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MISSION OF JUSTICE

By MasterHawke, 1999

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Part Four

DISCLAIMER: Jedi Master Lucas owns most of the Jedi listed here, but I do own Master Shan-Dowe Kwai, Padawans Keira and Deain Caliterra, Master Jareth Tra'ske, Padawan Jesson, and a few other characters. They're mine, mine, mine, mine I tell you. Sorry, I had a brain sneeze, but I'm sure you can understand the sentiment. RATING: PG, but there is a few sections here that border on PG-13 for violence. Can't help myself, I like getting my people in trouble and injured, I think it makes the story more fun when you have to worry about who's going to live.......or die..........

MLORI 5 Mining Colony-----Danger in Dark Corners.....

Shan-Dowe approached the sealed breach, her senses stretched out to capture any aura left by Keira or Deain. She could feel a slight bit of concern emanating from the surrounding structure and as she neared the breach point she could pick up stronger emotions. Anger, but not hatred, it was a righteous anger, someone had deliberately sabotaged the structure here and Deain had discovered it. Shan sank to her knees as a shout of pain and surprise echoed through her mind, the girls had been attacked by someone they couldn't feel, something unknown, and then silence. It was as if the two girls had ceased to exist, one second their surprise was there and then it was gone as if it had never been there. Shan took a deep cleansing breath to steady herself and found a familiar touch close by. She looked up to see Qui-Gon kneeling beside her, a questioning look on his face.

<Did you find them, Shan?>

She shook her head, <They were here, but they've disappeared again.>

"Can you tell where?"

"No, all trace of them has vanished." Shan smiled quickly, "But they were here and alive when they disappeared."

"That's good news at least." Qui-Gon stood and offered a hand to Shan, she took it and rose gracefully, shaking rock dust from her robes as she straightened. "Do you have any ideas?" his voice was low as they started back towards the main docking area.

Shan shrugged as she noticed someone approaching them, <I plan on keeping up the search until I find them.> She arched an eyebrow as she realized who was walking towards them, <Qui, it's Danni.>

<I noticed that.> Qui-Gon's mental voice was subdued as he watched the other man getting closer.

"Good afternoon, Jedi Master Kwai, Master Jinn, is there anyway that I can be of service to you?" Danni's voice was smooth and cultured, unusual for a mining colony, and while he may have included Qui-Gon in the conversation his eyes were only on Shan-Dowe.

Shan bowed slightly, "Thank you for the offer, Technician T'Ure, but there is very little that you could help with at the moment."

Danni bowed to Shan, "If you should need *anything*, Master Kwai, please let me know immediately." He turned to leave and as he glanced at Qui-Gon, the Jedi Master had no trouble picking up the man's thoughts.

<She's mine, Jinn, only mine. There is *nothing* that you can give her that I can't, or won't.> Danni's eyes flashed angrily at the older man as Qui-Gon arched an eyebrow and smiled faintly, then he turned and strode away.

Shan looked at Qui-Gon, "Was that what I think it was, Qui?"

"Yes." Qui-Gon nodded as his smile widened slightly, "He's very perturbed at me right now."

"Good." Shan linked her arm with Qui-Gon's, "I still don't like him, even after fifteen years."

"Shan-Dowe Kwai doesn't *like* someone." Qui-Gon teased her, "I would've never thought that."

"Ohh, you." Shan grinned as she punched Qui-Gon in the shoulder.

Qui-Gon grinned as Shan-Dowe laughed, "You've been entirely too serious for the past few days, Shan, it's good to hear you laugh."

"You always could get me to laugh, Qui, it's your special gift."

"Let's go find Keira and Deain, then we can all laugh together."

"Sounds like a wonderful idea." Shan glanced around quickly, "Where should we start?"

"We know where the girls disappeared from, we just need to figure out how and where they are now." Qui-Gon nodded at the dark opening of a nearby mineshaft, "I think we should start in there."

"Any particular reason you chose that mineshaft?"

"I just feel drawn to it, like the Force is calling to us."

Shan nodded, "I can feel it too, should we get some lamps?"

"We've got our sabers, that'll be enough." Qui-Gon strode purposely toward the tunnel closely followed by Shan-Dowe. As the two Jedi Masters quickly disappeared down the tunnel a small red light blinked on and a small floating sentry droid chittered out a message to a comlink.

