NOTE: A while ago I said that I was trying to write shorter stories,
Which took on slightly less epic preportions. Well, I failed. Failed
miserably. This is probably my longest, most involved story yet.
I just can't seem to come up with ideas that can be condenced down to
anything less than 60 pages. My appologies.
I am cutting the story up into short segments so as not to weary you all
with huge posts.
Think of it like a serial.
I shall be a semi-regular visitor in your mailbox until this story is
finished, so get used to me! :D
I hope you all like it!
Part One:
The flames raged, higher and higher, reaching out their destructive tendrils to engulf and destroy the laboratory. Bottles on the wall beneath the flames popped and shattered like explosives as their chemical contents were heated by the fire. The shelf gave way, sending what was left of its load crashing into the building inferno. The fire writhed and momentarily changed color as it was inundated by the dangerous mix it had just consumed.
Qui-Gon Jinn noticed with alarm that the flames were heading for the large oxygen drums on the far wall. When those went up this whole place was going to be cinders. "Come on, let's go! Move, move, move!" he urged the fleeing scientists. The room shook as something exploded down the hall.
A moment later, the Jedi Master was relieved to see his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, enter the room. The apprentice's clothes were singed and his face and hair darkened with soot and streaked with sweat, but he was otherwise unharmed. The young Jedi clutched two children in his arms and four more hung onto his robes, wide-eyed and scared to death. Obi-Wan did not stop to speak to his Master but hurried the children out of the building. Blaster bolts exploded around the fifteen-year-old Jedi's head. Instinctively, he ducked; jumping back and shoving the children out of harms way as well.
The soldiers who had set the building ablaze ringed the flaming structure, mercilessly shooting down those who fled. This door had been safe last time Obi-Wan had ushered people through it, but it was no longer and he would have to find another way to get these kids out of here. His mind could not comprehend the ruthlessness behind all this, torching the building, shooting people, shooting at children of all things! "It's okay kids," he tried to sooth as he dragged them back the way they had just come. "It'll be okay. Just stay with me."
"Master! Master Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan called, finding him once more. "The east door is no longer safe." Qui-Gon swore silently under his breath. "Neither is the west door," he said with forced calm.
Obi-Wan bit his lip. They were trapped. "Is everyone out of the building yet?" Qui-Gon asked, his gaze sweeping over the children that huddled around Obi-Wan like frightened koka's.
"Most everyone, except maybe a handful scattered about, and these children," Obi-Wan confirmed what Qui-Gon already knew. The air was stiflingly hot and choked with acrid smoke. The children coughed and Obi-Wan had to resist the urge to do the same.
Leila, one of the scientists who had stayed behind to help everyone else get out ran up to them. "This building is as empty as we're going to get it. The fire's progressing too fast, we have to get out of here now!" she reported breathlessly, pushing her thick bundle of short, black braids back over her shoulder.
"That will be a little difficult," Qui-Gon said, searching for a plan. "The Drojan army has us quite thoroughly surrounded." Leila hissed through her teeth, wiping perspiration off her brow with her sleeve. "Pigs!" she spat, referring to the Drojans. "This is exactly why we refused to create biological and chemical weapons for them, because they're animals!" she raged. "This was a research station, not a weapons lab, we tried to tell them that..." her eyes turned hard and hopeless. "I guess that isn't what they wanted to hear."
"You made the right choice," Qui-Gon assured.
"Yeah, I guess this is proof of that," Leila shook her head. "Come on, there's a maintenance entrance in the back of one of the labs, with any luck, they won't have discovered it yet." The two Jedi, children in tow, followed Leila down the smoke- filled corridors. The lab in question was already engulfed in flames. Each adult took two children in their arms and made a dash through the raging fire.
Smoke, laced with chemical fumes choked them and stung their eyes. Leila struggled with the door. "It's locked!" she cried in dismay.
Drawing his lightsaber, Qui-Gon quickly took care of that. Kicking the door open, they tumbled outside, into the pale light of the Driosian day. They found themselves in an outdoors storage area behind the building. A high fence with no door, twice as tall as Qui-Gon ran around the area.
