DISCLAIMER: *smacks Luke upside the head and takes the Ring* Finally! My One Ring of Unlimited Copyright Privileges! Now, if I can keep it safe from being stolen AGAIN, I'll own Star Wars and all other great- *Gollum grabs the Ring and runs off, shrieking 'Precious!'* Hey! Wrong Ring!... Aw, bugger.
Little creepy messed-up Hobbit owns Star Wars now. I don't. *scowls*
*evil laughter* Have I ever mentioned that messing with your brains is fun? Tee hee hee!
On with the epic drama!... er, show... fic... Whatever.
************
Qui-Gon woke up to a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him. "Come on, Qui-Gon. We need to get ready." Clee was sitting on the edge of the sleep couch, hair tousled and bags clearly evident under her eyes. On the other side of the room, Cin was sitting up, tying his long hair back and blinking the sleep out of his own eyes.
Raking a hand through his own hair and feeling for his hair tie, Qui-Gon got up. "What time is it?" He reached out, searching for his boots and robe.
"21:23. Master Dooku got the information sooner than we expected, but no one's complaining. We're meeting downstairs in about seven minutes to form a plan." Clee paused in the doorway. "I think we're planning to go in around 23:00."
"Good." Having found his robe and boots, Qui-Gon leaned over to slide one boot on. "Did you and Aerdna rest all right?"
"Considering the circumstances, I daresay we slept better than you two."
"No argument there." Cin stood up, pulling his robe over him. "Are you ready, Qui-Gon?" The younger Master looked exhausted, leaning wearily against the doorframe. Qui-Gon knew Cin was only in his thirties, but the stress of the last week and a half had aged him to the point where he looked as though he were much older. Qui-Gon knew he wouldn't look much better.
He grunted as he pulled on his second boot. "Yes." Standing up, he followed Clee and Cin out of the room and downstairs to where the rest of the team was waiting.
Dooku wordlessly passed a cup of tea into Qui-Gon's hands, knowing what his former student would need to wake up fully. "Did everyone rest all right?"
Cin shrugged. "As much as could be expected, Master Dooku."
"Fair enough." The older Master set a datapad on the table and tapped a button. "My men have searched the area of the building where Gorig is hiding. It appears to be an old, converted warehouse. The guards don't appear to have a set time that they switch shifts at, so we'll just have to sneak around them." As he spoke, an image of the warehouse appeared above the table, slowly rotating.
Qui-Gon sipped his tea, eyeing the warehouse. "How far away from here is the warehouse?"
"About thirty-five minutes away from here, taking a direct route. However, we don't want to alert anyone by coming up from the front," Dooku stroked his beard thoughtfully, "so we'll come around from the back. It'll take longer though, about fifteen minutes."
Mace rested his elbows on the table. "I'm assuming your men have enough speeders to accommodate us, Master Dooku?"
"Yes. However, you will want to tell your companions aboard your own ship to be ready to bring that craft to the warehouse. I have a bad feeling about trying to take the Padawans away on speeders."
Knight Aerdna frowned. "But won't that be illegal here, Master? To launch a ship from somewhere other than a spaceport?"
Dooku chuckled. "My dear Knight Esniki, virtually nothing is illegal on Nar Shaddaa. However, the ship will attract attention if brought too early, so they'll have to stay near the spaceport until we call for them."
"That'll work." Cin watched the warehouse slowly rotate over the table. "How are we getting in?"
"Well," Dooku pointed to a back entrance, "if we can get in through here while my men create a distraction..."
************
"Get up!"
Obi-Wan blinked wearily at the blurry, electro-staff-wielding form above him, trying to muster the strength to respond. However, he was evidently too slow for the guard, who smacked him with the staff. "I said get up!"
With a groan, Obi-Wan managed to sit up. His left arm was throbbing and nearly unusable, while an assortment of broken ribs was making breathing difficult. He felt as though he were about to be sick from a lack of food or water, although the sensation of the room spinning around him wasn't helping matters any.
Impatiently, the guard grabbed Obi-Wan's injured arm and dragged him to his feet, ignoring the pained cry from the boy's throat. "Lord Gorig demands to see you at once, scum."
Obi-Wan just shook his head, too weak to respond. With a growl, the guard shoved him down the corridor. However, the Jedi stumbled and fell to his knees, unable to summon the strength to rise.
"Move it!" roared the guard, hitting Obi-Wan with the staff while adding his own kicks to the teen's wounded body. "Move!"
A second guard appeared in the corridor. "What is it now?"
"Damn prisoner won't move, that's what!" The first guard smacked Obi-Wan with the staff again, sending the teen to the ground. "Look at that! Absolutely pathetic."
"Like every other Jedi," grunted the second soldier. "Well, pick him up and drag him to Gorig then. He won't want to wait for one weak little prisoner."
