Chapter 34 – Bite, Scratch and Claw
Satine had been right. He was a coward. As he watched the shuttle depart, Quinlan thought about the choices he made. Was it right to simply turn a blind eye? To abandon his former best friend in favor of saving his own skin?
Obi-Wan had saved his life more than once. No matter what. The former jedi knew that if their situations would be reversed now, his old friend wouldn't have hesitated to risk his life for him.
As he trudged through the empty streets, the dirt scrunching underneath his boots, Quinlan's chest cramped up. Coming to a halt, he scowled and clenched his hands into fists. He didn't know what to think anymore. The conflict inside of him was driving him insane.
With a roar, he punched a nearby wall, a few chunks coming loose as his fist made contact. A thin layer of dust covered the back of his hand, merging with the blood on his knuckles where the skin had split. "Blast", he grumbled, leaning his head against his arm. Why were things always that difficult? He had cut his ties with the jedi. And that also included his friends, didn't it?
'No, it does not.' He knew that that was the only correct answer.
Pulling his fist from the wall, Quinlan looked up into the sky. The sun was almost mocking him as it shone so bright. Obi-Wan might not consider him a friend anymore, maybe he even hated him. Quinlan would understand that. The man had every reason to do so. Force, he wouldn't even mind if his friend straight out punched him in the gut. He would take it.
Somewhere he wasn't so sure what he was more afraid of. Breaking into prison ... or facing Obi-Wan.
"Let's do this", he muttered, drawing the hood tighter around his head. Quinlan needed to find out where exactly they were holding him. He should start with the registration unit of the prison. If they had put Obi-Wan on record like they did with every new arrival, he should find something in the database there. As a former jedi shadow, Quinlan knew how to move undetected. He would have preferred the darkness of the night as backup though, sneaking in the prison in the middle of the day was far from ideal.
He had a feeling that he shouldn't wait any longer though. It was the first time in years that the Force actually spoke to him. Quinlan had felt more than disconnected after leaving the order.
The former jedi made his way up to the higher levels, finally getting near the prison. From his spot on one of the rooftops nearby, he noticed the guards patrolling around the complex and tried to remember their pattern. He had to find a loophole to get inside.
There. He had a time window from maybe a few seconds. The guards on watch weren't really thoroughly with their job, they just focused on what was in front of them, not bothering to take a look around. Which meant if Quinlan managed to slip silently in between the patrolling groups, he could go inside unnoticed. Hopefully.
Another issue were the cameras. He had to use their blind spots or just hope that the guy observing the monitors was sleeping. The plan was risky. Way too risky for his liking, but he didn't really have a choice.
Quinlan centered himself for a last time and made his way over to the prison. His calculations had been correct, he passed the guards unnoticed and also avoided the cameras. He had reserved to use the ventilation shafts at one point, even though he cursed their rather small size as he tried to squeeze his body in. The registration unit was right underneath him, if he had remembered correctly. It had been years since he had seen the insides of this prison last, and that had only been to deliver the scum that he and the jedi had caught on Coruscant.
He peered through the grate covering the shaft, taking in the room underneath him. It was his lucky day, no one was around. Carefully, he removed the grate and let his head flop down through the hole, taking another look around before finally jumping down completely.
The computer terminal was right in front of him, so Quinlan wasted no time and set to work. Of course, this blasted thing had to be password protected. Cursing between clenched teeth the former jedi pulled out his datapad and connected it with the computer. He had to slice his way in. Hacking had never really been his specialty, but he hoped his skills weren't completely rusty. With every 'access denied' that appeared on his small screen, he became more restless. It was only a matter of time before the guards came back.
There. With a relieving beep, the device finally unlocked. Now he just had to find Obi-Wan on the list. Quinlan scrolled through the list before one entry caught his eye. No name, just a number. The date was set five days ago.
'Confiscated weapons: Three lightsabers. Notice: Prisoner was strongly aggressive upon his admittance, as well as confused. Followed orders to put the man in special confinement.'
Quinlan's eyebrows perked up a little as he read the information. "Three lightsabers? That can't be all yours", he muttered. He made a mental note to look for the weapons as well. Maybe they were still in the storage nearby.
He read the short line again. Special confinement. Not a really exact location. And it adhered from the official protocol. The guards were acting in behalf of someone. Frowning, Quinlan closed the list again and locked the computer terminal again. He had a feeling that this was going to turn into a wild bantha chase.
