littlelionluvr: Kale is using tough love this time around. Whether it will work in his and Obi-Wan's favor is yet to be seen. Traest is rather arrogant, thinking he's invincible. ;) Thanks so much for the review; it is very much appreciated! :)


Chapter 29

"Where's the vault?"

Young Kenobi kept his eyes peeled for the coming raid; it was only a matter of time before his father and the others moved in. "Lower level."

Taking the stairs, they headed down to the bottom floor. The vault sat at the end of the hall, the steel door reflecting the dim lights shining down from above. Traest softly whistled in appreciation.

"I don't think I've seen anything quite like this before," he whispered and then turned briefly to look at the teen next to him. "You done good, kid."

The complement was met with a roll of the eyes. "Let's get this done before we get caught." As an afterthought, the young man added, "And be careful of the laser beams just inside the door. Otherwise you'll activate the alarms."

Traest stopped what he was doing. "Why didn't you mention them before?"

A shrug of unconcern preceded the reply. "I wasn't certain they were there until I had the administrator give me a tour yesterday."

"And the security cams?"

"Took care of them yesterday while I was here."

The older man smiled. He and Nayt had taught the youth well.

Obi-Wan set the last charge and backed away. "We'll have to move fast once this blows. The authorities have a record of getting here in ten."

They took shelter and was about to press the ignition switch when a hand suddenly seized the box.

"What the?" Traest didn't have time to turn around before he was forced face first into the wall in front of him.

Glancing out from the corner of his eye, he saw his co-conspirator in the same predicament. Their eyes met, Traest silently stated the obvious. Reaching deep within, Obi-Wan did what he thought was the most inhumane Jedi ability he'd ever been taught: he overrode the will of each guard holding them at gunpoint. When the patrolmen put down their weapons and left them be, Obi-Wan leaned his forehead against the cool duracreet wall and berated himself for the act he had committed. A bruising grasp on his arm pulled him away from the wall and toward the stairwell.

X

When the first guardsman came out the door without his weapon and no prisoners, and another following after him, and another and so on, the Captain frowned in confusion. "What are they doing?"

Qui-Gon couldn't help but chuckle at the situation, earning himself a frown from Kale in the process. "What do you expect? We were the ones who taught him how to influence another's mind."

"Reed." When he was sure he had young Knight's attention, Kale said, "Stay here and help the Captain round up his men. We'll handle this."

Once the Jedi nodded his understanding, Kale and Qui-Gon took the remaining – unaffected – men and entered the building.

Heavily booted feet were not long in coming after them. Obi-Wan pushed Traest up the stairs, going higher and higher within the bank. When they finally reached the roof, the two men ran to the edge and paused to judge the distances between the buildings. Four, maybe five jumps and then the gaps would be too wide to attempt. Backing up a good distance to gain enough momentum, they took a running start. The door to the roof flew off the hinges, powered by a force unseen. Obi-Wan stumbled, dodging the flying barrier as it came too close for comfort. Regaining his forward motion, he heard the numerous sounds of pounding steps behind them.

A whistling sound from above caught the teens attention; a launched net fell from the sky, catching Traest just as he reached the ledge and was about to jump. Obi-Wan took off with force enhanced speed propelling himself across the divide. Once safely on top of the other roof, he turned around. Qui-Gon stood peering over the ledge, watching the young man with an admiring look. Their gazes held for several moments before breaking away. The youth turned to judge the distance to the next roof when a hand fell upon his shoulder. He jerked back in surprise and found himself staring into his father's eyes. The shock the teen felt bled through the young man's shields. Several guards slowly approached the teen when Kale turned his son around and bound his hands behind his back. With a subdued tone, the Jedi ordered, "Take him to the transport."

Their hands bound, the two were led outside their respective buildings. Traest looked at the youth as if to say 'Do something,' but the teen ignored the plea, too stunned at what had just happened. He had known it was coming, but somehow it seemed surreal.

It took less time to arrive at the local station than it had to plan the heist. Locked behind bars in separate corridors, Obi-Wan began to wonder if he had made a mistake in trusting his father. Two hours later the internal struggle came to a halt when the door to his cell swung open. He cautiously stood and waited for whoever it was to enter; a Nyvian patrolman bound the teen's hands in front of him before gesturing for him to follow. Having been lead to an interrogation room, Obi-Wan walked inside and sat at a table across from his former guardian. The two eyed one another, wondering about the purpose of being interrogated at the same time. They spent two hours dodging questions from the Captain before the man finally exited the room, a frustrated frown marring his face.

