Chapter 2 - The Slave Boy
The predawn light shining through the tiny windows was hardly enough for Zora to see where she was running, but although she had given up on the Jedi, she still was in touch with the Force. She drew its power through her, delighting in the way it enhanced her senses.
She was running to where Anakin- no, the slave boy- was being held. He had apparently been trying to escape, using the Force to make things fly around the room and hit the overseers. He even managed to knock one out. But luckily, he was a Padawan, so his powers weren't finely tuned. Although, Zora thought uneasily, they were stronger than those of a Padawan his age should be.
Thinking like a Jedi again, Zora? She mocked herself. Those times were past. The slave boy had a strange ability to make objects fly, and that was that. She suppressed her feelings into a small corner of her mind, blocking them out. There was no room for them anymore.
Seeing the door to the boy's "room" which he shared with nineteen other slaves, she shoved it open. She assessed the situation in an eye blink, an old "Jedi trick" that couldn't be forgotten. The beds and single table were strewn about the room, broken and battered. Three overseers struggled to restrain the boy, who, after continuous Force-work, looked exhausted. The other slaves were huddled in a corner, as terrified of the boy as the overseers were. A fourth overseer lay on the floor, a bump forming on his head, unconscious.
"What's going on here?" she demanded in a harsh voice.
"Th-the b-boy was t-trying to escape," stuttered one of the overseers, looking anywhere but her. "I h-heard the d-door rattling and came t-to see what was h-happening." The man seemed unable to go on, so another overseer filled in. "When he came in the boy attacked him and tried to get out. We heard the noise and came to help. We subdued him, but then he started making things fly around the room!" the man shuddered. "He finally exhausted himself."
Zora stared at the boy, her dark eyes boring into his skull. She could feel his Force-supply was greatly diminished. Damn these Jedi "skills", she cursed silently. I'll never be rid of them!
"Chain him," she said aloud. "He won't do any more harm tonight." And then, in a last use of Jedi powers, she raised a shield around Anakin's Force- supply. He wouldn't be able to access it. Checking the shield once to make sure it was seamless, she anchored it.
"No." she said again. "He won't do any harm for a long time." The boy, who was almost unconscious, seemed to gather his strength, and lifted his head to look into her eyes.
In his exhaustion he couldn't hide his feelings. In his eyes, she could see his confusion. He could feel that she was Force-sensitive. But she was a slave trader. And then, in the next moment, he could feel the shield that blocked his Force access. Even in his exhausted state, he could still put two and two together and figure out that she had put up the shield. Only someone Force-sensitive could do that. And only someone trained to use the Force could do it. So she was either a runaway Jedi or a Sith. Zora saw all these thoughts flash through his head, as he came to the same conclusion she did.
Smiling maliciously, she took delight in the confusion her powers had put him in. Well, she thought to herself. At least one good thing came out of being a Jedi. She relished in the fact that he would worry about this for a long, long time.
The predawn light shining through the tiny windows was hardly enough for Zora to see where she was running, but although she had given up on the Jedi, she still was in touch with the Force. She drew its power through her, delighting in the way it enhanced her senses.
She was running to where Anakin- no, the slave boy- was being held. He had apparently been trying to escape, using the Force to make things fly around the room and hit the overseers. He even managed to knock one out. But luckily, he was a Padawan, so his powers weren't finely tuned. Although, Zora thought uneasily, they were stronger than those of a Padawan his age should be.
Thinking like a Jedi again, Zora? She mocked herself. Those times were past. The slave boy had a strange ability to make objects fly, and that was that. She suppressed her feelings into a small corner of her mind, blocking them out. There was no room for them anymore.
Seeing the door to the boy's "room" which he shared with nineteen other slaves, she shoved it open. She assessed the situation in an eye blink, an old "Jedi trick" that couldn't be forgotten. The beds and single table were strewn about the room, broken and battered. Three overseers struggled to restrain the boy, who, after continuous Force-work, looked exhausted. The other slaves were huddled in a corner, as terrified of the boy as the overseers were. A fourth overseer lay on the floor, a bump forming on his head, unconscious.
"What's going on here?" she demanded in a harsh voice.
"Th-the b-boy was t-trying to escape," stuttered one of the overseers, looking anywhere but her. "I h-heard the d-door rattling and came t-to see what was h-happening." The man seemed unable to go on, so another overseer filled in. "When he came in the boy attacked him and tried to get out. We heard the noise and came to help. We subdued him, but then he started making things fly around the room!" the man shuddered. "He finally exhausted himself."
Zora stared at the boy, her dark eyes boring into his skull. She could feel his Force-supply was greatly diminished. Damn these Jedi "skills", she cursed silently. I'll never be rid of them!
"Chain him," she said aloud. "He won't do any more harm tonight." And then, in a last use of Jedi powers, she raised a shield around Anakin's Force- supply. He wouldn't be able to access it. Checking the shield once to make sure it was seamless, she anchored it.
"No." she said again. "He won't do any harm for a long time." The boy, who was almost unconscious, seemed to gather his strength, and lifted his head to look into her eyes.
In his exhaustion he couldn't hide his feelings. In his eyes, she could see his confusion. He could feel that she was Force-sensitive. But she was a slave trader. And then, in the next moment, he could feel the shield that blocked his Force access. Even in his exhausted state, he could still put two and two together and figure out that she had put up the shield. Only someone Force-sensitive could do that. And only someone trained to use the Force could do it. So she was either a runaway Jedi or a Sith. Zora saw all these thoughts flash through his head, as he came to the same conclusion she did.
Smiling maliciously, she took delight in the confusion her powers had put him in. Well, she thought to herself. At least one good thing came out of being a Jedi. She relished in the fact that he would worry about this for a long, long time.