I don't recognize myself. I don't know who I am anymore.
And it's all fun and games until someone loses an I.
-Don Winslow, Savages
Terza looked down at the panther pulling at her pant leg. Nalina. She wouldn't abandon Qui-Gon after Obi-Wan told her to stay. So that meant something was wrong. Terza followed the panther down the hall to Qui-Go n's room, and gasped.
Qui-Gon was sitting upright, looking around. He saw her and gave a sigh of relief. "Terza, it is so good to see you. I woke up with a snow panther on my chest, and had no idea what was going on. Why are you staring at me?"
Terza snapped to, angry with herself for losing professionalism. "What is the last thing you remember, Master Jinn?"
Qui-Gon frowned. "Fighting... a Sith." He suddenly looked panicked. "Obi-Wan! Please tell me the Sith didn't kill him."
Terza shook her head. "That Sith did not kill him. It nearly killed you, but it barely scratched Obi-Wan."
Qui-Gon slumped. "Oh thank the Force. How long have I been out? Can I talk to Obi-Wan? And Anakin?"
Terza cleared her throat, and straightened her spine. "You may speak to Anakin, but Obi-Wan is unavailable."
Qui-Gon looked shocked. "Unavailable? I' m his master." He sounded confused.
Terza looked up, trying to gather her thoughts together enough to explain. She took a deep breath and Anakin Skywalker walked in. Oh thank the Force.
"Terza? I need..." he trailed off, staring at Qui-Gon. "Now is when I really wish my master was here. More than usual at any rate."
Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow, amused. "Don't we all? I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Qui-Gon Jinn."
Anakin stared at him, and Qui-Gon sighed. "Have I got something on my face? Or do you normally stare at people for no reason?"
Anakin shook himself. "We have been introduced. You wouldn't know though. I'm Anakin Skywalker."
Qui-Gon raised his eyebrow. "Oh, really? And I suppose next you'll be telling me that a Sith has captured Obi-Wan?"
"Well, actually, yes. I came here to ask Terza to watch my padawan so I could go find him while she finishes her tests." Anakin said.
Qui-Gon stared at him again. "And who, might I ask, was your master? I would think it would be Obi-Wan, but he was barely a knight himself."
"My master was Obi-Wan?" Anakin said.
Qui-Gon's eyes darkened. "They gave a man who hadn't been a knight for two days, a padawan? What were they thinking?"
"That no one else wanted to train me." Anakin said quietly.
Qui-Gon threw something across the room.
Pain.
Memories.
Hurt.
Rejection.
PAIN.
He screamed. Again?
"Master, where are you going?" Ahsoka asked.
"I'm going to help save Obi-Wan. You'll join me after you've finished your tests." Anakin said, stuffing another shirt in his pack.
"You're going alone?" Ahsoka said.
Anakin looked up, underwear in his hand. "Another Jedi will be joining me, along with Nalina. You'll meet the Jedi when you arrive." He put the underwear in his pack and closed it, standing up. "Be careful, Snips. I'll see you."
"Bye, Master." Ahsoka said, staring at the empty doorway.
Back to testing.
Laughter.
Feelings.
Cruelty.
More laughter.
Ahsoka lead Rex and Cody down the hall towards Anakin and the mystery Jedi. She couldn't believe that they had left the two behind. It
was ridiculous. They had gone back just to inform the Council of Master Kenobi's capture in person. She couldn't remember why Rex and Cody had come along, but now they were all going to see Anakin and the mystery Jedi.
She walked into the room of the building they'd commandeered, and saw Anakin standing over the holo projector looking at a holo of the battle Obi-Wan had been taken during. The mystery Jedi was standing in front of the window, their silhouette dark and somehow foreboding. She could see that they were very tall, taller than Anakin even, and that their hair fell down past their shoulders.
Anakin glanced up and saw her. "Snips! It's good to see you. We need an extra set of senses to help find Ob i-Wan."
The man, and he was obviously a man, going by his voice, at the window sighed . " We need to find him quickly," he said. "The only thing I can sense is his fear."
"Master? Would you mind introducing us?" Ahsoka asked.
"Hmm? Oh sure." Anakin said. "This is Ahsoka Tano, my padawan; Captain Rex, my commander; and Commander Cody, General Kenobi's commander." Anakin sounded way too gleeful at the general part, as always.
The man turned around, and she could still only see his silhouette. Dramatic m uch? "They made him a general? Remind me to never let him live that down. Last time I saw him, he was a padawan, now he's a Jedi Master, on the Council, and a General." The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Ah, Obi-Wan, what have you been up to?" he muttered to himself.
"Ahsoka, Rex, Cody, this is Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan's former master. He's been asleep for a very long time."
What?
Red. Blood. Lightsaber.
Burning.
Smoke.
Laughter.
"I will make you mine. I swear it."
Laughter.
It didn't take long for Ahsoka to start wondering how in the Seven Hells, this man was Master Kenobi's master. He was- for lack of a better word- a maverick. He had the most unorthodox ideas ever. Even Anakin denied them. It was also clear that the man was desperate to find Obi-Wan.
"We don't know where he is, only that he's alive," the man mused. "He's that way," he said, pointing north.
Ahsoka started. "How did you know that?"
Master Jinn opened his eyes. "You think I don't know where my own padawan is?"