"Fine, but you're helping me," snarled the first man, grabbing Obi-Wan under one arm and dragging him up, not heeding the gasp of pain from the boy as his wounded limb was jarred.
Rolling his eyes, the second guard lifted Obi-Wan's other arm, and the duo marched off, dragging their limp burden between them. Obi-Wan struggled to keep from crying out any more than he already had at the torments that his wounded arm and ribs were being put through, although it was nigh impossible.
He didn't know exactly what Gorig wanted from him, although he could guess that it wouldn't be pleasant, especially if it concerned the topic the Hutt had discussed the last time he'd seen the Jedi. A sense of dread settled over his heart and grew steadily larger the farther he was dragged down the corridor.
He wished the Force would permit a miracle and bring his Master. But he knew it wouldn't happen. Instead, he prayed for a relatively quick death for himself and Zara.
If Zara wasn't dead already, that was.
************
"Are we agreed on the plan?" Dooku leaned back from the table, surveying the Jedi and guards around him. "Any questions?"
Everyone shook their heads, save for Qui-Gon. "When are we going?"
Dooku looked at the clock. 22:13. "Now."
The Jedi got up, leaving through the back exit to the assortment of transports parked outside. It had been agreed that the group would split themselves up between three different transports to get to the warehouse, each consisting of two Jedi and at least one guard. Mace had already called Kit to let him know of the plan. The wounded Jedi had been more than agreeable with the plan, and assured Mace he could get the ship off-planet within minutes of having its passengers on board.
Qui-Gon boarded one transport beside Dooku, settling himself in as the rest of the Jedi got to their own speeders. In the next vehicle, he could see Cin and Clee securing themselves onto the transport. Mace and Aerdna were boarding a third vehicle beyond them.
"Qui-Gon." Dooku rested a hand on Qui-Gon's shoulder. "This will work. We will rescue them." The older Master's face had lost most, if not all, of its standard pride and arrogance, instead showing a genuine concern for Qui-Gon and his missing apprentice. "They will be fine, I have faith in that. If Obi-Wan is anything like you, he'll still be fighting."
Qui-Gon sighed. "He won't if Zara's being threatened." Adjusting his Padawan's lightsabre on his belt, he spoke again. "Master... even if this doesn't work and we..." He couldn't bring himself to vocalize the possibility that Obi-Wan wouldn't survive this, so he merely said, "Thank you. For everything."
Dooku smiled, a small, knowing curve of the lips, and then the transports were off to the warehouse.
Qui-Gon settled into a light meditative trance, trying to focus himself on the task at hand. But with the boy he loved as a son in danger, that focus wasn't easily coming.
I'm coming, Obi-Wan, and this time I'm not going to lose you. Just hang on a little longer!
************
Obi-Wan's legs were joining the rest of his body in a state of agony from being dragged along the corridor. Try as he might, he simply couldn't lift his feet to walk. His arm was screaming from agony, but he bit his lip, forcing himself to keep the cries of pain at bay. His guards either didn't notice the pain the teen was in or didn't care, merely continuing to drag him to his impending destination.
Finally, after what had to be ten or fifteen minutes of continuous dragging along the various corridors, his escorts passed through a large door, where they threw him to the hard concrete floor. Gingerly lifting his throbbing head, Obi-Wan looked up to see Gorig standing in the middle of the room, under a dim spotlight. Dust floated through the air, giving the impression that the building they were in hadn't been used in some time. The footprints across the floor, however, were fresh. Obi-Wan noticed to his horror that something had been dragged through the dust recently.
Something that had been dripping blood.
He hoped that Zara had died quickly, for her own sake.
"So, little Jedi." Gorig's voice was still condescending, in a cruel sort of way. "Have you given any further thought to my offer?"
Obi-Wan set his jaw stubbornly. Even if he was too weak to verbally protest, he could still make it clear what he thought of Gorig's so-called 'offer'.
"Tsk tsk. What a pity." Gorig sighed. "Are you quite sure? I know you want food and water, and probably some medical care. If you work for me, I can give you that." As though on cue, his arm renewed its steady ache, reminding Obi-Wan of the injury that desperately needed treatment.
"Never... from you!" hissed Obi-Wan through gritted teeth. His body betrayed him, as his stomach growled from a lack of nourishment. But he was too stubborn and hurt to care.
His best friend was dead by this monster's hand. His Master would never find him, even if he did survive this nightmare. He had no reason left to live.
"Hmm." Gorig appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe you need some added motivation to cooperate with me." He gestured to a pair of guards standing in the corner, who immediately left through a large door on the opposite end of the room that Obi-Wan had entered from. "I think you'll find this to be of substantial encouragement to work for me."
The guards came back in, dragging a small figure between them. Obi-Wan barely stopped himself from crying out as he recognized the tiny prisoner. Zara was still alive, although she looked extremely close to death. Blood was caked in her hair and across her temple, and there was a gash on her stomach that had stained her tunic crimson, which explained the drops of blood Obi-Wan had seen in the dust. She was barely conscious, her head listlessly hanging down, red hair hanging over her face.