Until now, no guards had entered the room. Which was good but also somehow strange. He climbed back up into the shaft and closed the grate behind him. The former jedi shuffled forward as silently as he could.
There were voices somewhere in front of him. Clone's voices. Quinlan crawled closer.
"… much do you think these are worth…?" "A traitor's weapon? No one would dare to buy this now. Everyone associating with this scum is to be executed."
"Maybe just the crystal inside?" A loud bang could be heard as one of the troopers seemingly tried to open the weapon with force. "That's got to be worth something. "
Quinlan finally reached the next grate. Indeed, the two guards who should be stationed in the other room were manhandling a lightsaber in an attempt to crack it open. He winced in sympathy every time the metal hilt collided with the edge of the storage crate.
He waited until one of them lifted the saber up to look directly into the blade extraction point.
"Idiot", he murmured and simply used the Force to activate the weapon. The blue blade came to life with a lot of flickering but it still worked, piercing right through the clone's head. As the now deadweight fell to the floor, Quinlan jumped down as well, effectively stopping the other trooper who was scrambling for his blaster with the Force.
He pinned the struggling man to the wall and drew his own lightsaber.
"Where is the jedi?", he hissed.
"Jedi? I- I don't know what you're…", the man began but was quickly silenced as Quinlan pressed hid blade closer to his throat.
"The- The emperor and his apprentice were here to visit him a few hours ago. They ordered him to be executed afterwards", he stumbled over his own words, "please don't kill me!"
Quinlan snarled and got his face close to the other man. "You'll tell me where they took him and I might think about it."
"Please I don't know, I swear! Probably somewhere outside though."
That information had to suffice for now. "If I find out you lied, I'll be back for you."
With that he rendered the man unconscious and let the body flop to the floor.
Quinlan turned and pried the deactivated lightsaber from the dead troopers' fingers. It was indeed Obi-Wan's. The hull was slightly scratched from the manhandling but nothing non-fixable. He worried more about the insides; he had seen the blade flicker a lot. Obi-Wan definitely had some repairs to do. Clipping the weapon to his belt, Quinlan looked into the storage crate in front of him. Two more lightsabers laid inside. A saber and a shoto to be exact. They were small in size so he guessed they had to belong to the missing padawan. What was her name again? Ahsoka Tano? He had seen her name shortly on the screen while watching the Holo News, but he knew that the girl had to be Obi-Wan's grandpadawan.
He put the weapons on his belt as well and made to leave but not before snatching the access cards from the clones. These would hopefully grant him a free passage. He had to get into the outside yard. And he had the nagging feeling he was running out of time. Well, not him but Obi-Wan.
He exchanged vigilance for speed, hoping to be fast enough after all. As he ran through the corridors, he realized once again how insane the whole plan was. Only there was no turning back. Either he pulled this off and saved Obi-Wan, or probably died at his side because the clones discovered him first.
He snuck around the troopers in the hallways and finally came closer to his destination. The outside yard had to be behind his door. Using his stolen access card, he let himself in. The yard was plain, lined by high walls. Towers were stationed at the corners with probably snipers sitting inside. Quinlan stayed hidden as well as he could manage, observing the place until something caught his eye.
By the junkyard, three soldiers kicked someone brutally to the ground and took their positions on the other side of him, aiming directly at their victim's torso.
"Shit", Quinlan cursed loudly and took off in a Force-enhanced sprint, blowing off his cover. That definitely Obi-Wan, he would recognize that redhead everywhere. Somewhere behind him the alarm began to blare, but he couldn't care less now. Lit lightsaber in his hand, the former jedi jumped over the fence right in front of Obi-Wan. He was no second to late he realized, as he barely managed to deflect the blaster bolts back at the troopers. Instantly, he whirled back around to his friend and swiftly cut away the chains around his ankles, wrist and waist, as well as the Force suppression collar around his neck.
"Come on, Obi-Wan. You've got a padawan to save", he urged, pulling the man up on shaky feet. His friend was light, way too light, but Quinlan didn't have the time to study him closer now. Still holding on to the jedi's upper arm, he tried to come up with a plan. They've been detected. It would take maybe a few minutes for this place to be swarmed with droids and soldiers.
