Two men approached the table unnoticed by the diners.
"Excuse me." Said the elder and larger of the two.

"Yes?" Said Kraana, gazing at the men with her large
Calamarian eyes.

"I am looking for Tsalia Kai. A holographic librarian said
I might find her here."

"I'm Tsalia Kai. How can I help you?"

"My name is Gra-Wen, this is my son Bel-No," he said
indicating the young man at his side, "I don't know that
you can help me, but I have no where else to turn."

Lia introduced the two men to Erryn and Kraana, then
asked them to join them.

Gra-Wen then continued, "Bel-No's older brother has
been missing for several months. The Security Forces
seem to have stopped looking for him. I was hoping
maybe you might have some idea where he has gone."

"What is your son's name?" Even as the words came
out of her mouth realization dawned on her. She should
have noticed the resemblence in the two men before her.

"Rho-Nar."

Hearing the name made her stomach lurch, a chill ran through
her body. This was supposed to be over with. She had put
it behind her. It was as if that had been someone else in that
cabin, raped and beaten, not her. Now it was back anew.
Images of Rho-Nar assaulted her as she tried to seem
calm and attentive. Lia clasped her shaking hands tightly
together on her lap. She had never imagined that that monster
could have a father and brother who might miss him.

"...I understand why you fired him after the incident in the
library," Gra-Wen continued, "but why did you then agree
to meet him on Kashyyyk? That I don't understand."

Lia hoped her voice wouldn't betray her. "I don't know
what you mean. I didn't agree to meet him anywhere."
She saw Erryn and Kraana watched her intently, they
did not know about the events on Kashyyyk, but they could
evidently see that something was wrong.

"In his last transmission to us he said he was meeting you
on Kashyyyk. I found the freighter pilot who took him, but the
Wookiees there would not talk to us."

"There was no meeting. I'm sorry I couldn't help you." Lia
said rising as steadily as she could manage. "Now if you
will please excuse me, I have a couple of errands to run."

******************

Lia made it to the restroom outside the dining hall before
she fell apart. After vomiting in the toilet she sat on the floor
and cried. When her tears had stopped flowing, she got
up, washed her face and exited the restroom.

Erryn Brum stood at the door waiting for her. "Feel any
better?"

"I'm fine." She answered heading down the corridor.

"What happened back there?" His voice was concerned.
"And don't try to tell me it was the food, I've seen some of
the stuff you eat."

"It's nothing Erryn." She said picking up her pace.

"That's not true. I saw how upset you were back there. All
of the color drained out of your face. Kraana felt it too, strong
enough to make her sick. She said I should check on you
and make sure you were not alone." His mind worked
feverishly, putting together pieces of a puzzle he had been
unable to solve for months. Her extended stay on Kashyyyk,
how different she was when she first returned and the way
Qui-Gon Jinn and Kenobi hovered around her for so long.
The pieces began to form a picture that made his heart
break. His voice shook when he continued, "Rho-Nar
followed you to Kashyyyk didn't he?"

Lia halted, looking Brum in the eye she pleaded, "Erryn,
don't!"

"What did he do to you?" Lia shook her head, her hands
trembled as she swiped at the tears that had begun to spill
down her face. Erryn wrapped his arms around her protectively.
She sobbed quietly on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Lia," he
whispered, "I'm so sorry." He had always longed to hold her
in his arms, but not like this. He would see that man dead for
this, he determined. He blinked back tears of his own as he
continued to embrace the woman who meant so much to him.

********************

"Should we try to get in touch with Master Jinn?" Erryn asked
as they sat down to tea in Lia's quarters a short time later.

"Of course not! I'm fine now that I've had a good cry. Anyway it
took me so long to convince him that I was not some frail and
helpless victim that needed protecting before, I don't want to go
through that again." She laughed. She really was feeling better,
she realized. She had been caught off guard earlier, that was
all. It had helped to have Erryn near. He had not asked any more
questions, which she was very glad of. She was grateful to have
such a supportive friend. She was not sure what to do about
Gra-Wen and Bel-No, however. She supposed she would have
to see what developed and if necessary tell them what had
happened to Rho-Nar. She knew it would not be an easy thing
to do, but she could do it.

*********************

"I could spend the night if you like. On the sofa, I mean," Erryn
offered at the door a few hours later.

"No, I'll be fine," Lia said. "Thank you for being such a good
friend Erryn." She gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek.

"Anytime." He took her hand in his. "If you ever need anything,
or if you just want to talk, please contact me. I'll come right away."

*****************

To Lia's relief, there was no sign of Gra-Wen and Bel-No the
next day. When she returned to her quarters after work, a noise
in the other room startled her until she realized that it was water
sloshing in the pool sized tub. That sound could mean only
one thing. She ran to the fresher.

"Qui-Gon!" She cried joyously.

"There you are!" He grinned from the water. "Come here."
Qui-Gon took hold of Lia's arm, pulling her fully clothed,
into the tub. She landed on the Jedi master's lap with a
splash.

"Hey!" She started, but was silenced by a kiss. How
marvelous it was to be in his arms again.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his blue eyes boring into
hers.

