Title: Crimes Between Us
Author: Christina—[email protected]
Category: AU, pre-TPM
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you recognize...I do own Kalla Solo
and Furry. I make no money off of any of them (although I do have some ideas
in mind for Obi-Wan....)
Feedback: It feeds my creative juices.
Summary: Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon meet a woman who knows too much...and get a lot
more than they bargain for.

Crimes Between Us

Chapter One

Rating: PG

The day I met Jedi's Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I was in a world of

trouble. I think I would have been killed that day if it wasn't for them, and for that

I'll always be grateful. At eighteen years old, I shouldn't have even been in that

situation in the first place. Uncovering government conspiracies of mass

extermination and single-handedly trying to save an entire race is not something

most of my friends are involved in. They worry about how much they had to drink

the night before, or whether or not the object of their affections feels the same. They

do not worry about Correlian government agents putting prices on their heads and

sending bounty hunters all over the galaxy to retrieve them, dead or alive.

But that's what I was going through. And the Jedi could not have come into my life

at a better time. It happened by accident, really. I was out running, out fighting and

out smarting a Mandalorian bounty hunter named Kuma Aust. But one can only

stay on top of their game for so long. And I was getting tired. That's when I ran

into--literally--Qui-Gon Jinn.

He's a big guy, bigger than the average human man at least, standing at six feet four

with striking ice blue eyes and a friendly smile. I'd never actually encountered a

Jedi before, but I guessed that's what he was when he ignited his light saber as soon

as he dwarfed me with his broad body. I could have hid under his cloak if I'd

wanted to. In fact, I think I did for a few moments.

He killed the bounty hunter, effectively rendering me in his debt. And because my

Wookie, Furry, taught me that life debts must always be honored, I stuck with him,

even after he blatantly told me that my problems were just that. My problems.

Well, I made them his. I don't suppose I would have if he didn't directly serve the

Republic. The Republic, after all, had the resources to save the Macedonian's and

effectively take out the Correlian government if need be. I, as a lone eighteen year

old girl, did not. Yet I was the only one who knew of Correlia's plan. I was the only

one with a supply of seratin, the Macedonian's lone food supply, that wasn't

controlled by the government. From a Macedonian point of view, I was pretty damn

important. Even though they didn't know it yet. And I couldn't let them down. So I

needed help.

The Jedi was nice enough, or astute enough, or both, to realize that I needed help.

And that I wasn't ready to talk about it yet, but that eventually I would. So he took

me aboard his ship, agreeing to transport me to Coruscant. I didn't even meet Obi-

Wan Kenobi until later that night, as I practically passed out from sheer exhaustion

and had to be carried aboard.

Of course, because Furry wasn't there, I had a night terror. It centered on the

tragedy at hand, and in my dream hundreds of Macedonians died because I couldn't

save them. Their blood was on my hands, it ran in my tears down my face, and in

the sweat that soaked my brow. When I finally awoke with a disparaging scream,

the younger Jedi was there.

It wasn't the best circumstances under which to meet him, but it would have to do.

My first instinct was to run from him, but the best I could do was scurry up to the

head of the bed and cower there. When I wiped the sweat off my forehead, I saw it

smeared with blood and it only served to frighten me further. The boy tried to

comfort me, but it wasn't going to happen, not that night. Finally, Qui-Gon came to

my rescue, again.

If I had been in my right mind that night, I probably would have felt terrible at my

reaction to Obi-Wan. But I wasn't in my right mind, in fact, I was terrified. So I

merely buried my head into Qui-Gon's chest and ignored his pleas to meet his

Padawan learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

However, I wouldn't sleep the rest of the night, not without Furry present. So the

Jedi sat up with me, we drank tea and I appropriately apologized to the Padawan

learner, who graciously understood, only serving to make feel worse about my

behavior earlier. I could see there was a fire in him, as resulted from our

conversation to come. I appreciated it, the reality of the boy, and knew from that

moment on that I could always trust him to tell me the truth, no matter how much it

would hurt. When you feel a connection of character that strongly to a person

you've just met, it serves as a wake-up call, that you'll be bonded to that person

forever. I know that now, but I didn't then, because I was too busy thinking about

my plight. Obi-Wan noticed that too, and called me on it later. It makes me laugh

now, to think about our conversation back then. We were so--trite.

