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Obi-Wan was on a mission on his own. Typical negotiating between two groups on a planet. Anakin had to be left behind because he was far too behind on his classes due to missions running longer than they should have. Obi-Wan normally would not have left without him, but he had been specifically requested for this.
Apparently the Republic representative who had been dealing with this had decided only he could handle the insanity between these two groups.
Obi-Wan quickly understood why. He was calm and soothing, keeping feathers as unruffled as he could manage. Eventually, he quickly came to the conclusion that the main conflict was over the old mines.
Apparently they could not decide who was responsible for them, but the mines were a problem now. They didn't have anything left of the resource they had been mining in the first place. They were not doing good things for the environment. And they were dangerous and kids from both sides kept entering the mines from the nearest entrance.
So Obi-Wan decided to check out the mines himself, to see if there was anything he could find on who should be responsible. To see if maybe there was something they could do.
Because that was the other problem. Both sides agreed that something needed to be done. And neither side seemed to have any idea of what it would be. They wanted to claim the mines because it expanded territory, but they also didn't want to be the ones responsible for fixing it.
Obi-Wan entered the mines with the safety gear, but no one would go with him. Only kids risked going in, and they would not actually go too deep because they weren't that dumb.
That was fine. Obi-Wan had the Force and his lightsaber if nothing else. It would be easier to take care of himself and protect himself without other people to worry about.
He hummed and walked through the mines, keeping an eye out for any signs of problems. Of who might have jurisdiction over the mines.
As he found the older parts of the mines, he noticed that there was a recurring symbol. One that wasn't in use today. And in those areas, there was no sign of anything like the current emblems of the two groups. That was interesting.
Obi-Wan put that clue in the back of his mind as he kept going. The Force showed him where to go. He was finding a lot of clues and thought he was getting something more of a picture, especially in the older parts of the mines compared to the newer.
And then things went wrong. He was checking something along the wall, now rather deep, when the Force sent him a warning. He startled and backed into the opposite wall, yelping as he pulled away. He cursed when he found he'd just been stabbed in the back of his shoulder by a rusty nail of all things. Because of course he did.
Obi-Wan saved the nail just in case as a rumbling started up. The walls shook. He looked around, using the Force to keep himself safe but there wasn't anything he could do.
The walls caved in, and he was left with a small six foot by six foot space with some holes that would allow him to breath.
Obi-Wan sighed. Just. His. Luck. He pulled out his comm and found that he didn't have enough of a signal for a call, but there was just enough of one for leaving a message. So he was able to let people know he had been caught by an unexpected cave in.
Now he had to wait.
He took the time to get his shoulder bandaged as it burned from being stabbed. It wasn't the best job since it was the back of shoulder, but it was something. He then checked the walls to be sure there was nothing he could do.
And then he just settled down to put his information together, put all the clues together. He had to see if he could figure out what was going on.
He ignored the way the walls seemed to press in on him. The way he was feeling very trapped. The way panic was slowly starting to rise the longer he stayed put.
He was a Jedi and he would not let his fear get the better of him.
.
Quinlan was alarmed when the Council contacted him. He was needed to find Obi-Wan, as Obi-Wan had gotten stuck by a cave in. In a maze of a mine. He would be the best person to get Obi-Wan out.
Of course he was the best person. They were soulmates. He was the person who would have an easiest time finding him.
So he went to find Obi-Wan. It was times like this he hated that he and Obi-Wan had chosen different paths. It would work better if they could at least pair up. Then they didn't have to be separated.
But Quinlan was more suited to investigations, to undercover work, and Obi-Wan was a brilliant negotiator with a head for strategy. He was one of the best, even at the age of twenty eight, for crisis negotiations that ended in fights more often than not.
So they lived with being apart most of the year. It was their duty. They may be soulmates, but they were still Jedi with responsibilities to the rest of the galaxy. It would always have to be enough for them.
Although sometimes Quinlan felt like he'd be okay with playing diplomat with Obi-Wan, there were still investigations there after all.
Still, at times like this, when Obi-Wan got himself in trouble, or Quinlan fell out of contact, they both wished they worked closer together. They were the best people to find the other, and it would help if they were closer to start with.
Quinlan put it out of his mind as he listened patiently to his guide. He frowned when the guide turned him lose on the mines without anyone. On one hand, at least Obi-Wan hadn't had to worry about saving anyone else. On the other, no wonder they had no idea where to look.