"I just missed you that's all." She answered, peeling
off her soaking wet clothes and dropping them to the
floor.

Qui-Gon helped her slip off her panties then tossed
them aside. "That's not it. There's something more."

Lia straddled his lap, making sure to graze his penis
with her thigh. "Shhhh." She said, then took his lips
in a hungry kiss.

His concerns were swept aside as she sent her
tongue darting between his parted lips. He returned
her kiss forcefully, his hands moved to her hair, freeing
it from the clip that held it up. It fell in dark waves around
their faces.

Lia pulled back from the kiss, her breath quick. Grasping
Qui-Gon's swollen member, she lowered herself on it. Her
body shuddered with delight at the incomparable fullness
that his size afforded. His hands gripped her thighs as she
enveloped him completely.

"Oh Lia," he gasped, "You're so beautiful."He watched her
body move. Slowly, seductively she began to ride him, her
eyes clouded with passion. He held her hips, pushing up
hard in her when she landed. They both began to moan,
moving quickly to climax. Water splashed everywhere. Lia
cried out, arching her back. Qui-Gon felt her orgasm
squeezing at his erection. He was close, so close. She
was driving him to the edge. Lia kept coming and coming.
Qui-Gon sat up, wrapped his arms around her waist and
bit down on one of her hard nipples. Lia let out a scream
and Qui-Gon could feel her orgasm intensify.The contractions
around his throbbing member grew stronger. He could hold
back no longer, releasing her nipple he twisted their bodies
around so that Lia's back was against the side of the tub. He
kissed at her neck, her shoulders as he drove hard into her.

Lia's orgasm was subsiding as Qui-Gon was giving in to his
own. She could tell he was ready. She was meeting him thrust
for thrust, urging him on, when a sickening chill ran through
her body. Ignoring it, she reached up to kiss his neck when
she saw his face. It was not Qui-Gon it was Rho-Nar! Lia
panicked. She screamed, hitting him in the face as hard as
she could. She wrenched her body away from him
and out of the tub, then ran from the room.

Qui-Gon hurried after her, mortified. He had sensed
something was wrong earlier. Why hadn't he discovered
what it was instead of acting on his physical desires? The
look of terror that was in her eyes when she screamed
made his blood run cold. He had seen that look before.

He found her sitting on the bedroom floor crying, her head
resting on her knees. He approached cautiously, not wanting
to frighten her.

"Lia, honey," he tried, there was no response. He sat on the
floor beside her and gently put his arm around her shoulder.
"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

She was afraid to look up. She knew it was Qui-Gon's voice
speaking to her. She knew Rho-Nar was dead, that he couldn't
have been with her in the tub, that it wasn't him she'd hit. A
different fear took hold. Lia jerked her head up. It was Qui-Gon
she'd struck, his lip was swollen and bleeding. She reached
out a shaky hand to touch his lip. She wanted to die, she had
hit the man she loved more than life, the only man she had
ever loved. She began to cry even harder now.

Qui-Gon could feel the storm of emotions that raged in Lia.
It broke his heart to see her in such pain. He took her in his
arms, holding her tight. Using the Force he called a blanket
to him, wrapping it around her trembling body. He tried to
send reassuring thoughts to her along their link, but she was
too upset for them to help.

As Lia began to settle down, she looked up into Qui-Gon's
eyes. "I'm...so...sorry," she began between quiet sobs. Tears
still streamed down her face. "I...never...meant... to..."

"I know that." He assured her, wiping her tears with his long
fingers. "You mustn't worry about it any more."

She rested her head on his chest. The steady beat of his
heart and the warmth of his body relaxed her further.

"Tell me what's happened that's got you so upset." He said
softly as he stroked her wet hair.

Lia sighed quietly and proceeded to tell him about her visit
from Rho-Nar's father and brother. Qui-Gon cursed himself
for not being there for her. Once again it was Erryn Brum
who had taken care of her in his stead.

"I should have been with you." He said, kissing the top of her
head.

They were silent for a long time. Qui-Gon assumed Lia
had fallen asleep until she spoke again. "I have to tell Gra-Wen
what happened. He and Bel-No have a right to know."

"Lia..."

"I have to Qui-Gon," her voice was quiet but firm, "I can't
let them go on searching. That would be cruel."

"They will have many questions. It will not be easy."

"I know, but it will never be over until it is done."

********************

Lia used Coruscant Comp-Net to locate and contact
Gra-Wen and his son. They agreed to meet with her
in one of the conference rooms of the Temple library.

Qui-Gon held tight to Lia's hand as they neared their
destination. Her heart raced, her stomach felt queasy.
Lia took a deep breath before stepping through the entry
to the conference room. She was surprised to find Yoda
and Obi-Wan seated at the long oval table with Rho-Nar's
father and brother. She glanced up at Qui-Gon who nodded
slightly at his apprentice and the old master. He did not
seem surprised by their presence. Standing silently in the
corner, Lia recognized the MD droid from the chancellor's
ship that had examined her on Kashyyyk.

Qui-Gon and Lia took seats opposite Gra-Wen and Bel-No.
The Jedi master sensed in Lia a great uneasiness as well
as a fierce determination as she made the introductions.
He continued to hold her hand, running his thumb across
her fingers. He had offered to speak for her, but Lia had
declined.