I started out with a sweeping, ominous statement. Typical. I was, after all, Kalla

Jacina Solo, daughter of Jorus Solo, the most dramatic, theatrical smuggler Correlia

had ever seen. If he hadn't been a criminal, he would have been an actor. That I'm

sure of.

"I have something. Something important they want."

Obi-Wan merely continued to look at me and Qui-Gon nodded calmly. Now if

someone was the master of stating the obvious, it was the Jedi. They could blow you

away with their deep wisdom, then equally stun you with the most simple,

unassumed statement in the world. Frankly, I found it annoying.

"Yes. That much we assumed."

"What do you have?" Obi-Wan asked impatiently after a looming silence.

It was then that I realized the boy was a go-getter. He was a Jedi, but he wasn't into

all this deep musing meditation stuff. At least not when things got his attention. He

wanted answers, results and action. I admired that about him. About as much as I

admired his face and body. He was indeed handsome. I wondered vaguely if all Jedi

were this good looking. To hear some girls tell it, they were. But there was a

mystique that surrounded them that was bigger than looks or charm could ever be.

Quite frankly, I'd never understood it. Then again, I'd never met one in person until

then.

So, I leaned forward and decided to give the kid a run for his money. "If what I

have is so important that an entire government wants to capture me, why would I

just readily tell you?" I asked, not thinking for a minute that I was fooling him into

thinking that I might not actually tell him.

Maybe he did fear I wouldn't tell him. "We are protecting you, and we don't even

know from what," he shot back, his blue eyes, gorgeous, deep, soulful blue eyes

might I add, flashing.

Never one to be outdone, I countered, "Listen Jedi Padawan," (I'm sure he hates

that from anyone but another Jedi), "if it pleases you to drop me off on the next

planet and be on your way, suit yourself."

"According to our coordinates, the next planet is--" Obi-Wan said casually, rolling

his chair to the nav computer.

I think it might have been then that I fell in love with him. Although at the time I

wanted to knock his head off. Qui-Gon, serene as always, intervened.

"Alright, alright. Padawan, come sit down. Unless--Miss Solo would you prefer he

not be here?"

"Master! You can't just send me away!" Obi-Wan protested, his angry eyes flitting

from his Master to me and back again.

Qui-Gon held a hand out and it seemed to calm the young man, who I was now

guessing was younger than what I'd first estimated. "I would like to know what this

sensitive information is, Padawan. If your presence makes Miss Solo

uncomfortable..."

"No, no, it's fine," I said shaking my head. I felt bad and wanted to make amends

with the kid. "Your Padawan's right. He has more of a place here than I do. I

stumbled upon information about the Correlian government that I shouldn't have.

Information of considerable magnitude."

Obi-Wan didn't seem to appreciate the gesture that he was more important than I

was on the craft. He was, but to expect me to admit it was pretty damn arrogant.

Instead, he just sighed in exasperation. "Which was?"

"The carefully planned execution of an entire race."

Could I get any more prophetic?

Qui-Gon leaned forward. "Excuse me?"

"The Macedonians. Correlia is going to rid their entire system of Macedonians."

Now Obi-Wan leaned forward. The cabin was suddenly shrinking. "Why?"

"Well, I asked but for some reason they wouldn't tell me," I sparred. Sarcasm was

inbred the Solo family. There was no getting around it, and the trick was, getting

people to find it charming rather than brash. I didn't suspect poor Obi-Wan Kenobi

was quite charmed by me yet.

"But I gather that it's because of the sudden infiltration of Macedonian influence in

all sectors of Correlian government," I continued. "The Macedonian people are

peaceful, but extremely separatist. Corellian government probably feels a little

paranoid at their technological advances of late, and might worry that if they

manage to have a majority hand in decision making bodies, their influence and

beliefs might spread further in the Correlian system."

