Disclaimer: Star Wars and Jedi Apprentice do not belong to me; George Lucas, Jude Watson, and Dave Wolverton own them.
A Believer's Circle
Chapter 3
"Old Acquaintances"
Obi-Wan froze. That voice, that dark pulse in the force, there was no mistaking it. The hooded figure's voice had the deep and familiar timbre that belonged to Qui-Gon Jinn's former apprentice, Xanatos. He was unmistakable—the broad shoulders, the finely woven cloak lined in midnight blue satin, the stance that radiated arrogance. That was him, all right. And he was vouching for Obi-Wan.
Serina and Sy'Mar turned to him. "You know him?"
"Yes, Serina, I do know him. His name is Obi-Wan Kenobi and he is a very good friend of mine. I'm quite fond of him, really. I hope he hasn't been causing too much trouble, though, by the looks of it, he has."
Sy'Mar held up his hand in protest. "I'm sorry, but I have to protest. He pretended to be Gen'Mar. He lied in front—"
"Enough." Xanatos strode forward, moving through the crowd gracefully as they parted to make way for him. He hopped onto the platform, close enough to Obi-Wan to make him jerk away. "He is my guest and you will treat him as such."
"But—"
"You heard the Hand, Sy'Mar, stop arguing with him," interrupted Serina smugly. "What would you have us do, then, leader?"
"Continue with the Meet as scheduled." He hardly even looked Obi-Wan's way. He cleared the platform of everyone except himself, Serina, and Sy'Mar, who sullenly stepped behind Xanatos and Serina. Serina continued the meeting, but Obi-Wan couldn't pay attention. It was boring talk—they spoke of sacrifices and the "them" without revealing anything much more than Obi-Wan already knew. He watched Xanatos, who, besides the bursting entrance, managed to all but vanish from the room. Sy'Mar was clearly unhappy about Serina's delight in seeing Xanatos, but what Sy'Mar didn't know was that Serina was a little upset when it came down to Xanatos. Perhaps it was annoyance that Obi-Wan sensed, or plain anger, yet she was still glad to see him.
When everyone dispersed, Kahn and Tyl approached him. Obi-Wan wasn't really in the mood to talk to them; he wanted to question Xanatos—why didn't Xanatos expose him? He tried to slip past them to catch up with Xanatos, who was slipping away with Serina. "Wait up—what did the Hand say your name was, again?"
"Obi-Wan," he replied, distractedly. "I need to talk with Xanatos."
"The Hand is talking to Serina," Tyl'Mar pointed out.
"I know, but I still need to." He passed by them without saying anything more and pushed his way through the dispersing crowd. By the time Obi-Wan crossed the room, he was one of only eight people still there and he said, "Xanatos."
Serina and Xanatos turned to look at him, and Serina commented, "You never told me you knew an Obi-Wan. Is that a Vlenarian name I don't know about?"
"No, he's human."
"No wonder he has such a coarse voice. I had thought, perhaps, he was a little sick." Obi-Wan stopped short of them, only to find that Kahn and Tyl flanked him. "Oh, Xanatos, I'd like you to meet my friend Kahn and his friend Tool'Mar," continued Serina.
"Tyl," murmured Tyl.
Xanatos gave abrupt nods. "Tool'Mar, Kahn'Mar."
"Tyl."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, leader—or do you prefer being called 'Hand?"
"Leader is fine."
"You know, I was just telling your friend here, Obi-Wan, how we've never gotten the chance to meet you. And you hardly ever attend the Meet—if I may be so bold to say, of course, leader," added Kahn quickly. He playfully punched Obi-Wan on the arm. "Here we were just talking about the leader and you knew him all the same! I hope we said nothing too mean."
"No, you didn't," said Obi-Wan, though he would never tell Xanatos even if they had. His eyes had not left Xanatos's shadowy face. "Xanatos."
"Now's not the place." Obi-Wan could hear the smile in his voice. "Serina, shall we?"
"Oh, of course. Right this way."
Just as Xanatos and Serina turned to leave, Obi-Wan held up his hand. "Xanatos, wait!"
Xanatos faced him once more, his annoyance prickling the force. "I'm only going to repeat myself this one last time, Obi-Wan. Now is not the time, nor this the place, to talk. I'm sure by now Qui-Gon has taught you that patience is a virtue, yes?"
