Qui-Gon leaned back in his seat after checking the instruments for what seemed the hundredth time. Although there were built-in warnings that would sound if something went wrong, he had absolutely nothing else to do in the small cockpit, and the slight concentration required to check the controls helped the break the tension he felt within himself. He'd already spent several hours in meditation, trying to release his anxiety to the Force, though as far as he could tell it wasn't helping much.

It was an effort to resist the urge to check his chronometer. He wanted to know how much longer it would be before he reached Was-4, but at the same time he knew that if he held off checking for awhile longer the time would be less. Of course, the whole theory fell apart rather neatly since all he really had to do was check his time sense through the Force, but he'd been ignoring that as well.

Focusing his thoughts inward, Qui-Gon traced the various bonds he'd developed with other Jedi over his life to pass the time. Payter was somewhere quite far away and focused on whatever he was dealing with. Most of the Jedi's thoughts were blocked, though Qui-Gon knew if he truly needed his friend he could catch Payter's attention quickly. Mace, whose bond was fainter than most, was quitely seething in a proper, Jedi would-be-Council-member way. Mostly, Qui-Gon suspected that Mace was just bitter that he wasn’t allowed some of the same liberties that Qui-Gon was. What Mace missed was that Qui-Gon had paid and continued to pay for those privileges with some of the most dangerous and complicated missions the Order had to offer.

Yoda was contemplating something, more than likely how to appear all-knowing and how to phrase his next insight into words no one would understand. He loved his master, but there were times he was certain that the old little Jedi was obscure on purpose and that he spent a great deal of his time laughing at the rest of them.

His bond with Obi-Wan, the strongest one he had to any other person, was quiet. He suspected the boy was sleeping, or concentrating on something very hard. He'd been able to be somewhat present at Obi-Wan's birthday party the day before, focusing most of his attention to his bond with the boy, letting Obi-Wan know he was there in spirit, if not in person. Although the party had gone well and his padawan had enjoyed himself, Qui-Gon still felt the lingering sadness and disquiet caused by his absence. They had never been apart for this long since they had begun their relationship as master and padawan, and it was difficult for the young boy to understand. He'd helped on missions before-- some without Qui-Gon's consent--and he didn't see why he shouldn't be allowed to accompany his master.

Qui-Gon pulled his attention back from his padawan slowly so as not to disturb the boy or make him aware of his presence. He paused for a moment only before following the thread of his bond to Bel-San, touching the essence of the other Jedi tentatively. The first time he had checked, he hadn't been so cautious and Bel-San had struck out at him with his mind to keep away attackers. He didn't blame his friend; it was his own fault for not thinking that Bel-San might not welcome any intrusion on his mental shielding. This time his touch was more gentle and Qui-Gon projected his own awareness strongly, trying to let Bel-San know it was him, and that he was coming. He wasn't certain if the other man understood; the bond was strong, but Bel-San was somewhat distant. It was as though he was trying to look at his friend through a thick fog or underwater. None of it boded particularly well.

Sending a final wave of reassurance and support that Qui-Gon wasn't even sure would reach the other man, he pulled back his thoughts to himself and checked his chrono. Still sixteen hours until he reached the planet, and there was no telling how long it would take him to locate his friend. He could rely on the bond between them to lead him in the right direction, but if Bel-San had been captured or imprisoned, he didn't know how long it would be before he would be able to secure his release.

Heaving a sigh, Qui-Gon stood to stretch in the small confines of the cockpit and with a last check on the controls, he headed to the small compartment at the back of the ship reserved for eating space. As he looked around the cramped gally, Qui-Gon shook his head, wishing the Council had been able to procure a larger ship. While this one would allow him to enter the space around the planet relatively undetected as well as providing high maneuverability, sometimes it felt as though there was barely room to breathe in the small space.

It might not have been so bad, had the additional space of the crew quarters not been subsumed in the expansion of the hyperdrive unit. It gave the ship added speed to be sure, but it left the only areas to stretch out the cramped cockpit, stifling galley and morbid medical unit, which always made Qui-Gon uncomfortable on a good day.

The hum of the hyperdrive as his only company, Qui-Gon moved slowly around the galley, trying to draw out the time it would take for him to prepare a cup of tea. He'd found that if he didn't enhance the speed of the heating liquid and searched through every container of tea twice it could take as long as twenty minutes just to fill the mug. Of course, then he would have to add just the right amount of sweetener and milk to the concoction and if it wasn't perfect, well then, there was nothing for it but to start all over.

Perhaps he should have taken Obi-Wan's last minute offer to have Jes along as company.

***

"Then what exactly can I expect when I get there?" Qui-Gon kept his tone even though he was privately irritated beyond words. They'd had almost three days to ascertain the situation on Was-4, they had the resources of the entire temple and they couldn't come up with anything better than, 'situation unstable?' They'd known that before Qui-Gon had headed out.