"Now would be a great time for one of your glorious plans ", he said, eyes casting over shortly to look at Obi-Wan. His gaze was blank, eyes staring into nothingness. Quinlan thought that he saw a flash of yellow in the man's blue-grey iris but quickly dismissed it. Not Obi-Wan, the jedi was like a personification of the Light. He quickly realized that his friend wouldn't be much help right now.
Quinlan cursed again and frantically searched for their way out. The garbage chute. He knew that they discarded the waste on the lowest levels of Coruscant. The fall was deep, non-survivable for a normal human. They had the Force. Hopefully it was enough for them to pull through.
He pulled Obi-Wan over with him and motioned for the plate holding the chute closed. "You have to help me with this."
Obi-Wan seemed to snap out of his daze a little and silently helped him to push the plate aside. Quinlan watched how his friend peered down the tunnel and snapped his head around to stare at him with disbelieve. He didn't know what to make of his silence, but Quinlan decided to worry about that later. Obi-Wan went through hell and back, in his situation the former jedi wouldn't know what to say either.
"Yes, I'm serious. If you don't have a better plan right now, I suggest we make a run for it. Now."
The duo didn't have time to come up with a better plan though, as the first soldiers came barging in.
"Go!", Quinlan shouted and made a jump for the chute. To his relieve, he heard his friend scramble in behind him.
He lost track of how long they actually fell. At some point, the floor – or rather pile of junk – came into view. The former jedi repositioned himself midair and began to cushion his fall, hoping that Obi-Wan would do the same. The man clearly wasn't at his best right now.
Both men collided with the pile rather ungracefully and began to tumble down its sides. Hacking and coughing, Quinlan finally came to a halt. They made it. He pushed himself out of the junk, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he began to notice the smell. Getting rid of that won't be easy.
Brushing himself off as best as he could, he began to realize something. He was alone. Quinlan yanked his head around and tried to catch a glimpse of his friend.
"Obi-Wan?", he called.
"I'm here", came the disgruntled reply and Quinlan watched as the jedi peeled himself out of the pile, landing beside him with a small grunt. The man clearly hadn't managed to cushion his fall like Quinlan had.
"Look at that, you can talk after all!", he joked, clamping his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Hm", Obi-Wan grumbled and simply pushed the hand down.
Quinlan studied him for a moment. "Still too early? I see", he let his hand flop back down against his side, "look, I- I want you to know that I'm sorry, okay? For you know – just disappearing."
Obi-Wan had turned his face away, but Quinlan still saw the slight nod. His silence was worse than the predicted anger. Still, he could tell by the way he tensed his muscles that Obi-Wan was seething inside.
Pressing his lips into a thin line, he hoped that the man would at least say something. But there was nothing. Obi-Wan didn't want to talk. Quinlan understood, but it didn't keep him from mulling over it.
"Let's get off the street", he suggested, "somewhere safer than here."
Trudging past Obi-Wan, the former jedi began to lead them through the lower levels, Obi-Wan not trailing far behind him. He couldn't help but notice that the man walked with a limp, the pained grimace on his face only poorly hidden. Not turning around, he shot a glance backwards.
There was a brace around his knee which seemed to be the only reason Obi-Wan was even walking on his own. His friend had been injured. More likely crippled. Not for the first time, Quinlan asked himself if things would have turned out different if he hadn't left.
And then there were those thick scars on the side of his head, he still couldn't understand how he missed them the first time he had looked at his friend. The former jedi wasn't really sure he wanted to know the story behind all this. Probably it would make him regret his decisions even more.
The men reached the apartment unseen and Quinlan quickly ushered Obi-Wan inside, closing the door behind him.
"You can use the shower if you want to, I'll see if I have a set of clothes for you to change into."
Not waiting for an answer, he walked off and began to rummage through his drawer. He was fairly larger than Obi-Wan, it wouldn't be easy to find something that would somewhat fit the man. After searching for a few minutes, he found a simple black top and some equally black cargos. They were both a little small for himself so he hoped they would do the job.
He returned with the pile and simply pressed them into Obi-Wan's arms. The jedi studied the clothes in his arms before he finally looked at Quinlan. "Thanks, Quinlan." For returning, was left unsaid but Quinlan didn't need to hear it out loud.
He only nodded in response and watched how Obi-Wan silently retreated into the refresher. The loss and hurt displayed in his friend's eyes hadn't been hidden from him. Quinlan knew better than to push him to talk.
