Fire and Ice

Authors: Durhelediel and Layren

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: All things Star Wars belong to George Lucas. We do not profit by it…well, okay so our imaginations profit…but that still isn't monetary substance. Lol

Note from the authors: Clue for those who may be easily confused…this fic is separated into flashbacks until the time line is caught back up again. The flashbacks will be indicated by i. Happy reading!

Fifteen-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi eyed the slender man cautiously. Sweat poured down his body, bare chest, and chaffed at his cuffed wrists and ankles. Hoth was so freezing cold that the change in temperature was making him feverish. He coughed, then glanced to the side where his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, lay quietly. His master had been here longer than he, but seemed to be calmly taking it all in. He himself had just shortly gotten here. He had been searching for his master...well, he had found him.

Qui-Gon sighed deeply as he glanced over at his padawan. He had tried to keep Obi-Wan from looking for him but it hadn't worked. Instead, Obi-Wan had ignored his mental warning and his closing of their bond, deciding to come looking for him against his orders. Sweat rolled off him in waves. It was incredibly hot in this room and he'd been there for several days already. He had several bruises, burns and cuts marking his chest and abdomen. None of them were too serious he didn't think at the moment…yet.

Obi-Wan gave another deep, racking cough that shook his whole body. He was stretched tightly in his chains so that any slight movement caused him to wiggle uncontrollably and threatened to make him vomit. His captor had laughed when he discovered that the younger Jedi was sick and had placed him this way on purpose. Just another way to torture an answer from him, though his head was so fuzzy he wasn't exactly sure what the man wanted. In a hoarse whisper, he mumbled, "Master?"

"Padawan?" Qui-Gon replied, gritting his teeth as he tried to move for the millionth time without any success. He wished he could take off his tunic. He could feel it sticking to him with all the sweat pouring off him and it was wearing on his nerves.

Obi-Wan let his body relax into the chains, ignoring the digging into his sweat-softened flesh. "It could be worse..." he tried to joke.

Qui-Gon sighed a little and twisted again, wiggling his bare toes. "Padawan, I told you to stay with your expedition. Why did you not follow my orders?"

Obi-Wan sighed, feeling sleep tugging at him, even in his uncomfortable surroundings. His response was slurred when he said, "Had to follow you to keep from being killed...incompetent researchers..." The second- and third- degree burns on his chest and arms throbbed with the thought of what one of those 'incompetent researchers' had done before Obi-Wan had went after his master. He was so tired....

"Obi-Wan, even if they're incompetent they still requested Jedi protection," Qui-Gon said, putting more force into his voice. He frowned, watching as Obi-Wan's eyelids drooped. "Obi-Wan, I need you to stay awake, please."

"Why?" Obi-Wan asked. It seemed like such a natural thing, sleeping. Why would his master deny him what his body craved? He slipped further into the beckoning darkness.

Qui-Gon tugged on his chains, trying again to get loose. He saw Obi-Wan was already asleep. He sighed. His poor padawan was sick and injured. He would do everything in his power to protect him from the terrorists who held them.

i

"Why are we being sent, Master?" Obi-Wan inquired his master while they packed for a trip to the ice world of Hoth. Hoth was uninhabited and largely left alone by all. Why in the galaxy would they be requested to go there, of all places?

"Because there is rumor of valuable ore located under the planet's surface and researchers have requested Jedi assistance. Terrorists would be extremely interested in this type of ore because it would be a very effective explosive and, in theory, using this material would be cheaper. The Senate is also requesting us go to ensure that the Republic gets the ore before anyone else. We must do our duty."

Obi-Wan sighed. Duty. He was starting to hate that word. As an initiate he could not wait to become a padawan so he could become a Jedi Knight...now he saw how much of it was a dance with the Senate instead of helping all those who really needed the help. But he wouldn't let his master know about his feelings toward the Senate, that might not bode well for him as his padawan so all he said was simply, "Yes, Master."

"Good," Qui-Gon said, clapping the boy on the shoulder. "Now, let's get packed and then we'll be off as soon as we can. Master Windu dropped off our cold weather gear for us that we would need."

Obi-Wan hoped his master missed him rolling his eyes. Two weeks on Hoth was not his idea of any kind of fun, he thought as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "I'm finished, Master." He waited expectantly for what Qui-Gon would want from him next.

Qui-Gon caught the look and his eyes narrowed. "Obi-Wan, I'm not exactly thrilled about going to Hoth either, but I do not appreciate your attitude of reluctance to the mission. I can leave you behind if you persist in this attitude."

Obi-Wan immediately sobered, dropping the bag. "Master, I want to go with you," he said earnestly. "I promise to do better." He gazed at him, his eyes wide, begging through their bond not to leave him there.

Qui-Gon stared at his padawan, seeing through him. Finally, he nodded. "Good. We have only a few minutes before the researchers arrive. Now let's get to the hangar."

Obi-Wan followed his master as they walked briskly to the hanger of the Temple. There they found eight people, three women and five men, lounging around, talking and laughing.

One woman spotted them and gestured to the others. All eight of them stood at their approach. The woman, a blonde woman with sparkling green eyes, smiled. "You must be the Jedi coming with us, right?"

Qui-Gon bowed deeply. "Yes. I am Qui-Gon Jinn, and this is my apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Obi-Wan bowed as well. "Pleased to meet you," he said politely.

The woman smiled at him warmly. "I am Head Researcher Quanli Voht. These are my associates, Lucas Tremble," a young man, "Penne Voht, my youngest brother," a bearded man, "Sassi Levli," a peppy-looking brunette who waved, "Greon Nel," a sour-faced older man, "Jebthia Bray," a serious-seeming older woman, "Howik Wefler, but we call him Howie," an ethusiastic, dark-skinned young man, "and last but not least, our other Head Researcher and my partner, Greklen Sio," a somber man with graying hair. Quanli smiled. "That's all of us."

Qui-Gon nodded to each researcher as they were introduced in turn. "Well, I suggest we not waste anymore time. Let's get aboard and be off then, shall we?"

At his words, the six under-researchers grabbed their gear that was piled about the hanger and headed into a large transport. The two Head Researchers stayed with them for a moment longer.

Greklen cleared his throat. "We had decided on what seemed like a good plan, though we thought it best that we ran it by you Jedi first..."

"Very well," Qui-Gon said, tucking his arms inside his robes. "Tell me your plan of action for when we land."

Quanli glanced at Greklen, then said, "Well, we'd split into two teams and search for the ore that way. The planet is too cold to stay in one group for a long search. This way the search is bound to go quicker. Half of us will go to one end of the planet, and the other half to the other. Since there are two Jedi, we thought that perhaps one of you could be with one group, and the other...well, with the other." She looked hopeful.

Qui-Gon glanced at his padawan with concern. He wasn't sure he wanted Obi-Wan going off without him on the ice planet, though the plan seemed like a logical one. "You're right. That is an option that hopefully will make things go faster and we don't want to be on Hoth for all that long if we can avoid it since it's so cold. We need to make our trip as brief as possible."

Quanli nodded, relief obvious on her pretty face. "What we thought as well. So we will decide when we get there who goes with each group...or even on the ride there. I think it's an estimated week to get there. Perhaps we can all share stories of our backgrounds to gain knowledge and respect for each other?"

Greklen scowled at her. "Qua, no one wants to have a 'story time'."

Qui-Gon frowned a little glancing at Obi-Wan, who was suddenly grinning. "I'm sure that's a great idea, Qua." He sighed when the researcher beamed. Under his breath Qui-Gon muttered, "But I have a bad feeling about this."

Obi-Wan snickered.

i