Out of Time
Chapter 11
Location: Evil LairWhen Lady Thrice finally awoken she looked around and discovered she was in a cell. And with a groggy stumble she managed to prop herself up with the help of the wall and tried to see beyond a frosted shield door. Slowly, she raised her hand to the shield and then quickly pulled her hand away with a shake as the energy field electrified her fingertips with a spark.
"Curses! That's smarts! Oh, that loathsome Sith. When I get my hands on him, he'll be sorry."
The lady then noticed a strange collar was placed around her neck. She tried turning it and examined it with her touch, but she could not find a means to remove it. "What in Force is this?"
"That is a Force-inhibitor, my dear lady," replied the voice of Darth Sidious. "It is so good of you to finally awoken. I was beginning to wonder if you ever would. I'm sure you'll be glad to note that I took the liberty of treating your leg. A nasty lightsaber burn is a terrible thing to leave untreated."
"Well," replied the lady—"Thanks a lot. Now, why don't you do me a big favor and go die."
The Sith laughed. "Your spirit is quite amazing, my dear. I wonder how a lowly servant of the Light like Obi-wan ever tamed you. Tell me, how did he ever get a tigress like you into his bed?"
The ruby-eyed woman laughed unafraid at the Sith's taunts. "Who said I was tamed? And why bother asking? Are you looking for hints to improve your own love life? If you are, then you are going about it all wrong."
In a merry tone the Dark Lord replied, "Oh, I believe otherwise, Lady Thrice for soon I will have all your secrets. Soon you will be my servant of Darkness."
However, the lady was unfazed and she sat causally on her cot inside the cell. "I'm not afraid of you, Sith. I'm not afraid of death or dying. I do not fear torture. I do not fear my end. For I was made by my people for war. For mine is a life to kill or be killed. I will never be a traitor!"
Excitedly, Sidious shouted, "Don't you see? You could be my lady of Darkness! Embrace your bloodlust! Don't allow yourself to be pacified by those pathetic followers of the Light. They do not understand your passions. They scuff, repress and shun your feelings of love and hate. They do not share your fire. Why do you even bother siding yourself to such lifeless beings? Why do you even associate yourself with such maggots?"
Lady Thrice smiled and said, "There is a difference between a warrior and an animal, Sith. If I let myself go then I will no longer be myself. I will simply be a beast. And I don't need the whole world to understand me. And I don't really care that much about the Jedi. You're right, they're stuffy and stale, but I love my husband and I will protect all that he holds dear."
"You'd let yourself be snubbed by those lesser beings for the sake of your husband who isn't even here?"
The lady giggled and waved her hand dismissively in the air. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. It's far worse being here with you than it was over there. The Jedi never put me in a cell."
"But, you may never see your precious husband again, my lady. What then? I thought you were willing to do anything to be reunited?"
"I have faith."
The Sith snorted and replied, "Faith will not save you. What you hope for is out of your reach. Only I have the knowledge to return you to your proper time and place. Only I can restore you to your future. No amount of wishing will bring you back to your Ben. He doesn't even yet exist. You'd have to wait at least thirty years and pray he is revived by your father before you can even begin to dream of seeing him again."
"I will wait a thousand years if I have to. But, I'm no fool, Sidious. I know what you are trying to do. You want to make me to become desperate. You want me to give up hope and give into you—well, forget it. I told you, I have faith. I believe. And as long as I believe than I am strong and you are weak."
"Damn you, woman!" cried the Sith. "I have done my best to pursued you to join me in the Dark Side, but I can see now that it is of no use. Well, it does not matter. With that Force-inhibitor on you and with some drugs and the manipulation of the Force I will be able to suppress your mind anyway. And then, my dear lady, you will be my instrument of death."
***
Location: Jedi Temple, Obi-wan and Anakin's room"Phoenix! And hell fire! Doesn't anybody have a clue where that dog went?" shouted Jinn.
The young Master then began to pace the room for the hundredth time and began to rub the stubble growing on his chin. It had been several days since Lady Thrice disappeared and nothing was heard from her since.
