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Missing Scenes
Post Attack of the Clones: Running in Circles to Solve a Mystery
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"We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself. ~Lloyd Alexander
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The afternoon was a quiet one and Sabé was more than grateful for it having completed her training with her prospective students. Initially she had returned to her mistress quarters to learn of her duties for the evening but upon catching sight of a certain Padawan with her Sabé knew that any duties she may have had was cancelled. Which in truth was a blessing in disguise, for after her run in with Obi-Wan Sabé was eager to find anything she possibly could about the antidote he sought. Although she had gone through a variety of security records and medical records with Captain Typho's clearance Sabé found nothing that could come even close to proving useful.
So now she found herself stepping into the vast and rather breathtaking library of archives in the Jedi temple. It was beautiful to say the least and yet Spartan by the standards of the Naboo who preferred the opulence of art mingled with the practicality of knowledge. Sabé instantly felt a sense of kinship here and rather liked its simplistic setting. But it was vast and expansive leaving the handmaiden to be bit overwhelmed. Where does one begin? She thought pensively to herself before catching sight of an older Jedi maiden whose comfortable stance marked that she was obviously familiar with this place. Approaching she bowed deeply in greeting before politely asking for guidance to where she might find information pertaining to archives that might shed some light on a toxins and their antidotes.
Once led to the appropriate location the older woman parted ways with Sabé leaving her to begin her fervent search for anything that would be useful or helpful in Obi-Wan’s hunt for an antidote. In reality she knew that he had probably visited this place but hoped that perhaps a fresh perspective might shed some more light on the matter.
But after hours of hunting down details and cross referencing what little she could find about the bio-weapon in question Sabé found herself no closer to discovering something new than she was when she started. Even after contacting Eirtaé through her portable comm link was of little use in the end. She had hoped the handmaiden would be able to reach her parents who were healers back on Naboo. In the end she sent a reply with their thoughts on the matter but outside of verifying that it was indeed a manmade poison (which was the basic conclusion given in the security/intelligence reports sent to the Naboo government) little else was found. Eirtaé said her father suggested that given its effects on the victims it resembled Dioxis but upon hearing the list of ingredients that Sabé read to his daughter he concluded it was manually mutated and not Dioxis at all. This only brought her back to full circle with the end result being that this was a bio-weapon and not some natural poison.
The only hope Eirtaé’s father was able to offer in the end was that the antidote could possibly be found in the survivors bloodstream. He said it wasn’t a hundred percent guarantee but some times cures were found within the antibodies made upon a victim’s recovery. Sabé couldn’t be certain this would be of any help but it gave her a small sense of hope. However outside of these small tidbits little else could be found on the matter that she knew Obi-Wan wouldn’t already know.
Yet she wasn’t about to give up and was soon seeking information on the origins of the toxin itself and anything that might shed light on where there could be labs that would be used in its study and possible creation of this nameless mutate. For no scientist in would create such a bio-weapon without creating an antidote as a back-up for possible contaminations. She discovered it was as Eirtaé’s father predicted heavily related to the Neimoidian poison known as Dioxis. From there she managed to collect a listing of all labs that would manufacture and grow the fungus that released this poison. It wasn’t much but she presumed if there would be further tests made to enhance this toxin these would be the most logical places where it would occur. Of the few labs found none seemed modern or large enough to carry anything that would remotely be suitable for such testing. For all intents and purposes they all appeared more as greenhouses than actual testing labs.
Only then she took a final shot in the dark and decided to go through all the known Separatists strongholds and weapon locations. There wasn’t much to find even with her own collection that she was beginning to form in preparation for her latest mission which would require her to appear as a Separatist contact. But she wrote down the list anyways and began to record all details she knew about each one. However the hour was late now and exhaustion was evident and eventually Sabé unwittingly succumbed to it, falling asleep on a heap of datapadds in the process.
She didn’t know how long she was out for but when the handmaiden woke up the sun was peeking through the windows illuminating the room in the process. Furrowing her brow she glanced to her chronometer on the portable comm link by her side and gasped in horror. It was the wee hours of morning and she had but two hours to get ready for her mistress morning meetings. Frantic she quickly collected her things and promptly dashed out of the library and raced towards the temple exits hoping she could make it back in time to wash up and prepare for the Senator’s meetings.
Though it was the wee hours of the morning, the Council commed Obi-Wan to waking informing him they had new information from another Jedi that showed the Separatists were planning on attacking the cloning facilities in Tipoca City on Kamino. Since Obi-Wan was familiar with the planet, he was put in charge of the Republic task force.
He woke a reluctant Anakin and told him their new orders. He briefed himself on Master Rancisis' strategy as he waited for Anakin to get ready. Have to take out the droid fighters first... he thought.
