They ran to the hanger with the repair crews. The ship was coming in fast, losing life support quickly. The fire crews were standing by in the bay while a medical team was just arriving. According to the logs, there would be two passengers, ambassadors of the Jedi Council.
Tal-Ishara Kender paced the floor by the medical team, controlling her fear. "Damned pirates," she mumbled. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and turned to her master, Rees Toth.
"Relax Ishara. Your impatience does them no good now."
She sighed and stopped her pacing. "Yes, Master." Still she could not help but worry and folded her arms loosely, catching the tail of her black padawan braid in her fingers and fidgeting with it. Toth caught this action but said nothing.
On the ship, Obi-Wan Kenobi struggled with the controls. Though they'd escaped the space pirate attack, their ship was badly damaged. It was a miracle they'd made it this far with the damage they sustained. He looked back at his master with concern. "Master, we're almost there. You'll be alright."
Qui-Gon Jinn nodded, offering his apprentice a weak smile. He'd been badly injured in the attack after one of the ship's coolant pipes ruptured, sending fragments of titanium into his leg, shredding the muscle. As it was he could barely walk, but once the doctors got to him, he'd be as good as new. If they survived the landing.
He felt his padawan's uneasiness and shared it. He knew the damage to the ship was great, and it would take every ounce of skill Obi-Wan possessed to land this craft. He did what he could for the young man, using their telepathic link to give Obi-Wan his strength and quiet his mind. Qui-Gon's pain was becoming unbearable now, especially since he wasn't using his mental techniques to dull it. Obi-Wan needed him now, he told himself as he gritted his teeth against another spasm.
The ship smoked as it approached the hanger, shedding bits of outer casing as it re-entered the atmosphere. The crew saw the ship and took their places behind the protective blast shields. Ishara and Rees stood with the medical crew and watched helplessly as the ship approached. She murmured quietly, "Come on, Ben. You can do this."
The ship entered the hanger in a streak, smoke and sparks filling the air. It skidded to a stop, bumping twice before the sheer weight of the monstrosity ended its slide. The crews worked quickly, using prybars on the hatch, which had welded itself shut on reentry. Watching them struggle with the hatch, Rees bellowed a command to clear the area and with a snap/hiss extended his lightsaber and cut through the door. Ishara stood back, waiting for her master to finish, knowing time was growing very short. The hatch blew open and she leapt through the opening, the hanger crew in her wake.
They took Qui-Gon out first, who was mercifully unconscious. Surveying the damage to his leg, she winced, then mentally told Rees what treatment to have the medical teams begin. Making her way to the cockpit, she saw Obi-Wan crumpled over the smoking controls. She moved him quickly but carefully, surveying his injuries with a careful eye. There was a deep gash on his forehead, probably from hitting the control panel on impact. She ran a practiced hand along his back, feeling for a spinal injury. Thankfully there was none. He groaned when she touched his side.
"Gods Ben, I should strangle you for that scare," she said softly. "Can you walk?"
He tried to shake his head then quickly stopped himself before nausea overtook him. "I can try," he croaked.
She helped him to his feet, letting him lean on her. He took one step and collapsed, screaming in pain. She started to check his leg, but feeling a ripple in the Force, instinctively shielded him as the control panel erupted in flames. "I've got to get you out of here," she told him, sliding her arms under his and slowly pulling him out. The rest of the crews saw her pulling his semi-conscious form and ran to help. They pulled him free of the craft and carried him carefully to the waiting medics.
Qui-Gon was strapped to one of the anti-grav stretchers, pale and unmoving. Obi-Wan was carefully placed on the other, where he curled quickly into a ball, his body wracked by spasms. The head medic looked at Ishara, not sure of what to do.
Ishara quickly cut off the fabric covering his injured leg. The skin was smooth and clear with no sigh of damage, yet he screamed in agony. She then looked at Qui-Gon, inspecting his injury. The flesh was gashed open, raw and bleeding, though the techs did what they could to control the blood loss. Most of the shrapnel was gone from his leg; she would remove the smaller pieces and microsuture the wound herself. She lightly touched the edges of the wound...
Another scream of agony escaped Obi-Wan's lips. He was quickly losing consciousness, sliding into shock. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening. Stripping off her outer cloak, she reached into one of her pouches and withdrew a small strip of leather. Rolling up her sleeves, she answered her master's and the medic's questioning glance.
"It's their telepathic link. Obi-Wan must have been trying to help Master Qui-Gon, drawing into himself what he could bear of his pain. When Qui-Gon lost consciousness, there was no way for either of them to control it. Obi-Wan's system is being overloaded now, from his own pain and Master Qui-Gon's."
Rees studied the prone forms and asked, "What are you going to do?"
She went over to Qui-Gon, baring his chest. "Transference."
The medic looked at her, stunned. "You can do that?"
"Yes," she answered quietly, folding the leather strap in half.
"How long have you been able to?" Rees asked, knowing it was a rare skill, possessed by few Jedi and even fewer healers. Tapping into the telepathic link between individuals was a skill used to interrupt normal brain functions. It was very dangerous, because one never knew what other factors would become involved, or how it would effect the one attempting the link.