"I wish I could tell you more, Qui-Gon, but the fact is we just don't know. It's not a high tech world and information is a commodity that simply isn't available at the moment. We've been doing our best, but we still haven't been able to locate Bel-San or what might have happened to him." Mace leaned closer to the monitor and Qui-Gon fought the urge to click off the visual feed.

"I don't think I have to tell you that in this case, your best isn't good enough. I think you may have picked up on that." Centering himself in the Force, Qui-Gon released all the negative emotions he was currently feeling. "Can you tell me if I'll be able to set down in a spaceport, or am I going to have to land this thing in the jungle somewhere and hope for the best?"

Mace shook his head. "From what we've been able to gather--"

"Such as it is." Qui-Gon muttered just loud enough for the speaker to pick up.

The other man paused and Qui-Gon felt a brief moment of triumph as he could tell Mace was gathering his patience. "From what we've been able to gather, you can set down in the two spaceports on the southern continent, though it's not advisable. If you want to take that route, you'll have to come up with a reason for landing that will pass the planet space traffic controllers, and you may have guessed that they aren't just letting anyone in these days. We think you'll have a better chance going in covertly and avoiding all officials." Mace steepled his fingers, a habit he'd picked up since he'd been sitting in on Council meetings, which Qui-Gon was certain the other man thought made him look aloof and mysterious. Qui-Gon thought he looked like he was posing for some cheaply made advertisement. "You have to remember, Qui-Gon, you're not on an officially sanctioned mission. The Council is backing you in this, but you can't use your status as a Jedi to help you."

"I understand." Although Qui-Gon was confident in his abilities, the thought of moving into this situation without the support of the Jedi Order was somewhat disturbing. He'd almost always been able to rely on his status as a Jedi, and to enter a dispute so potentially volatile made him certain once more he'd made the right choice in leaving Obi-Wan behind. It also made him appreciate the work Payter did; the unorthodox Jedi had only himself to rely on in any given situation.

The silence between them stretched as Mace watched him carefully. Finally Mace shook his head slowly, concern tightening the lines around his dark eyes. "You'll be careful?"

"I will. And I'll bring him back." Qui-Gon waited for the other man's nod before asking his last question. "Look after Obi-Wan for me?"

Surprise flashed across the other man's face for a moment before it was carefully hidden away. "Obi-Wan?"

"I know Heri will do a good job with him, but she has Slade to look after as well and this will be hard for Obi-Wan. I need to know that he'll be safe while I do this. I don't think I'm going to have the time or energy to think about getting Bel-San out and Obi-Wan. I just need to know that he'll be fine. The Temple hasn't always been the safest place for him." It was sad to see the surprise in his friend's face at the request, Qui-Gon hadn't realized they'd grown so far apart. For as much as he and Mace disagreed on most things politically, the other man was a fine Jedi, and one of the few he would trust the care of his padawan to.

"Of course. Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on him. You focus on getting Bel-San home safely."

The slight weight of worry that had settled on him at leaving his padawan behind lifted and Qui-Gon smiled at his friend. "I will. I'll contact you when I can." He ended the transmission and checked the instruments; he had less than an hour before he would reach Was-4. It worried him that as he'd moved closer to the planet, he'd not been able to gain a better sense of Bel-San or his status. It did not increase his confidence in the situation.

***

Obi-Wan watched, bored and somewhat out of sorts as Master Heri and Slade made dinner. He'd offered to help, but after he'd broken a dish that morning and spilled juice all over the kitchen at lunch Master Heri said it might be better if he sat this one out. Jes was curled against his neck, purring happily, not at all concerned that Obi-Wan's master wasn't there. She was fun to have around sometimes, but she wasn't very good at understanding anything. Master had said he was expecting too much from the cat. When he'd been there.

Slade laughed at something Master Heri said and Obi-Wan sighed. He used to laugh like that when his Master was around. It felt like his Master had been gone for weeks instead of just three days. Sometimes he could feel his Master checking on him through their bond, but Obi-Wan tried very hard not to respond, he didn't know what his Master might be doing, but he didn't want to interrupt him if it was something important. Sometimes it was good enough to know that his Master thought about him.

It made him sad and happy at the same time to see Master Heri and Slade together. Slade seemed much better since his old master had called him on the comlink, and it was good to know that his friend wasn't hurting as much anymore. He could see a link between Master Heri and Slade that hadn't been there with Master Rian, and it made him happy to know that the two of them would end up together, even if no one else did. It was like his own secret that he didn't have to share. But it made him miss his own Master and the special bond they shared even more.

"Obi-Wan?" He looked up as Master Heri crouched down beside the couch and brushed a hand over his head. His Master did that all the time when he was around. "Dinner's ready, do you want to come and eat? We can set up a dish for Jes and she can be in the kitchen with us too." Master Heri smiled at him, in that special concerned way she always did when he'd lived with her and she'd been worried about him.