"You know kid, this is the second time something's gone wrong on a heist."

With a bored tone, the teen replied, "And your point is."

"Both times the authorities showed up and both times they were accompanied by Jedi."

Obi-Wan shook his head slightly, eyebrows somewhat raised, as if to say 'and?'

"I'm thinking both times you set us up."

When the youth didn't so much as blink at the insinuation, Traest leaned forward. "You could get us out of here."

The young man nodded in agreement. "I could, but why should I?"

"Do you really think imprisoning me is going to keep your little family safe, boy?" Traest pressed himself against the edge of the table. "I haven't found a cell yet that can hold me indefinitely."

Sitting back the two stared at each other. A flicker of insanity raced through Traest's gaze, Obi-wan catching it just as it subsided. "You were supposed to have died that night," the elder man said, a grin tugging at the left edge of his lips.

Curious about the remark, Obi-Wan replied, "There've been so many…which one in particular are you referring to this time?"

"Don't play coy with me, boy." The man leaned forward once again. "Tell me, do you still wake up screaming at night at the remembrance of how twisted your mother's body was beneath that speeder?"

The teen's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing. "What would you know of it?" he demanded.

The elder man sat back in a comfortable position now that he had finally gotten the teen riled up. "I know enough. Seems Nayt's debts had finally caught up with him. If I hadn't shown him how to sabotage your parents' vehicle, he would never have been able to pay them off. Too bad your father managed to escape his doom. And if you had died like you were supposed to of, the inheritance to your uncle and Jes would have been four times what they got."

Breathing became difficult, as did swallowing. "You're partly responsible for my mother's death?" was the tightly controlled question.

"I came up with the strate…" The rest of what would have been said was cut off when an angry teen came across the table pushing the other's chair back, both men landing on the floor. Obi-Wan had the upper hand as he straddled his nemesis, his hands clutched tightly around the elder man's throat. The youth's gaze was focused solely on watching the terror in the eyes of the man beneath him.

"You killed her!" The grip tightened even more, fingers digging into the flesh beneath them.

The two vaguely heard the opening of a door and someone shouting. Hands pulled at the young man but the teen pushed them back with the flicker of a thought. Traest flailed as he attempted to use his clasped hands to push the angry youth away. Gasps and gurgles were all that were heard as he tried to yell at the guards to pull the boy off. The Captain skidded to a halt in front of the door and seeing what was going on turned and ran back down the corridor. He quickly located the Jedi but found that they were already on their way toward him. Having led them to the room, he called his men out and watched as the two Jedi entered and stopped.

Qui-Gon held a hand out to Kale, indicating for him to wait. The force whispered to him to not interfere; this was choosing time. Kale could hear the same but his heart wanted nothing more than to grab hold of his son. He consciously switched gears to his Jedi training, making the father side of him wait until the force directed them otherwise.

Traest managed a small smile, his lips turning an unnatural shade. "Jus…t…like…me."

Obi-Wan's grip minutely loosened, the words penetrating his maddened state. Just like me....just like me… the words toyed with him. His childhood flashed within his mind as if someone had set up an old reel, playing a homespun movie.

He saw himself with his father during one of Kale's trips home, himself with his mother on that fateful day and then her body, so still and unresponsive to a child's plea. He saw his uncle and Traest killing needlessly to get what they wanted, he saw himself take the life of a young entrepreneur just after he sent the man's wife and children away. He saw himself rescued by his father and his colleagues, the Jedi taking him in, his father and aunt giving him unconditional acceptance and love. He saw Qui-Gon offering unconditional guidance and a helping hand. Master Hebsley wanting nothing in return for the time he spent listening to a recalcitrant youth.

But people always wanted something in return, didn't they? His mind argued, confused by the vast difference in scenery when compared side by side.

He saw his aunt on Coruscant, happy in her new role of teacher to the crechélings, he saw her smiling as if all were right with the galaxy when she made peace with her mother on Nyvé.

