The cargo hold was dimly lit and cluttered. Once the Jedi were led down there, Obi-Wan's arms were bound in front of him and they were left on their own with a guard outside the door. Once they were alone, Qui-Gon turned his attention to his Padawan. He drew the boy close.
"Are you all right?" he asked. Obi-Wan nodded. "Are you sure?"
"Aside from my legs," Obi-Wan said. "I'm fine." Better than fine, he thought, nuzzling in closer to his Master. The way they were bound made any variety of physical contact difficult, but he was simply glad to be beside his Master again. He'd do anything to stay there with him, even if they were being transported to their deaths.
"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "This is all my fault. Had I not—"
"Master, no."
"Obi-Wan, I put your life in danger. I very nearly lost you in an attempt to teach you humility."
"It doesn't matter, Master. You couldn't have known all this would happen. It is not your fault." Obi-Wan looked down at his legs. "This isn't even the worst I've been injured." Somehow he managed to laugh. Qui-Gon managed a near-imperceptible smile.
"You ought to do a healing trance," Qui-Gon said. Obi-Wan shook his head.
"We don't know how much time we have. Besides, I'm not strong enough. It feels like someone's been sitting on my chest all day."
"Rest then, Obi-Wan. We will figure out a way out of this situation when you wake."
The younger man nuzzled closer to his Master and closed his eyes, all too willing to do as he was told.
They were left in that cargo hold for a long, long time. Long enough, in fact, that Obi-Wan managed to wake on his own after several hours of sleep.
Waking up nestled safely against his Master's chest made him feel safe and warm, even made him forget the pain of his injured legs temporarily. He could feel his Master directing the Force to help heal him as he lie there. He'd missed his Master.
He knew that they were in danger and that it was very possible they could lose their lives, but he couldn't bring himself to be afraid. Though he was certain that no Jedi would approve of his reason, they would approve of the serenity he seemed to have finally found.
The door to the cargo hold opened, jolting both Jedi from their shared comfort. They turned their attention to the door as the woman from earlier strode in. She looked down at them with a casual hatred that did not bode well for their safety.
She stood over them for a long moment, saying nothing, before she bent down and peered into Qui-Gon's face.
"You," she said. "I know your face, Jedi." He did not flinch as she took him by the chin and moved his head roughly from side to side, inspecting him. "Where have I seen this face before?"
"I believe you've mistaken me for someone else," Qui-Gon offered. "I believe I would remember a face such as yours."
"Flattery shall get you nowhere, Jedi scum." She smacked him with the back of her hand, cutting his cheek with her ring and middle fingernails. Qui-Gon, ever the pacifist, turned the other cheek even as he felt blood dribbling into his beard.
That was when she turned her attention to Obi-Wan, whose frustration was growing by the minute at his inability to defend his Master. That tiny, frightening smirk of hers grew wider. It sent shivers down the younger Jedi's spine as she moved closer to him.
"You want to harm me, don't you boy?" she asked, raising one eyebrow ever so slightly. "You don't like that I hold all the power here, do you? You don't like that your precious Force can't help you." She stood up and shrugged. "I can't really blame you, If I were in your position, I'd want to harm me, too. When we reach my Master, I assure you that want will only grow."
"Who is this Master you keep speaking of?" Qui-Gon asked finally. If he didn't, he knew she'd simply continue to drop hints until one of them finally asked just to shut her up. He was saving them a headache down the line.
"My Master is the most powerful Force-sensitive in the galaxy. One day he will rule all that exists. My Master is a Dark Lord of the Sith, and one day I shall be just like him!"
-A Sith Lord?- Both Jedi sent the thought to one another at the exact same time. Obi-Wan stared at her in disbelief.
-That can't be true,- he said to Qui-Gon. -They're extinct, there's nobody to pass on their traditions.-
"Forgive me if I'm not quick to believe you," Qui-Gon said simply. "The Sith have long since died out. Killed by their own kind. Their greed and their power brought the end they tried so hard to avoid through aforementioned greed and power."
The woman simply laughed.
"You Jedi think you know everything. All right, you can believe what you want, but your eyes shall not fool you. My Master is quite eager to meet you. Quite eager."
With that she turned and sauntered out of the hold, leaving them alone once again.
Obi-Wan turned to look at Qui-Gon, but the older man wouldn't meet his gaze. He looked off across the hold, his eyes far away, as he contemplated what their captor had just told them.
If she was not lying, they were in very real trouble. Even if she wasn't lying, he didn't see a way out of their situation without further risking their lives.