"Please, try and calm down, Jinn," said Obi-wan.
"I can't calm down, not when some monster has my mother in their clutches doing Force knows what with her in some lair."
Anakin the said, "But, what does the Sith want with her anyway?"
Jinn fumed and began to pace again. "I not sure, but my guess is that he needs either myself or my mother to help him open a portal into time. It is my belief that my family's unique channeling of the Force is what Sidious used to open up a rift. You see large amounts of energy can be harnessed with channeling into a tangible form like electricity or used to excite particles of matter. I think the Sith needs our skills in order to return to the future."
Obi-wan contemplated what Jinn said and touched his own beard. It sounded like a plausible theory and he supposed that Darth Sidious was probably taking this time to recover from his injury at a secret location. A location clearly off world as Lady Thrice's foresight to carry a transmitter seemed to be in vain. Her signal could not be found. In hindsight, Obi-wan was troubled that he didn't take his powers of intuition as seriously as Lady Thrice did. There was obviously more truth in his vision than he gave himself credit for. He regretted not taking the vision more merit.
However, the most disturbing action of them all came from Jinn. For after they return back to the Temple and checked to be sure Palpatine was still secure, the young warrior had drawn his mother's sword behind the Chancellor's back and whacked the man on the back of head. He then fell like a ton of bricks.
//flash back//
"Quickly, someone give me a Force-inhibitor," commanded Jinn.
"What are you doing?" cried Anakin.
Jinn then pulled the blue lens from his amber eyes and gave the Padawan a glare. "What the hell does it look like? I'm making sure that Sidious never gets a chance to contact Palpatine. If the old man isn't awake then the dog can never reach him."
Jinn then turned away from the unhelpful young Jedi and addressed Master Yoda instead. "Well, can I get a Force-inhibitor or not?"
The old Master then closed his eyes and shook his head. "Do as you feel you must, young Kenobi."
The young warrior nodded his head. "Thank you, Master." He then rose to his feet and grabbed Obi-wan by the arm. "I think we should put him in a cryogenic sleep and keep him hidden away."
The Jedi Master was stunned to hear such a suggestion, but given the circumstances it seemed the most humane. Having the old Dark Lord hidden away from the future Sith seemed like an excellent idea.
"I understand. I'll make the preparations."
"You can't do this, Master," said Anakin. "You can't keep a man prisoner without a trail or just cause because of crimes he will commit in the future. This is wrong. There has to be a better way."
Then, in quick strides Jinn came face to face with the Padawan and spoke to him in a cool tone. "You don't know anything. You don't know who this man really is! He is not your friend. He is your enemy."
Anakin then shoved the young warrior way and shouted, "And who are you to tell me what to do? Why should I even trust you? You aren't my Master! You aren't even a real Jedi! You're just overreacting cause that Sith took away your mother."
"Anakin! No!" shouted Obi-wan.
However, the damage had already been done and the young warrior began to once again rage. The Force once again around him began to dim in Darkness and this time his fury was visible in his amber eyes. His honey tone orbs had suddenly turned an eerie blood red like his mother's and the young warrior then growled with wrath. Obi-wan feared that Jinn would attack Anakin for his spiteful remarks, but the time-traveler instead marched to a large marble column and destroyed it with one blow with his bare hand.
Jinn then hung his head and kept his back to the others as he spoke. "I know that you said those things to me, Anakin because you envied me that I have always had my mother's love. You envy that I do not live by the old Code. And I don't care if you think am a real Jedi or not. But, I know what I am saying when I tell you that that man is evil. And I will let no one stop me from completing my mission."
The young warrior then turned around and bowed. "I'm very sorry for destroying that pillar, Master Yoda. Master Kenobi. But, I'm not in control. I feel that I must go mediate."
Jinn then walked towards the exit and left the others alone.