"Long enough." Not looking up, she added, "Discipline me later, Master. I don't have time for it now," she said candidly. Rees held his tongue, knowing her worry for the two men was the cause of her disrespect.
She looked at the medic. "Monitor Kenobi. If this works correctly, he should come out of shock. He may stay unconscious, he may not. In either case, he'll need to go to the infirmary."
Turning to Rees, "If I lose consciousness, sever the connection." Rees nodded, studying his apprentice. He never questioned her skills, knowing she was already an accomplished healer before he took her as his padawan. When on Coruscant, she would serve in the infirmary on her own time, perfecting her techniques and learning new ones. Combined with her Jedi training, she made an excellent healer, able handle many situations only older, more experienced ones would.
She placed the leather strap between her teeth and bit down, placing her hands on Qui-Gon's chest. Closing her eyes, she began, reaching out with the Force to tap into the mental connection between the master and his padawan. Getting through the mental shielding was the hardest part, and involved pinpointing the source of the shields to determine how to circumvent them. She could not sever the link all at once, not knowing how Obi-Wan would react to the shock. She would have to divert Qui-Gon's mental link slowly, gradually lessening their connection until she was completely in control.
Rees watched as her breathing grew shallow, mirroring Qui-Gon's. Her own body functions to an extent began to mimic the unconscious master: the color began to leave her skin, a light sheen of sweat breaking on her forehead. Once her body energy was in harmony with his, she would begin to tap the feeling and emotion.
The pain was sharp and quick. She flinched at first, sucking her breath in between her teeth. Exhaling deeply, she strengthened the bond, drawing more of the pain into herself. Her shoulders began to shake, and she bit harder into the leather. Her tears flowed freely now as she alternated between crying and moaning. Unable to hold back any longer, she voiced her agony, her high scream echoing over the din of the hanger. She sobbed openly, her body shaking under the strain. Her legs buckled beneath her and she fell to the ground in a heap.
Her breath came in ragged bursts as Rees knelt beside her, worried. She waved him off and turning to the medic, she asked, "How is he?"
"Still restless, but no longer in shock." He asked, "Should I give him something for the pain?"
"No, not yet" she said, struggling to her feet. "I need to sever the link first." Looking at Obi-Wan, she said, "One more attempt should do it.
Rees put a large hand on her shoulder. "Be aware of your limits Ishara," he said, his voice laced with concern.
"Yes master," she said softly, taking Qui-Gon's hand into hers. She placed her other hand on his chest again and began the process again. This time either the pain had lessened a bit or she had steeled herself better. In any case, she knew exactly when Obi-Wan was free. Not breaking contact with Qui-Gon, she said to the medics, "Let's go." With that the stretchers were rushed to the infirmary.
Hours later, Qui-Gon opened his eyes slowly. There was a dull ache in his leg, and a weight on his chest. He struggled to lift his head but found himself blanketed in a mass of black hair. Blinking several times, he slowly turned his head and saw his padawan sleeping quietly on the bed next to him. He raised a hand to move the dark mass when he felt her stir.
She turned to him and gave him a weak smile, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Her voice broke softly. "Hello Master Qui-Gon." She slowly lifted her head from his chest, absently brushing the tears from her cheeks with one hand. "How do you feel?"
He noticed then that she was shakily gripping his hand. "What happened?" he asked.
"You lost consciousness. The sedative was given before I could sever your telepathic link with Obi-Wan. You projected your pain onto him." She glanced at Obi-Wan quickly, making sure he was still resting. "His system wasn't ready for it."
Qui-Gon raised his free hand slowly, brushing away another tear from her cheek. "And you?"
She flinched, surprised at his movement. Her shoulders shook from the pain she still drew from him. "I'm fine. As soon as you feel strong enough, I'll fix your leg. Right now we have a Bacta patch on it."
Qui-Gon lay back and tried to free his hand from hers. She held tight, shaking her head. "Not yet Master Qui-Gon. It's too soon. Rest a bit more."
Rees' voice came from the entrance. "Do as she says Qui-Gon. The doctors believe she saved your lives. If she hadn't been there, you would both be dead." Rees walked over and stood over his friend.
"How..." Qui-Gon asked, a bit confused.
"Transference," Rees answered.
Ishara blushed then, turning away from them both to look at his injured leg. Qui-Gon was surprised. "That's a rare and dangerous skill Ishara. You may not have liked what you found."
"I know," she said softly. "But if I hadn't, I would have lost you both."
Rees placed comforting hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. She met his gaze a moment then lowered her head to the edge of the bed. She stared into Qui-Gon's eyes as her tears fell softly. Her shoulders still shook, partially from the pain, partially from her relief they would be fine.
Qui-Gon watched her for several moments, feeling her emotions as she felt his. Her concern for him was great he realized, almost as great as her concern for Obi-Wan. Using his free hand, he brushed a stray lock of her hair from in front of her eyes. He felt his own eyes fill with tears, not knowing if they were hers or his own doing.
"Thank you, Ishara," he said, stroking her hair lightly. She smiled weakly.
"Don't mention it."
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