Warning One: Yoda/Mace: kissing and talking. If you don't like this, don't read that section. But you'll be missing some important information.
Warning Two: non-explicit rape
Warning Three: lots of Dark Force
Author's Note One: I promised to have this out every month. How did I do? (This is a serious question- if it's been over a month, I'd like to know. I'm going to circle exactly one month from now on my calendar and make sure I do what I promise.)
Author's Note Two: The reason for Yoda/Mace: This pairing is necessary because a character you haven't met yet, a character that will change how Anakin sees things, needs them to be together.
Disposal
Thay-alla had shown Anakin about the inside of the compound, then taken him 'out back,' as she called it, to show him the greenhouses they'd built. "Invisible from the air, they still let in plenty of sunlight, and our specially-designed drains let in just the right amount of rainwater."
Anakin was distracted by worries about Obi-Wan (this place is just too full of the Dark Force; how could I have left him alone?), but he did have one question that she'd raised. "You talk about all the accomplishments you've made here, and this place is the most amazing hide-out or safe-house I've ever seen. How did you have the time and money to build all this? I mean, the manpower-" he winced at the slightly-racist term- "labor alone must have taken a hundred Repticonns at least."
She laughed. "You think we built this? We just improved on it. It existed almost a hundred years ago, when my uncle, Tay'thal, and my grandfather had a fight. Tay'thal wanted Rept'thik to become part of the Republic; my grandfather didn't. Tay'thal tried to lead a revolution, and for a while, it seemed he would win. But then… Something changed. The thing we used to talk to the furries, the thing we used to move objects, became contaminated. Suddenly, it was being used to control people's minds and to separate those who knew how to use it from those who didn't. You call it the Force, yes?" She nodded when Anakin nodded. "Well, the Force became polluted. It could be used to kill now, not just to cure. The Force here used to only be used by farmers, herders and doctors."
"Did your grandfather use the Dark Force?"
She sighed. "No one knows, now. There was talk of that, especially when my cousins Zee and Adee left to join the Jedi. But it never came to anything. My uncle chose peace instead of change. Rept'thik has stayed isolated and the poisoning of the Force hasn't stopped, or even slowed.
"That's why my mother came here, and began to call people to her. She's planning to go up against the rest of Rept'thik. She wants us to trade with others, to join the Republic, and to also stop the spread of the bad Force." Thay-alla laughed. "She has a long way to go before we'll be anywhere near ready to fight." Then, giving Anakin a shrewd look, "But we wouldn't have to wait so long if you were here to help us."
Of course we'll- Anakin shook his head. "The Jedi don't take sides, usually, in civil wars, but if the Dark Force is involved- we felt it taking root here all the way from Coruscant- we'll make sure that's removed before we leave. The rest is up to you." He saw her face fall, and reached out, touching her shoulder. "Don't worry; we'll be here to help with negotiations, just not the fighting part."
"Negotiations are useless!" She rounded on him. "My grandfather doesn't talk to anyone."
Anakin extinguished the instant flame that leapt up in his mind. She doesn't know Yoda, who would come if he was needed, and she doesn't know Qui-Gon. He relaxed. She doesn't know what Master Obi can do. He met her gaze. "You don't know my master. He can talk a malia out of charging." She looked confused and Anakin realized she probably had no idea what a malia was. He tried a comparison closer to home. "He was the second of us to call a furry to him, mostly because, when it seems like he's just standing still, not doing anything, he radiates a sense of calm and attentiveness. You saw him with his skills at half-power when he talked to you earlier, and your mother is probably seeing his power at three-quarters, but he can charm more than furries. His honesty, persuasion and persistence can't be matched. Master Obi-Wan will help lead the talks between your mother and the rest of her family. He'll help bring peace."
She shook her head. "I'll try to have your faith."
"It's not faith; I've seen it proven a dozen times on a dozen worlds. More."
Thay-alla smiled. "All right; I'll have to put my faith in that. Let me know you the pool where we swim. It's beautiful. My mother built it."
oOo
Darth Calus stepped back from the image of his master. He bowed one final time. "I will do all you ask, Master."
"I expect nothing less." The image dissolved.
How quickly things change. Calus chuckled. For five years, I baby, cajole and encourage an ex-Jedi who can hardly keep his hands off himself long enough to think of true ambition. He was never a threat to Obi-Wan, despite all the advantages he was given, all the power he was fed.
And so, like a knife that can't be repaired, that has rusted beyond all usefulness, he will be disposed of. Here on Rept'thik. And I'll- possibly- take his mission unto myself. Sidious hadn't told him what to do or not do concerning the six Jedi wandering about the Sith Lord's newest acquisition.
Almost-acquisition. The difference between ber'Nac and me is that I won't count my victory until it is assured. All the times he'd thought for sure he'd killed Qui-Gon, he'd still left a note, right where Qui-Gon could find it, just in case his former master managed to live.
I've never been over-confident, and that's saved me a thousand times and more. So here, too, I won't number this among my victories- among the victories for the Sith- until it is accomplished. The gaining of a loyal, befuddled servant, the killing of another, the possible destruction- finally- of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
And, of course, the other death that might be unavoidable. After all, he's served his purpose on the Council, and we can't risk Yoda getting suspicious.
He shook his head. He knew little more than Adee did about why Obi-Wan was so important, why he had to be killed, but he could care less. He didn't need to know, not until he was Lord and had an apprentice of his own.
Not yet. I'm content, for now, to wait and watch. I don't know everything about the Sith, even now, after so many years, and I won't make the mistake of jumping too soon. When it's my time to become Lord, I'll know it.
He laughed softly. Maybe I have more in common with the Jedi than I thought. I learned patience from the most patient man in the galaxy. It's ironic; the patience he taught me will be his undoing. Thinking of Qui-Gon breaking the Force-collar with pure rage as he, Xanatos, raped Obi-Wan. Wonder if his former padawan knows it was anger that set Qui-Gon free. Probably not. Qui-Gon keeps his own counsel more times than not, and that's one thing that hasn't changed over the years. He's stronger in the Light Force, could be a true challenge to me, just possibly, but he still has two linked weaknesses: Obi-Wan, and his own anger. He'll never escape either of those, and as long as he has them, he'll be vulnerable.
