Will sat at a small table with Deanna and Wesley, a mug of tepid water before him. A young slave boy, younger than Ben, had brought them the water jar and mugs, and left as silently as he came. It was a bitter reminder of what Will had gone through, just to save one child. He glanced at Ben, still kneeling motionless on the packed dirt floor of the cavern. The boy's face was stained with tears. He, too, had been brought water, but he had not touched it.
Sitaris had told them that, until their loyalties were proven one way or the other, they may have freedom within the cavern: so long as they respected private spaces and other areas that were guarded and off-limits. They had been given a small tent, pallets and blankets. If any one of them tried to escape, they would all be killed: no second chances, the trainer assured them. They were a hard people, these Lansarites, all of them survivors of bondage, and keepers of bonders in turn.
Deanna sat with her head held in her hands. Wes looked haggard and oppressed himself. He kept stealing glances at Ben. Finally he stirred. "Do you think it would be okay if..." he began, his eyes vague on the table, "...if I went to him? He looks so sad..."
Will said nothing. He wanted nothing more to do with the boy.
Deanna lifted her head. "He's hurting terribly. I can feel him now. It's like there was a wall around his thoughts, but when Sitaris - put that collar on him, it crumbled away. I sense a mind within that's as orderly, as disciplined as any Vulcan's. But the grief is pure human."
"Grief, because his former master is dead? Or because he failed to move Sitaris with his tears?" Will asked.
"For both those reasons. But also because of us."
"Because he betrayed us?" Will asked, "or because he failed to destroy us?"
Wesley and Deanna both looked at Will in shock. "Do you really think -" Wesley began.
"No," Deanna cut in. "I never was certain he betrayed us. I still don't think he did so, at least not willingly."
"Making a bomb isn't enough for you?"
"Can't you stop and think, Will, instead of lashing out like a hurt child? Maybe there's some other explanation for what he's done."
Will took a deep breath, suddenly ashamed of his outburst. "I'm sorry, Deanna. I'll try. Just don't ask me to go to him."
"I don't think you should," said Deanna. "I think you're already breaking his heart."
They sat in silence for a while longer.
"Should I go -" Wes finally asked once more.
"No, Wesley," Deanna answered gently. "Not now. The hour Sitaris granted him is nearly up. Later, I hope, there will be time."
A moment later Sitaris came to Ben, and stood before him, waiting. The boy rose smoothly, silently to his feet. He made no move to wipe his face. He stood straight and stiff, his eyes slightly lowered and unfocused. No more begging, Will thought. He knows it's pointless, now. But where only a short hour ago Will would have seen the boy's silence as lack of feeling, as inhumanity, now he saw the silence of determination, in a boy with all the pride of a captive lion.
Sitaris handed Ben a small brown bundle. A long strip of leather, or cloth, he saw - the boy shook it out and wrapped it around his waist and between his thighs. Will sighed. At least they would not require him to walk naked before the crowd, gathering now at the center of the cavern. When Sitaris turned, Ben followed.
Will stood to join them. He had to see what the child was condemned to. He felt grief rise in him, unbidden, at the sight of the boy, burned below the shoulder, feet bare on the hard dirt, unbroken even now. And he felt a stab of guilt, finally, for the words he had used to cut the boy. Deanna was right. Ben was not unfeeling - how could he have ever believed Xanatos? Whatever his reasons, whatever his motives, the boy did not deserve this fate.
And all Will could do for him now, again, was watch while others stole his life for their own use.
Will was surprised when Deanna and Wesley both joined him, to stand at the outskirts of the circle. Wesley bore himself with grim determination. But Deanna wore a look of pity. What did she sense from the boy now?
-
Past hundreds of watching eyes, young and old, free and slave, Obi-Wan walked unflinching. He shut them out, shut them all out. He needed serenity for this trial. He would accept what must be borne, for as long as it was necessary. Even if he never left this planet again, never saw the Temple again, he would honor Qui-Gon's memory, his teaching. When Sitaris stopped and turned to face him at the center of the cavern, at the center of the circle of watching trainers and their families, Obi-Wan stopped as well. A fire burned in a portable brazier behind Sitaris, Obi-Wan saw. A bowl of water stood on a rock pedestal beside him. The low murmur of voices around them ceased, leaving only silence.
"The desert is harsh," Sitaris announced, pitching his voice to carry to all the crowd. "Only the strong survive. We have not water enough for the weak.