//flash back end//
Once again, Obi-wan marveled at Jinn's emotional control. Any lesser man would have pummeled Anakin for his insensitivity. It was clear that though Jinn allowed himself to feel darkness, he also did not let it rule him. However, Obi-wan noted that he was still on edge. For one thing, Jinn kept pacing, it was a nervous habit he hadn't stopped since his mother's adduction and second was he wasn't taking very good care of himself. He was normally well groomed and cheerful, but lately he'd grown scruffy and anxious.
Suddenly, someone chimed at the door and Obi-wan allowed the visitor to enter and in walked Senator Amidala. She was wearing in ordinary tan colored dress with a blue shawl wrapped around her head. The Senator swiftly removed the shawl once she entered the room and approached the Jedi Master.
"Obi-wan, I did as you told me and now I'm here to collect on that promise you made me. I want an explanation. I want to know what's going on."
Obi-wan gave Padme a confused look. "Milady, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Meanwhile, just off in the living room, Anakin and Jinn shared a look and the two sprang into action. Quickly, Jinn ran out to another room while Anakin walked up to Obi-wan and Padme.
Anakin placed his hand on his Master's shoulder and said, "You remember, Master. You remember when we came to see the Chancellor that we ran into Padme and you said she ought to make herself unavailable until the terrorist threat was over with. You said you'd promise to give her an explanation as to why."
Obi-wan frowned. He didn't remember making any such promise. He wasn't even at the Senate—oh! No, it wasn't him that went to collect Palpatine. It had been Jinn disguised as him instead.
The Knight gave Padme a smile. "Yes, well—I-I—"
"What Obi-wan means, my lady is that we sent you away because it was for your own good. Obi-wan said that the terrorist might have an interest in you and you shouldn't take things so lightly."
The Senator scoffed, "Oh! Don't lecture me on what I should be doing, Anakin. I should be informed if there is a threat on my life. I have a duty to my people. I can't just ignore my responsibility to save my own skin. What kind of leader would I be if I didn't put my people first?"
Obi-wan interrupted and said, "I agree with you, Milady. However, I cannot tell you what you want to know. I do not know the identity of the terrorist either. The Holonet image of the young man with a missing hand is the only clue that we to his identity. I am not sure what connects you to this terrorist, but the Council was warned by a very reliable source."
Padme narrowed her eyes and said, "And just who is this reliable source?"
"I am not at liberty to tell you, Senator," answered the Knight. "That information is confidential."
The Senator didn't like not getting her way, but realized that Obi-wan was going to remain tight lipped. Well, fine! She didn't need his explanation. She would for now on do what she felt was best. "Very well, gentlemen, if you won't tell me then I won't force you. You may keep your secrets and I will do my duty."
Then, abruptly the Senator turned about and marched out the door. Anakin looked longingly at her as she left and wished he could talk with her more. He didn't want her to go away mad.
"Master, may I escort the Senator back to her apartment?" asked the Padawan.
Obi-wan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, go. But, please return quickly."
"Thank you, Master."
***
Once Anakin had gone with Padme, Jinn came out of Obi-wan's bedroom and re-entered the seating room and sat slouched into a seat. Obi-wan felt badly for the young man and sat next to him and sighed.
"You must learn to overcome your fears, Jinn."
The amber-eyed warrior turned and gazed at the Jedi Master hard and said, "It isn't fear that is troubling me. It's that Sith. And I can't seem to mediate. I hate waiting. I'm finding it hard to keep myself calm. I can't seem to channel like I want to in order to relax."
After a moment, Obi-wan suggested, "Would it help if I hummed?"
"What?"
"Lady Thrice center my Force once and there was a song and she hummed. It was very tranquil. Would that help?"
Jinn laughed and said, "My parents haven't hummed to me since I was a child."
The Jedi Master blushed. "Oh—well. It was just a suggestion. But, could you tell me more about that song?"
The young warrior then unconsciously leaned back and folded his arms within his sleeves in a very Obi-wan-ish manner.
"That is the song of all the Living Force. It is the rhythmic flow and beat of all the living things in existence. For all creatures big and small have a heartbeat and when woven together they make beautiful music. It is a song only those who can channel with the ki can hear. Though, the song you heard was just Lady Thrice singing in your mind's eyes. She was just repeating what she heard."
