"Are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked. "The medic could give you something for the pain."

"No, I want to stay alert. What about you?" Astri asked Obi-Wan. "How is your leg?"

Obi-Wan felt the bandage on his thigh. His leg had been sliced by the spiking of the bounty hunter's whip. The wound had been bathed in a bacta tank. It would heal. Already the pain was ebbing.

And Qui-Gon? Have his wounds been attended to?

Astri prowled around the small waiting room. It was designed for comfort and calm, in colors of pale blue and white. The seating areas were grouped for both privacy and intimacy.

Astri looked out at the view of Coruscant. "I am so grateful to the Jedi. The healers and medics have been so good. I just wish they were faster."

The door to the inner treatment rooms opened. The Jedi healer, Winna Di Yuni, came toward them, dressed in the light blue tunic of a medic. Obi- Wan had been glad when Winna had taken over Didi's care. She was an elder Jedi, tall and strong, with a gentle manner. She was renowned for her great skill as a diagnostician. She had a vast knowledge of all the diseases in the galaxy.

Now Obi-Wan's heart beat faster when he saw the look on Winna's face.

He knew in a sudden flash that she was not bringing good news. He stood, and Astri quickly crossed to his side.

Winna looked at Astri kindly and gestured for them to take a seat.

She sat opposite them. "We have done all we can for your father," she said.

"It is up to Didi now. His life energy is very low. He himself must find the strength to fight."

Obi-Wan saw Astri swallow. "His wounds are bad?" he asked.