"I guess." He stood and shifted Jes to the floor, clicking his tongue against the top of his mouth to call her into the kitchen like his master had shown him, and the small kitten followed him into the room. His master had told him not to get used to her following him around, it was something she would grow out of, but he liked it.

After he poured a small amount of the cat's food into her special dish, Obi-Wan drug the small stood over to the sink so he could wash his hands before sitting at the table. Master Heri was a much better cook than his master, but he wasn't very hungry, nothing was quite right without his master around. He didn't know why no one else seemed to notice.

"Tomorrow's a rest day so I thought we might do something fun, did either of you have anything in mind?" Master Heri looked between him and Slade, waiting for suggestions.

Obi-Wan shrugged and pushed his food around on his plate. There were lots of different colors and he could kind of make a picture with them if he moved the white part over by the green and sort of mixed them together. He didn't think it would taste very good, but it looked neat.

"Obi-Wan?"

He looked up, surprised, and then remembered Master Heri had asked a question and he should probably answer. Master Qui-Gon said he should always answer adults’ questions politely. "I don't know, whatever you want to do is fine." Maybe if he added a little of the thin orange pieces they would looks like suckers on tentacles.

"Slade? Anything you wanted to do?"

"So, the year ten classes are putting on plays in the Gardens on the next level up tomorrow, and I kind of wanted to go. I know a couple of the kids doing parts and I wanted to see them." Sometimes it was hard to remember that Slade had friends other than him. He didn't have many other than Slade so it was weird.

"What do you think, Obi-Wan? Would you like to see some of the plays by the year tens? You're not that far off from that now that you're seven, it might be fun for you to see some of the things you can be doing in the next couple years. How does that sound? And maybe afterwards we can go to the pools and you two can swim some." Heri reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder, making him look up. She was smiling again, though Obi-Wan knew that she knew he was sad that his Master was gone. She was trying hard to make it better, but it just wasn't the same.

"That's okay I guess. Maybe we could get icees?" His Master usually kept ice cream in their apartment, but Obi-Wan really liked the icees that Heri used to let them have sometimes.

Heri ruffled is short hair. "That we can do. Now eat your food instead of playing with it, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You aren't fooling anyone by making cat faces with your dinner."

***

Qui-Gon switched off the automatic pilot as he came out of hyperspace, taking over the controls with a steady, if not necessarily practiced hand. It wasn't often he was called on to pilot a ship without at least one other person along to help out, but he'd taken the required classes in the Temple and was capable of getting himself from one planet to the next in several different types of ships. Just because he didn't like to pilot didn't mean he couldn't, no matter what Payter might think.

As he neared the planet and descended to the surface, Qui-Gon reviewed his plan of action. His best chance was to land his ship in a place that was both out of the way and readily accessible for a quick flight if need be. He also wanted to land in an area somewhere near where Bel-San had last reported in, narrowing his potential locations even more. He'd spent the last hour pouring over all the maps he could find of the southern continent on Was-4 that he could find and had chosen a location that seemed to fit his requirements about as closely as he was likely to come.

Then all he had to do was use the Force and any other means he could to find Bel-San and hope he could get the other man out.

Simple.

And then maybe they would take a short trip out to the Outer Rim and put down all the local despots and free the various enslaved and incarcerated peoples just to make it interesting. Maybe take on the Hutts to mix things up a bit.

Releasing his doubts to the Force, Qui-Gon guided the small ship to the planet's surface and into a dense jungle region. It would provide cover for the ship from any air surveillance, but was also close to a major metropolitan area and no more than fifty kilometers from Bel-San's last reported position.

The small craft bumped gently against the ground as Qui-Gon set it down in the jungle, with no signs that anyone had seen his arrival. Admittedly, it wasn't a high tech society, but still, it was good that he hadn't been called to report his intentions. He locked the controls to the ship, set the security system, coded the door to his controls and left the cockpit to gather his things. A small pack filled with survival gear sat near the hatch and all of his Jedi paraphernalia was attached to his person.

He drew a deep breath and pressed the release to the hatch and stepped into the middle of the jungle. The change from the controlled climate of the spacecraft to the steamy jungle was somewhat jarring and Qui-Gon took a moment to attune himself through the Force to his new surroundings. He also stretched out with his senses trying to gain some sense of Bel-San, a direction, anything to give him a clue to where the other man might be.

He searched for several long moments, sweat already beginning to collect on his neck and forehead as he stood in silent concentration. Finally, Qui-Gon was able to gain something more from the vague sense of presence he'd been getting from Bel-San. East, between thirty and eighty kilometers away. And his presence was weakening by the moment.

Pushing all thoughts of concern and worry from his mind, Qui-Gon focused in on the moment, the only thing he could do right now. He stepped away from the ship, watched as the hatch closed and set off at a run into the jungle.

TBC