Chapter 2
Weathered
Akil fort on the planet Dolk located on the Outer Rim territories was once a military base for the Republic, before the Crime boss Runihura had occupied it. The man that the republic had put in charge was a fool and it was said that the only reason he got to his high-ranking status was because of family connections. Those factors and other had made it fairly easy for Runihura's well-armed and well-trained men to take control. Not to mention that they had a Jedi on their side. Jet Koyla a female Resi with royal blue scaly skin and long blood red hair that was tied back in a braid, thought to herself as she worked on the under belly of a transport that had just returned from a raid. Jet had been a solider for the military base but when Runihura's men had come she was taken prisoner and now worked as a mechanic.
Also in the hanger with jet was Dek a male Jokian with incredible strength but also a fiery temper, was unloading that cargo from the raid.
Suddenly there was a load crash that made Jet jump. She slide out from under the ship and stood.
"Dek what the hell is your problem!?" She shouted. Dek looked over at her. "This is an insult!" Dek shouted back indicating the ship and cargo. "I'm a fighter! I deserve to be out there! Not in here unloading the cargo!" Jet rolled her eyes.
"Would you stop your bitchin'. You would be out there if you hadn't gotten all trigger happy and shot one of your own! Kenobi wasn't to happy about that." Jet said then returned back to her work but Dek continued his ranting.
"Screw Kenobi, that Jedi asshole! What makes him so damn special? He's a prisoner just like we are. No matter how much freedom he thinks he has Runihura still controls him."
"Is that so Dek?" a new voice said. Dek turned and Jet sat up to see Twenty-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi standing at the entrance of the hanger. Obi-Wan began to walk closer. "You know Dek if your gonna talk about me you could at least have the decency to say it to my face." Obi-wan said coldly. Dek found that he could not form the words to say. The he couldn't breath. Dek's throat clenched and his lungs convulsed. He turned panicking eyes towards Obi-Wan who just stood there with his arms flooded and his face showing no emotion.
"Kenobi!" Hondo, the second in command, who had just entered the hanger called. Obi-Wan turned slightly and looked over at Hondo's direction. "Runihura wants to speak with you." Obi-Wan turned and began to walk towards the exit but not before he released his grasp on Dek.
The Jokian fell to his knees and began to gasp for the precious oxygen that his lungs had been deprived of. He looked up at the departing Obi-Wan. One of these days…He thought to himself.
Obi-Wan walked down the dimly light hallways that lead to Runihura's office. The woman had a pretty large organization going for her. She controlled several of the surrounding planets along with the Dolk. Of course she obtained them the same way she took control of Dolk so many years ago, through blunt force and fear.
As Obi-Wan walked he passed a glass window that gave off his reflection. He stopped and stared at the reflection for a moment not recognizing who he was looking at. He had changed so much that he could not even recognize his own reflection and not just in appearance but also in demeanor and attitude.
He had certainly changed form the fifteen years old he was when he first was brought to this place. His face showed signs of maturity. His ginger hair had grown out of the traditional Padawan style that he once wore. There was a scar at the corner of his right eye. When Obi-Wan had first been brought here he had talked back to Runihura. In return she backhanded the boy. Unfortunately for Obi-wan she had been wearing a ring and had cut him.
Obi-Wan ran his fingers over the scar. Runihura wouldn't let him have it removed. She had said that it was a reminder of where his place in life was now. It was a reminder all right but not in the way that Runihura wanted it. The scar reminded him of what he had before he came here and what he went through.
**Fifteen-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi sat in the dark, damp cell. He was chained to the wall by his ankles and wrist, so his movement was limited. He didn't know how long he had been sitting in that cell it seemed like forever.
He remembered walking back to the temple with Bant and Garen. Then coming across those men who were beating that defenseless person. When the three Padawans confronted the men there had been a fight and the men got the upper hand. Luckily Bant had gotten away to go for help. But she wasn't fast enough. Two of the men were fighting with Garen who seemed to putting up a good fight until one of the men grabbed him by the neck and while holding up against the wall punched him hard several times. One of the men throw a punch at Obi-Wan that was so hard that it drove him to his knees. Then paying no mind to the old saying 'never kick a man when he's down' another man grabbed the back of Obi-Wan's head and brought his knee up to make contact. The blow sent Obi-Wan laying on the ground and dazed. Obi-Wan couldn't think straight after that. He looked over at Garen who was down on the ground unconscious. Obi-Wan himself was about to lose the battle with the blackness that called him. Right before he blacked out he heard one of the men say, "Forget the that other scum let's take this kid. He'll bring in more money anyway. It will be worth that trouble we went through."