Obi-wan was awed. "…She was humming the song of the Living Force?"
"Yes, its song has always been my lullaby."
At his words, Obi-wan was reminded that Jinn was his future son. He was his own flesh and blood—a near carbon copy of his own image. Here was a man who lived by a different set of rules. A man who didn't just identify himself as a Jedi and a servant of the Force. This was a man who knew family. A man who was blessed enough to have constants in his life. He was given love and devotion freely and yet he chose to walk the path of a knight. Obi-wan felt very proud to have such a future son. He was exactly as Lady Thrice described him—he was a treasure.
Though, a question weighted on the Jedi Master's mind. He wanted to understand Jinn's ability to find balance. He wanted to know how he was able to resist the Darkness.
"Jinn, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. When you channel the Force with the ki, how do you prevent yourself from falling to the Dark Side? And could you explain the ki?"
Then to Obi-wan's surprise, Jinn gave him a wicked smile and in that moment he resembled Lady Thrice.
"I was wondering when you'd ask me that. You are wondering how I can maintain my allegiance to the Light while converging with the Dark Side. Well, simply put I don't. I embrace the Darkness for in all beings there is the potential for good and evil. For no one being is wholly good and no one being is wholly evil. I understand that Sidious may be an exception to the rule, but fundamentally most beings are. What one must do is not let your fury overcome you. You must learn that the fury and you are one. For the darkness is a storm and within you is the eye. For emotions shouldn't be seen as means to break your focus. They should be used to farther your resolve. For the mind and body are one. For when you go into battle you don't just do something out of duty. You do it because it has meaning. You do it because it as a personal significance. You have to remember what's important to you and learn to fight for that. You learn to flight with all your heart. You fight tooth and nail, night and day until your dying breath."
Obi-wan was alarmed at such teachings. "What you say goes against the Jedi way!"
Jinn then narrowed his eyes and said, "I know that. But, you asked me how I kept balance and I'm telling you. I'm telling you the teachings of the ki."
"And how did this ki teaching come about?"
"They are from my mother's genetic ancestors, but they were forged by a thousand years of civil war. Didn't you ever wonder why my mother and her people were artificially made?"
"I thought your mother was made to be a soldier."
"Yes, a soldier—an unfeeling, unquestioning, AND long living soldier. She was made to fight those like herself. And in all her long-lived years she has never known love and she has never known peace, not until she met my father. Such things were merely empty words with hollow meaning, but love became her new goal in life. With love as her new master she would gladly lay down her life in its name. Things like hate, greed and power have no significance in the long run. They grant you no happiness."
"But, love can lead to the Dark Side, Jinn. They can lead to possession, jealously and hate."
Jinn laughed and said, "Then you have never truly loved at all."
Obi-wan was disturbed by Jinn's description of the teachings of the ki. He had never heard of emotion being used in that way. He had always been taught that emotions clouded the mind—that feelings hindered reason—but to have emotion fuel one's drive? It went against everything he ever known. He'd always been taught that the Force only lent its will to those who did not try to use it but to be used by it. Any other manipulation was considered the teachings of the Sith. Was Force-ki a blend of the two in-between? An unnatural manipulation that served the Light?
And then there was the idea that love was the lady's master. In many ways this concept mirrored the Jedi. Love was only acceptable when it was towards all life forms. By caring about all things and not just one, a Jedi was able to help everyone equally. Yet, according to Jinn it was the opposite for Lady Thrice. For her, loving one thing—one person that had led her to care for everything. Life had no meaning to her without her personal desires. And in reflection, Obi-wan had to agree. In many ways, love was his master too. He would not be the man he was today without his love for Master Qui-Gon and the Order. It was his love for him and this place that he was taught to cherish all things.
And perhaps, what the lady-warrior said was true. There was no Darkness and there was no Light. There was no Sith and there was no Jedi. There was only choices and what men and women did and maybe that was the true power of the Force instead.
"Thank you, Master Jinn."
***
TBC