Now, to the real business at hand: disposing of ber'Nac. He'll most likely get himself killed by one of the Jedi in the next few days, maybe even sooner, but I'll have to keep an eye on him. Still, the urge to kill the mole they'd had sitting on the Council called to him, and Xanatos followed his instincts more often than not. Just like Qui-Gon again. Smiling, he left the room where he'd been communing with his master. I'll find one of those furries, make it take me to the Grand Patriarch's main. There I'll find him, and I'll find my target also. As he strode down the corridor, he considered the possibility that his target could change, that the one from the Council could make a better puppet than his grandfather. If that is what will be, it will be. I'll know when I see him.
oOo
Mace woke from troubling dreams of the Light Force. He had a gift, Force-given, to see where lives crossed in the Force, how they would meet in the near future, and, sometimes, how they would interact when they met.
His dream had been of Anakin, Obi-Wan, a girl-child with red hair that he guessed was Annie Jenn, and a black-haired, fair-skinned man with blue eyes. Xanatos. I've seen him enough times to know who he is. Except this Xanatos was too young to be alive now, and he also was missing the half circle scar Xanatos had given himself years ago before he left Qui-Gon and the Jedi for the Dark Force.
They're connected, all of them, and the two that became the most entangled were Anakin and Xanatos. And their joining was not wholly violent.
"Sleep you cannot?"
Mace blinked, and noticed that the space beside him in bed was empty. Yoda was sitting in a low chair by the window, gazing out at the lights of Coruscant. Mace touched the sheets, feeling the very little heat they radiated. Yoda had left the bed some time ago. Rising, Mace joined him at the window, sitting cross-legged beside him.
"I was dreaming. There is a connection- physical or through the Force, I don't know which- between Anakin and Xanatos." He closed his eyes. "I'll keep the possibility in the back of my mind. There's nothing I can do about it yet." Another fragment of his dream came to him. "It's in the future, a few years down the road. They may meet before then, but their connection will not be formed for years." He frowned. "It will be an ambiguous connection, not light or dark, at least not to start with."
"Hmmmph. A connection between those two I do not wish there to be." Yoda smiled, shook his head. "And yet, hinder the Light Force I will not." He took Mace's hand. "Speak of another matter I wish to."
Mace nodded. "Anything."
Yoda put Mace's hand on his stomach. "Feel it you do?"
Mace meant to reach out to the Force, but before he could, he felt the firm kick against his hand. "Y-Yoda! You're pregnant."
"Hmm. Observant you are. Known of my pregnancy for two weeks I have, and noticed it you have not, though close many times we have lain." He raised Mace's hand to his mouth and kissed the brown palm. "Tried we did not to have any more children, but disappointed I am not. Believe children are a blessing I still do."
Mace drew Yoda onto his lap, held him close in his strong arms. "And if this one is also Force-sensitive?"
"Undecided about that I am. Perhaps to send the child away an option is not. Send another to live far away from me I do not think I can."
"I know." It almost killed me when you sent Yace and Anakin away, even though Anakin wasn't my son.
Yoda picked up on that thought. Mace hadn't meant to send it, but their bond was so deep that one mind was practically the same as the other. Sacrifices you have made, he sent, and no more you should have to make. Speak of sending this child away we will not. Expect to keep him or her we will.
Mace groaned and rubbed his cheek against the top of Yoda's head. "I love you." He sat up. "Is that what was keeping you awake? Frustration that I hadn't figured out your secret?"
"Wish that was all it was I do. The Dark Force grows each day, and in too many sectors for the Jedi to save. No; concerned for the Republic I am, and seeking a solution I have been."
"Chancellor Valorum always listened to us, worked with us. Palpatine has been too long in power, and yet he manages to only half-listen to what we suggest."
"Noticed this I have." Yoda scowled. "Too long in power he has been. And yet, remove him we cannot. Support him we are supposed to, though support the Republic our real goal is. And the only problem he is not."
"The corruption in the Senate." Mace nodded. "We can't fix that alone. We need to win the Senators to our side. And how can we convince them of the danger they're leading us all towards?"
Yoda sighed. "When young I was, studied a culture I did that was taken, not from without, but from within. An athlete cannot be defeated from without, because he learns with each encounter, and stays strong in his own mind, even if he loses a race. But if he gives up, then he is defeated from within, though it seems as though outside events ended his career. Like that the Republic is becoming. And find a way to heal it from the inside we must before the illness too rampant to control is." He shifted, got up, called his gimmer stick to him. Leaning on it, he said, "Palpatine only part of the problem is, and go to him with this we should not. To others we will go: to young Bail Organa we will go, to young Amidala we will go as well. Others."
"Are you talking revolution, the Jedi taking direct control of the Republic?" Mace was shaking his head. You can't mean that.
"Mean that I do not. Protectors we are, not politicians. But our concerns we must voice. A time will come when voice them before the entire Senate we must, but unless cultivate support in the beginning we do, shouted down, belittled our concerns will be."
Mace nodded, called Yoda back to him with a pleading look. When Yoda was securely in his arms again, Mace hugged him. "May the Force be with us, and with all Jedi."
"Yes." Yoda sent up a silent plea to the Force to watch for Obi-Wan especially.
"You think of him as another child of ours."
"You do not?"
"Not as you do, Yoda. Obi-Wan is something more than a youngling you raised."
"Yes. A support for Anakin he is, and a target of the Dark Force he is."
"That's not what I mean, and you know it." Mace turned Yoda so they were facing each other. His eyes shone with tenderness. "Please tell me. I won't berate you or judge you. Whatever it is you feel for Obi-Wan, you can share it with me."
"Hard to put into words it is, and troubling it is." Yoda closed his eyes for a moment, then met Mace's gaze. "As protect him Anakin wishes to, so do I. Put his safety above the will of the Force I will not, but still wish to protect him I do. Forget that I cannot, and set it aside I cannot. And protect him because he is Anakin's protector do I. Protect him because he is Obi-Wan I feel compelled to, because love him I do, like a child of ours, like I loved Ahleh." He held up a hand to stop Mace from speaking. "And let her go out on dangerous missions I did, and turn back time I would not if I could, because happy in the Force she was, and I would never take that from her. Just so, I would never stop Obi-Wan. But meet the same fate he might, and stop that I will not be able to. Follow the Force I must. And repeating myself I am. No answers can I find. But find them I must if my love for Obi-Wan a distraction is not to become. I must accept the will of the Force, or not. No middle ground there is."