The two worlds continued to roll on their reels, the force projecting them for comparison, continuing to show him the discrepancies of what the darkness in his life had taught him in contrast to what he had learned over this last year at his father and Qui-Gon's side. The light spoke to him as the darkness pulled him in the opposite direction. Little by little, the light spread, brightening the shadows that shrank away from the burgeoning illumination, urged on by the joyful memories of a childhood spent with a mother he would forever miss and a father he was once again learning to know. Hands loosened on the object they held but had yet to completely let go. Traest laid still, the stares of two Jedi Masters daring him to move.

Obi-Wan took a hitched breath and leaned closer to his prey, whispering hoarsely, "I'm nothing like you! I am who I choose to be not what you made me. You and Nayt are the past, and never again will I allow you to dominate my future."

The young man lifted himself up and was about to take a seat at the end of the table when Traest spoke, his voice raspy and dry, "You'll always be a murderer, kid. That's one thing those kids and their mother will always remember you for."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Maybe…but unlike you, I plan to make amends."

With a gesture of his hand, the Captain sent a rather nervous patrolman inside the room. The younger officer took hold of the teen's arm and led him out of the building and into an armored transport. A few moments later, Traest was seated two seats up from where he was. Obi-Wan's gaze was fixated on his hands, his fists clenching and unclenching. A larger hand came down upon his, stopping the reflexive motion. He looked up to find a matching set of eyes looking at him with unadulterated pride. A squeeze to his hands and the other stepped back and exited the vehicle. He looked out the window to see Qui-Gon standing nearby, a somewhat identical look gazing back at him.

The vehicle maneuvered itself away from the precinct and into a vast spaceport, coming to rest near a shuttle. The two were taken from the transport and presented to the Coruscant authority. When Reed stepped forward to take possession of the prisoners, Traest realized his mistake in allowing 'Guilan' to hear their detailed plans.

Obi-Wan glanced at his former guardian with disdain. "I can speak in front of him, huh? He's harmless enough, huh? It appears it wasn't my screw up this time around."

"You'd best shut up if you know what's good for ya!" Traest warned.

"Or you'll what?" Obi-Wan asked, pushing the man's buttons and not caring.

Traest lunged toward his former charge, knocking them both to the ground. Reed hurried forward, separating them. "Enough!"

Gesturing with a nod toward the ship, he told the Nyvian authorities to lock them up in the compartments he had previously specified. With the two being taken into the ship, Reed took a deep breath and massaged his right temple. This was not going to be a pleasant trip home.

X

Three days had passed without a word from their captor. A droid attended to their mealtimes. Obi-Wan didn't like the silence that infused his small section of the ship. After they locked Traest in a hold near the back of the shuttle, Obi-Wan had been escorted into a small room with a bed and a fresher: the door locking upon the guards exit. He had tried to open it several times without success. What he had done back at the station had surprised him. He had intended to kill Traest with his bare hands, and he would have succeeded too. But the force had other plans; it showed him what he could be if he chose the right path.

For the first time, he understood what his aunt spoke of when she mentioned the man inside of him that was just waiting for the right time to make his appearance. He felt as though he had seen a whole other side to himself, someone he recognized and yet didn't. Someone who was content and confident in who he was. Someone who knew the strength of his abilities but never overstepped them or flaunted them about. Someone who his father was proud of. He wondered what it meant. For at the moment, he still felt life the scared messed up teen he had always been.

Sitting down on the cot, he nearly jumped when he heard the door swish open. Reed stood leaning against the doorframe. "I just came to check on you."

"Where is he, Reed?"

Not pretending to not know who the boy was talking about, the Knight answered, "Master, Garen, and Master Jinn, are taking a separate flight back to the capital. They wanted to speak with your grandmother and your aunt before departing."

Eyeing his surrogate brother with resignation, Obi-Wan asked, "And what happens when we reach Coruscant?"

Reed briefly looked away before answering, his gaze regretful, "I told you what could happen if you tried that crazy scheme."

The young man nodded in recognition of that fact. "They came in too soon," he whispered, not looking at the Jedi in front of him.

"No." Reed moved into the room and sat down by the teen. "They came in just in time." When Obi-Wan looked at him, he explained, "The charges will be less, which interrupts the plan you had but also gives the authorities less to hold you accountable for."

"I almost didn't go in." He looked at the man beside him. "I almost called it off."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because Kale said I could trust him." The teen looked down at his hands. "I'm beginning to wonder now why I ever did."

Not knowing how to answer but knowing what awaited them when they landed, Reed remained silent.


I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! :) Reviews are greatly appreciated!