"She doesn't look good, does she?" Gorig smirked. "And unless she gets medical aid now, she won't live long enough to see tomorrow. Now, I have no intention of even bothering to save her at this moment. However, if you agree to work for me, there's a good chance that she'll survive this. Who knows? She might even end up working with you."
Obi-Wan could only stare, horrified, at Zara. She managed to raise her head enough to look at him, and a glimmer of a reassuring smile crossed her face. However, Obi-Wan could tell that it was taking every ounce of her strength to do even that.
Gorig was right. She wasn't going to live through the night, not like that.
But to agree to the Hutt was to go against everything he'd learned as a Jedi.
She will die! And so will you!
But can I agree to the terms of the criminal who is the reason both of us are suffering?
She needs help! Maybe this way you can stay alive until Qui-Gon finds you!
Qui-Gon will never be able to find us, no matter what I decide.
What would Qui-Gon do in your situation?
What would Qui-Gon do, anyway?
Obi-Wan breathed out a shaky sigh. He knew what his choice would be.
************
The transports gently stopped outside the warehouse. The Jedi quickly got out of the vehicles, slipping around to a window and climbing in. Dooku's men flew the transports away, one calling Kit to let him know that the plan was now in action.
There was one guard, but Mace quickly knocked the man out with a sharp strike of his lightsabre hilt to the guard's skull. Cin and Aerdna dragged the unconscious humanoid to a dark closet to conceal him from any of his comrades. Then the Jedi set off down the hall, being careful to keep their footsteps silenced.
Dooku paused, reaching out with the Force. A frown marred the older Jedi's face as he glanced at his companions. "The Force is confused. I don't know which way to go."
Qui-Gon closed his eyes, feeling for any presence of his Padawan. Obi-Wan's Force signature was still muted, although it almost felt as though the boy's signature was trying to be felt. Instead of the bond being silent, flashes of physical and emotional pain were shooting into Qui-Gon's mind from his apprentice. However, it wasn't enough for him to get a location for Obi-Wan.
Beside him, he heard Cin groan, "I feel almost noth-" His words were cut off at the sound of an unintelligible roar, several hundred metres ahead and to the left of the rescue team.
Qui-Gon tensed. He still recognized the sound of an enraged Hutt, even after all those years. Even though the bond wasn't giving any help to Qui-Gon, the Force was screaming at him of impending danger for Obi-Wan.
He knew Cin felt the same warning from the Force when the younger Master took off. "Sith! Something's happened to Zara!"
************
"Change your mind, Jedi!" Gorig leaned over Zara's limp, battered form, waving a fist threateningly. "You will work for me!"
Obi-Wan shook his head, although his heart cried at the sight of the new wounds scarring Zara's body. The girl was too weak to scream from pain; either that, or she was already hurting badly enough, she didn't notice the new wounds enough to cry. As it was, she was curled into a fetal position, her arms wrapped around the newly acquired broken ribs and bleeding wounds on her abdomen. Tears silently streamed out her eyes, although she wasn't making a sound.
"No?" Gorig lifted Zara by her hair, dragging her up. "You still refuse to take advantage of my generosity? Fool!" He shook Zara as he spoke, punctuating his words with the violent motions of her body. "You will die here, but not before you watch her suffer! Before I kill you, I'll make you watch her slow death, just to punish you for your insolence!" He slapped her, leaving a large cut on her cheek. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.
He was drawing his fist back to punch the girl when they heard the enraged shout. "Let her go!"
Cin Drallig jumped into the room from a catwalk, lightsabre ignited. Qui-Gon Jinn landed beside him, a look of unbelievable anger on his face to match the green blade in his hand. Several other Jedi, including Master Windu, appeared in the room, lightsabres in hand and ready to fight.
Obi-Wan's eyes widened in joy. Hope was renewed in his heart. Master! However, it was clear that his rescue wouldn't be as quick or easy as he hoped.
With a cruel smirk, Gorig dropped Zara. The girl's face hit the concrete floor with a sickening noise. Blood trickled out of her parted lips onto the dusty surface.
"No!" Cin leaped forward, lightsabre ignited. Obi-Wan gasped in horror as he saw more guards advance on the angry Master, blasters drawn and ready to shoot.
A foot rolled him onto his back. He managed a weak cry as he saw another guard point a blaster at him, aiming at his forehead.
The guard smirked and pulled the trigger.
************
Don't kill me!! I know that's a horrible cliffie, but please don't hurt me! *cringes* I'll update as soon as I can!
On the plus side, only a couple more chapters after this! Feel better?... No? Crap.
In any case, please leave a review! (I wonder how many people are now looking for hitmen to come after me for leaving that cliffie... *ducks behind desk*)
Thanks for reading! Don't kill me!
Xaja