Title:  Premonitons

Author:  Jonathan Evans

Author email:  noggins@ic24.net

Category:  Rise of the Empire

Summary: A sixteen year old Anakin Skywalker and his teacher
Obi-Wan Kenobi go to a planet where genetic engineering is
legal and discover some disturbing facts.

Disclaimer:  George Lucas owns everything and I'm not making any
money off of thi nor do I intend to (I'd like to but that's not the 
point).  You can distribute this freely provided that it's
complete with this disclaimer.

PREMONITIONS
By Jonathan Evans

The Republic Cruiser disappeared into the skyline leaving the two
Jedi standing alone on the docking platform.  They took off their
hoods and looked around.  Anakin Skywalker looked around with a
worried expression on his face.  His concern made him look several
several years older.

"I have a bad feeling about this, master," he frowned.
"Indeed?" asked Obi-Wan Kenobi. "What exactly do you feel?"
"I'm not sure. Something sinister. That's all at the moment."
"Keep your senses alert, young padawan."

Anakin nodded. At that moment a figure entered the room.  It was a
red TC Unit protocol droid. It walked to the Jedi in a presise manner
before coming to a stop.
"Ambassador Jedi, please come this way. Mister Klassrik is waiting for
you in his office."

Obi-Wan looked to Anakin before speaking. He had learnt to trust the
judgement of the boy on all the missions they went on together. He
had decided that Anakin was of more use to him than *he* had ever
been in his years as Qui-Gon's apprentice. He smiled at the memory
of his old master.

Anakin shrugged at his teacher's stare and Obi-Wan continued.
"We will be glad to see your master," he said and the droid
led them away.

*	*	*

The office of Klassrik Qwant was well furnished and nothing escaped
the exquisite touch that the humanoid had. Velvet covered seats
surrounded a polished oak table with an expensive red jewel atop of it.
It's rays seemed to shine around the entire room since no other visible
means of light could be seen.

TC-43 entered followed by the two Jedi.
"Master Klassrik, these are the two amassadors."
"Thank you Fortythree. You may leave."
The droid exited and Klassrik invited the two Jedi to sit down.
"I am Klassrik Qwant, head of this establishment."

Obi-Wan put out his hand to shake.  "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight.
This is my padawan learner Anakin Skywalker."
Klassrik firmly shook his hand and did the same to Anakin. He took a
glass bottle full of a brownish liquid from under his desk along with
three glasses. He poured one for himself and began to pour for Obi-Wan
who stopped him.
"I'm afraid we do not drink on duty," he said sternly. "I'm sure you
knew that."
"Of course, of course," the alien smiled smugly. "It must have slipped
my mind."

Obi-Wan glanced at Skywalker again but everything seemed fine. He
turned back to Klassrik.
"As you know we have come to see if the technology you have here
is within the legal boundries of the Republic," he began. "As far
as we know, you deal in minor genetic alterations. Am I right to
believe that?"
"Of course. Everything you'll see here is perfectly legal. Perfectly
legal."

The smooth talking alien looked at a datapad he had received days 
earlier. He read the names on it.
"Kenobi, you say? And Skywalker? Are you the same Kenobi and Skywalker
who were the heroes of Naboo?"
Obi-Wan nodded serenly. "We have been called that, but it was all so
long ago."
"Seven years I believe," Klassrik read.
"Yes."

The very name of Naboo made Anakin think of Jar Jar, Qui-Gon and 
especially of Amidala. He knew he'd go back there eventually but it 
would be quite a long time. Obi-Wan sent a quick message to him
through the Force which pulled him back to his senses.

"Will we be inspecting the facilities soon?"
"Tomorrow, my friends. I'm sure your journey has been long and you need
a rest."
He pressed a button on his comm-system and the protocol droid entered
the room again.
"Take our guests to their room," the alien told it.
"Yes, Master Klassrik," TC-43 replied.

Anakin and Obi-Wan were escorted out of the office and down a long corridor
which, Anakin hoped, would take them to a place where he could rest.

*	*	*

Sure enough, the droid brought them to the right place and left them
alone.  Anakin dived onto the comfortable wooden bed with many layers
of sheets. He whipped himself into a handstand and spoke to his
teacher.
"So, master, what do you think of all this?" he asked excitedly,
obviously enjoying himself thourougly.
"What do you think, Anakin?" Obi-Wan shot another question back
at him.  Obviously a test, Anakin realised.
"Well, it's nothing like my quarters in the Jedi Temple. Much more...
comfortable."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Indeed, but we should not let the comfort get to
us. We must remain at peace with our surroundings," he spoke.
Anakin instantly knew what it meant and flipped back into a sitting
position.
"We're sleeping on the floor again, aren't we master?" he asked
sadly. Kenobi could be malicious when he wanted to be.
"When I was an apprentice I had no better treatment."
"Aww, master, just this once can I sleep properly?"

Anakin somersaulted in front of Obi-Wan and flashed his eyes like
a young child trying to get what he wanted. Obi-Wan didn't meet his
gaze.
"No," he uttered again. "What made you think we'd actually be sleeping
tonight anyway? We need to check out this place before the big
*tour* tomorrow."
"Why can't we wait until then?"
"Because," Kenobi began, "there had to be a reason why Klassrik insisted
that we went to our room first. He wants to hide evidence, whatever
that may be."

A frown covered Skywalker's face again.
"Look, forget what I said. I'll sleep on the floor. I don't mind."
Obi-Wan didn't flinch. "For now we meditate. Once the power is
shut down for the night we start work."
"No one said being a Jedi would be this hard."
"There's no law saying that I can't push you to your limits, is there
Anakin?" Obi-Wan finally smiled.

