

"What is it?" Shan asked curiously as she stared at the black dot.

"It's an emotion control chip." Qui-Gon frowned as he stared at the chip, "I've heard about them, but this is the first time I've seen one."

"That's the reason I've acting so weird?" Shan-Dowe asked softly.

Qui-Gon nodded, "Yes. Whoever put this thing in there knew something was going to happen to your Padawans. These chips are activated by any sort of strong emotions, the ones I've heard about are usually used for controlling fear, this one has definitely been set for love."

"No." Shan shook her head, "Lust."

Qui-Gon arched an eyebrow as he glanced over at Shan's face, "Really?"

She nodded, "That's the feelings that I was getting in my dreams." She looked up at Qui-Gon, "Someone did this deliberately. And I think I know who."

"Danni?"

"Yes. He's the only one that would have a reason to do it."

"But, would he hurt Keira and Deain just to further his advances to you."

"I don't think that my leaving for Coruscant was in the plans. If I was on Mlori 5 when that shield went down and the girls were killed, he would have been there to *console* me. The chip would have made that happen. Instead, I was on Coruscant when it happened and you were there for me, so these nightmares that I've been having are the way the chip is trying to control me, driving me mad, but keeping me out of your arms." Shan looked up at Qui-Gon, "Qui, what if the girls aren't dead?"

"But you can't feel them any more."

"No, I can't. But there are ways to make that happen as well." She moved closer to Qui-Gon and as she hugged him Qui-Gon could feel her body start to shake as she started to cry softly.

"Shan, it will be okay." He wrapped his arms around her.

"What are we going to do, Qui?"

"I have an idea."

Shan looked up to see a small smile beginning to appear on his lips, "What?"

"I think we should turn the tables on whoever did this to you."

"How?"

"When we get to Mlori 5 tomorrow, I think we should see who reacts to my presence."

"You think Danni, if it is him, would show his face?"

"I think whoever did this will be positive that you will need a hand." Qui-Gon smiled as he laid his hands on her shoulders, "I think we should act normally at first, then show some signs of a *relationship* between the two of us."

"How do we do that? Wait a minute.....the colony dock area is small, Starhawke takes up all the room, so if we ask for quarters at the colony and have Starhawke remain in orbit?" Shan looked up at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, "What do you think?"

Qui-Gon nodded, "I think that's a good start."

The morning passed swiftly as the two Jedi planned for their arrival on Mlori 5. After lunch Qui-Gon started noticing something in Shan's demeanor that concerned him, she was starting to withdraw into herself. He walked over to where she was sitting and laid his hands on her shoulders.

"A credit for your thoughts." He spoke quietly.

"That's about all they're worth." Shan muttered morosely.

<Shan, don't do this to yourself.> He opened his mind to hers and was surprised at the turmoil he felt radiating from her. <Shan, where are your shields?>

<I haven't been able to keep them up since last night.> She leaned back in the chair and laid her head against his chest. <It's starting to concern me.>

<Come here.> He pulled her up from the chair and led her over to the lounge couch. He sat down and motioned for her to do the same.

Shan sat down and leaned up next to him, grateful for a friend like him.

Qui-Gon laughed softly, <You're not shielding at all.> He laid his arm around her shoulder and drew her closer, "You never told me what the Council said when you brought Keira and Deain back to Coruscant with you."

"I got in trouble with them, as usual."

"Does it hurt to talk about them?" Qui-Gon asked gently.

Shan shook her head slowly, "No, it doesn't." she looked up at him and smiled sadly, <I know what you're trying to do, Qui.>

<Is it working?>

<Yes, at least I think it is.> Her thoughts were starting to settle down somewhat. "When I left Corellia with them I told Starhawke to head back for the Temple, but to take the long way home." She smiled at the recollection, "It took us three weeks."

"Three weeks, that is the long way, isn't it?" Qui-Gon knew that Corellia was only four days away from Coruscant.

"By the time we arrived on Coruscant I had gotten the girls cleaned up, they were no longer starving, and they were speaking to me."

"Talking?"

"No, telepathically. I was amazed at the bond between the two of them, and I was honored when they included me in it. We had some rough nights at first, if you thought it was bad last night with me." Shan shook her head, "It was a hundred times worse with the two of them. But by the time we reached the Temple, they were doing fine, until we met with the Council that is. We walked into the room and within seconds both of them were cowering next to me."

"Why?" Qui-Gon's voice was puzzled.

"Qui, have you ever noticed that three-quarters of the Council is male?" Shan turned her head to look up at him.

"I see." Qui-Gon nodded, "For three weeks they'd been able to do alot of things but not rid themselves of the fear of men."

