Tangle 58/77 (PG-13) Anakin, Obi-Wan, others.
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars. I am not him, and I am not making any profit from this work of fan fiction.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
It had been hard enough to get away from Sarta the first time; Ryn didn’t want him to catch sight of her wandering unescorted through the room and come to her rescue. It seemed that he still thought he could talk her out of the Coruscant mission -- despite the fact that she was here with two Jedi -- and had determined to show her all she was missing back home.
Mainly: him.
But Ryn had never been attracted to Sarta before, and wasn’t now, and his attempts to play the gallant were just an annoying distraction from her real problems.
“Whoa,” said Engine, when she reached him. “I like what you’re not wearing.”
Ryn found to her surprise that she was blushing. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.” He looked her over. “Is that skirt see-through?”
“I’m wearing underwear.”
“I can tell. Blue.”
“To match the kyril,” Ryn explained. Seeing Engine’s blank look, she added, “The skirt.”
“Oh,” said Engine. “Right. Well, it looks good on you.”
“Thanks,” Ryn said. She tugged at the hem of his tunic. “You clean up all right,too.”
Engine grinned. “I think we all did pretty well,” he said cheerfully. “Have you seen Evinne? She looks good enough to eat.”
“You have plans for her already, then?” Ryn inquired innocently, and laughed when Engine sputtered his drink.
“You have a dirty mind,” he told her, when he could speak again.
Ryn grinned at him. “Well, I’m trying. I don’t have a lot of practice yet.”
“You’re doing fine, trust me,” Engine said. “Who’s it for?”
“It’s for me,” Ryn said. “I mean, I could stand to dirty Anakin some, too, but mostly it’s for me. There are some things I have to figure out.”
“Like?” Engine prompted, when she didn’t say anything else.
“I don’t know,” Ryn said, grimacing. “I’m not even sure who I am. I mean, if nobody’s telling me what to be.”
Engine’s brown eyes softened. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”
“Do you?” Ryn said. “Because I don’t, not really. It’s like feeling my way in the dark. Slow and painful.” She shook her head. “Anyway. Can I get you a plate? Or you could have this one.”
“My keeper went off to get one already,” Engine said. “Nareth. Nice girl.”
“Good,” Ryn said inanely. “I’m glad you’re enjoying her company.” She shifted her weight, out at ends. “I guess now I should go rescue Anakin from his own indiscriminate food choices. Force only knows what --”
“I think he’s got some help already,” Engine said, and Ryn turned to follow his gaze.
Bridein -- Ryn recognized her patterned skirt from earlier in the evening -- had one leg wrapped around Anakin's waist, and was teasing his mouth with a piece of fruit, running it over and over his lips. Anakin, meanwhile, was doing a commendable job of keeping them both upright, which seemed to be taking all his concentration at the moment.
“So he does,” Ryn said tightly. Get over yourself. Be happy for him. Or at least be significantly less murderous. She glanced back at Engine. “I’m going outside for some air. Come and find me if you need anything.”
She wove her way through the hall, responding mechanically to shouted greetings without slowing down, and slipped out the huge carven doors. She passed out under the porch roof and stood at the head of the steps cut into the side of the hill, looking up at stars that gleamed bright and close.
We really are a galaxy away from Coruscant here. She breathed in the cold night air, willing it to clear her mind.
It helped a little. Sort of.
She closed her eyes against the starlit night and opened herself, lowering her shields completely and straining for a trace of Kit. They were so close to home now, surely if she could sense him anywhere, it would be here ...
Ryn?
But the startled, uncertain answer wasn’t Kit’s, it was Anakin’s: surprised, probably, at her sudden openness.
He probed her, gently, and Ryn dropped to her knees, crying out in relief because he felt so damn good and there was no one to judge her, out here.
Ryn? He pressed harder, and Ryn felt him everywhere.
Yes yes yes Anakin please don’t stop... She pulled herself together and dragged up some semblance of shields. We can’t do this. We have to be careful.
She couldn’t tell whether Anakin understood her warning or not: anyone who said telepathy was easier than speaking was trying to sell you something. But he withdrew from her mind, leaving her weakened and bereft and desperately longing for more, and Ryn bent and hugged her knees to her chest and just tried not to cry.
She was concentrating so hard that she didn’t even feel Anakin coming closer until he sat down on the step and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
She gasped and lost her focus, scrambling for shields, and Anakin released her to lay one hand on her back. “Take it easy,” he said. He sounded ... hurt. “I was only trying to help.”