When the two of them were up and dressed, they were out the door, on their way to the transports where Obi-Wan would delegate the rest of the command team their specific duties.
He decided he would have Master Choi and Secura lead Red Squadron to intercept the driod fighters, while he would lead Blue Squadron to defend the cloning facilities. Yes, that would work... he thought as he and Anakin continued down the hallway. Another group would have to remain on the platform... We will have to delay ground fighting as long as possible if we're going this route.
Just as Obi-Wan was trying to decide which Jedi would supervise ground assault, he picked up a familiar, welcomed buzz through the Force. It was lucky that Anakin was trailing a bit behind him, so he didn't catch the secret smile that graced his expression.
'Anakin,' he said, 'why don't you go on ahead? I just have one thing I need to check up on before we leave.'
'All right, but don't be too long,' Anakin replied with a glint of eagerness and mischief in his eyes. 'We've got some droids to destroy.'
Obi-Wan nodded and walked straight in the direction of Sabé's Force signature.
Sabé rushed through the halls towards the exit hoping against hope that she wouldn't get lost in the process. She had only been the library of archives once before till yesterday and now she found herself discovering that these halls had a way of all looking the same. Whjch did little to help her situation as she found herself heading reaching an exit that wasn't the exit she had hoped for.
"oh gods what was I thinking!"
She moaned as she realized this exit only led to the meditation chamber and not the main hall. Quickly she whirled around and began to rush back in the direction she came mentally chastizing herself as she realized she made a wrong turn two halls back. If I don't get back and soon Padmé is going to freak! She inwardly feared as she glanced quickly around to make sure that no one was around to witness her before running at top speed down the halls.
However had she not been so distracted in her panic to return to her mistresses quarters Sabé would have sensed that Obi-Wan was approaching her direction. But she didn't and so quickly she made a sharp turn around the corner she was meant to go down in the first place before starting to run in the direction needed only to stop herself in midstep as she cried out in shock as she almost found herself ploughing into Obi-Wan in the process.
"!!!!!!!"
Obi-Wan quickened his pace, knowing this run-in could only be brief, though wishing for longer.
He didn't know just how right he was until he was just about to turn a corner and she plowed into him. Jedi reflexes or not, he hadn't thought she would be practically running as well.
'Why hello there,' he said, cracking a grin and a step back.
Sabé tried to stop herself but couldn't quite make it and soon had plowed into none other than Obi-Wan himself. Stepping back quickly the handmaiden felt her cheeks light up on fire.
"Oh gods! Obi-Wan I'm so sorry!!"
She gasped in utter shock and embarrassment. Inwardly she thanked the gods the datapadds in her sachel didn't spill out and all over him in the process. It was bad enough having just run him over without adding that to the situation. Sabé tried to over a smile but she was beyond humilitated at herself and her frantic actions. She motioned behind her and then again ahead as she struggled to find words that wouldn't come.
So much a dignified greeting the former decoy thought as she realized in her befuddled state of mind that she didn't even bow in greeting. Quickly she did that wishing there was some way she could just magically dissappear or better yet rewind time and meet him properly without mowing Obi-Wan down first.
"I am terribly sorry."
She apologized before realizing she had just apologized which added to her glowing red cheeks.
"I - I was hoping I'd cross pathes with you at some point later, but this wasn't exactly how I imagined it..."
She muttered with sheepish smile.
One of the passing Jedi and their padawan nearly ran into Sabé as well but made their way past them. The Jedi caught the fact Sabé had used Kenobi's forename, but the padawan was too sleepy to notice let alone care.
'It's fine,' he replied, trying to keep his grin under control. 'No one's injured...' Obi-Wan couldn't help partially joke, though he noted her embarrassment which coloured her cheeks.
'What are you doing here?' he wondered. It was after all an odd hour to pay a visit to the Temple, not that he was complaining. Surely seeing her before he headed for Kamino would bode well for their mission.
Sabé caught sight of the Jedi passing and only then realized her mistake as she bit her lip feeling her cheeks burn brighter if that was even possible. Oh this just gets better by th emoment she groused inwardly feeling more than a little foolish.
At Obi-Wan's friendly words Sabé managed to regain some semblence of control grateful he was neither annoyed or hurt by her attempts to make a quick escape home. She offered a sheepish smile at his joke.
"Thats a relief, I hate to think I've injured you in my 'escape'. Would make for some awkward explanations."
Sabé replied, trying to joke herself but failing miserably as she stared at her hands wishing she had something useful to do with them. But her blades were in her quarters along with the ribbon she often twirled when she was in need of calm.
But his question drew her out of her thoughts though it left her feeling even more embarrassed knowing the real reason she was only departing at this hour.