Lia was comforted by the love she felt coming from Qui-Gon
along their link as she spoke. "I don't quite know where to
begin," she said. "I'm afraid I was not honest with you the
other day, Gra-Wen. I did not agree to meet Rho-Nar
on Kashyyyk, he followed me there. I was doing some work
for the Jedi Museum in an old cabin outside of a small village.
Master Jinn was there as well. One morning I went to work
as usual and as I entered the cabin was hit from behind. I
do not know how long I was unconscious, but when I woke
I found myself bound and gagged." Lia stopped and took
a deep breath, exhaling slowly in an attempt to keep her
emotions from surfacing. She squeezed Qui-Gon's hand
with all her might as she continued, "Rho-Nar beat and
raped me repeatedly that whole day and well into the night.
He sabotaged the walkway and all vines leading to the
cabin and he led me to believe that Qui-Gon was dead."
Tears ran down her face at this. She wiped them away
and kept speaking. "At some point I was untied, I'm not
sure when, I was drifting in and out of consciousness
toward the end. Qui-Gon had fallen but did not die. He
managed to climb up to the cabin, but was shot by Rho-Nar
when he entered. The blaster was set on stun. He said he
wanted Qui-Gon to watch as he raped me again. Qui-Gon
was able to fight off the stunning effect however, he slammed
Rho-Nar into the wall. The blaster landed near my hand, I
set it at full power and squeezed the trigger. Rho-Nar died
instantly." The room was silent. Lia felt as if a great weight
had been lifted from her chest.

"MD-73," Master Yoda broke the silence, addressing the
droid in the corner, Treat Tsalia Kai on Kashyyyk, did you?"

"Yes." Came the slightly metalic reply.

"For us you will replay that examination."

"With the patients permission." Lia nodded and an image
of herself appeared on the conference table. She lay curled
up in a small ball, Obi-Wan's cloak covering her body. Her
face was swollen and bloody, her hair matted with blood
and vomit. Lia wanted to have the projection stopped, but
she kept silent, trusting that Yoda was doing what he thought
was best. She could sense that Qui-Gon was close to putting
a stop to it himself.

As the cloak was pulled away from Lia's shoulder in the
projected image, cuts, bruises and teeth marks were
plainly visible.

"Turn that off!" Gra-Wen roared, jumping to his feet. The
image disappeared immediately. "I don't want to see any
more. I don't need proof. I can see in her that what she said
was true." He returned to his chair, then addressed Lia, "I
am truly sorry for all you have suffered. My son was not a
well man."

"What became of my brother's body?" Asked Bel-No, his
hand resting on his father's shoulder.

It was Obi-Wan who answered, "A couple of wookiees
from the village disposed of it. I'm not certain how."

"So Republic Security stopped their search because
they knew Rho-Nar was dead. Why couldn't they have
told us?" Bel-No asked.

"They could not tell you something they did not know,"
Qui-Gon explained. "I asked the supreme chancellor
to call off the search. I was hoping to spare Lia from
having to go through that nightmare again. I apologize
to both of you, I had no idea Rho-Nar had family. I
should have checked."

"Share the blame, I do. To the chancellor I also spoke."
Master Yoda stated.

****************

"Gra-Wen and his son have left Coruscant, my Master."
Qui-Gon said bowing his respect to Yoda.

"Came here to tell me this, did you?"

"No Master."

"Something to ask me you have."

"Why did you speak to Valorum?"

"Sentimental have I become in my old age. Know the
helplessness and pain you felt on Kashyyyk. A master
watches out for his padawan." The old Jedi replied.

******************

"You're very quiet tonight." Qui-Gon said to Lia as they
lay together in bed that evening. "Are you all right?"

Lia was nestled at his side, her head resting above the
crook of his shoulder, her arm lay across his chest. "I'm
fine," she replied with a smile. "I've been thinking how
lucky I am to have you in my life. You have no idea how
much your love and support mean to me." Lifting her arm
from his chest, Lia began to caress his face with the tips
of her fingers.

Qui-Gon's eyes slid shut, his features softening as he
lost himself in her touch. "I love you Lia. There is nothing
I wouldn't do for you." He kissed her finger tips as they
grazed his lips.

An oasis of softness surrounded by the courseness of his
beard and mustache, his lips seemed to be calling her.
Lia stretched her body up to plant a tender kiss there,
which was returned in kind. Qui-Gon moved Lia on top
of him, hands resting casually on her bare buttocks.
She left a trail of soft kisses across his brow and over his
still closed eyes. She moved her body seductively over
his as she began to nibble at his earlobe. He moaned
quietly, kneeding her behind and pressing her body
against his erection. Lia purred at his touch, desire
burning inside her.

Qui-Gon rolled them over, nestling between Lia's legs.
"Are you sure you are ready for this?" He asked, concerned
about her panic the night before.

She combed her fingers through his hair to the back of his
head, pulling him down for a kiss. "Sometimes it scares
me how much I love you, how much I want you," she said
her eyes clouded with lust.

END