Interlude 3

The fighter wing jolted several times as it was hit, but Shania kept the thing moving. With Pax's tweaking, the fighter broke beyond it's capacity for speed and shot through the barracade surrounding her asteroid home.

"Hey, Qui-Gon, you still alive back there?" she said over her shoulder, clenching her teeth at another hit. "Come on, Pax. One more hit like that and we're space debris. Get with it, my friend!"

Pax screamed a reply, which was immediately translated by the ship computer as "If I do anymore I blow my own circuits!"

"Qui-Gon!" Shania called sharply over her shoulder. There was still no reply. "Damn it, this is no time to play the strong and silent type, Jedi!" It remained eerily quiet behind her. "Pax, take over I'm going to check on our passenger." Pax beeped a reply not repeatable in public as Shania twisted around in her seat to try and look behind her. "Oh God."

She turned to the front again. Qui-Gon had been bashed in the head with something from the looks of things. Blood was encrusted on his head already and he looked very unconscious to her way of thinking. She twisted back around. "Head for the Galactic capital, Pax. We have to take our friend home." Pax booped, then beeped, followed by several whistles, indicating he was complying.

Shania grimaced as she gingerly worked her arm into Qui-Gon's cramped riding area and wiped at the blood with her hand to ascertain the damage. It was horrible, but it wasn't good. It had knocked him cold, which was never a good thing.

"Stay with me, Jedi," she pleaded to him softly. "I'll never grace your doorstep again if you just stay with me, okay?" His heartbeat was regular and he otherwise seemed fine. "Fine, then," she snapped teasingly, "stay unconscious. Just don't die. I'd hate to explain that to your Council."

Yoda waited impatiently for news, but he often waited in vain. After 850 years of living the Jedi master had learned a large amount of patience. Every once in a while, though, it failed him, such as now. His growing concern for Qui-Gon was increasing. The Jedi knight had stated he was returning home with the information needed to stop Siren's Song at the Republic borders.

So where in the Sith was he?

The personal communications array that Yoda had set up in his quarters beeped at him, indicating an upcoming message. "Speak, please," Yoda requested, hoping it was Qui-Gon.

"I'm bringing your boy home, Jedi Master Yoda," said a voice that Yoda did not recognize. He still knew who it was. Si'Haad.

"Harmed he is?" asked Yoda gruffly.

"Got banged in the head when we had to flee my home. I'm dropping him off, but if I find even a sniff of Republic fighters waiting for me to land, I'm dropping him off in orbit of the nearest sun, you got that?" The woman's voice was harsh, almost a snarl.

"Understand I do not," Yoda said soothingly. "Tell me what has happened you will."

"I'll play along," she snapped, "since the odds are good you have no clue anyway. Your precious Republic just blew the hell out of my hideaway. With any luck my people have gotten out of there before the thing goes skyhigh. You pulled a double-cross, Yoda, and I have a feeling I'm not getting my pay."

Yoda was shocked. He thumped to the ground like a rag doll. "Supreme Chancellor assured me, he did, that your payment you would get."

"And you believed him?" The woman seemed momentarily amused by this. "I would suggest that you watch who you trust, Jedi Master Yoda, because obviously your precious Chancellor wanted his cake and a little punch on the side. Just think what a feather in his cap it would be! The legendary Si'Haad imprisoned after all these years and stopping a major drug threat, almost with one blow."

Though the thief could not see him, Yoda flushed a very dark green. "Meet you just beyond Coruscant's system I will personally. Drop off Qui-Gon, if you please, and on your way you may go."

"Do you have any suggestions?" She was amused again. "The one place in the universe I could almost guarantee my security was the one place that was blown to hell just for you people. Please, if you could suggest someplace else?"

"Know that I do not," Yoda said regretfully. "Saddened I am by this and hefty credit payment I can offer you. No more, I am unable to give."

"Forget it then," she said disdainfully. "Money doesn't buy pudu, Yoda, as you well know. I will meet you outside the system."

The buoy was disconnected as quickly as it was activated and Yoda was left there, staring at the mechanism with saddened, green eyes. "A dark day this is," he said outloud to no one.