Chapter 2: Was it the bantha burger?
Obi-Wan woke to find his master gone. That wasn't strange. He often got up early to meditate or to go do something else masterly. In fact, today Obi-Wan was glad Qui-Gon wasn't in his bed, for one simple reason. He was about to be sick.
Scrambling over to the fresher, Obi wan made it just in time to empty his stomach. After heaving violently, Obi wan shuddered and slid to the floor. Was this morning sickness? He honestly didn't think it could start this early. Maybe he was really sick. Last night's bantha burger had looked fine, but you never knew with those things, one minute they were fine, the next they were sprouting tentacles.
"Ah… Crumb balls …why does this always happen to me?" His stomach answered before he did. For the next few minutes, Obi-Wan became very well acquainted with his dinner, yesterday's lunch, and probably a few meals he hadn't eaten yet. Exhausted, he clawed his way to the bed and collapsed. To weak to move, he lay there looking at the ceiling.
'Oh, look, new security cameras,' he thought. 'When did they get installed? And since when did Jedi quarters get fitted out with small black ones?' All the other cameras where bulky, white, and looked like they were installed last century. He giggled inwardly; they probably were. These must be the updated version. Forgetting about the cameras, he groaned. God his stomach hurt….where was a healer when you need one? Oh right, he was trying to avoid healers; one of them was bound to notice an extra life form growing inside. He could mask it from Qui-Gon for a while, but a trained healer would see right through the guise. No, he just needed to ride this illness out. That would be easy, a few days in bed, a bit of juice, and there would be no…PAIN! Pain shot through him as he lay on the bed, making him curl up in a ball. Where was his master? Masters are meant to look after their Padawans, not go off in the morning without even a goodbye. Where the Sith was his Qui-Gon?
A wave of nausea swept over him and grudgingly Obi-Wan surrendered to the darkness. Before completely losing consciousness, he thought he heard voices. "Wait till he's fully out… we don't want a Jedi waking up," said a thin, whiney voice.
"Stop being a wuss and pick the kid up, he's heavy. The kid's out cold, nobody could stay awake after the dosage of laergar weed in that burger, so STOP WORRYING, AND LETS GO BEFORE AN AWAKE JEDI COMES AND KILLS US!" growled a rough voice.
"Shhh…no need to shout. What are you trying to do, get us killed?" mocked the whiney voice, as the creature it belonged to viciously kicked Obi-Wan in the stomach and then the head.
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Meanwhile, Qui-Gon had being mediating in the gardens. His mind was uneasy, and he had no idea why. Obi-Wan had still been sleeping when he had left that morning, peaceful as a child. Obi-Wan would be mad when he realised he had left, but Obi was so cute when he was asleep that Qui-Gon couldn't bring himself to wake him. But still, something was wrong, he could feel it. Somewhere, something was out of balance, and it wanted him to know. But what was it? A gentle prod of his Padawan's bond calmed Qui-Gon's nerves; Obi-Wan was still sleeping like an angel. He often watched his young lover sleep. There was something beautiful about the way his hair fell over his face, how his braid lay gently over his muscular shoulders. Something about the way the shadows played across his smooth skin was so seductive; something about his face looked so calm, so innocent and naïve. Well maybe innocent, but naïve? There was nothing naïve about last night. Obi-Wan was fast becoming an accomplished knight and a devastatingly attractive young man. Sadly, soon he would move on to greener pasters and leave his old master behind. But on the bright side, he thought, I have him as my Padawan for at least another year or two. That's plenty of time to get to know each other again…and again… and again…
Stopping that particularly pleasurable thought, Qui-Gon focused back on his mediation. Ah… Obi-Wan was finally awake. He could feel Obi-Wan's disappointment that he was not there. But something else felt wrong. Obi-Wan hadn't felt it yet, but Qui-Gon was pretty sure he was about to. Waiting… waiting… waiting… There it was. Obi-Wan was being sick. It was probably that bantha burger he had insisted on having for dinner. Qui-Gon had tried to tell him it had a bad feeling but nooo…… oh well, that just meant he would have to get over there. Somebody had to hold Obi-Wans head while he vomited…gosh that was a lot of throwing up. The sickly feeling was stretching down their bond. Now Qui-Gon was feeling a bit queasy himself, and - tired? Why would he be tired? Apart from making love to his Padawan all night, he had a pretty good sleep. Obi-Wan was such a good pillow, and comfortingly warm.
Pain began shooting down the bond in spasms. Obi-Wan was hurt. He needed to get there quickly. Sith, why had he chosen to meditate in the far garden? It would take him a good 20 minutes to get to their apartment, more if he bothered to get a healer.