The next thing Obi-Wan knew he was being sold as a slave on some backwater planet in the outer rim. He knew it was the outer rim because slavery was banned in the Republic.
It was a disgusting site. Around Obi-Wan were others being sold as slaves, most of them children his age or younger, some older men and woman were there as well. There were buyers that would walk by examining them as if they were animals. Some people were talking into com links. Obi-Wan suspected that they were representatives for buyers on other planets.
The bidding began. First up was a young girl whom Obi-wan guessed was only about 7 or 8. She had short dingy light brown hair and her face was dirty. The cloths she wore were tattered and grubby and she looked extremely frightened.
Within a matter of minutes the young girl was sold and led off. One of slave handlers pulled Obi-Wan forward and presented him to the people. Obi-Wan had found out from one of the other slaves that because he was force sensitive that he would be worth a lot and would probably be sold right away. The slave had been right. Obi-Wan had been bought faster then the girl before him by one of the buyers from another planet for an outrageous sum of money.
Next thing Obi-Wan knew he was on a transport to another planet. Whatever planet it was. No one had come except guards giving him a meager amount of food and water. Maybe it was a way of trying to break his spirit.
Obi-Wan had tried to contact Qui-Gon through the close bond that he and the master shared but something was blocking him. He couldn't tell if it had to do with him being blocked by where he was or if Qui-Gon was shielding.
Before Obi-Wan had left with his friends, he had noticed how unusual his master had been acting. He seemed preoccupied and agitated. Obi-Wan had thought maybe he had done something to anger his Master but when he told these fears to Bant and Garen they told him not to worry about it and just to give his Master time.
Suddenly the door to the cell, scraping against the stone floor, light poured into the cell but soon was shadowed by a figure that stood in the doorway. Obi-Wan looked at the figure trying to make out a face but the harsh light obscured it.
"Well what have we here?" The figure said coolly. The figure walked into the cell and Obi-Wan could make out the face of a woman who was middle aged. To tell the truth he didn't expect a woman.
"I know when people think crime boss the instantly think male." The woman said as though she had read his thoughts.
"You're a crime boss?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes a crime boss or crime matron, crime diva or whatever else there is but personally I like the term 'yes ma'am'. I'm Runihura and you little Jedi are mine." She said. Obi-Wan said nothing but continued to look up at her. Runihura began to walk around the small space.
"I used to be like you little Jedi. Devoted to that arrogant council and the Jedi ways. Then my eyes were open and I saw the galaxy for what it really was, a cold cruel and greedy place where it is ever being for themselves." She looked down at Obi-Wan for a response but still got none. So she continued. "You think that you make a difference. But the truth is that no matter how many missions you go on there always be evil. And sooner or later that evil will dominate." That got somewhat of a response out of the boy. Obi-Wan tried not to listen to her questioning his beliefs but it was true. It seemed that for ever mission that him and his master completed successfully there were always ten more to replace the evil.
Obi-Wan shook his head. What was he doing letting himself be swayed by what this woman said. He looked her in the eye definitely. "You are wrong over all goodness will always come out on top in the end." Runihura smiled at his response. It meant she had hit a nerve.
"Really and who told that." The woman asked with some amusement.
"My Master."
"And who was your master?"
"Qui-Gon Jinn." The second that Obi-Wan mentioned that name a dark shadow came over Runihura's face. She kneeled down across from Obi-Wan and glared at the boy. Her stare sent a chill down his spine.
"Well little Jedi your Master won't be coming for you. You're my Padawan now." That had done it, Obi-Wan spit in her face. Runihura wiped the spit off her cheek and then backhanded Obi-Wan hard across the face. "You'll regret that boy." She said and then got up and left the cell locking it behind her. **
Obi-Wan looked at his reflection on last time. The thoughts of what had occurred in the Hanger came into his mind. Replacing the thoughts of the past. Back at the temple Obi-Wan had never dreamed that his life would turn out like this that he would use the force against another living being and he certainly never imagined he'd turn to the dark side but he had.
There was still a small part of his mind, a small corner that still desperately held onto the light but Obi-wan knew that every day that went by that corner would get smaller and smaller till it no longer existed and then he would be completely lost in the darkness.