Obi-Wan held back a sigh. He was almost nineteen, and here was Xanatos, talking to him as if he was still five. Well, perhaps he talks to you that way because you are acting that age, replied his conscience. Patience is a virtue. He will never tell you of his plans. But he is giving you plenty of time to figure them out yourself.
"It was such a divine pleasure to meet you, Leader," exclaimed Tyl'Mar as Serina and Xanatos exited the room. "And you, Serina. It's always a pleasure seeing you," and once she was out of earshot, he added on a quieter note, "even though you never pronounce my name right."
Kahn latched onto Obi-Wan's arm and tugged him down an opposing hall from the one Xanatos had taken. "I can't believe you knew the Hand and never said anything! I mean, what's he like?"
Tyl caught up after a few quick strides and pushed his way into the gap between Obi-Wan and Kahn'Mar. "Who cares what he's like? Do you think he's the kind of guy Serina would like—not that I'm jealous or anything. No one as important as Serina could possibly ever…you know…even think, even for a second, about a Vlenarian like me."
Obi-Wan grinned as the pressures that had just held him hostage slowly loosened their grip and he fell into the peaceful groove he'd been in earlier. "He can be a bit of a charmer."
"Oh, damn! I'd really thought that…well, he's human, like you, isn't he? So that means that Serina couldn't like him?"
Kahn, oblivious to his brother's anxiety, said, "Well, did you see the way she hung onto him? It looks like their some kind of item. You know, didn't you hear what Marina and Larina were telling us at breakfast? That Serina's boyfriend was cheating on her."
"I wasn't aware she had a boyfriend," said Tyl through gritted teeth.
"It would only make sense that they, being the researchers, would know more about the Hand. Of course, they can't disclose the information to us—"
Obi-Wan interrupted before Kahn could anger Tyl much more. "Are we allowed to go outside?"
Tyl rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "We can, if we really wanted to, but it's generally not permitted."
"Why not?"
Kahn gave him a sidelong look. "You're really not one of us, are you?"
Obi-Wan rubbed his chin. "I'm an initiate. I want to be here. I hope I become one of you."
"Then you can stick with us until they find you a partner, though I'm sure you'd like to spend a bunch of your time with Xanatos. Only time will tell."
"So what now?"
"Now? We go to the shrine, pray, and go to sleep. You can take a shower. Now that you are the Hand's most gracious guest, you can pretty much do anything you'd like, within reason, of course. No spying on the Rinas now," he warned, chuckling.
"Yeah, we got caught a few times," said Tyl.
"I told you not to go near Serina's rooms."
"I wasn't spying on Serina!"
"Sure."
"Somehow, I find myself believing Kahn," put in Obi-Wan, laughing.
"He's a liar. I would never disrespect Serina like that. She's too good for that," growled Tyl'Mar. "Let's not talk about this anymore."
"So, do you want to take a walk before we pray to the Mother and the Father?" asked Kahn, lightening his tone.
"No, it's all right. Let's head over to the Shrine."
/ — / — / — / — /
Praying to the Mother and the Father was a difficult process, not to mention long. To prostrate oneself on the floor for such long periods of time really hurt. While Sy'Mar conducted the rituals, Obi-Wan cleared his mind, meditating. When it ended, Kahn and Tyl dragged him back to the dorms. "Did you see that? Serina is missing! From the prayers."
"She's with him," murmured Tyl, glumly. "I'm going to bed." He stormed off, leaving Kahn chuckling in his wake.
"Poor Tyl'Mar. Love makes him crazy."
"Love makes him blind," commented Obi-Wan.
"Or stupid." They walked down the hall some ways before Kahn'Mar asked, "What will you do right now?"
Obi-Wan rolled his shoulders. He wanted to talk to Xanatos or spy on him, though spying would always be the better choice with someone who would always withhold his plans from his enemies. "I think I'm going to take a shower and then walk around."
"Do you mind if I join you? On the walk, I mean."
Obi-Wan smiled. "You may, if that is what you want." Though I can't guarantee I will stay out of trouble.
They rounded the corner and took the path to the showers. "Where are you going to go?"
"Kahn'Mar, do you trust me?"
"Sure."
"Okay." Obi-Wan looked behind them, and when he saw no one, he took a deep breath. "Okay, I am going to find out who the next victim is."
Kahn stopped. "What?"