"I have no easy answer for this, and I'm sure you already know that." Mace kissed Yoda's cheek, then his lips. "I can only say that I will be beside you, that I will remind you to stay within the Light Force. I don't love Obi-Wan as you do, but I know some of the worry you feel for him. It lives within my heart. All we can do is what we tell all Jedi to do: meditate and stay close to the Force." He kissed Yoda again. "Even you aren't expected to be perfect, Beautiful. You're only expected to do your best, as the rest do. Never forget that we're all here for you, as you are here for us." A final kiss, then he stood, carrying Yoda to the bed. "Don't forget that. Please. And don't forget that I love you, my love for you second only to my obedience to the Force." He paused, standing beside the bed and not wanting to set Yoda down just yet. "Don't give up on your love for Obi-Wan, and don't think it can't be. Just set it up as second to the Force in your heart."
"Third," Yoda answered, and kissed Mace with enough heat to make Mace's mind jump to other things than the current troubles around them.
oOo
Zee, alone in the room he'd been given, stared up at the ceiling. He couldn't meditate just then, and not only because he didn't want to draw attention to himself with the Light Force. It had been strange to see his father again, and in the jolly company of his grandfather. Tay'thal and the Grand Patriarch, Thel-aln, had made peace when Zee and Adee were still babies, but stories of the fight between the son and father were legendary in the Grand Patriarch's house. Even removed from Rept'thik as the grandsons had been, the stories still came, in the form of letters from home. Zee had read them, but not half so eagerly as Adee.
I liked to hear about home, but the Temple was more a home to me, Yoda more of a father. Adee, sometimes, wasn't as excited about the letters as he could have been, especially when he first became a padawan and he was completely obsessed with following Ki-Adi-Mundi and doing exactly what his master told him.
Scores of years had passed since Ki-Adi-Mundi was Adee's master, and much had changed since then. Too much, Zee thought. Adee used to be filled with the Light Force, with passion for doing the right thing, with a love of all life. And then…
And then he started spending time with Count Dooku, at that time Knight Dooku, long before Dooku became Qui-Gon's master. Dooku's discontent, which didn't flower fully for many years, fired Adee's need to distinguish himself. He always wanted to stand out, be better than everyone else. And while that drove some to the Light Force, it drove him to 'new' ways of thinking.
Zee could still remember when his twin had, for the first time, talked about getting rid of unneeded emotions like lust not through meditation, but by spending a short, intense time, with each when it crept up.
Obi-Wan was far from the first person Adee tried to rape, though he was the first Jedi. Countless poor, male and female alike, of every race, fell to Adee's lust. He couldn't let any of them live after he'd raped them. If they learned he was a Jedi, the word might get around. Adee would never risk that. Being a Jedi, having that 'power', was as important to him as 'working through his feelings' by using them, enjoying them. And when he was appointed to the Jedi Council, he only got worse.
Yes, worse, and I helped him. Am still helping him. Our parents may have been the ones to say that we were twins, but I am the one who allows the lie to persist. I struggled, for a time, with the notion that I might tell Yoda, but that's impossible now, especially after Adee attacked Obi-Wan. Most of the Council members, and ninety-nine percent of the rest of the Temple were ignorant of Yoda's deep and abiding love for Obi-Wan, but Zee, always on the lookout for threats to his brother, noticed it.
By the stars, when Adee- who'd been dreaming about Obi-Wan for years, ever since Obi-Wan came back from Telos marked- decided he was going to attack Obi-Wan during his final Trial, I almost confessed everything to Yoda then. He stood, went to the window. His tail swung rapidly behind him. But I thought the danger was passed, that he'd given up on Obi-Wan. And now it seems as if he has, and he hasn't gone after anyone for sexual or rage-purging reasons since then, but he's in something much deeper now.
Helping the Sith. His brother, his twin, the one person he'd protected above all others for sixty years, was preparing to break his ties with Jedi and descend completely into the Dark Force. And nothing I say can convince him to come back. If he was ever going to tell Yoda, shouldn't this be the time?
I learned as a youngling not to hide things from myself or from Yoda. That only leads to deceitfulness and a break with the Light Force.
Yes, and when I confess all, I'll have to confess that I've been keeping the yellow tint that all Sith eyes take on eventually from Adee's eyes. His eyes are already tinted yellow because of our species, but I kept anything extra- the redness- from showing. I've sent Light Force around him each morning for years, healing his eyes, holding the signs of darkness at bay.
Not all dark-force users had reddened eyes tinged with a bit of yellow; only Sith had this. And yet, Adee had been cursed with it. Zee's stomach still flipped and twisted each time he remembered seeing Adee's eyes change for the first time. I was in a panic for two days. I had to retreat to my room and meditate for almost all that time to keep from running to Yoda and screaming that I was about to lose my brother to the Dark Force.
Adee hadn't gone completely bad, not right away, and so Zee had convinced himself that there was still time to save his brother.
I convinced myself that some Dark Force users just got the yellow-eye symptom sooner than others. But now, to know that Adee has been in contact with the Sith Lord, no matter how remote that contact has been, speaks to this truth:
Sidious is cultivating a new apprentice to replace Darth Maul.
My brother. A Sith Lord.
He had to tell Yoda. But he couldn't say anything while they were planetside. The communiqué might be intercepted. Or Adee might learn what Zee did and run.
I won't lose him. If I can get to Yoda, confess everything, get Adee back at Temple, maybe there's still a chance he can be saved.
Zee returned to his bed, sat cross-legged thereon, his tail wrapped around himself, and prepared himself for meditation. One thing is sure: I must get him out of here before the source of the Dark Force- whatever it is- finds him and draws him even further in.
oOo
Obi-Wan laid a hand on Thann-ella's arm. It was a testament to her trust that she allowed this. She even smiled when he did it and covered his hand with her own.
"The Force, then, has two sides. One side allows us to communicate with the furries and to heal things. The other side causes destruction and sews mistrust." She frowned. "How can I know that you aren't just prejudiced against this other side? Can you show me this Dark Force, that I can see how dangerous it is?"
