Part Thirteen

Qui-Gon slipped into the records room safely, having encountered no one as he skulked down the corridors per his master's instructions. He sat down in the chair in front of a computer bank and began to run a search using keywords like Ptoph, long-term effects, symptoms and others.

His search on Ptoph came up with a huge mountain of information, which he stored on a data encoder disk. Further searching for symptoms found a full medical investigation by Ptoph and certain Thoughtian "officials", sponsored by Marteene the Hutt, stating that long-term usage and living conditions within the planets atmosphere eventually brought about mental instability.

"Well, duh," Qui-Gon muttered.

More information as he dug around came to light. There was another power behind the operation, it seemed, and Qui-Gon had a sneaking suspicion he knew who it was.

"Bova," he said outloud as the realization struck, "and the merchants Ashanti sensed she worked for. The Trade Federation itself is spearheading this for a portion of the profits."

"A large portion, actually, young Jedi," a voice said behind him.

Qui-Gon jumped up, pulling his lightsaber as he moved in one swift motion. The Force had told him long ago of her presence but he chose to ignore it for now, until her machinations became apparent. Now they were and good faced off evil. Qui-Gon felt a surge of power from the Force and the call that Ashanti was on her way. This was what he dreamed of, becoming a Jedi knight to defeat the forces of evil and darkness. Bova was a minion of that darkness, he of the light.

Bova pulled a blaster and fired at him.

He parried the blast easily enough, deflecting it back at her, hoping to end the confrontation quickly. She dodged the returning bolt with a graceful ease that Qui-Gon would never have imagined from a Hutt of any gender.

"Nice try, young Jedi, but nothing is going to stop me from making you into a pin cushion. Our plans must continue here and you are just in the way." She leveled her blaster again, aiming directly for his shoulder, no doubt thinking to put the saber arm out of commission.

She fired. He blocked.

The pattern continued over and over, with the two dodging each other's actions in continuous motion. Qui-Gon could sense nothing from Bova except determination and confidence. It was as if she knew something he didn't.

"Where are your loyal guards, Bova?" he asked, sending the chair skittering toward her in the vain hope it could "trip" her up as she slithered from side to side.

"They died in service to me, little one. You'll be joining them soon." Bova fired again, this time behind Qui-Gon, sending circuits and wiring from a computer console into an explosion. Several shards of the console lodged themselves in Qui-Gon's back and shoulders, but he shrugged off the pain as he'd been taught.

*Accept the pain, do not fight it. It is a part of you now, Qui-Gon. Accept it and continue. It is the only way to survive it.* Qui-Gon heard the words of Master Yoda coaching him. He pushed the pain from his mind, allowing the Force to flow through him, strengthening him.

His saber's blue blade grew dark and strong, and the boy apprentice leaped high in the air, tired and ready to end this pointless battle once and for all.

Ashanti came careening around the corner and slammed into the records room door. Locked!

She pulled her lightsaber and sliced the thin metal door open in two strokes. It wasn't locked, however, it was blocked by the corpse of Bova the Hutt. Ashanti powered down her lightsaber and scrambled over the smelly, dead Hutt. "Qui-Gon?" she called frantically, sending out feelers within the Force. She sensed he was unconscious, but she didn't know exactly where he was at.

*Qui-Gon, you must wake up now. We have to leave!* Through their bond Qui-Gon stirred at his master's voice and Ashanti felt it. *Come on, padawan! GET UP!*

Qui-Gon sat up suddenly, scaring Ashanti to death. Blood was splattered all over his body and he had a huge blaster gash on the side of his head. Another wound oozed blood from his shoulder.

"I held onto my saber, Master," the boy said weakly, giving a triumphant grin. "She shot me in the shoulder, but I used the Force to hold on and guide my hand to defeat her."

Ashanti breathed a sigh of relief. She hugged the injured boy to her and said, "Not bad, padawan, not bad at all. She was a determined Hutt, I can tell, and you did right in defeating her." His dark blue eyes lit up at the praise from his worshipped master and he fainted back into unconsciousness. "Now here's hoping you got the information we need," she muttered to herself.