"I am going to find out who the next victim is," he repeated calmly, half turning to Kahn. His heart pounded in his chest. He might be making a grave mistake, but he felt that Kahn'Mar might be up to this little task.
"But…you can't—I meant, you just can't—if they find out—if, if, well, what will you do with that information?" he asked, finally.
"I'm going to save that person."
"Are you really the Hand's friend?"
Obi-Wan started for the showers once more. "You don't have to come. I'm going to take a shower now. I smell pretty bad."
Kahn'Mar paced outside of the showers for the duration of Obi-Wan's bathing. He chewed one his nails and rubbed his neck. "You do realize what can happen if anyone finds out, don't you?" he asked as Obi-Wan strolled out from behind the curtains, fully dressed in the cult's garb.
"Oh, yes. But I don't believe in senseless murder," he told him quietly. "The family has been doing well for generations, even before these calls to blood. Wouldn't you like to restore the family name? Its virtues? This was a haven for people who didn't quite fit in with the Vlenarian society's standards. By murdering these innocent people, you are making more enemies."
Kahn'Mar folded his arms across his chest and blocked Obi-Wan's exit. "If they want it, then they should have it. If it means we make enemies, then so be it. They are never wrong."
"Trust me. Xanatos—or the hand, whatever you want to call him—has been known to be wrong more often than not. He's not to be trusted."
Obi-Wan could tell that the Mar in front of him gawked at him by the awkward silence that followed. "How can you say such a thing? He rescued you from murder! He's your friend."
"He calls everyone his friend. If you want, you may tell someone if you don't trust me. Tell the Hand, for that matter. I'm sure he already knows why I am here. It's part of his plan."
His words were powerful to the Vlenarian. He moved aside and allowed Obi-Wan passage. "I'll come."
"Okay." Obi-Wan smiled to himself as they backtracked. "I'm glad you're on my side. I think there are several places we need to visit tonight, and I don't know where they are."
Kahn'Mar hesitated before directing him to Serina's room, but patience was on Obi-Wan's side and soon Kahn gave in. "You can only reach it through the lifts—but we're not allowed to use them. You need a key to use the lifts. Trust me."
"You said that Tyl'Mar spied on Serina. How did he do that if he doesn't have a key?"
"Hmm, I never really thought about it before. We can ask Tyl'Mar, but…he'll turn you in before disclosing that sort of information to you—or to me, for that matter."
"It's fine. I might know a way. How many people have access to the bottom floor?"
"Sy'Mar, Serina, and the Hands, for sure. Perhaps Larina. There's the research facility down there where the Hand supposedly works. She worked with him for a while. She, Marina, and Jer'Mar." His breathing became more ragged as he tried to keep up with Obi-Wan's pace. "They probably have keys."
"Do you know if the three sleep here or the lower level?"
"Here, for sure. They dine down here."
"Do you know where any of them stay?"
Kahn paused. "We're not going to steal anything, are we?"
"We'll return it."
"No. No, we absolutely cannot take anything from them. That is a serious offense!"
"In the real world, so is murder," Obi-Wan fired back, then immediately cooled his tone. "I need to find a way down there. Anything will do."
"This way."
They wound through the endless halls and found themselves in the sleeping quarters. A few beds were empty and a gentle light lined the pathway in between the beds to guide them. Obi-Wan looked around. Marina, Larina, and Jer'Mar were the people he had seen upon his arrival, but how would he know if Jer'Mar was here? It wasn't like he could remember the face. He quietly thanked Kahn for coming with him. This would have been a hard task to complete without Kahn's experience in the cult.
Kahn'Mar stepped in between two beds and pointed to a man and mouthed, "That's him."
Obi-Wan knelt beside Jer'Mar's bed and deftly pulled out a box from underneath it. Jer'Mar turned on his side, facing Obi-Wan but did not wake up. Kahn stepped back into the aisle and kept his eyes on the door. Obi-Wan opened the box and peered inside. Vlenarians were surprisingly trusting. They put their valuables in unlocked boxes.
In the cool metallic box, Obi-Wan found, wrapped in a velvety cloth, Jer'Mar's gold ring, with the Vlenarian letters that roughly translated to "JE" engraved into the flat surface. Placing it aside, he checked the other contents of the box. A hologram, a small container of candy, an electro-jabber, and, lying buried underneath all of it, a card marked "Research."