"I will neither demonstrate the Dark Force nor ever consider doing so."
"Because it is more powerful than your own Force?"
"Because the Dark Force separates us from the Light Force. And while the Light Force is omnipresent and all-knowing, the Dark Force draws only on what you yourself can do, what you believe in, and what you want for the future. The Dark Force can be wrong. The Light Force cannot. I have relied on the Light Force most of my life; I'm not planning to stop now, even for a demonstration."
"So you are never wrong?"
Obi-Wan chuckled. "I'm wrong often. But that's because sometimes I fail to listen to the Light Force, not because the Light Force Itself is wrong." He chuckled again. "The strongest Jedi would be one who not only has a deep natural connection to the Light Force, but also has the humility to give over his or her own opinions to listen to what the Force has to say."
"Does it speak to you directly, with an actual voice?"
"Those are two different questions Every time I draw my lightsaber, the Light Force speaks to me, telling me where to thrust, where to parry, when to fight and when to retreat." A flickering of shadow, felt instead of seen, distracted Obi-Wan and he held his hand up, forestalling any questions she might have.
Closing his eyes, he opened himself to the Light Force, asking.
For a moment, the shadow disappeared as though it had never been, and the Light Force insisted it hadn't been there at all. Obi-Wan still asked, still reached. The shadow returned, speaking of things he knew shouldn't be, but were: he wasn't alone in the room with Thann-ella, even though he was sure they'd been alone only a moment ago. And, more importantly, he knew the shadow he sensed. He'd felt it before. Where?
(garden)
Where?
(lengthening shadows of night, Qui-Gon waiting)
ber'Nac.
This, and all the missions Anakin and I have been on: have they been set up by him? Obi-Wan didn't believe that. The missions felt so much like Xanatos that they must either come from the man himself, or from someone who had studied his techniques thoroughly. That doesn't preclude ber'Nac, but it makes it extremely unlikely that he was the mastermind behind many of our missions. He never knew Xanatos, and had no opportunity to break into Qui-Gon's few records about his former padawan. There's nowhere else he could have learned Xanatos's methods.
Yes, that was all true, but that didn't change the fact that ber'Nac was here now. With that thought driving him, Obi-Wan rose slowly and said to Thann-ella, "You and yours may be forced to leave this place. Do you have other safe houses?"
She raised an eyebrow ridge, but nodded, opened her mouth to speak.
"Keep the location to yourself. And guard your mind." His hand went to his lightsaber, though he didn't draw the weapon yet. He wished for a connection with her that he could form and simultaneously shield from others. Nothing for it. I'll have to-
But he wasn't ready to call Anakin. A fear, learned from Qui-Gon, kept him from calling to his padawan. He knew it was wrong; he knew that sure as he knew he needed air to breathe. He couldn't make himself call. I don't want Anakin anywhere near him, flew across his mind, and he knew it was that day in the antechamber he was thinking of.
Obi-Wan called on the Force and stood ready.
It did him no good when three objects flew from different directions. Two of these he was able to cleave in half, but the third closed about his neck, clicked, locked. With that sound, Obi-Wan's connection to the Light Force disappeared.
The young Jedi refused to panic, even as he called himself an idiot for not reaching Anakin. Lightsaber still in hand, he sought the attackers, wondering why he hadn't sensed the other two.
They emerged, two Repticonns and ber'Nac. The ex-padawan grinned at Obi-Wan and, with a wave of his hand, attempted to call Obi-Wan's weapon to him. Prepared for this, the master didn't release it, but let the strength of the Dark Force at ber'Nac's command carry him, along with his lightsaber, through the air.
Caught off guard, ber'Nac stumbled back, allowing Obi-Wan to land on his feet and bright his lightsaber to bear. Obi-Wan slashed at him, less gracefully than he would if the Light Force had been directing his moves, but well enough. He was still comfortable within his body, though the loss of the Force made it feel as though he was missing a limb. His continued attacks forced ber'Nac to retreat more, and to call for the others to help him.
Obi-Wan didn't look at them; he could hear them coming. He didn't dare take his eyes off ber'Nac.
One of the Repticonns leapt, but was intercepted by Thann-ella, who hissed a word Obi-Wan was sure was a curse, even though he'd never heard it before. The one she'd blindsided fell, dead, with a knife in his throat.
The other was quicker, and he crashed into Obi-Wan, pushing something sharp into the Jedi's arm.
At once, Obi-Wan felt the darkness gathering at the edges of his vision. Stars burn my pride. He passed out, his lightsaber deactivated and still clutched in his hand.
oOo
ber'Nac got his remaining hired man moving, ordering him to pick up Obi-Wan. Thann-ella tried another Force-assisted throw, but ber'Nac deflected the blade, then shouted into the wristband he wore, "Now!"
The cavern began to shake at once, and Thann-ella found herself with the unenviable task of evacuating almost a hundred people. She didn't have the time or luxury to worry about one captured Jedi that she'd just met.
"Let's go." ber'Nac and the Repticonn, who carried Obi-Wan over one shoulder, hurried out the way they'd come. And if nothing else will please Sidious, I've revealed the hold of the resistance on Rept'thick (ber'Nac's bad spelling) and captured Obi-Wan. What I do with the Jedi will ensure that he never troubles anyone again. And it isn't as if I promised I would kill him immediately.
He'd wondered, upon using the Dark Force to discover the concentration of Light Force radiating form Thann-ella's compound, why the Grand Patriarch hadn't just done that in the first place. It wasn't as if he couldn't have just used the Dark Force to avoid all the mines as well as to find his wayward offspring. At last, ber'Nac had realized that the ruler more than likely had a conflict of interests, wanting to regain control of his world completely, but not wanting to run the risk of killing his only daughter and only granddaughter. That's just another reason the Dark Force should only belong to those with true ambition. Without ambition, the Dark Force is nothing but a plaything, and it's too great and perfect to be used for that.
Together, he and the hired gun jogged away from the rapidly-tumbling mountain of rock. ber'Nac had tried to call a furry to them earlier, but the creatures were just too stubborn. He'd given up and so they were on foot. Wish I'd thought to bring a speeder. But then, he reminded himself, Calus told me not to. He must be laughing his ass off at the idea of me running everywhere. At least this is the last time I'll have to listen to him.