He shook his head and cleared his mind. He put a hand to their shared soulmark on his wrist. It was nothing special. Just their lightsabers and the Jedi Order symbol.
It was cold. Not as ice cold as it had been before he arrived on planet, but still cold. Quinlan hummed and started walking, paying careful attention to the soulmark.
The more it warmed up, the closer he was. And the more he would feel Obi-Wan's presence.
Playing hot and cold was not the best way to find someone, but in a place like this it gave him the best chance.
He felt the mark warming, and knew he was on the right track. He just hoped he would have to backtrack and find a different path once he was close. But that was always a risk in a maze like this.
Good thing that Jedi had soulmates practice this from the moment they know a pair are soulmates. First with just hide and seek, that got more and more elaborate with more and more space, eventually even including the whole Room of A Thousand Fountains and then the whole Temple.
Mazes were included in that training. And it certainly had come in handy. This was just one of those things where all the strategies in the world were hard to apply if you didn't experience it first hand.
So they'd just discuss strategies before and after and that worked well, reinforcing which strategies worked and didn't.
Quinlan was certain he and Obi-Wan had the most real life practice though. They needed to find the other at least once a year. Sometimes even more often than that.
His mark no longer felt cold. He pressed his other hand to it just to be sure. Yep, at body temperature. Good. He was getting closer.
.
Obi-Wan had finished putting together everything and thought he had a good working theory. He just needed to confirm with records before saying anything.
And without anything to distract him, he was curled up in the middle of the small space, doing his best not to touch any rocks while his shoulder ached. It had been hours already. Coming up on a full day.
It was chilly down here. At least the Force was there. And his wrist was warm.
...his wrist was warm? Obi-Wan pressed his hand to his soulmark and let out a sigh of relief.
Quinlan was near. His soulmark was warmer than the rest of his body. Not hot, not yet, but Quinlan was on planet and had to be looking for him, judging by the heat. It was never anything but ice cold when they were not on the same planet. Obi-Wan had taken to wearing wrist warmers to ward off the chill.
That was good. He was starting to feel panicky and out of breath. There was plenty of air, with how the rocks weren't packed tightly at the top. It was just his mild claustrophobia at play.
He could do small spaces. Just not for much more than an hour at a time, and the longer he was stuck, the more panicked he would get.
Maybe Quinlan would be able to find him before he entered full on panic attack.
.
Quinlan rubbed his soulmark just to be certain. It was hot. Not quite burning to the touch. That only happened when they were mere feet apart. Almost there.
He turned a corner and his eyes widened. This had to be it. He could feel Obi-Wan's presence, as his soulmate, and in the Force. There was just the rocks separating them.
Quinlan carefully started removing rocks one by one, listening to the Force and being cautious the entire time. Once he was able to climb up and fit through the hole, he did so.
He hurried to Obi-Wan's side. Obi-Wan had his eyes tightly closed, curled up tightly and tears slowly falling.
"I'm here, Obes," Quinlan hugged him. "I'm here. You're going to get out of here. It's okay."
Their soul marks thrummed happily now that they were reunited, back to something like body temperature.
Obi-Wan clung to Quinlan, getting his breathing under control. Tears flowed with relief.
"Oh, you're here, Quin... you're here. Let's get out of here."
Quinlan smiled and pressed a kiss to Obi-Wan's forehead. "You're going to have to climb out, I'm afraid. I didn't want to risk moving more than what was necessary to get out."
Obi-Wan huffed. "As long as I don't have to stay in such a small space anymore, I am happy with that."
Quinlan chuckled. "You first."
"Good idea." Obi-Wan climbed out, still a bit shaky from the panic.
Quinlan's presence, the soothing thrumming of their soulmarks, and seeing the exit put him at ease.
It was still a bit difficult to climb out with his should throbbing, but he managed it.
Quinlan dropped down behind him. "What happened to your shoulder?"
Obi-Wan sighed and held up the offending nail. "I bumped into a rusty nail just before the cave in. It would not surprise me if it got infected."
Quinlan winced. "We'll take care of it once we get out. I marked the path I took, thankfully never needed to back track."
"Okay, good."
"Did you find what you came here for?"
"I think so. Just need to check records."
"Oh?"
"I think that these mines originated from before the two groups were separate, so they have equal claim. I also think the solution for fixing things is simpler than they think, but again need to check."
Quinlan wrapped an arm around Obi-Wan. "That's great! I'm glad. I'm staying with you until you're done."
"Good. I missed you."
"Missed you too."