He snatched it and returned the contents to the box. While doing so, Tyl'Mar burst into the room. Kahn'Mar hurried for him in a futile attempt at saving Obi-Wan from an interrogation. Obi-Wan fumbled to return everything but successfully shut it and hid it away from the approaching Tyl'Mar. "Where have you two been?! I've been looking for you everywhere! When you didn't turn up after the Meet—"
"Shh! People are sleeping," Kahn told his brother through gritted teeth.
Tyl stared at Obi-Wan, standing beside the sleeping Jer'Mar. "What are you doing, Obi-Wan?"
"It's nothing, Tyl," Kahn assured him, frantically. "C'mon, let's go out into the hall so we don't wake anyone up, okay?"
"No. What were you just doing, Obi-Wan? Were you going through Jer'Mar's private—"
"No, of course not!" Kahn snapped. "Don't be stupid."
"I think you were. By the Mother and the Father! What—"
Obi-Wan lifted his hand and waved it in the air, gathering the force around him. Vlenarians were human-like in that they were not simple-minded, but he hoped it would work on Tyl'Mar. He needed to be subdued. "I wasn't going through Jer'Mar's things. You are tired and now you will go to bed."
Silence.
"No."
Obi-Wan sighed. It was a good try. "I'll tell you if you get into the hall."
They strode out into the hall and Tyl turned to them, his hands on his hips. "What is going on, Kahn? What trouble are you two getting into?"
While Obi-Wan was thinking of excuse after excuse, Kahn blurted out, "Obi-Wan is secretly in love with Serina. He wanted to go down to the lower levels and tell her how he feels about her, but he needed a key, so I told him that Jer'Mar has one of the keys to the lift, and so we went here to get the key from him, but he was asleep, you know, so we couldn't wake him up, so we thought it wouldn't hurt anyone if we borrowed it for a moment, used the lift, and when we were done we would totally return it, we don't mean any harm. We're not doing anything that might hurt the family." He stopped to catch his breath.
Tyl'Mar dropped his hands from his hips. "Oh, why couldn't you have just said that? You don't need a key for the lifts, anyway."
Obi-Wan and Kahn just stared. "What?"
"There's a simple override code that I learned while I was working as an apprentice in the laboratory. You know, they didn't have a key for me made yet, since I wasn't sure if I wanted to work down there, so they gave me a code they used to override it. It changes from week to week, but it's not hard to find out. If you don't mind me coming along, I'll get that code for you."
Obi-Wan and Kahn'Mar exchanged looks. Not only was Tyl taking Kahn's fanciful story better than one would expect, he wanted to go with them! This was not good in the least.
Obi-Wan held up the key. "There's no need for a code. I've got the key." Perhaps Tyl would back off.
"Well, I'll come along anyway. I know my way around the lower level. It's very complicated," he added when neither of the two responded immediately.
"Uh, sure, Tyl. You're welcome to join us," Obi-Wan said, politely, praying that Tyl didn't sabotage his mission.
"Good, well, come, mars. Let's go."
Obi-Wan and Kahn fell in line with Tyl's long strides. Obi-Wan searched the force for the emotions around him. Kahn was afraid, but Tyl'Mar was excited. The air around him pulsed with it. He couldn't help but wonder why Tyl'Mar felt such excitement. What was he planning. He studied him out of habit from the corner of his eye, but the hood revealed nothing. His gait only revealed his eagerness, but that was it.
They reached the lift only a few silent minutes later. The dim blue lights blinked when they stepped on the sensors and a voice asked for the key. Obi-Wan stepped forward and slid the card in the designated place. The lights brightened and the door shut behind them. "Welcome to the Research Facility, Jer'Mar," the voice greeted monotonously. The doors hissed open and the voice said, "Watch your step."
They exited into a dark corridor. "Where are the lights?" whispered Kahn'Mar nervously.
"They don't expect anyone down here after hours, so why do they need to waste energy?" replied Tyl. "Come on, Serina's quarters are down this way." He turned left and continued down the hall, Kahn and Obi-Wan following closely behind.
They passed several doors on their way to Serina's room, but all were lock. Obi-Wan wondered what sort of research they would do. Considering that the cult consisted mainly of rejects or people turned out because of differences in opinion, he supposed the family gave a haven to those scientists who wished to conduct experiments that were otherwise considered immoral or illegal throughout the rest of Vlenaria. With that thought, he decided that he would pay a visit to one of these labs when he did not have Kahn'Mar or Tyl'Mar beside him. Those types of things required stealth, which would only be acquired by one's own self.