They made good time; the Jedi whore didn't wake up as they raced across a swampy valley; he slept on as they wound their way through a hundred trees, not sticking to any path. The Repticonn didn't complain about Obi-Wan's weight, and ber'Nac was grateful for that much. The two he'd chosen had looked quite strong, but you never could tell. Smiling to himself, he admitted that he had also been looking for two who were strong in the Force, but not exactly intelligent. This one was what he had left, and ber'Nac liked him just fine. Of course, I'll only have to deal with him for another half hour or so. I don't need anyone present when I kill Obi-Wan. He'll be half-drugged still, and in the Force collar. I won't have any trouble disposing of him.
Nearing shelter now. ber'Nac cast about him with the Dark Force, found no one close, and ducked into the low, stone building. The innocuous building was only one room, and windows let light in on all sides. ber'Nac ignored the simple surroundings and went to one wall. Here he pushed a series of three stones, then turned to watch as the floor opened up, revealing a short flight of stairs. The sublevel wasn't much bigger than the house above, but it was well-furnished, well-lit by artificial light, and secret. No one would find them here. ber'Nac gestured for the big Repticonn to precede him. No use, even now, taking the chance that the big lummox might decide to take the Jedi with him for the reward money.
When Obi-Wan had been securely tied to the bed, spread-eagled of course, ber'Nac nodded at the Repticonn, paid him what he'd promised, and told him in no uncertain terms to get lost. "This is only the first death of many. But once he's dead, the others will follow in short order."
The Repticonn grunted, counted what he'd bee given, grunted again, and left.
ber'Nac signed and sat on the edge of the bed, running an appreciative hand over the muscles of Obi-Wan's torso. "Qui-Gon keeps you fit," he muttered, his fingers tracing the hard abdominal muscles and the pecs before him. Then, remembering that he could actually see what he was touching if he wanted to, ber'Nac took out a knife and cut away Obi-Wan's shirt and trousers, not stopping to admire each new bit of revealed skin until the Jedi lay naked before him. "Yes." His fingers pinched Obi-Wan's nipples until they were erect, and then his tongue followed his fingers. Nipples. Up to the throat, sucking there until he left a mark. Down again, to the juncture between Obi-Wan's neck and shoulder, then further still, licking and biting down to the real prize. Here he paused, smiling at Obi-Wan's unconscious form. The question becomes: do I rape him here, now, while he's sleeping, or do I wait for him to wake up?
That would have been an easier choice- no choice at all, really- if he'd managed to send Qui-Gon off on a wild goose chase. Simple fact was: Qui-Gon and the padawan with him had disappeared right after ber'Nac had fled. They were nowhere to be found. You wouldn't think two humans among a race of xenophobes would have been hard to track, but it's like he vanished into thin air. The only thing I know for sure is that he's still planetside, because he would never leave his whore one place while he went another.
True, Obi-Wan had been without his keeper on many of the missions Xanatos had orchestrated, but that was out of necessity. Qui-Gon had surely been busy somewhere else. Now, with Obi-Wan so close, surely Qui-Gon wouldn't leave.
That means my decision is made for me. I have to get what I want, now, and finish the whore off. He scowled, hating to be rushed. But how much worse would it be to be still waiting for him to wake up, and Qui-Gon shows up, maybe with that padawan of his? Darth Sidious wouldn't like that at all. I must remember that getting my pleasure is only a secondary concern. The real goal is to kill Obi-Wan and get Sidious to see what a talented apprentice I could be.
Looking at Obi-Wan spread out before him like a feast, it was hard to remember that. To appease his appetite, ber'Nac ran his belt through its loops and pushed his trousers down. He slipped between the whore's legs.
oOo
The first shockwave hit as Anakin and Thay-alla were leaving the pool. She recognized it as an earthquake, but Anakin, opening his mind at once to the Force, felt the Dark Force echo that rode the crest of the shockwave. And, under that, an emptiness that came both from the Light Force and from the loss of a bond he was used to having.
He knew at once that the loss was more than Obi-Wan having his shields up. Even then, if Anakin reached out, he could feel his master, if only his presence in the Force. This- this was like Obi-Wan wasn't there.
No. No. He can't be dead. I would have felt… something! I know I would have! Reaching out further, he shouted into the Force, Master! Obi-Wan, answer me! Master!
Another shockwave came then, and Thay-alla grabbed his arm. "We have to get out of here before everything collapses!" She started away, dragging Anakin with her.
After a few stumble-steps, Anakin got his feet under him and ran beside her. Behind them, ton-weight stones began crashing into the pool. Anakin called the Force to bear around them, calling on it to protect them. This was merely training, programmed so deeply into his brain that he could have done little else. His mind still rang with that negation, with the need to feel Obi-Wan again.
Obi-Wan, answer me! He felt tears coming as his mind made the leap- no answer, no master- but he held them back as best he could. Whoever did it, I'll kill them. I swear I'll kill them.
Then he and Thay-alla were outside, and Anakin spotted Thann-ella. He sprinted towards her, faster than her own daughter, and seized her arm. "Where's Obi-Wan?"
She pulled back from him, more out of shock, he thought, than because she didn't want him touching her. "Three attackers found their way into the compound. Two were Repticonns, one human. The human and one of the Repticonns took Obi-Wan." She sighed. "Obi-Wan wore this collar when they took him. I don't know what it was."
A Force-collar? What else could it be? But Anakin wasn't quite ready to take that comforting news. If it was only a Force collar, it could be removed. But if it was something else- a paralysis collar, such as he'd seen used on Tatooine, sometimes the injection from the collar was too strong. He'd seen it kill his aunt and one of his close friends. "Which way did they go?"
She sighed. "I don't know. I had to get all of my people out. Oh, but the human kicked this out of your master's hand after he passed out." Turning away, she drew Thay-alla against her and kissed her brow. "You're safe."
Anakin held the lightsaber close for a moment, then clipped it to his own belt. He glared at the two Repticonns. They were ignoring him. Looks like I'm on my own. He stalked away. I could call Qui-Gon for help. His hand went to the communicator at his belt, but then he stopped. He's too far away. And he said to keep communications to a minimum. Even if he was talking about Force-assisted communication, he probably meant for us to maintain technological silence, too.