"Right. And then, to make matters worse, the Council up and tells me *The code forbids taking more than one apprentice.* So I was trying not to get upset, because the girls were already scared enough, but it wasn't working real well. And then Master Yoda tells me that one of the girls will remain in the Temple for training and I could take the other one for my Padawan. That really made me mad, so I told Yoda that he would have to choose between them, which one stayed and which one went with me." Shan sighed deeply, "He choose Keira to stay at the Temple and the next day the Council sends me to Bespin to settle a mining dispute. The day after I got there, Starhawke gets this message from the Temple saying that Keira is deathly ill and the healers can't figure out what's wrong with her."

"What was wrong?"

"The illness was caused by the loss of her sister. Their bond was strong, but it had never been tested by great distances."

"How was Deain doing with you?"

"She was fine at first, I guess the bond between Master and Padawan was making up for some of the loss, but it wasn't enough. By the second day she was ill as well. I called up Master Jareth Tra'ske. He came and took over the negotiations for me and I headed back to Coruscant as fast as Starhawke could go." Shan closed her eyes wearily, remembering the anxiety and concerns of that day fifteen years ago.

"Obviously you made it in time."

"We almost didn't. Keira had regressed so far into her mind that I almost lost her, if Deain hadn't of been there." Shan shook her head, "The scary thing was the fact that I almost couldn't surface."

"You?" Qui-Gon frowned, he knew Shan was the most powerful telepath that the Jedi had seen in three hundred years. If she had gotten lost in Keira's dying mind then the girl's death would have killed Shan as well, and likely killed Deain also. "What did the Council say?"

"What could they say? As soon as Keira was recovered she became my Padawan with her sister, the three of us have been together ever since." Shan shuddered as she suddenly remembered why they having this conversation.

Qui-Gon held her close as the tears threatened to overwhelm the Jedi Master, "Shan, I promise, we will find out what happened to them."

Shan nodded silently, not wanting to speak for fear that if she did the tears would start and she wouldn't be able to stop them.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent quietly. Qui-Gon was never far from Shan's side and he had opened his mind to her in an effort to bolster her strength. As Starhawke grew ever closer to Mlori 5 Shan grew increasingly agitated and she jumped at every sound or movement. Finally, her nerves most definitely rattled, she retired to her quarters and fell into an exhausted sleep. Qui-Gon kept an eye on her for a while and then he fell asleep also, sleep that was short lived as Shan woke up crying. Qui-Gon went and stayed with her through the night. As long as he was there, close by, Shan slept, but if he moved away from her, she would wake up.

Morning found them asleep together on the bed. Shan had used Qui-Gon's chest as a pillow once again, but at least she managed to get some rest. Qui-Gon awoke and had been staring at the ceiling for some time when he felt Shan stirring. "Good morning."

"What time is it?" Shan asked, the need for sleep warring with the desire to be awake.

"It's eight forty-five a.m., Shan." Starhawke's voice was quiet, "We arrive at Mlori 5 in two hours."

"Two hours." Shan muttered as she slowly sat up. She ran her fingers through her hair and stretched, "I guess we'd better get ready for this, Qui."

"I guess so." He stood, stretched and glanced over his shoulder at her, "Are you going to be okay for awhile?"

Shan nodded, "I'll be okay for now." She sat up and then walked to the refresher.

Qui-Gon smiled when Shan-Dowe emerged from her room. The Jedi Master was wearing her formal attire, her undertunic and tunic were both sand-colored, while her pants, cloak, and boots were black signifying her great rank. Qui-Gon also wore the sand-colored tunic but his pants, cloak, and boots were a dark brown.

The two hours passed swiftly and soon Starhawke was landing in the small bay on Mlori 5. Shan-Dowe and Qui-Gon waited quietly as Starhawke lowered the ramp, then the two Jedi Masters descended the ramp and were greeted by the Mlori 5 mayor.

"Greetings, Jedi Master Kwai." Mayor Sagei Ploni bowed to her.

"Greetings, Mayor Ploni. May I introduce Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn."

"We are pleased to have you here Master Jinn, I only wish that the circumstances were different."

"As do we, Mayor Ploni." Qui-Gon bowed slightly.

"If it would please you, Jedi Masters, we have prepared a room for Master Kwai, it will only take us a moment to prepare another for you, Master Jinn." Mayor Ploni motioned to one of his men.

Qui-Gon felt Shan's tense shudder through his mind, <Shan, what is it?>

<He's here.> Her mental voice was choked with emotion.

<Where?> Qui-Gon reached out to steady her with his mind.

<The man in the blue tunic directly behind the mayor.> Shan tried not show her uneasiness.

Qui-Gon reached over and laid his hand on Shan's shoulder, "I thank you for the offer, Mayor Ploni, but we prefer to stay together." As he spoke he was watching the man in blue. Qui-Gon saw a barely noticeable tightening in his eyes.

Mayor Ploni nodded, "Of course, Master Jinn, of course." He turned and walked towards the buildings. "Please follow me."

The two Jedi followed the mayor across the docking bay as Starhawke slowly rose and exited the bay.

To Be Continued...........