Littlelionluvr: Thanks so much for the review! And thank you for the kind words. Jes is the only person that Obi-Wan trusts without question; she reminds him of his mother, giving him a piece of his old life in a round about way. :)

Guest: Thanks for the kind words; they're much appreciated! I'm so glad the chapter came across in a believable way. The thought of a life outside the confines of the prison Nayt and Traest built for him is a thrilling thought for Obi-Wan, but it's also a terrifying one. In the life he's been living, he knows the rules, knows where the boundaries are. The one waiting for him is filled with unknowns. Thanks so much for the review!

A/N: For the readers who leave a review, but do not have an account here or who did not sign in, I'll reply to your review before each chapter. For the readers who leave a review and have signed in, I'll reply to your review through e-mail. You've taken time out of your day to read and review, the least I can do is take time out of mine to reply. Thanks so much for reading!

Hope you enjoy!


Chapter 7

They were a family on vacation needing extra funds to help with expenses. At least, that was the facade. Nayt, Jes, and Obi-Wan entered the Lladnar and went to the center isle to fill out the paperwork that would bring them their fortune. Traest entered a few minutes later wandering the premises looking for anyone or anything that would try to thwart his big payday.

"Why can't she wait in the speeder?" He asked for the umpteenth time.

Nayt patiently continued his task while answering, "It looks more legit if there's a mother figure in this little family charade."

"I think they'd buy a father and son unit," Obi-Wan replied, his mind overwrought with the prospect of his aunt being in harms way. Thinking there might be a way to get her out of this, he leaned forward to address his uncle. "Send her to wait outside and I'll do whatever you tell me to without question."

Nayt grinned somewhat and looked over at his nephew. He saw the defiance that burned within the youth's gaze, yet the teens features showed nothing but resignation. "You're serious?" He asked with a hint of disbelief.

The teen nodded his consent.

"Jes, go wait in the speeder."

She shook her head, her eyes narrowing at the two beside her. "I will be fine right here."

Obi-Wan's gaze flickered toward his aunt. "Please, Jes."

"I can handle myself," she stated firmly before eyeing her husband. "Or have you two forgotten that?" she snapped.

"Go wait in the speeder." Obi-Wan said, his voice commanding in a gentle but firm way.

Jes's brow minutely wrinkled. The request made by her nephew seemed plausible; why shouldn't she wait outside? They would only be a minute or so. A corner of her mind rebelled against this line of thinking. She looked at Obi-Wan and realized what he had done, knowingly or not. The annoyance she felt within the nook of her psyche that told her something wasn't right unleashed itself in the gaze she leveled him with. She found herself taking the recommendation against her will. "I'll go wait in the speeder."

When she was out of sight, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his body relaxing to some extent. He sensed her aggravation, felt her struggle against the suggestion. He hadn't been sure it would work; his aunt was anything but weak minded. His father had assured him that if he pressed hard enough she would follow through. If this was for the best, then why did he feel the plague of guilt wrapping itself around him? When the Jedi had first suggested the ability to assert one's will over another, he had been repulsed by the idea. He felt, from personal experience, that a person's will should be their own and not subject to another person's whim. With understanding, they had each taken a turn in explaining the Order's view of this ability and why it was sometimes necessary to put it into use. He felt a feather light touch against his mind and his eyes opened. Looking over his uncle's shoulder, he saw Callen at the far end of the lobby. With a quick glance toward the entrance, he saw Qui-Gon near the door. The Jedi nodded subtly and motioned with his eyes to indicate that Kale was on his way.

Nayt waved a hand in front of the lad's face. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Obi-Wan's eyes readjusted and focused on his uncle. "You'd be surprised." When Nayt merely raised an eyebrow at the reply, the teen placated him with the words he wanted to hear. "I'm fine."

They gathered their paperwork and began walking toward the counter. "Are you sure? I don't want any screw-ups like the last time."

"Keep Traest in line and there won't be any," he snapped.

"If it weren't for Traest, we would still be living on the streets in the ghetto," Nayt reminded him.

"The slums were better than the life we've been living." Obi-Wan muttered.

They reached the line for the teller and paused to wait their turn. Glancing toward the young one, Nayt replied, "How can you say that? Even your parents wouldn't have wanted that for you."

Obi-Wan's eyes flashed. "How do you know what they would have wanted?!" he hissed in a hushed tone. "Do you honestly think they would have wanted me to live a life of crime and murder, the life you've forced upon me?!" He shook his head in disbelief. "You know nothing about them."

"I know more than you think."

"Can I help you?" the teller interrupted before Obi-Wan could reply.

Nayt smiled and slid the paper across the counter with a cloth bag. "Showtime," he said.

Shots fired throughout the lobby flying just enough over-head not to hit anyone. "Everyone down, NOW!" Traest yelled.