For a moment, as he jogged away and reached out to the Force, searching for a trail to follow, he wondered if he could possibly find Obi-Wan on his own. Then he picked up a Force-echo that he recognized immediately. Anakin prided himself on never forgetting a feeling, and so when the Force-echo touched his mind, he made the connection instantly: ber'Nac. Fear clawed up his throat, threatening to strangle or at least distract him. He raped Master Obi last time. More: he made Master Obi paralyzed for days. Anakin balled his hands into fists. I won't let that happen. Not to my Obi.
His heart began to beat fast as a bird's, and Anakin thought, Sith! I can't charge in like this. I can't even think. Images of Obi-Wan, bleeding, dying, dead, raced around in his mind. He was old enough to know he couldn't go on that way and expect to win.
Stopping, even though that was the last thing he wanted to do, he descended into the half-meditation Obi-Wan had taught him, collected himself, and then started off again. ber'Nac's trail was suddenly more than an echo: it was a blazing line that Anakin could follow as easily as a hallway. He picked up speed, sprinting all-out now.
I'm coming, Master Obi. Hang on. Just hang on.
oOo
A continent away, Qui-Gon felt ber'Nac shove his way inside Obi-Wan, even though Obi-Wan had been cut off from the Force. The Jedi Master didn't feel that separation in itself because his lover had his shields up before, but he felt the echo of the penetration- the Light Force itself crying out against the injustice.
Qui-Gon gasped, one hand dropping to his lightsaber, and the furry under him shied and tried to bolt. The master couldn't have stopped it, not with the outraged scream of the Light Force in his ears, but Ferus reached over and calmed the furry, then guided both animals to the shelter of some trees. He and Qui-Gon had arrived on Thh'el ten minutes ago, but though the air was a little cooler, it wasn't what Ferus would call cold. The trees would be enough shelter from the wind. With a graceful movement, Ferus descended from his mount and drew Qui-Gon from his own before the furry could take it into its mind to shy again.
"Master?" Ferus grasped Qui-Gon's shoulder as the Jedi staggered. "Master, what is it?" On the heels of that, seeing his master's face fully, "Has something happened to Obi-Wan?"
Qui-Gon groaned, shook his head. His one had drifted down to his backside, hovering there like a frightened bird.
He's being raped, Ferus thought, and shivered. By who? By the source of the Dark Force? He wondered if he should reach out to the Force, remembered again that they were supposed to be keeping a low profile.
Screw that. Obi-Wan needs us. He called the Light Force to him, asking it to fill Qui-Gon and calm him, and also asking where Obi-Wan was. To the first question, he received immediate attention from the Force; it encircled them both, and Qui-Gon's breathing began to slow at once. But to the second, he received only an echo of where Obi-Wan had been twenty or so minutes ago. He'd left his last Force footprint there, then… emptiness.
"Is he dead?" Ferus whispered. He'd never sought someone in the Force and not found them.
"No." Qui-Gon shook his head, more to clear it than to show negation. "If someone dies in the Force, two things happen: just before they die, their shields almost always go down. Failing that, the Force in that place is disturbed for a time, sometimes hours, more often days, especially when a Jedi dies." The older man closed his eyes, and Ferus sensed that he was both calling out to the Force for news of Obi-Wan, and for strength. The padawan waited.
"I can't be sure, but the disturbance in the Force speaks of an abrupt break between Obi-Wan and the Light Force. My guess would be a Force collar."
"Do the Repticonns have that sort of technology?"
"No, but I'm beginning to think that, despite their reputation, the Repticonns are innocent of the Dark Force around them." He took another moment to steady himself, then leapt to the furry's back. "We're going back."
"Yes, Master." Ferus mounted and they started back the way they'd come at once. "Should we try to reach Anakin?"
"A good thought, Padawan mine." Qui-Gon's eyes were narrowed on the horizon as if staring at it could bring them to it more quickly. "Will you do the honors? Secrecy's out from now on."
Ferus unbuckled his communicator from his belt.
"Oh, and Padawan mine, keep calm. Anakin may be upset, especially if he thinks Obi-Wan is dead."
Ferus flicked the communicator on. "Ferus to Anakin."
A crackle of static, then Anakin's voice emerged from the box. The other padawan's breath came in soft puffs. He was running. "What?"
"Master Obi-Wan is still alive. Qui-Gon believes it was a Force-collar that cut him off from the Force."
"Probably." Anakin managed to sound relieved and worried with the same word. "It's ber'Nac. Tell Qui-Gon it's ber'Nac. He's here and-"
"We saw him," Ferus answered. "He was in T'thel's palace. We're not sure if he was working with T'thel or not."
"He was working with some Repticonns because two were with him when he attacked Thann-ella's compound."
"Who is Thann-ella?" Qui-Gon asked, keeping his furry close enough to Ferus's so he could hear.
"The Grand Patriarch's daughter. Her daughter found Obi and me and took us to her about two hours ago."
Ferus saw Qui-Gon's eyebrows climb, but didn't understand why.
"I'm following ber'Nac's trail. It's fresh. I'll find Obi. I promise."
"We're on our way to help you," Qui-Gon answered. "Don't take on ber'Nac alone."
No answer.
"Anakin? Did you hear me?"
"Yes, Master."
"Stay away until we get there."
"I can't! What if he-"
"He's already raping Obi-Wan; you can't stop that. Wait for us."
Another long pause. "Yes, Master."
"Good. We'll contact you again when we hit land."
Ferus switched off the communicator. "Do you think he'll wait, Master?"
"Since Anakin is more like me than like Obi-Wan, and even Obi-Wan would probably disobey a direct order like that?" Qui-Gon wiped sweat out of his eyes. "No. I just hope he's careful. And I hope Obi-Wan will be strong enough later to punish him for his foolishness."
oOo
Obi-Wan came back to himself with his lower body on fire and a terrible emptiness in his body. Even before he opened his eyes or tried to figure out whom or what was hurting him, he thought, I've been cut off from the Force. That's the emptiness I feel. The collar can be removed, but not by me. So until I escape from here, I'll have to rely on my other strengths.