"Do you think we can climb it Master?" Obi-Wan asked, looking uncertainly up at the imposing barrier.
"No," Qui-Gon shook his head. "It's electro-charged," he said, testing it with a gentle touch that left his finger numb. "Only one way then," the apprentice said, setting down the children he carried.
Qui-Gon nodded, releasing his burdens as well. "Leila, stand there by the wall with the children. We're going to lift you over and then pass the children to you. Whatever you do, you have got to be calm and trust us, all right?" Leila nodded. She was not sure what the Jedi had in mind, but she did trust them. Clutching two of the frightened four-year- olds to her breast, she waited.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan both closed their eyes and their powers joined.
Leila felt herself rising off the ground, the children still in her arms. She resisted the urge to look down and tried to remain calm as Qui-Gon had told her to, but it was not easy. Slowly, she rose up, over the fence and was set down gently on the far side.
"Leila, are you all right?" she heard Qui-Gon's voice call to her from the other side of the barrier.
"I'm fine, and I'm on the other side. There's no one in sight for the moment," she reported quickly.
"We're sending the children over," Qui-Gon told her as he and Obi-Wan prepared to hoist two more of the youngsters into the air. Qui-Gon wondered if perhaps he should have his apprentice hold two of the children and send them over together, bringing the remaining two with him on the next trip, but he mentally checked their reserves and decided against it. Neither Master, nor Padawan had slept in over 72 hours. This last business of evacuating the burning research station had used up nearly the last of their energies. It took both of them concentrating together to safely levitate anyone at this point. They would send the children over, and then follow themselves.
In groups of two they sent the quiet, but terrified youngsters over the fence and deposited them safely with Leila on the other side.
"Okay, I've got them, now you two come. Hurry! I think I hear people coming!" Leila called urgently.
It was too late. Snipers from the nearby buildings opened up fire on the little group below them.
"Leila run! Take the children, get out of here!" Qui-Gon commanded urgently, igniting his blade to deflect the shots aimed at them. Obi-Wan did likewise.
Leila did not hesitate but took the children and cleared out of there as fast as she could. She knew the Jedi could take care of themselves.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan blocked the shots raining down on them, but it was a losing proposition. They were trapped behind the fence with nowhere to go but back into the burning building. They could not possibly levitate themselves out while they were being shot at, and the fence was much too high to jump. Well, they couldn't stay here, Qui-Gon realized grimly as the sniper-fire intensified. It was literally like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, yet they had no choice but to retreat back into the burning laboratory.
The flames were very thick now and the ceiling groaned an ominous warning that it was not going to stay up much longer. A hail of burning ruble collapsed directly in front of them, blocking the doorway back into the rest of the building. The flames were all around them, licking at their long robes and searing their lungs.
Obi-Wan whirled around when he heard a loud, shrieking pop. Heated beyond endurance, a test tube exploded like a missile had hit it. Just as he turned, another beaker blew up, shattering and projecting its contents all over the room, and Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan did not have time to duck and the burning chemicals caught him directly in the face and eyes. Shards of glass embedded themselves in his robes like shrapnel and tore his arms and hands as he flung them up in a delayed attempt to protect himself. The young Jedi felt the chemicals burn like liquid fire on his skin, making him cry out in shock and pain. Obi-Wan's hands flew to his face in a desperate attempt to wipe the stinging fluid away on the sleeve of his tunic. Qui-Gon jumped to his Padawan's side. Just then, a huge explosion shook the building, signaling it's last moments. Obi-Wan fell to his knees. Fire rained down around them like the world was coming to an end. The ceiling above gave way, crashing down.
Qui-Gon threw himself over his Padawan, pressing the boy to
the floor as the world fell down around them.
Obi-Wan dimly felt his Master's body over his, but he was
really aware only of the burning pain in his face and eyes.
Then, everything faded to black and he remembered no more.
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Continue on to Part Two