"Today I take this boy as my bonder. I will make him strong. I will teach him the ways of the desert. I will give him water, until the day he is released a free man, sixteen years from this day: a strong man, ready to join his tribe, ready to provide for them and defend them.
"Bonder, you must serve me and obey me. You must abide by our laws of bondage until your day of freedom. You will bear no name, for the gods do not see you. You must not touch a free person, unless so bidden, for you drink not your own water. You must keep your eyes downcast, until you have served your term of humility. You must not speak unless bidden to do so, for you have not the ear of the gods. Your feet must go bare upon the earth, until you have learned her ways. You may not wear sewn garments, until the dignity of the gods-chosen is yours to bear. Your new life begins now."
Sitaris turned and took the bowl from the pedestal beside him, and drank a long draught. "From now until your day of freedom," He continued finally, "My water is yours." Then he dipped his hand within, wetting his fingers, and reaching across the space between them, brushed Obi-Wan's lips with the moist tips.
A long sigh escaped the crowd. Then everyone was up, moving, talking, heading back to their tents or their work, the silent slaves among them. Sitaris stepped closer to Obi-Wan, still holding the bowl. He wet one hand, again, and this time washed clean the tracks of tears from Obi-Wan's face.
"You did not drink earlier, bonder. Will you accept my water now?" He held out the bowl to Obi-Wan. The young Jedi stood, considering a moment, his feelings conflicted. But he could feel Sitaris' straightforward concern. He took the bowl in two hands, and drank.
Sitaris took it back from him when it was empty. "You will come to your place by my tent, now, and eat. And then I will find you work to do: there is more than enough, here, for all of us."
-
"What is he feeling now?" Will asked Deanna. Together, they and Wesley watched Ben follow Sitaris to a large tent not far from the one they had been given.
"Quiet, resigned despair."
Will sighed, and turned away. "I can't undo what's done." He felt empty. Where had his rage fled to?
"No," she agreed, "you can't. You can only decide what to do next."
"What should we do, now?" Wesley asked them.
Will looked around at the busy people bustling in the cavern. "Find our way around. Understand how things work, here."
"Find a way to help," Deanna said. "These people are not evil, no more than any other. They need us, and we need to gain their trust."
Will looked at her, then nodded agreement.
"Sitaris is coming," she told him. She turned to face the man striding toward them. Others deferred to him, Will saw. He was dressed simply: undyed tunic and trousers, a leather belt. But he wore leadership like a mantle.
"Will you share the midday meal with me?" he asked. "I should like to know more of your people, and Xatatos' move against your ship."
Will looked to Deanna for guidance. She nodded. She trusted the man's intent.
"Will you also tell us something of your situation here?" Will asked.
"I will." He continued speaking while he led them back to his tent, to the table set just outside the door. "Only this morning we raided the Starways resorts once more, and came away with weapons and other equipment that may be of use. Starways is no longer well guarded. We are hoping they will soon decide it best to cut their losses and leave, but we fear it is a vain hope." He indicated his three guests should take seats before him. Beyond the table, crouched against the wall of the cavern, Ben was just finishing a bar of mixed grains, and a mug of water. Sitaris gestured to the boy, who came to them. "Fetch water and food for four from the red-roofed tent." The boy took off at a run. Sitaris continued with his narrative. "Indeed, we were surprised when the Offworld fleet arriving in our system attacked, not our planet, but a ship we had never even known was there."
"Our ship," said Deanna.
"You were hiding from us," Sitaris said mildly.
"We are strangers in this system."
"And so you thought to keep from attracting attention. Unfortunately for you, Offworld found you - and found you to be of interest."
"What is 'Offworld'?" asked Wesley.
"An interplanetary mining corporation," Sitaris answered, "infamous for its environmentally destructive methods. Only in the last few days have we learned that Starways is a front company for Offworld, and that Xanatos is a leader in the company - perhaps even the sole owner. He has been conducting a great deal of his business from here. Why has he taken your ship?"
"Some of our technology," Will answered, "is very different from yours. But he has not 'taken' Enterprise: the fight has not ended."
"How do you know?" Sitaris asked.
"We don't know, not for certain," Deanna answered. "Two hours ago, we had word that the battle was continuing. Knowing our shipmates, I agree with Will that the fight goes on."
At that point, Ben arrived with a tray of fruit, meat, and grain cakes; he balanced a jug of water on one slim shoulder. Leaning past Sitaris, he laid both upon the table. Mugs and plates were already set there, waiting.