Shan and Qui-Gon wasted no time in searching together, they split up and each of them took a seperate side, ducking in and reappearing from various side tunnels as they walked ever deeper into the asteroid. As the tunnel slowly narrowed and the side tunnels stopped Shan repeatedly called out with her mind, hoping to reach Keira or Deain. They both stopped as they heard a sound of gravel shifting ahead of them. Qui-Gon motioned for Shan to stay to the left side of the tunnel while he stayed on the right and they moved forward slowly and silently, sabers held out in front and ready for use. They skirted a deep hole in the floor and were continuing forward when Shan suddenly noticed a blinking red light about four yards in front of Qui-Gon, without pausing Shan powered down her saber and threw herself against the other Jedi knocking them both to the ground as an explosion rocked the tunnel blinding them in dust and burying them in debris.

Sometime later, Qui-Gon slowly regained consciousness to find himself in a darkened room, ~what happened in the tunnel?~ his mind was foggy and disconnected. He reached out for the Force to clear his mind and found......*nothing*. He tried again, and again nothing was there. For the first time in his life Qui-Gon was without the Force to help or guide him. He sat up slowly, "Shan?" he called out softly. He was answered by a soft moan of pain from nearby. He reached out with a hand and felt a leg next to him, but as he ran his hand up the leg he was shocked to hear an intense cry of pain. Qui-Gon stopped moving his hand, then softly and slowly felt the limb beneath the material. The leg was fractured in at least three places, with bone splinters protruding from the skin below the knee. He moved up until he was sitting near Shan's head, he reached out and touched her face, "Shan?"

"Qui?" Shan's voice was weak with pain and shock, "What happened?"

"An explosion of some sort." Qui-Gon laid his hand on her shoulder, "How are you?" he asked softly.

"My leg....?"

"It's bad, Shan, real bad."

"I can't feel the Force." Shan's voice was getting weaker.

"Neither can I." Qui-Gon felt Shan trying to move, "What do you need, Shan?"

"Help me sit up a little."

Qui-Gon eased her up against his chest, flinching when she cried out in pain as her leg was jarred. "Easy, easy, Shan, I've got you." He held her as she tried to control her pain.

Shan gasped softly as she regained her control, "Where are we, Qui?"

"I'm not sure, Shan, but we're not in the tunnel anymore."

Qui-Gon heard movement behind him, he tried to reach out with the Force, but belatedly realized that he couldn't. "Who's there?" He called out softly.

"Master?" a young woman's voice came echoing back.

Shan gasped, "Deain? Is that you?"

"Master Kwai?" a quick movement was heard and suddenly there was two more people kneeling beside Shan-Dowe.

"Keira? Deain?" Shan's voice was still weak but she was gaining strength slowly.

"Master Kwai, you found us." Deain's voice was choked with emotion as she hugged Shan-Dowe.

"Shan, I'm going to see if there is a way out of here." Qui-Gon stood easily but he was unsure of which direction to head in, the absense of any light was almost as annoying as the loss of the Force. He felt for his lightsaber and discovered that it was missing, "Shan, do you still have your saber."

"No, it's gone."

Qui-Gon felt a hand brush against his leg and what seemed like a lightsaber hilt was pressed into his hand.

"Use that for light, Qui."

He thumbed the button on and was surprised to see a familiar opal white blade appear, "I thought you said your saber was gone, Shan."

"That's my secondary blade, I keep it under my tunic between my shoulders." Shan glanced up to see the white light illuminating his face. She looked over at Deain and Keira and gasped.

Qui-Gon turned quickly when he heard Shan gasp, he moved over to Keira's side and he sank to his knees beside her, he could tell something was wrong with her left shoulder, "It's dislocated, isn't it, Keira." He handed the glowing saber to Deain to hold.

The young Padawan nodded slowly, "It happened when we were brought here."

Qui-Gon reached out and laid his hands on her arm, "This is going to hurt." he said quietly.

"It can't be much worse that it is now, Master Jinn." Keira smiled at him, "Do what you have to do."

Qui-Gon nodded as he shifted his hands and with a gentle but strong twist he realigned the Padawan's shoulder. Loosening his belt he took his sash and tied the arm against her shoulder, "That'll keep you from moving it and injuring the shoulder any further, Keira." He smiled at the young woman, "How's does that feel?"

"It's sore, but it does feel better. Thank you, Master Jinn." Keira smiled back.

"Good." Qui-Gon nodded as he stood again as Deain handed the lightsaber back to him, "Now, how about us getting out of here." He walked over to the wall, and using the light cast off by the saber he quickly found a door and discovered it was locked. However, locked doors never stand a chance against a lightsaber. Qui-Gon quickly had the door opened and he returned to help Shan-Dowe to her feet, "Let me know if the pain gets too bad, Shan."

The injured Jedi nodded quickly as they moved slowly toward the door.

~TBC~