Fire raced up from his entrance to his chest, blossoming there. Obi-Wan sucked in a breath and let his eyes open on their own. Above him, still mostly clothed, ber'Nac was riding him as if this would be his last chance.
It might be, if Qui-Gon shows up, or if ber'Nac has orders to kill me. Obi-Wan knew nothing of the orders Calus, ber'Nac and Adee were privy to, but he wasn't a fool. Surely that's the main goal: kill me, get me out of the way, never mind the reason why. He smiled inwardly even as fresh pain crackled up his spine. Lucky for me, ber'Nac decided that he needed to relive some old memories first.
"Like it? Do you like it, Whore?"
It's like the last five years never happened. He's just the same. Obi-Wan reached back to his first feeling of ber'Nac back at the compound. He felt just the same as when he was at Temple. He hasn't grown any more, either in the Dark Force or back towards the Light Force. That was good news; Obi-Wan's connection to the Force had grown in the time between, though mostly he'd only learned how to listen more acutely.
And listening won't help us n-
Agony, so hot it made Obi-Wan cry out softly, lit his body, and Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes tight shut against it. Is he bigger? Is his- bigger?
Just behind that: I'm lucky he decided to take me before killing me, but how am I going to use the time I've been given? If I don't act soon, I won't be able to walk, let alone fight.
First things first. Obi-Wan opened his eyes a crack, scanning the room. They were alone. All right. He surreptitiously checked his bonds; ber'Nac's eyes were shut as he drove harder and harder into Obi-Wan, but the Jedi would take no chances. He'd been chained. No chance of breaking them without the Force.
And the Force is the one thing I can't get to right now. Hopelessness and frustration rose in his mind. How can I use his distraction to my advantage when I can't move and can't access the Force? I doubt he's in a talking mood.
The Force is everywhere.
The voice wasn't completely Obi-Wan's, but he didn't know where it came from. And, as his body reported that he was seemingly being raped by a lightsaber set on low burn, he didn't care. Yes, everywhere. Except I can't get to it. Why does it always have to be rape? What does the Dark Force think? I'll die from rape? He knew it could happen, but surely ber'Nac didn't have that kind of time to play with.
The Force is in everything.
I don't need the lesson right now. I know where the Force is: inaccessible to me.
The voice in his mind was deafening; he couldn't hear anything from the outside world. THE…FORCE…IS…EVERYWHERE/EVERYTHING.
Shaken, convinced now that this wasn't just his body trying, in some insane way, to distract him from the humiliation and agony he was being subjected to, Obi-Wan didn't answer right away. He let the words come inside him, not just on the surface of his mind, but deep and deeper. Sinking, diffusing, speaking to him of more than words he knew to be true-
The Force is everywhere, in everything. Then the Force is in me. Inme, and not just something I call from the outside. The Light Force is still in me, despite the Force collar. And if the Force is still in me, I can call on it. Obi-Wan didn't waste time telling himself what an idiot he was; he reached inwards.
The Light Force bloomed in his mind almost at once, and just like that, he had a way to deal with the pain. And he understood, at last, why it hurt so badly. ber'Nac wasn't just raping him, flesh to flesh: he was raping Obi-Wan with the Dark Force. The power, a strange sort of transferable, invisible Force lightning, was passing from assailant to victim.
I guess my analogy of being raped with a lightsaber wasn't too far off. Obi-Wan called the Light Force more tightly around him, wondering if ber'Nac could sense it. I don't care if he can; this is a comfort I thought I wouldn't have.
A breath, and then, What good is comfort to a Jedi? We are the guardians of the Republic; we don't seek comfort, but give it. So how can I use this new discovery to its best advantage? He thought about the thing around his neck, keeping him from connecting to the Force out there.
Force collars can only be broken by the Force, from the outside.
No. Strictly speaking, Force collars can only be broken by the Force. So if I can connect to the Light Force now, why can't I break the collar from the inside?
Impossible. If that could be done, Qui-Gon would have done it all those years ago on Telos. Waves of Dark Force were beating against him now, lapping at the edges of his mind like acid. Obi-Wan sobbed, unaware that he'd made any noise.
Qui-Gon isn't perfect, wasn't perfect back then, either. It's possible he didn't think of it. And besides, he did break the collar, after a while. Maybe all that time he was trying to break the collar with the Light Force. It might take awhile. Mentally, he squared his shoulders. Nothing is impossible where the Force dwells, and the Force is everywhere.
More pain. Tearing, rending, screaming at him, pulling at his thoughts and seeking to cast them about like chaff. Obi-Wan retreated further into his mind and called on the Light Force. At once, it was around him, strong and sure, humming with life.
Help me. Help me open the collar. Sinking into half-meditation (the pain wouldn't let him go further) Obi-Wan envisioned the collar in his mind, not as the two halves of the Force, Light and Dark, but as Living and Unifying Force. He looked to each of them. You are one, but please, step back. A tremor in the Light Force. Yes. Like that. Again.
oOo
Anakin knelt in the middle of the one-room hut, his hands on the floor. The Dark Force pulsed through the stone, and Anakin had to resist the urge to draw back into his mind and fortify his shields. This was where ber'Nac's Force-echo had led him; he was here to make sure his following hadn't been in vain. He had stopped reaching out for his master; Obi-Wan, wherever he was, was disconnected from the Light Force completely, and Anakin knew he couldn't reforge the bond at a distance. I'll have to see him, maybe touch him, to bring him back. He sent continual prayers to the Force that Obi-Wan would be able to walk out of here, would be able to speak and reach out in return.
Anakin searched for the way to open the floor. He'd already given up using the Light Force; this was a mechanism. If nothing else, I can cut my way through. But if I can get in without setting off an alarm, so much the better. Frowning, he stood and paced the small space, his eyes trained on the walls. At last, the Force nudged him towards the eastern brick wall. He stood in front of it, not seeing anything that looked remotely like a switch. Where is it? Where is it? I need to get to him! I need to save him! If ber'Nac's killing him-
Stop. Obi-Wan's voice, not remembered, and not received from outside, but still Obi-Wan's voice, as if his master was standing right beside him. Use the Force. It helped you follow the trail here; it can help you in smaller things, too.