Qui-Gon leaned back. "Two very different cultures living together that can't get

along. Not something we haven't dealt with before."

"Master Jedi, with all due respect--and I don't know what you've been through--this

plan is elaborate, and terrifying. The Correlians will kill anyone and anything that

gets in their way. It's very systematic. Very organized. Anti-Macedonian

education in the schools, propaganda filling the streets; soon they'll have every

Correlian person either joining them or forced to flee the system--or killed for

directly opposing government."

I shuddered at the prospect. I'd gone over it thousands of times in my head, and that

didn't include the night terrors, and still, I couldn't comprehend such a heinous

crime.

"And what do they plan to do with the Macedonian people?" Obi-Wan asked.

"At first, they'll police the streets, rounding them up and placing them in jails. Any

resistance will be met with execution on the spot," I explained, not bothering to hide

the trembles in my voice. "Once the jails are filled, they'll begin mass executions to

make room for more until they are all either locked up or wiped out. They plan to

keep the most brilliant minds alive, at least long enough to steal their ideas--

technologically speaking."

"And how did they plan to override Republic intervention?" Qui-Gon asked

pointedly.

I tried not to laugh. This wasn't a laughing matter, but the prospect of the Republic

aiding Correlians was humorous. "Correlians have been virtually unbothered by

the Republic for decades," I said, eyeing both Jedi carefully. It wasn't their fault,

but because they were supposed to be the keepers of peace and justice in the galaxy,

it was hard not to lay some blame at their feet. "They plan to use that to their

advantage at first, building armies so grand in the meantime that if the Republic

ever did decide to intervene, they'd be prepared--and most of the Macedonians

would be wiped out by then."

Obi-Wan cocked his head, and it was then that I noticed the long braid extending

from behind his left ear. I wondered about it, but didn't ask, figuring the six day

journey to Courscant would give me plenty of time to find out about him. "Pretty

arrogant of them, don't you think?" he mused.

I cocked my head in turn. "Yeah, well any government that comes up with a plan to

destroy an entire race is pretty ballsy if you ask me."

I fought the urge to clamp my hand over my mouth after using a word like 'ballsy' in

front of Jedi Knights. But then again, I'd never been much good at holding my

tongue in the wrong company. And Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon didn't seem to notice.

"What does this have to do with the supposed cargo you're hiding?" Qui-Gon asked.

I was surprised at the question, since I didn't remember telling him about the cargo.

But I supposed I must have--or, the prospect hit me like a lead weight--he'd read it

from my mind. Would he do that? I didn't even have the courage to ask. Instead, I

just relayed information as though he had every right in the world to be asking me

about top secret cargo that Furry didn't even know about.

"Macedonians depend on a food supply to power their bodies. They can eat regular

food, but must ingest certain amounts of seritan every day to function, in direct ratio

to their body weight. The Correlian's first offensive move is to rid the planet of all

supply of seritan."

"Where is it produced?" I could see the wheels turning in Obi-Wan's mind, and I

admired his spirit. But there was no answer. I'd gone over it in my mind. Over and

over and over until I thought it would make me crazy.

"It's grown," I answered. "In acres and acres of fields bordering the main city.

The seratin fields were harvested one last time, then dusted with poison and

destroyed."

"Where do they keep the seratin that's been harvested?"

"In warehouses, usually. Those have been seized and cleaned out as well. I

managed to get my hands on a supply and smuggled it off the planet."

There was the trump card information that nobody should have known about. I

shouldn't have admitted it out loud at least. But I had a bad habit of trusting men

who seemed nice. That's how I got myself into all this trouble in the first place.

"How did the government find out about it?"

I shrugged. "I don't know." A half truth. But it didn't matter. "I'm still denying

that such a supply exists."

Obi-Wan cocked his head again, a sign that he was debating something in his head, I

began to realize. "How important can the portion you have be? I mean, how much

of this stuff do the Macedonians need to survive?"

"They'll begin to get very sick in a week's time. Some are already showing effects.