Screams filled the area, fear and terror emanating through the atmosphere. Obi-Wan raised his shields to block the panic he could feel in the force. Doing his part, he hopped the counter and pushing everyone back against the wall with just a wave of his hand, he held them in place while his uncle dealt with the woman who was currently emptying all the drawers. When she finished, Nayt took her out front and forced her down onto the floor. Obi-Wan followed, ushering the remaining workers from behind the counter and indicating with a gesture of his hand what he wanted them to do.

When they were lying prone on the floor, Nayt fired a shot overhead. When he had everyone's attention, he asked, "Who's the administrator?" When no one pointed the man out, Traest pulled a woman up by the hair and pulling the trigger on his blaster, he shot her. The people around them screamed in terror. A man raised his hand and Nayt hurried over to him before Traest went off the deep end and killed another hostage.

"Get up!" he yelled, half jerking the man off the floor.

The banker rose to his feet and looked at his captor. "Wh…What do you want?" his voice was shaking.

"Do you have access to the vault?"

When the banker nodded, Nayt pushed him to the back of the institution where their fortune waited, shooting out the remaining camaras on their way. When they arrived at the thick durasteel door, he pushed the man forward. "Open it!"

Some time later he heard shouts filtering down the corridor. Leaning forward, he whispered a warning into his captive's ear. "Keep packing those bags." He turned and disabled the alarms before heading for the lobby. When he arrived, he saw Obi-Wan throw a guard against the door and then duck and roll to avoid the stun blasts that were being shot at him.

Traest had taken down four authorities and was in the process of holding a hostage as a shield. Starting forward, Nayt saw a flash of light in his peripheral. When he turned, he saw a man fending off shots with a weapon he had not seen since his brother-in-law and his padawan had last been home for a respite.

Oh, no… Nayt looked back toward his associate to see him firing nonstop at the guards. His hostage had stopped her struggling; she stood deathly still, her eyes closed. The only sign she was still alive was the movement of her lips, though what she was saying could not be heard.

Obi-Wan ducked as another round of fire came too close for comfort. Needing to help the woman within Traest's grasp, he quickly got up and started running in their direction. Nayt started to follow, hoping to stop Obi-Wan before he could get within range of Traest's blaster. Before he could reach them he came to a sliding halt, his eyes widening when he took notice of the barrier in his path. Swallowing hard, Nayt looked the other man in the eye. He had known for some time now that the Jedi had not died alongside his wife but had kept that information to himself. Holding a blaster within his hand, he pointed it toward the floor, his arm resting at his side.

"Move aside, Kale. Obi-Wan needs help, if he confronts Traest he'll kill him."

The left side of Kale's lips tilted into a smile. "He's capable of handling himself."

"Even at the cost of killing in anger? I assure you that is exactly what he will do if Traest pushes him."

Kale spared a glance toward his son. Obi-Wan rushed headlong into the situation, bowling the hostage and the man who held her to the ground, both of them landing on top of the young woman Traest held prisoner. Wrestling for the blaster, Obi-Wan managed to free the young woman while holding his uncle's colleague in place.

"Go!" he shouted. The lady quickly stood and ran toward the doors.

The Jedi's comment suddenly registered. "What do you mean, he's capable?" Realization dawned on Nayt's face. "He was with you."

Kale looked back at his brother-in-law. "Did you really think I wouldn't find him? I trusted you to take care of him, but instead you tried to turn him into you!" his voice rose with the disappointment and anger he felt.

Nayt smiled mockingly. "He's a good thief, Kale. I'm sure the Jedi could use someone with his skills."

Before he could blink, a glowing emerald blade hummed within an inch of his throat. Kale's eyes flickered with resentment and fury. "You don't deserve to breath the same air that he does. You've beaten him, you've belittled him, and you've made him believe that he had no one but himself and Jes to count on. You knew Cera and I wanted him taken to the Jedi Temple in the event of our demise, but instead you used and manipulated him!"

Before Kale could continue, another lightsaber carefully wrapped around his and with a flick of a wrist, sent it hurling into the air to land in Callen's outstretched hand. Kale looked over with a look of annoyance at having been thwarted before leaning closer to his prey. "Be glad my conscious arrived, Nayt." When Kale loosened his grip, Nayt managed to twist himself away from the Jedi Master. Not wasting another minute, he took off across the room dodging blaster fire while the officers gathered what hostages they could and took them out through the nearest doors.

Zarek placed a hand on Kale's shoulder to hold him in place. "Leave him, he has no where to go." When Kenobi gestured toward his saber, he was hard pressed to reign in his emotions when Callen gave a quick shake of his head indicating that he would not relinquish the weapon to its owner until he was sure that the other had regained control. Frustrated by the turn of events, Kale turned away only to duck when a blaster bolt whizzed by his ear. He looked back at Callen and raised his left eyebrow in question. Callen answered by pulling his friend out of harms way. "I don't think these idiot guards have any idea why they're shooting anymore."

Kale looked over to where he could see his son tackling Nayt's crazed associate. "We have to help him."

"Don't worry, Qui-Gon's already on his way."

