Undone

Senseless

Day – 73

"Good... good... Now, lessen your grip and open your center line then step, turn, cross, step, strike."

Master Tivi moved through the steps of the kata with a practiced ease. The move completed, he turned to his padawan.

"Now, you try."

"Master, there is no try," Lantis laughed, her lips curled up in a smile revealing two rows of tiny pointed teeth and a pair of long, sharp canines. Her master placed his left hand at his torso and bowed deeply.

"My apologies, Padawan. It is your turn to do," he replied giving the young felinoid girl a wink. The girl's grin grew wider then disappeared completely as her expression became one of sharp focus. She checked her grip, checked her stance and, once satisfied, took a deep breath releasing her trepidation into the Force.

Step. Turn. Cross. Step. Strike. Smile.

"Excellent!" Vresh exclaimed to his beaming apprentice. "Now, the next part is a little trickier. You turn, sweep, strike..." Vresh's voice trailed off into silence as he froze midway through his demonstration of the saber technique. The Force trembled in the air around him not in warning, but in... worry? Vresh stood up straight and closed his eyes as he searched for the source of the disturbance.

"Do you sense that, Padawan?" he asked his eyes still closed. Troubling as the feeling was, he was still a master and every moment had the potential of a lesson. Lantis closed her eyes, her chin tilted up slightly as she drew in the Force around her. Vresh could feel the girl searching, probing, reaching out with her senses as she had been trained to do. He opened his eyes and watched his apprentice carefully. Her right ear twitched slightly. She had caught something.

"I sense... trembling... like the air is... nervous," she intoned softly as she opened her eyes and gazed upon the neutral expression of her master. Vresh nodded.

"Yes, that is it exactly," he offered in agreement. Lantis wrinkled her brow, her tongue danced at the edge of her short muzzle.

"The question then is... why?" she said. Vresh watched the main door to the training salle open. Tahl stepped inside, her eyes quickly sweeping the room before locking on to him.

"And here, I think, comes our answer," he said gesturing to the approaching master. Lantis turned around to find Tahl nearly at her elbow. Vresh looked his friend over. Tahl's carefully schooled expression betrayed no disturbance, but her eyes... her eyes told the whole story of her terrible concern, easily discernible to those who knew her well.

"What has happened?" Vresh asked skipping any pleasantries.

"Come," she ordered as she turned on her heel and led the master and apprentice out of the salle at a hurried pace. "Mace just contacted me. Qui-Gon... collapsed in the Council chambers."

"Collapsed?" Vresh repeated as the trio swiftly traversed the wide Temple halls at Tahl's direction. "Is he ill?"

"No. Not ill."

Vresh's brow knitted.

"If not ill then...," he paused, his expression suddenly grim. "Obi-Wan."

It was not a question and Tahl gave no answer, only nodded confirmation of his conclusion. Vresh prepared to ask the question that naturally followed such a realization, a question he wasn't entirely certain he wanted an answer to, but before he could give the dreaded inquiry voice Tahl shot him a hard look then glanced at his padawan with narrowed eyes. Vresh understood immediately.