If I Dare Ask

2038-01-19T03:14:07Z

"If I dare ask, if the enemy is numerous, disciplined, and about to advance, how should we respond to them? I would say, first seize something they love" Sun Tzu

Obi-Wan sat at a terminal in the archives of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Hunting-and-pecking the name of a planetary system into his search engine, he sighed as pop-up advertisements began to crowd his screen.

A soft chime from the monitor told him he had received another instant transmission.

y0da_mstr: going well ur investig8ion is???
obiwancodered: As well as might be expected. Junker and Marcite Arms seem to have been focusing a great deal of attention on the planet Jona for some time. I can find little information on it though, in either the archives or Republic database.
y0da_mstr: sending u this from my belt transponder i am

Obi-Wan wasn't sure how to respond to this revelation so instead he opened another file on the mysterious planet, Jona. Expecting no great result, he was shocked to read the opening paragraphs of a mission log, written by a Jedi Master, no less!
"My, my. What have we here?"

y0da_mstr: songs can i store on it 2
obiwancodered: Master Yoda, what do you know of a Jedi Knight named Swebe Mann-Te? It seems he led a research expedition to Jona many years ago.
y0da_mstr: a great jedi mstr mann-te was died when u were but an infant killed he was when his stellar transport exploded 3 aides with him
obiwancodered: Much of the information in the log seems to have been purged. Of the five other Jedi who made up the expedition, four are listed in the registry as having perished in action. Only one remains, a healer, Master Morn.
y0da_mstr: speak with him you must but b on guard o b-wan dangerous times these r may the force b with u DX

Obi-Wan puzzled for a few moments over Yoda's instant transmission, until he finally realized it was the syntacticly-challenged Jedi master's attempt at an emoticon.
He closed the small window on the enigmatic transmission and exhaled.
It was strange that a scientific expedition would have generated so little traceable information. Surely there must be intact back-up copies of the log and data somewhere. It was definitely suspicious. Far from being able to glean any information about the planet, Obi-Wan found himself unsure of even what the expedition might have been studying.

The monitor chimed again. Obi-Wan reluctantly accepted the transmission, half expecting another questionable hyperlink from Master Yoda.

padawanda: what are you looking so serious about?

Obi-Wan's sensitivity to the Force led him to peer over the top of his cubicle -- across from him sat an attractive young Padawan. Her blue/green hair was a frightful mop of braids, somewhere in which was the ritual plait which marked her as a learner. She winked and began to type again.

padawanda: I need more practice with those advanced breathing exercises :P same place as last time?
Obi-Wan smiled.
obiwancodered: Shouldn't you discuss that with your Master?
padawanda: he's on a diplomatic mission to the sticks. and i'm bored :(
obiwancodered: Jedi are never bored... and only sometimes boring. Same place. Give me two standard hours. And I like what you've done with your hair.
He could feel her reaction through the Force and congratulated himself.
padawanda: cya then <3

Obi-Wan stroked his beard -- what would Marcite Arms want with a backwater planet that even the scientific community had lost interest in?
His puzzlement was quickly replaced with anticipation as the Padawan, Si Wan-Da, sashayed by his cubicle and out of the archives leaving the scent of fresh Murri fruits behind her.
Obi-Wan contemplated the rhythmic swaying of her nubile hips, the flash of light blue skin between her pants and cropped tunic, and mentally categorized her using an old mnemonic trick for storing data: Alternative/Artistic/Athletic. Well-rounded...

He heard the voice of his departed Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, in his head. Obi-Wan, keep your concentration here and now where it belongs.
"Oh but I am, Master. I am."

The door hissed as its hermetic seal cracked for the first time in many months. Obi-Wan drew his robe tightly round his body to protect against the buffeting winds. He walked slowly across the footbridge connecting the main Temple to this specially created garden -- the only one of its kind, forever recreating the violence of a windstorm.
The air lashed at his hair and clothes. Seeds spun round him an the tornado-like current. The air was dry -- desert air, he thought.
"Master Morn!" he shouted. A figure tending to a hardy little shrub froze and turned slowly towards him.

"Master Morn," Obi-Wan called again, "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi. I have come to speak with you."
The figure gestured for him to follow and shuffled quickly to a makeshift sandstone shelter. They stood silently for a moment, the roar of the wind just a few feet from them.
Morn dropped the hood of his robe and undid the scarf that protected his face. Obi-Wan was shocked at how blue the man's eyes were. They hung bright and watery in his old and parched face.
"I'm...sorry, Master Kenobi. It has been a very long time since I have spoken with anyone...or even heard another's voice. I have spent most of these last few years tending the plants and in silent meditation." The Jedi's voice was little more than a whisper.
"I am impressed with the atmospherics in here. I've never seen such an environment in a garden before."
"It is unique!" Morn's voice trembled as he became excited. Spittle appeared on his lips. "The Temple dedicated this wind-garden over a century ago. It was thought at the time that some of the desert plants found on Undini-9 were aids to Force concentration. This garden recreates that planet's climate exactly. Master Twino...But I don't suppose you came her for a lesson in horticulture. How can I help you, Master Kenobi?"

"I am looking for information on the planet Jona. I know you were part of a scientific research team that spent some time there and was wondering what you might be able to tell me?"
Morn blanched. "Is this an investigation?"
Obi-Wan could feel extreme nervousness exuding from the frail Jedi.
"Should there be an investigation, Master Morn?"

Morn collapsed suddenly dropping to the sand as if all the life had left his body. Obi-Wan crouched down to assist him but was pushed away.
"I am not allowed to speak of it!" Morn cried. "The Healers will not allow me. The Council has forbidden it! Do not ask me again. That planet is under the interdict."
Obi-Wan sat in silence for a few moments and watched as the sand drank up the old man's tears.

"Master Morn, I will learn what happened on Jona. The truth cannot be hidden forever. Here is my personal transponder code. You may contact me at any time."

After entering the code into Morn's comm, Obi-Wan turned to go. He had only walked a few steps when he heard his name being called. He stood and waited as Morn limped to him.
"Master Kenobi." Morn reached out and pulled a small seed with prickly roots from the fabric of Obi-Wan's robe. "I am sorry but I can't bear to lose a single one."

Two men in a hovercar waited patiently a few blocks from the Jedi Temple.
"Affirmative on life sign. Target is in the box."
One lifted a Marcite Arms rocket mortar to his shoulder.
"We have lock-on."
"Fire."
The missile sped across town preceded by a mini-force screen which enabled it to safely pass through the Temple laser defenses.

Mace Windu had been sitting in quiet meditation when he suddenly opened his eyes. Just then an explosion rocked the Temple, shattering windows on the surrounding buildings.
The security dispatch came almost instantly.
"Master Windu, Orange team here. We have just suffered a rocket attack. Impact centered on Master Kenobi's chambers. Damage minimal. Casualties light."

Mace clipped his lightsaber to his belt.
"You are mistaken, team leader. One of ours has just been killed."