Ahsoka looked at Anakin. "Can you do that?"
Anakin looked offended. "Of course I can. Obi-Wan taught me."
For some reason Master Jinn found that hilarious. Then he took a deep breath and stopped laughing. "Sorry," he said. "It's just that I can hardly imagine a Knight saying that. It is so strange. The last time I saw Anakin, he was a nine year old slave. The last I saw Obi-Wan, he was a padawan, fighting for his, and my, life." He laughed. "And my master! He's the leader of a separatist organization. I can't wait to see how he reacts to me waking up."
"Count Dooku was your master?" Ahsoka said, shocked. "That's even more shocking than you being Obi-Wan's master."
"An d why does it shock you that I taught Obi-Wan? I'm a maverick, and he's super civilised?" Master Jinn asked, obviously amused.
Ahsoka looked down, embarrassed. "Well, yes."
"Hey, no need for embarrassment. Everyone makes mistakes." Master Jinn said. "Even me, and Obi-Wan."
Ahsoka was shocked. "Master Kenobi makes mistakes?"
Master Jinn burst into laughter again. "He does. All the little gods, he does."
"Why does that make you laugh, Master Jinn?" Ahsoka asked.
Master Jin grinned. "My former padawan- that's really weird to say- has made a lot of mistakes. More experienced, does not mean perfect, little one." Nalina nudged Master Jinn, and he rubbed her head absently. "I make mistakes, Master Yoda makes mistakes, though I have yet to see him do so."
The computer beeped, and Master Jinn spun around to face it. There was a little dot, and he grinned.
"Time to find my padawan."
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Obi-Wan looked up as the door opened. The last few days had been a blur, and he wasn't sure of anything except manic laughter. It was actually rather creepy.
Dooku and Sidious walked in. Sidious was still a hologram. More's the pity. Obi-Wan would have relished beating the stuffing out of him. Dooku left his coat on, which meant that this interrogation was going to be of a more civili z ed style. Not that he was complaining.
Obi-Wan dropped his head. The effort of holding it up was starting to become too much. He was really starting to lose his edge. Dooku walked forward and gripped his chin, lifting his head.
"You will look at him," he hissed.
"We have a gift for you, my lovely Jedi." Sidious said cheerfully. Obi-Wan felt cold fear trickle down his spine. "If you would Tyrranus ."
Dooku stepped back and picked something up. When he saw what it was, Obi-Wan started yanking at his chains helplessly. "No, no, no, no, nononononnonoono ," he shouted.
Dooku simply ignored him and put the mask over Obi-Wan's head.
Darkness.
Silence.
Nothing but the pain of chains digging into his arms and the throbbing of his wounds.
Silence.
He wasn't sure if it was a curse or a blessing.
Qui-Gon turned another corner and ignored the little voice in head gibbering that he wasn't ready for this. He would save his padawan. No matter what. Even if he had to kill his own master, he would save Obi-Wan. If he had to face all the Sith in this world, he would.
The Force whispered a warning, and he could see Nalina dragging yet another screaming scientist down the corridor. He slammed open another door, and this time it was a cell.
The only person in the cell was a man hanging from a set of chains, a mask covering his face, and Qui-Gon growled in frustration and sliced through the chains. The man was dead. He didn't know who it was, but his force signature was absent.
He walked out, and even though the force was screaming at him, he walked away.
Obi-Wan hit the ground with a thud, a restrained a groan. Sidious probably thought he was dead and has cut him down. He was probably going to die soon anyway.
For now he focused on the vibrations of the person walking away, and breathed a sigh of relief.
"We've looked everywhere," Qui-Gon said miserably. "He isn't here." He buried his head in his hands, and tried to resist the urge to sob. He had just woken up, and his padawan was gone.
Anakin put his hand over his eyes, obviously holding back tears. When he looked up, his eyes were red, and he gave a choked laugh. "The last time he was captured, I remember how horrid it was. He cried. There was this mask that Ventress used to make me think he was dead"
Qui-Gon jumped up and ran from the room. "Follow me." He ran towards the room where he had found a man in chains, a mask on his face.
Obi-Wan woke up from an unexpected nap and groaned, then snapped his mouth shut. He didn't want the Sith to realize he was still alive.
Too late. He felt vibrations in the floor, and then someone was making him sit up in the middle of the room. Large hands settled on the clasps of the mask, and Obi-Wan came to his senses, and screamed, pushing himself backwards.
Then another set of hands took his, and he relaxed. Anakin's hands. Then the hands released his and settled on the clasps, questioningly. Obi-Wan hesitated, then nodded.
Anakin undid each clasp, and started to pull off the mask. Obi-Wan gripped his wrists tightly, and Anakin stopped. Obi-Wan shook his head. Then pulled his wrists as hard as he could. He gasped as he felt skin tear, and the first thing he heard was Anakin's cursing. It was beautiful.
He looked around, the light searing his eyes. He didn't care. For more than one reason.
1) He could see.
2) Qui-Gon.
He didn't know if it was actually Qui-Gon, or a hallucination, but for now he didn't care. He launched himself at Qui-Gon, half expecting to go through him, and was surprised when Qui-Gon caught him with a grunt.
"Master." Obi-Wan sighed.
Qui-Gon pulled Obi-Wan closer to him, kneeling. "Obi-Wan."