"Serve us," Sitaris ordered quietly when the boy started to withdraw. Will felt a stab of anger. Was the man being deliberately cruel, to flaunt Ben's status before people he knew? Deanna caught Will's eye and shook her head in warning. He leaned back in his chair, seething. Ben flinched away from him, nearly dropping the mug and plate at his place in his hurry to move on. Deanna glanced sharply at the boy, then looked away carelessly, but Will knew that look: she was studying him empathically. Ben set a place for Wesley, quickly, who wouldn't look up for embarrassment. He moved on to Deanna. She laid a hand upon his, briefly, as he finished. He paused, just as briefly, before continuing. But his movements now seemed calmer, surer. Will looked to Deanna. Her eyes were hooded, deep in thought.
Finished with the dishes, Ben reached for the water jug, but Sitaris stopped him. "I will serve the water. Rest in your place until I call you again." The boy nodded, once, and left to sit, cross-legged, in his place by the cavern wall. Sitaris watched him go, his features impassive. Then he stood, and, taking up the jug, poured for each of his guests in turn, himself last. Finally he took up the tray, and passed it to Deanna. "Take what you wish," he said, "and pass the tray." He leaned back in his seat, eyes half-lidded and hands folded in front of him as if praying. But when Wesley stole a glance back at Ben after he took his food, the man spoke. "The bonder has eaten before us, Wesley of Enterprise. That is our way, here in the desert. You need not worry for his welfare."
Reluctantly Wesley turned back. "But Ben always seems to be hungry -"
"A bonder has no name." Sitaris pinned Wesley with a glare. "Do not violate our laws by giving him one - especially not in his presence."
Wesley looked at the man in nervous defiance.
"Your ways are strange to us, Sitaris," said Deanna. "We keep no slaves."
"Before Starways," Sitaris answered her, "there were no slaves on Lansar. Only bonders. Starways corrupted our traditions, and now many of our people, especially city people, treat their bonders as property: as slaves. A true guardian of a bonder puts his bonder's welfare above his own: my bonder will eat, and drink, and receive medicine before me in times of shortage. To do otherwise would mean my own dishonor."
"That is not a philosophy we heard expressed at the Council meeting in the city yesterday," Deanna said.
"Mine is likely a minority view, and one I came to only recently," Sitaris answered. "But it is a view shared by every person in this camp."
"Most slave-keepers at least allow their slaves to have names," Will challenged.
"A bonder will take a name on his day of freedom," Sitaris said. "I do not expect you to understand our ways, but for as long as you are with us, you will keep them."
"We will," said Deanna with a sharp look to Will and Wesley. Both nodded reluctant acceptance.
"Eat," commanded Sitaris. They ate in strained silence. When all had finished Sitaris drank a full mug of water, and pushed his plate aside. "Clear the table," he called to Ben. The boy jumped to his feet and collected the dishes, piling them atop the now-empty tray; balanced the tray on one hand and took the jug with the other, then ran to the red-topped tent once more.
"So Xanatos believes that having control of your ship will give him some advantage," the man guessed without preamble once Ben had gone. "Is he correct?"
"If he can control her," Will answered, "which is doubtful, at least in the near future."
"But if he does learn to control your ship?"
"He could become far more dangerous," Will admitted.
"An outcome to be prevented," Sitaris said. "You said earlier you were hoping to find help? There is little help on Lansar to be found - few Lansarites own starships, and all of those have already been put into service to protect our cities."
"Someone mentioned at the council meeting yesterday that the Jedi might come if they were called upon," said Deanna.
"The Jedi," Sitaris mused. "The near-legendary Order of warriors. If all I've heard of them can be believed, then they could help. If they could be convinced to come."
"Do you know how to reach them?" Will asked.
"You would need a HoloNet transponder," Sitaris answered. "One that could reach Coruscant, at the core. We have nothing here that could transmit messages so far. But there are some in the city. The Council of Elders controls one, and Starways had several."
"Will you permit us to -"
"Not alone," Sitaris answered, "and not now."
"But time is short!" Will argued.
"Patience, outlander. I, too, have a people to protect. As I told you earlier, we only just finished a raid on Starways. It is not safe now to have people traveling on the desert with Offworld searching for us. And I still do not know if you can be trusted not to give us away. Tomorrow will have to be soon enough. Give us time to scout a new target. Then perhaps one of you may come with us."
"Tomorrow," Will echoed.
"It will have to do," Deanna said. "I promise, we will not betray your people."
At that point, Ben returned. "You may rest now, if you wish, in your tent," Sitaris said as he stood. "Honor to you." He turned to Ben. "Come with me, now."