The larger ones will die first. The more seratin you need, the less time you can live

without it. But to answer your first question, the importance is not in the amount I

have, it's in the fact that I have any at all. The Correlian government would like to

completely wipe out all seratin traces on the planet. Correlia is the only climate in

which it will grow, at least in the charted galaxy. Virtually, they have control. They

plan to only grow as much as they need to keep the important scientists alive for as

long as they need them for information. The only way more seratin can be grown is

if a supply already exists."

The young Jedi shook his head. "I don't understand."

Qui-Gon spoke for the first time in a long time. "I think what Miss Solo is saying is

that the supply she has can be used to grow more. As long as she can get her hands

on Correlian soil."

"Right." I nodded, relieved not to have to explain again.

"Where did you hide the supply?"

Silly boy. I grinned at him. A grin he would later tell me made him dizzy. "I'm not

telling you that."

"Why?" The head was tilted again.

I shrugged again. "No one knows. It's safer that way."

"Safer for who?" Obi-Wan argued.

"For you!" I challenged. I should have realized that this conversation was setting

up how we would deal with each other for months to come. But I didn't realize

anything of the sort. "Right now, as we speak, more is being grown in pots filled

with Correlian soil and small amounts are being supplied to the few populations of

Macedonians that do not reside on Correlia."

"What about those on Correlia?"

Again, Qui-Gon's voice of reason between us. I'd come to depend on it. "It sounds

like if they're being murdered in the streets, seratin is the least of their worries. At

least right now." He looked pointedly at his Padawan. "And Kalla's right. It's too

big of a risk to smuggle it back in. We must think on a bigger scale."

"How did you come across all this information?" Obi-Wan finally asked. He

seemed to be struggling to process his Master's advice. Think on a bigger scale. I

realized that Obi-Wan would save every person one at a time if that's what it took. I

admired that. I admired them both for very different reasons. It's strange to look

back now and realize how very much alike they are.

"I was the Prince's--" I struggled here, glancing quickly at Obi-Wan before

choosing a suitable word. "friend--for a little while and one--" Almost slipped

again. One *night* at the palace wouldn't sound very prudent. "day--at the palace, I

overheard something that made me want to find out more."

"You just casually overheard." Obi-Wan tilted his head and gave me a look of

complete disbelief.

I wanted to laugh, but I feigned irritation instead. "God, Kenobi. Who's side are

you on?"

"Both of you, focus. There is a bigger issue at hand." Qui-Gon muttered. That

voice of reason.

Obi-Wan repented. "Sorry, Master."

I did not repent, he wasn't after all, my Master. I simply continued speaking.

"Anyway, I didn't just casually overhear. I snuck in on a meeting. I was bored and

I thought it would be fun--I got a lot more than I bargained for, okay? So when I

heard the preliminary plans, I had to find out more. Everytime I was there--at the

palace--I found out a little bit more."

Obi-Wan furrowed his brow. It would have been cute if he wasn't so frustrating.

"How?"

I smirked. "I have a very trusting face."

He smirked back. Again, potentially cute if I didn't want to smash that face in.

"Right."

I sighed. "Look, I was dating the King's son. No one was going to question--"

"Underestimation is oftentimes power's undoing," Qui-Gon intervened quietly.

I smiled. "You're telling me."

There was a silence for a while, I assume we were all pondering Qui-Gon's last

statement. I liked it a lot, and found it to be very true. Finally, I shifted

uncomfortably in my chair and stared out the canopy at the mottled starlines as we

rocketed through deep space on hyperdrive. "What do we do now?"

"We go to the Council and report this information. From there, we will be

instructed on how to proceed." Qui-Gon's voice was smooth and authoritative, and I

wondered if anyone dared to disagree when he spoke like that. He sure had me

convinced, and I was as tough a customer as they come.

"Do you think you can stop it?" I asked.

Qui-Gon nodded confidently. "The Republic can. Whether or not we are involved

is not up to us." He looked from me to Obi-Wan and back again. "Why don't you

get some rest. Both of you."

**