"I was actually returning from library."
She explained motioning behind her sheepishly.
"I was hoping to find some more clues on the antidote you mentioned about yesterday...I know you probably already went through the archives but I figured, well I thought maybe..."
She paused realizing how bad this must sound to him. She didn't wnat him to think that she underminded his skills in research but was hoping that perhaps by bringing a fresh pair of eyes into the hunt maybe she could stumble onto something they might have missed.
"I was just hoping I could help in some small way thats all...I don't know if I found anything useful but I did speak to Eirtaé's father yesterday who is a healer and he gave me some information that might be of some use..."
She explained realizing that still didn't explain her rushed exit at all and the thought caused her to bite her lip. She really didn't want to admit she fell asleep as plowing into him was embarrassing enough without him knowing that as well.
Blissfully unaware of her slip-up, for to him it wasn't since he had asked her to call him by his first name back on Tatooine, he smiled at her joke.
When she mentioned her library visit, he noted she was actually pointing in the opposite direction of the library, but figured, from her slightly dishevelled appearance, that she was probably quite lost.
He was suprised she had remembered their conversation about the toxin, which he was unaware still invaded his system, and honoured that she had taken up the task of trying to find out anything that might be of use to him in her spare time, waking so early in the day to do so. 'Thank you,' he said. Even if she had nothing to offer information-wise, the fact she had thought to even try meant a lot to him.
As much as he hated to sound impolite, he informed her, 'I'm actually leaving soon, for Kamino...' With an army of clones...leading the mission... 'So if there's anything you found that could prove useful, I would very much appreciate it.' He hoped she didn't think ill of him for being blunt nor that she would be discouraged by this for he always valued her opinion.
Sabé shrugged looking a bit sheepish to his thanks.
"I wouldn't thank me just yet, I might not actually have anything useful for you. But I'll keep an eye out for you though."
She added with a friendly smile before his polite words caused Sabé to blush further. She realized she had almost forgotten that she should really be moving herself otherwise she wouldn't make it back in time for the Senator's morning meetings.
Nodding she moved to the sachel that hung on her hip.
"Oh I'm sorry I didnt mean to keep you from your duties. I should probably get moving myself. I was due back to my quarters hours ago to be honest."
She admitted as she began to rummage through the worn orangey-red bag before pulling out a data padd.
"It's not much but all the important specifics I found are here. It includes a recording of my conversation with Eirtaé's father who is a healer. Also a list of known labs that produces the toxin swamp gas including the suspected ones that are in known Separtatist territory."
She caught herself and stopped as she bit her lip before handing it to Obi-Wan as she continued shyly.
"Well it's all there anyways. Hopefully I'll have more for you when you return."
'Oh, you're not--' he began when she apologised...something they were always extremely good at doing. She was keeping him in a roundabout way, though he had in fact made the effort to run into her, though not literally. Obi-Wan knew he couldn't mention this in the hallway, but wished he could so that she didn't think she was diverting him without his consent.
When she held out the datapad, he reached for it, grateful that she had taken the time either way. His fingertips lightly brushed over her hand, lingering a bit longer than necessary though not long enough to be noticed by others, as he took it from her.
'Thank you,' he said, his eyes not leaving hers.
He was reluctant to leave and would have much rather planned to spend time with her that day instead of fighting. Hopefully the war would be over soon and the Jedi would return to their peaceful paths to englightenment.
He bowed to her in gratitude.
Sabé blushed at his reply feeling a little relieved once more that he wasn't annoyed by her unexpected intruption. But this thought soon slipped away as she felt his fingers brush over hers. The same electricity that was felt the first time their hands met was felt in that moment for her and she couldn't resist a hidden smile in reply.
Her eyes met his and for a moment she couldn't find the words to reply. There was so much that could be read in his blue orbs that she briefly wondered if even a lifetime would be enough to read all that she saw in them. But time was not on their side and so Sabé managed to pull her thoughts together as she smiled and bowed in reply as well.
"You're most welcome Jedi Kenobi.
May your mission end in success and may you return safe and sound. Preferably sooner than later."
She added with a friendly smile.
'Thank you, my lady,' he said in response, hoping things would go just like that.
He matched her smile and turned to leave, though he couldn't resist one last look, never knowing if it truly might be the last he ever saw of his love.
Sabé quietly moved to part ways with the Jedi Knight but as if reading his thought she glanced back and caught him glancing at her as well. She gave another smile as her eyes danced in shy joy while her cheeks warmed before departing quickly in the proper direction of the temple's exit.
Sabé hoped the next time their pathes crossed, she would have something more substancial than she was able to give him this time. It was far easier to think about than the possibility that this may be the last time that they ever saw each other.