Deciding not to take the extra 10 minutes to find a healer, Qui-Gon began to make his way towards Obi-Wan. Falling to his knees, Qui-Gon gasped. The pain was excruciating! If this is was what he was feeling, then what kind of pain was Obi-Wan going through? Pushing through the pain, he continued his path towards the compartments.
Like a dying fire, the pain began to fade and then abruptly just stopped. Relieved, Qui-Gon let out the breath he had not been aware he was holding. Maybe Obi-Wan had just slipped in the fresher, although that kind of pain was unusual for a fall. But strangely, now he couldn't feel anything. Normally, even if Obi-Wan was asleep, he could feel his steady and shinning force signature; but now there was nothing. Something was seriously wrong with Obi-Wan, more than the food poising that he had originally thought of. Racing to the door, he Force pushed it open, and burst inside. He felt nothing; the bright glow that surrounded his Padawan like a small sun was gone from the apartment that was their home. Walking into Obi-Wan's room he felt a strange presence, something that had not been there when he had left. Reaching out with his feelings, Qui-Gon's hand found a small data cube hidden underneath Obi-Wans bloody bed covers.
"Obi-Wan? Obiiiii-Waaaaan!" he called.
He frantically searched through their bond for any signs of his beloved, but the bond was stretched thin and ice cold. It was almost dead. Horror took over as he realised the only way their bond could be broken was if Obi-Wan was…was…No! He would have felt it! Obi-Wan was alive, but hurt badly. Someone had stolen him away, right from under his nose. How could he have let something like this happen? How could he not feel the danger his Padawan was in? Regretfully, he remembered that his Force senses where tingling that morning. He had disregarded the warnings, he had ignored the danger in the air, and had paid for it dearly. Some evil space scum had snuck into the Jedi temple and kidnapped the one person that mattered to him. This was all his fault; nobody would care about Obi-Wan if he wasn't the Padawan of the great Qui-Gon Jinn. He had too many enemies that would love to hurt him, and what better way to hurt a Jedi Master than to take his Padawan and unknowingly his lover.
Damn it to Sith hell! What kind of bounty hunter could sneak, undetected, into a Temple full of alert Jedi? For that, they must have had some kind of way to be invisible to Force senses and visual cameras. That required money, and power and lots of both. Well, I thought I was an alert Jedi, but maybe I'm slowing down. I failed you, Obi-Wan. You needed me, and I let them take you.
Reluctantly inserting the data cube into the computer, he waited for the ransom notice. A wavering holo image emerged, but nothing was in the field of view. A deep, sinister voice broke the silence.
"Master Jinn, due to your insistent meddlings in my society's affairs , we found it necessary to punish you. Your Padawan is now almost certainly dead – or he will be, after we extract the products and information required. He is untraceable, so let this be a warning to stay out of affairs that don't concern you. Oh, and have a nice day."
After the message, a small video clip of Obi-Wan was played. He was moaning in pain as two small shaggy creatures grabbed him. As Obi-Wan drifted into sleep one of the… creatures viciously kicked him, causing blood to spill onto the clean sheets. Then the image stopped, and a message in basic writing flew across the screen. "He will die because of you."
Those bastards! They hadn't even given him a chance to get Obi-Wan back. And what the Sith did they mean about extracting products and information? Most prisoners were tortured for information, but what in the galaxy could they extract from Obi-Wan? Unless they were the type who found it satisfying to send victims back to their families piece by piece. Force, no! He couldn't let that happen to his Obi-Wan.
It was then that Qui-Gon felt a strange emotion, one he had never fully felt before. It was a primal urge, and it smouldered deep inside. A feeling that was forbidden to a Jedi. One that lead to the infamous Dark Side. Anger.
For the first time in his well-structured Jedi life, Qui-Gon felt the pangs of the fiercest rage. It was growing, and, to his disbelief, he wanted it to take over. He wanted to ignite his lightsaber and cut down the villains who had dared to touch his beautiful lover. He wanted to hear the creatures' screams of pain, and feel their blood on his hands. How dare they violate his Obi-Wan! His everything! Struggling to contain the new feeling, he swallowed hard and breathed. If he was to rescue Obi-Wan, then he would need to be able to think clearly.
The Council wound need to be informed of this immediately. Then he would go visit an old friend. An old friend who might need a little lightsabre-type encouragement. Nothing was going to stop him from finding Obi-Wan. Nothing.
Well this is the new chapter. Sorry it took so long, but exams are on right now. In fact, I am meant to be studying for maths, chemistry, French, geography….a lot of subjects. But this is my break from study so I decided to write. I hope you like it. A fast paced story is a good story so I got into the action right away. This is my second fanfiction every so …..Please review!
I'd like to add my apology also. I'm DRS, maddymouse's beta. She'd have posted this sooner if I'd gotten it back to her. I'm sorry!