Anakin sat in a position to meditate. After a while he noticed Obi-Wan
was in a deep trance and was about to sneak to the bed. His teacher
didn't even move as he spoke, "don't even think about it..."

The padawan learner finally admitted defeat and fell into a deep
medatative trance.

*	*	*

The power went down and soon everyone in the building was asleep.
Everyone except the two Jedi. The door to their room swished open
and soon they were sneaking through the darkened corridor. Anakin
looked around a corner before turning back.
"Two guards. They've got blasters," he informed his teacher.
"Nothing we can't deal with."

Obi-Wan looked around a corner and motioned with his hand. One of
the guards looked around as if he had heard something.
"Did ya hear that?" he asked his companion.
"No. You're goin' mad, that's what you are," the other replied.
The two Jedi stepped around the corner and passed the distracted
soldiers. Anakin looked up at Kenobi and smiled.
"Clever. But I was expecting the mind trick," he said.
"Who's to say that wasn't one?" Obi-Wan answered. "You've still
got a lot to learn about the ways in which the Force work."

Upon passing the guards with surprising ease they found another 
corridor. They followed it down only to find a dead end with no
apparant doorways of any kind. Obi-Wan frowned.
"It looks like we'll have to go back."
The Jedi Knight began to walk away but noticed his apprentice
in a trance like state, moving his hands along the walls. His
teacher sighed.
"Don't worry, Anakin. I checked it with the Force. There's nothing
there."
Anakin shook his head. "No master. I sense something blocking my
Force powers but there is definately a door there."

Obi-Wan checked again, this time much more carefully.
"Ysyamiri," he said.
"What, master Kenobi?"
"They are creatures that prevent anyone from using the Force near
them. It seems they're using one in this case but it is either
very young or elderly." He moved his hands along the wall and
found something. "It is here."
He pulled out his lightsaber and cut through the seemingly pure
durasteel wall. Soon a doorway appeared and the two Jedi stepped
through.

As they entered what looked like a labratory, they saw Klassrik
Qwant with a large yellow lizard on his shoulder ordering several
Gamorians around.
"Move them away!" he called. "Hide them before the Jedi get here
tomorrow."

Obi-Wan coughed to get attention.
"I'm afraid we're here a little earlier than planned, Mister Klassrik,"
he said with a slight smile on his face. "Must have set my alarm
wrong."
Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber yet again and looked to Anakin who
had just done the same.
"We will have to do this the old way," he instructed. "Without the
Force."

Anakin didn't say a word. He stretched his arm out and slowly extended
his fingers. The Ysylamiri began to look worried. Anakin's hand began
to transform into a fist and soon the creature collapsed from the
shoulder of its owner. Obi-Wan blinked and realised his Force
powers had returned.
"What did you do?"
"I concentrated harder."
"You killed it," Obi-Wan said angrily.
"It was old. It was soon to die," Skywalker protested.
"It is the duty of a Jedi to protect the innocent and not take the
life of anything that is undeserving."
"It was easier."

Obi-Wan realised it wasn't time to question his padawan now as the
Gamorian henchmen had taken out large vibro-axes and were running
towards them fast but somewhat clumsily. The Jedi Knight held out
his hand and they stumbled backwards. He somersaulted over them but
soon one had turned, whipping its weapon around. A quick slice from
his lightsaber rendered it without a blade. The creature, with
fear in its eyes ran through the recently opened door only to be
stopped by Anakin who kicked it to the ground.

The two remaining conscious Gamorians attack Kenobi at the same time.
He managed to avoid their two weapons causing them to hit each other.
The creatures looked dazed as Anakin used the Force to knock them
out with stray piece of metal lying on the floor.

This over with Obi-Wan turned to Klassrik who was in a corner trying
to get over his fear at being caught.
"Everything here is perfectly legal," he stammered in an errectic way.
The two Jedi walked through the door from which the Gamorians had
emerged and discovered seven cylinders filled with a transparent liquid
which had a slightly yellow tone. Obi-Wan instantly knew what they
were.
"Cloning vats," he said with utter contempt in his voice. He turned
to Klassrik. "Didn't you say that this place was legal?"
"We are allowed by the juristiction of the Republic to perform minor
genetic enhancments on our people."
"This isn't a case of genetic enhancment. Minor or otherwise. You do
not need such vats to perform that. These are the size of a humanoid.
You are planning to clone..."

Klassrik stepped into the room fully for the first time.
"We have papers from the Republic allowing us to perform genetic 
engineering. I'm sure you realise this."
"I don't think Chancellor Palpatine had this in mind when he began
financing this structure. I was told he wanted it to create new
limbs for those who have lost them and other things such as that."

The alien began to get jittery again. "You can't blame a person
for trying to make a bit of profit," he stammered before whipping
a small vibro-blade from his belt. He held it into the air and was 
about to plunge it into Anakin's back when he fell to the ground, 
clutching his stomach. The Jedi apprentice held his lightsaber in
his hand and smiled.
"I would not have sensed that if that... creature was still alive.
He hid his intentions well."
"We will discuss your actions on the journey back to Coruscant,"
he frowned.
"Yes master."

As they left, Anakin looked at the body of Klassrik.
"I have a feeling that the Republic did know about the cloning here,"
he said before resuming his silence.

*	*	*

Many lightyears away a dark robed figure looked up from his position
on a large black seat. He smirked.
"You may believe you have stopped me, Jedi," he said. "But you will
discover I am full of surprises."
Darth Sidious resumed his medatitive position and looked down to
his crossed hands...

		THE END?