When Nayt reached is nephew he pulled him off Traest and pushed him away, ordering him to stay back.

Traest lifted himself off the ground, a wild rage swimming in his gaze. "I told you to keep him on a leash!"

"I'll deal with it, go back to the vault. The manager should be about finished with filling the bags." Nayt's voice was calm and soothing. When Traest went to pass by him, Nayt took hold of his arm and said more quietly so only he could hear. "Hurry up, the Jedi are here."

When Traest disappeared around the corner, Obi-Wan asked, "Why do you always protect him?!" A shot buzzed by his head and he moved back just in time; he turned and shot back knocking the blaster from the guard's hand.

Nayt took cover behind a nearby desk while Obi-Wan ducked behind a nearby support beam. Yelling over to his nephew above the chaos and mayhem, he said, "Haven't you figured out by now that he's crazy?! Not to mention that we wouldn't have been successful without his help!"

"Is that why you let him abuse your wife?! Is she his compensation?!" the young man retorted.

"That's none of your business!"

Obi-Wan suddenly leapt from behind the wide pole he had managed to get behind and threw himself at Nayt. The struggle lasted only moments before the young man gained the upper hand. Straddling his uncle's chest, he wrapped his hands firmly around the man's throat. "Perhaps you should feel the humiliation she has felt each time he touched her! Or the pain you've both inflicted on me."

The teen's grip tightened; Nayt gasped for breath and his hands clawed at those of his nephew, trying to gain him an ounce of oxygen. His vision began to blur. He vaguely heard someone speaking but couldn't tell who the voice belonged to.

"Obi-Wan, don't do this! Let him go, I promise he will stand trial!" the voice was filled with urgency.

The young man's grip tightened, his gaze far away, focused on the pain of the last seven years. He heard the voice but it didn't reach him. A hand touched his shoulder and he immediately sent out a force wave that knocked down everyone and everything that was within the room. No one was going to take this from him. No one was going to stand in the way of the justice he was now inflicting.

Kale regained his footing, a hand held to the right side of his head. When he pulled it away, he saw blood smeared over his palm and finger tips. Looking around, he quickly went over to Callen and pulled the man to his feet. "What was that?!" the other Jedi asked.

"My son."

The two Jedi hurried over to the far side of the room where Qui-Gon was slowly coming to a stand. When he felt his colleagues getting closer, he held up a hand for them to wait.

Nayt's vision was slowly fading, starting from the edges and moving inward. He saw the hazy outline of a figure to his right. Something told him this distorted form was trouble. Trying to focus, he just made out Traest's features. A trickle of fear shot up his spine. Taking what strength he had left and with renewed determination, he managed to shift his weight to the right dislodging his nephew just enough for him to grab hold of Traest's ankles knocking him to the ground before he could reach Obi-Wan.

Nayt felt his nephew being moved away from him but paid no attention to the how or the why. He lifted himself up, struggling with Traest over the blaster he had aimed at Jes's nephew. Having gained the upper hand, Nayt flipped Traest onto his side and reached for the gun that now lay within his reach. Traest turned the barrel and without warning, fired. Nayt's body jerked once, his hand coming away from his abdomen a bloody mess. Resolved to end this, he lunched forward and grabbed the metal casing from his partner's grasp. Holding the weapon firmly in his hand, Nayt turned it and placing his finger over the trigger shot the man that had been the ruin of all their lives. Only now did he finally see it.

He heard a yell of denial echo around the foyer. He fell back and was caught by something. He choked, and felt liquid gurgle in his throat before bubbling up to drain from the corner of his mouth. A figure leaned over him, a familiar face. He fought with his vision until his gaze finally focused on the teen hovering above him. Tears fell down Obi-Wan's cheeks. Nayt started to swallow, but a coughing fit threatened to smother his airway. Just as he was finally gaining some control of his breathing, he felt the young man pull him against his chest, a hand holding the side of his head for support. The room was quiet except for the echo of a young man and a woman's tears. Obi-Wan was on his left; he looked to his right and saw Jes, her eyes overflowing with sorrow. I thought she was outside, he thought. He lifted a shaky hand and stroked her cheek. Her hand grasped his and held it against the softness of her skin. He turned his gaze back to his nephew.

"I'm so…sorr…y. I always cared for…you." A red liquid spilled down his chin and his breath became shallower.

He looked at his wife, "Take ca…re of him. I luv…you."

Nayt's eyes found Obi-Wan's once more and he smiled. "You…re gooood…boy." His smile faded and his eyes closed.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened with grief, and he shook his head. "NO!" He shook the empty shell hoping that there was still some life left within. He pulled the body closer and leaning over it, he held it tight. Tears held in check, Jes moved around to the other side and pulled her nephew against her as she wrapped him in her arms.

The hushed atmosphere was broken only by the sorrowful cries of those who had lost. The guards quietly and respectfully gathered the remaining hostages and moved them out of the building. When they had vacated the premises, all that remained were the Jedi, a boy, a woman, and two immobile fugitives.


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