Ryn fought for breath. Get a grip. “I know,” she said unsteadily. “You just startled me.” His touch ran along her nerves like electricity.
“I’m sorry,” Anakin said again, letting her go. “I thought ... I could feel you searching, and I thought maybe ...”
“I know,” Ryn said. “But I just ... can’t find any trace of him.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re still ... you know ...” Anakin suggested.
“So are you,” Ryn pointed out. She shifted to rest her forehead against his shoulder. “It still hurts us both.”
She could feel Anakin’s nod as he raised his hand to her shoulder, stroking his thumb across the end of her collarbone in a familiar gesture. “It will get better,” he said.
Where’s your evidence? Ryn thought, but that seemed like a pointless question since she already knew he didn’t have any. Instead she said, “We need help.”
“Time --” Anakin began, and Ryn shook her head.
“Healers.” Ryn and Anakin tightened his grip on her. “I was thinking maybe Gunryth--”
“There you are!” Evinne flitted across the porch in a flash of scarlet that not even the starlight could disguise. Ryn and Anakin twisted to face her, separating reluctantly in the process. Evinne’s face in the dimness was grim. “Gear up, Shorty. We could have trouble.”
"Huh?" Ryn said. I've already got trouble.
“Sarta just got a comm from the Dome station,” Evinne said. “The shield integrity is fluctuating. We could be looking at a mass evacuation by the end of the night.”
Ryn stared. “We couldn’t possibly evacuate the entire moon,” she said. “There aren’t enough ships, and where would the people go? They don’t have the skills to survive on Loreth, even if the clans would take them.”
“It may not come to that,” Evinne said tightly. She didn’t sound hopeful. “Either way, Sarta is scrambling the Rangers. I figured you’d want in.” She shot Ryn a sharp look. “You remember how this goes?”
“It’s like I never left,” Ryn said grimly.
“The hell it is,” Evinne said. “A year ago you’d have had to come to find me. But for now it doesn’t matter. Gear up, and then we’ll hit patrol.”
There wasn’t time to talk about all that had changed. She nodded sharply at Evinne and tapped Anakin on the shoulder. “Come on,” she said. “You’re with me.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
It had been hard enough to get away from Sarta the first time; Ryn didn’t want him to catch sight of her wandering unescorted through the room and come to her rescue. It seemed that he still thought he could talk her out of the Coruscant mission -- despite the fact that she was here with two Jedi -- and had determined to show her all she was missing back home.
Mainly: him.
But Ryn had never been attracted to Sarta before, and wasn’t now, and his attempts to play the gallant were just an annoying distraction from her real problems.
“Whoa,” said Engine, when she reached him. “I like what you’re not wearing.”
Ryn found to her surprise that she was blushing. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.” He looked her over. “Is that skirt see-through?”
“I’m wearing underwear.”
“I can tell. Blue.”
“To match the kyril,” Ryn explained. Seeing Engine’s blank look, she added, “The skirt.”
“Oh,” said Engine. “Right. Well, it looks good on you.”
“Thanks,” Ryn said. She tugged at the hem of his tunic. “You clean up all right,too.”
Engine grinned. “I think we all did pretty well,” he said cheerfully. “Have you seen Evinne? She looks good enough to eat.”
“You have plans for her already, then?” Ryn inquired innocently, and laughed when Engine sputtered his drink.
“You have a dirty mind,” he told her, when he could speak again.
Ryn grinned at him. “Well, I’m trying. I don’t have a lot of practice yet.”
“You’re doing fine, trust me,” Engine said. “Who’s it for?”
“It’s for me,” Ryn said. “I mean, I could stand to dirty Anakin some, too, but mostly it’s for me. There are some things I have to figure out.”
“Like?” Engine prompted, when she didn’t say anything else.
“I don’t know,” Ryn said, grimacing. “I’m not even sure who I am. I mean, if nobody’s telling me what to be.”
Engine’s brown eyes softened. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”
“Do you?” Ryn said. “Because I don’t, not really. It’s like feeling my way in the dark. Slow and painful.” She shook her head. “Anyway. Can I get you a plate? Or you could have this one.”
“My keeper went off to get one already,” Engine said. “Nareth. Nice girl.”