Taking a deep breath, Anakin exhaled his sense of urgency. Yes. The Force can help with something like this. He looked at the stones again, and this time, he saw the pattern ber'Nac had pressed. Each Force-fingerprint was a different density of Dark Force concentration, showing in what order the bricks had been pushed. Freeing his lightsaber from his belt, Anakin pushed the bricks in sequence. Behind him, the floor opened up.
Put your weapon away. A mix of Obi-Wan's voice and the voice of the Force as Anakin had heard it when he was nine.
Anakin obeyed, then crouched at the top of the stairs, peering down.
The room below was as lavishly appointed as the one above was bare. A bed stood to the right of the stairs. Anakin longed to scream when he saw his master tied there. ber'Nac, looking older than Anakin remembered, stood by the bed. He was holding an activated lightsaber just above Obi-Wan's neck. The ex-padawan looked weaker, too, but Anakin couldn't be sure if that was just his imagination.
"Come down, Boy. I don't plan to stand here all day. If you have something to trade for this Jedi's life, I suggest you come down now. If you have nothing to trade, go away and let me do my job."
Anakin showed his hands, glad he wasn't wearing his Jedi robes. Did ber'Nac recognize him? He'd changed a lot since they'd last met. And yet, if I recognize him, he may know me. Or maybe he knows Obi-Wan brought his padawan with him. Best not to commit to anything until I know what's going on. He started down the steps.
Standing at the foot of the staircase, Anakin wondered if it would have been wiser to have stayed where he was. From the top of the stairs, he'd only been able to see his master's chest. Now he could see… everything. And his eyes were drawn, despite the danger, to Obi-Wan's sex. He flushed and shivered at the same time, feeling blood rush to all the wrong places.
"You're here for him?" ber'Nac asked, gesturing at Obi-Wan.
Anakin shook his head. Force, help me. "I'm here because Master Qui-Gon sent me." Idiot! Do you think that will make him trust you? Except his mouth wasn't really his own anymore.
ber'Nac laughed. "For him."
"No. For you. We thought Obi-Wan was back on Coruscant. He isn't supposed to be here."
"And what does Qui-Gon want with me? To bring me to justice?" He moved the lightsaber a fraction of an inch away from Obi-Wan's neck.
"He wants you to give him an in with the Sith. He's leaving the Jedi Order. His last trip was going to be back to Coruscant to throw his lightsaber at Yoda and pick up his other whore." Anakin ducked his head, not trying to stop the blush. This is coming from the Light Force; I can feel it. But I don't know where it's going. And I wish it would hurry up and tell me what I'm doing besides spouting lies that are only going to get Obi and me in deeper trouble. His eyes flicked to the lightsaber ber'Nac held and he consented that Obi-Wan couldn't be in much more danger. His eyes flicked down again, then back up to ber'Nac's face.
" 'Other whore?' What do you mean by that?"
"Obi-Wan serves him, and so do Ferus and I. Obi-Wan promised to give up being a Jedi- he's not a very good one anyway- to follow Qui-Gon to the Dark side. Ferus and I were never Jedi." Now I've done it. If he recognizes me, we're lost.
A soft clicking sound drew Anakin's attention, but he didn't look towards it. Instead, he used all his concentration to keep ber'Nac focused on him. Don't look around. Just at me. Just me.
"And why exactly does Qui-Gon want to leave?"
"To follow his master, Count Dooku. Dooku was right; the Republic is corrupt. It's going to eat itself from the inside out pretty soon. Within my lifetime. Probably within my master's if he gives it some help. And the best way to do that is to help the Sith. My master doesn't want darkness to rule the galaxy, but he knows that if he helps Lord Sidious, Lord Sidious will help him. Master Qui-Gon agrees to trade his knowledge of the Jedi for a chance at killing the Supreme Chancellor and becoming the leader- king, probably- of the fallen Republic." That's it. I've lost my wits.
Another series of clicks; Anakin thought there were four of them. Still, he didn't risk a look at Obi-Wan. How can ber'Nac not hear that?
Because you're hearing it in the Force. There's no actual sound. Padawan mine.
Anakin almost screamed with joy as Obi-Wan's warm thoughts filled his mind. He didn't think he would have been able to manage a straight face and level tone if the Light Force hadn't wrapped itself around him and renewed its hold on his tongue. "Please, will you agree to meet my master? You can use Obi-Wan as your bargaining chip. Master Qui-Gon would rather anything than lose Obi-Wan." A note of bitterness entered his tone. What's that? Why do I sound like that?
Because if Qui-Gon cares more about me than anyone, he doesn't care about you. Obi-Wan sounded both embarrassed and amused. Go with this. I'll be ready to move in a moment.
ber'Nac scowled, then nodded. "All right. But he'll have to come here. I'm not moving my whore."
"He's my master's," Anakin answered, "but I'm sure he wouldn't mind sharing. Obi-Wan can be a whiny baby sometimes."
ber'Nac laughed, and hard. His grip on the lightsaber was as loose as it was going to get. Anakin reached out for it, but before he could so much as touch the weapon with a hand of the Light Force, the lightsaber was in Obi-Wan's hand and the master was out of the bed. He rolled, his feet hit the floor- and his legs crumpled under him. He managed to catch hold of the edge of the bed. A pained grunt escaped his lips.
It was then that Anakin saw the blood on the bed. He had time for one shocked thought- Master Obi is far from a virgin; he shouldn't be bleeding- before his anger took over and the two lightsabers were in his hands.
No, Anakin! Obi-Wan shouted through their bond, though only another grunt escaped his lips. Anakin, use the Light Force!
ber'Nac, with the help of the Dark Force, called the lightsaber from Obi-Wan's weakened grasp and dove at the master, slicing at his head.
Anakin flew across the intervening space on a wave of the Force. He embedded both lightsabers hilt-deep in ber'Nac's back.
oOo
From far enough away that he could remained concealed, Xanatos experienced ber'Nac's death and laughed. "Well, young Jedi, you saved me one messy killing. If I can convince you to do the other- not Obi-Wan; you're not ready for that, yet- I'll never have to stir from this place." He sent more Dark Force out into the surrounding air. "Take that, Qui-Gon. Just like you've used people as pawns, I'm using your lover's padawan. You should recognize the pattern. And if you don't know it's me yet, you will soon."