The hall widened to a dead end, where there were four doors. Two for the Hands, one for Serina, and one for Sy'Mar, Obi-Wan supposed. Kahn nudged Tyl. "That wasn't too complicated. "All you had to say was, 'to the left.'" He chortled to himself.
"It's not funny. You might walk into the wrong door."
Obi-Wan could tell Kahn'Mar rolled his eyes. "Well, which one is Serina's?"
"None," replied Tyl.
"None? Then why are we here?"
"Well, that door leads to the sleeping quarters," he explained, pointing to the door on the right. "Come on."
They advanced deeper into the lower levels, where there were occasionally dim lights to the light up the hallway enough so no one would trip over one another. Obi-Wan could feel ripples and ripples in the force, making Xanatos's presence. Xanatos would know. If Xanatos's presence was so strong, then so was Obi-Wan's. Such an experienced dark Jedi would not miss such a thing. He stopped. "We should turn back right now."
"What? After we've come this far? Don't be stupid. Let's go," urged Tyl'Mar.
"Yeah, come on, Obi-Wan. Not much farther."
Xanatos already knows I'm here. He knows what I plan to do, anyway. "All right." They moved forward a little more until they heard voices. Loud voices.
"It doesn't matter now," came Serina's soft voice.
"Why not?" Sy'Mar.
"Because, there's someone else."
"How do you know?"
"What do you mean, how do I know?" Insulted, Serina snorted. Obi-Wan and the two brothers melted into one of the niches in the hall as the door opened. "There's another Rina. He hasn't come to my bed since he's been back."
"Serina, he can probably hear you."
"He's probably with that awful Rina!" she exclaimed huffily.
The two hooded figures passed by their hiding place without so much as glancing at them. "Well, I always figured Vlenarians and humans shouldn't be together. It's just not right."
She stopped and pivoted to face him. "What do you mean? There's nothing at all wrong with humans and Vlenarians together. I'd rather be with a human than be with a sloppy Vlenarian."
"Are you mad at him or are content with him? By the Mother and the Father, Serina. I'm trying to tell you how much I love you and you can't even make up your mind."
"There's no time for love," she said briskly. "We've got to think about the next sacrifice."
"I wasn't the one going off topic," he replied hotly.
"I am going to his room now. I'll figure out who is the next sacrifice, okay?"
"You should have figured that out a long time ago. He normally tells us before we announce it. I don't know what's happened to the family. It changes very day." He stalked off while Serina entered one of the rooms. Obi-Wan figured it was Xanatos's room. All of the dark energy was concentrated there.
"I don't think this is a good time to announce your love," whispered Tyl, his heart sinking and his eagerness gone.
"Give me a few minutes alone with her, and it will be," Obi-Wan assured him, absently. "Do you think you could stand watch out here for me?"
"You're going in after her?" asked Tyl, his jaw dropping.
"The Hand's in there! You're mad."
"Are you just going to waltz right in there and make a speech or something?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. "I don't know. I'll know when I get in there."
"How are you going in there? The door is loud, you know."
"I'm good at being invincible. Trust me." And he entered the room as silently as feather hitting the ground.
The anterior room was dark, but a thin sliver of yellow light pooled on the metallic flooring from the room at the end of the hall. Obi-Wan crept in a little farther, gathering the force around him. He was being rash, he knew, but something compelled him to come here. He wasn't sure what it was, but it drew him towards it.
Silence descended upon the hall as he made his way to the light. When he was close enough, he peeped through the open door, only to find Xanatos in the center of the room, his arms folded across his chest, and Serina lying face down in the bed. Xanatos was smiling. "I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan Kenobi."
/ — / — / — / — /
Author's Note: Bad girl, bad, smacks hand. I know, I know, it's been a really long time. Lots of midterms and high stress and homework, you know. But in two or three weeks, I'll be free for the summer! Well, for two weeks and then summer school starts. :( Anyway, the sacrifice comes next and then the Xanatos/Obi-Wan goodness begins! And it's going to be good (for those of you who like the pairing, anyway). Thanks to all those who reviewed. I thrive on reviews, I really do. They make my day. I hoped you enjoyed this update. I really wasn't going to have it end here, but the next part ties in with the next chapter, so it must end here.