“Good,” Ryn said inanely. “I’m glad you’re enjoying her company.” She shifted her weight, out at ends. “I guess now I should go rescue Anakin from his own indiscriminate food choices. Force only knows what --”
“I think he’s got some help already,” Engine said, and Ryn turned to follow his gaze.
Bridein -- Ryn recognized her patterned skirt from earlier in the evening -- had one leg wrapped around Anakin's waist, and was teasing his mouth with a piece of fruit, running it over and over his lips. Anakin, meanwhile, was doing a commendable job of keeping them both upright, which seemed to be taking all his concentration at the moment.
“So he does,” Ryn said tightly. Get over yourself. Be happy for him. Or at least be significantly less murderous. She glanced back at Engine. “I’m going outside for some air. Come and find me if you need anything.”
She wove her way through the hall, responding mechanically to shouted greetings without slowing down, and slipped out the huge carven doors. She passed out under the porch roof and stood at the head of the steps cut into the side of the hill, looking up at stars that gleamed bright and close.
We really are a galaxy away from Coruscant here. She breathed in the cold night air, willing it to clear her mind.
It helped a little. Sort of.
She closed her eyes against the starlit night and opened herself, lowering her shields completely and straining for a trace of Kit. They were so close to home now, surely if she could sense him anywhere, it would be here ...
Ryn?
But the startled, uncertain answer wasn’t Kit’s, it was Anakin’s: surprised, probably, at her sudden openness.
He probed her, gently, and Ryn dropped to her knees, crying out in relief because he felt so damn good and there was no one to judge her, out here.
Ryn? He pressed harder, and Ryn felt him everywhere.
Yes yes yes Anakin please don’t stop... She pulled herself together and dragged up some semblance of shields. We can’t do this. We have to be careful.
She couldn’t tell whether Anakin understood her warning or not: anyone who said telepathy was easier than speaking was trying to sell you something. But he withdrew from her mind, leaving her weakened and bereft and desperately longing for more, and Ryn bent and hugged her knees to her chest and just tried not to cry.
She was concentrating so hard that she didn’t even feel Anakin coming closer until he sat down on the step and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
She gasped and lost her focus, scrambling for shields, and Anakin released her to lay one hand on her back. “Take it easy,” he said. He sounded ... hurt. “I was only trying to help.”
Ryn fought for breath. Get a grip. “I know,” she said unsteadily. “You just startled me.” His touch ran along her nerves like electricity.
“I’m sorry,” Anakin said again, letting her go. “I thought ... I could feel you searching, and I thought maybe ...”
“I know,” Ryn said. “But I just ... can’t find any trace of him.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re still ... you know ...” Anakin suggested.
“So are you,” Ryn pointed out. She shifted to rest her forehead against his shoulder. “It still hurts us both.”
She could feel Anakin’s nod as he raised his hand to her shoulder, stroking his thumb across the end of her collarbone in a familiar gesture. “It will get better,” he said.
Where’s your evidence? Ryn thought, but that seemed like a pointless question since she already knew he didn’t have any. Instead she said, “We need help.”
“Time --” Anakin began, and Ryn shook her head.
“Healers.” Ryn and Anakin tightened his grip on her. “I was thinking maybe Gunryth--”
“There you are!” Evinne flitted across the porch in a flash of scarlet that not even the starlight could disguise. Ryn and Anakin twisted to face her, separating reluctantly in the process. Evinne’s face in the dimness was grim. “Gear up, Shorty. We could have trouble.”
"Huh?" Ryn said. I've already got trouble.
“Sarta just got a comm from the Dome station,” Evinne said. “The shield integrity is fluctuating. We could be looking at a mass evacuation by the end of the night.”
Ryn stared. “We couldn’t possibly evacuate the entire moon,” she said. “There aren’t enough ships, and where would the people go? They don’t have the skills to survive on Loreth, even if the clans would take them.”
“It may not come to that,” Evinne said tightly. She didn’t sound hopeful. “Either way, Sarta is scrambling the Rangers. I figured you’d want in.” She shot Ryn a sharp look. “You remember how this goes?”
“It’s like I never left,” Ryn said grimly.
“The hell it is,” Evinne said. “A year ago you’d have had to come to find me. But for now it doesn’t matter. Gear up, and then we’ll hit patrol.”
There wasn’t time to talk about all that had changed. She nodded sharply at Evinne and tapped Anakin on the shoulder. “Come on,” she said. “You’re with me.”