She groaned when she viewed the room. Blaster bolts had pretty much destroyed everything, including the main computer. She poked around, hoping for a miracle but found nothing. With a heavy sigh, Ashanti returned to Qui-Gon's side and gingerly picked him up.

She pulled from her side pouch a communicator and punched the button. "Hey, Pak? Hal Lim? You guys ready to get this over with? I think we can still prove our case. The main computers are destroyed, but everyone keeps a backup."

"We're ready, Ashanti," affirmed Hal Lim, sounding exhausted, mentally, emotionally and physically. "We'll find a way to nail them, I promise you that."

"I'll be there shortly. My padawan is injured. Prepare the emergency medpac, would you?"

"Right away," came Hal Lim's worried response.

Ashanti shifted the prone form of her padawan to a more comfortable carrying position and heard a soft thud by her feet. She looked down and then put Qui-Gon back on the floor.

An information disk.

He did it.

Ashanti smiled. "Come on, padawan, I think we can say the mission is a success." She picked him back up, hopped nimbly over the dead female Hutt and made her way back outside to the waiting transport with Pak and Hal Lim.

"Well done, Ashanti, Qui-Gon," approved Master Yoda, his sleepy eyes a little wider than normal. Ashanti knew that look too. It only meant more trouble for her, and now her padawan learner.

"But?" she prompted.

Yoda blinked at her once in pure innocence. "No but, Ashanti. And."

Ashanti sighed. "And?"

"You earn vacation. To Plumera you will go. Heal Qui-Gon and yourself, please, so you can get back to more serious things." Yoda's images blipped off and Ashanti growled to herself.

"Little green-skinned, swamp-hugging know-it-all," she muttered as she exited the communications room to join Hal Lim, Qui-Gon Jinn and Pak.

"You had to have been speaking with Yoda," grinned Hal Lim, his black eyes dancing with banked amusement.

"Who else?" she sputtered. "Padawan, we're taking a vacation."

"Not another one," groaned Qui-Gon.

"No, this is actually a vacation," smiled Ashanti, amused at his antics.

"And myself?" asked Hal.

"Yoda thinks you should stay here, but contact him first to make sure I understood everything. It seems you have a natural immunity now to the atmosphere after such prolonged exposure." Ashanti grinned ferally at him. "Some species have all the breaks."

"Wouldn't be mine," he rejoined with an answering feral grin. "Pak, show me to my own quarters and you, my friend, can join me on finishing my mission here."

Pak's outline shimmered in a bow and then gave a kaleidoscope of colors to show its pleasure. "I would be honored, friend Hal."

"No, friend Pak, the pleasure was ours," corrected Hal with a yawn.

"Well, we leave tomorrow morning, Pak, so this is farewell." Ashanti bowed to the shimmering alien and Qui-Gon bowed his head, unable to yet move his torso. Actually he could move his torso, if Ashanti wasn't around to have a conniption fit about it. She was convinced he needed much convalescing, though he was healing faster than a normal human, thanks to the Force.

"I will see you again, friend Ashanti, friend Qui-Gon?" asked Pak, shimmering a dark blue in worry.

Ashanti's eyes glinted mischief. "I'm like a bad Republic credit, Pak, you never know where I'll turn up."

"And I'll be right behind her," added Qui-Gon, reaching for drink, only to have Ashanti's tail smack his hand and then hand him the glass so he wouldn't have to move. He shook his head in exasperation.

"No, you'll be right beside me. No one follows me unless they have a deathwish," Ashanti corrected. She and Hal bowed formally to each other and then clasped hands in farewell. "Until we meet again, Hal Lim."

"Until we meet again, Ashanti Vende." Hal and Pak left the room.

Qui-Gon looked at Ashanti. "Ashanti, why are we going to Plumera?"

"Unfinished business."