Obi-Wan reentered the room a short time later, looking cleaner but no less lost and exhausted. The clothes hung a little loose around his frame but they weren't fairly too large. It was strange to see him in dark clothes though.
"You okay? That fall wasn't easy." He could still feel the impact rattle in his bones.
"I'm not worse than before if that's what you want to know."
"Insightful as always", Quinlan sighed and motioned towards the kitchen, "If you're hungry or something, help yourself. There should be something in the cooling unit. I'll go clean myself up in the meantime."
When he returned, Obi-Wan had sat down at the kitchen table with a glass of water in front of him, head propped up on his forearms. Of course, no food.
He sat down across from him, slipping the three lightsabers onto the table. "Thought you might want to have those back."
Obi-Wan looked up from the glass and let his eyes rest on the weapons. Something changed in his expression the longer he stared at the sabers.
"Obi-Wan?", Quinlan craned his head to catch the man's eyes.
"It's all my fault", Obi-Wan wasn't even acknowledging him, like he was caught in a daze, "Maul. I let him get away with murdering Qui-Gon and now he has taken Ahsoka."
His voice sounded dry as the words tumbled from his mouth. "Palpatine – no, Sidious. I knew something was off about the man and yet I let him kill the jedi. I let him get his hands on Anakin."
The last sentence was spat out with self-loathing and unbridled anger. Quinlan watched how trembling fingers tightened around the glass, threatening to crush it.
"You're not to blame."
The hand around the glass suddenly stilled and Quinlan was met with steel-grey eyes, tinted slightly yellowish. He barely suppressed the gasp that wanted to escape his mouth.
"Everything I have ever done - has led to this. I was too slow and Qui-Gon had to die for my failure. Training Anakin was the greatest gift I had ever received - and yet I let him walk into the arms of a Sith Lord because I didn't know how to handle the boy. Damn it Quinlan, who is to blame if not me?", Obi-Wan's voice cracked as he fought his inner turmoil, "I had a responsibility to Anakin - and still do – Nevertheless I fail all the way down the line. Sometimes I wonder if things would have been different if Qui-Gon had survived on Naboo. Or if I had never left Melida/Daan or Bandomeer. Never have become a padawan like I was supposed to."
"Obi-Wan, don't walk down that path."
His friend huffed and pressed his eyes closed. "Says the one who ran it up and down."
He was right, Quinlan had fallen often enough. But dancing on the line between the Dark and the Light came with a price – one which threatened to kill him if he made a mistake. You just don't simply switch between the Light and Dark Side, every time you lose something on the way, something that makes you yourself, what defines your very soul. It certainly wasn't worth it.
His lips were dry as the former jedi spoke again. "Then trust me."
He pushed the lightsabers over so they were almost touching Obi-Wan's hands. "You have people who depend on you, my friend. I met Satine and Padme, together with the kids. I helped them to get off-world. They're on a ship to Alderaan. She asked me to help you and your padawan, you know", he swallowed thickly, "I was almost too afraid to face you again."
He curled his fingers into a loose fist. "When I left the order – I wanted to leave everything behind. The years that followed were lonely, Obi-Wan. The Dark Side is not comforting; it haunts you even when you try to leave it behind."
The jedi master opened his eyes again and their blue color had returned. But the yellow trace was still there. "What do you want me to do, Quinlan?", he rasped. I don't know what to do. Was whispered into the Force.
"Go and rescue your grandpadawan. She needs you now."
Obi-Wan nodded and took the two small lightsabers in his hand, turning them over. "I don't know where to start."
"I think I can help you with that", a small smile appeared on Quinlan's lips, "I have contacts that can help you track down Maul's ship."
He watched as Obi-Wan let the weapons disappear in one of the trousers' pockets, before picking up his own lightsaber. The jedi took note of the damage done to the hilt shortly, then clipped it to his belt. "Then let's go, I guess." His voice still lacked that fighting spirit Quinlan had admired when they had been younger but he wouldn't be able to change that for now.
It took the men a few hours before they finally got the information they needed.
Zygerria. That was Maul's destination. He probably intended to sell the padawan off to the slavers. Obi-Wan had to be fast if he wanted to have a chance at tracking her, but Quinlan doubted that anything could stop his friend. The man had been so furious as he heard about the Sith's destination; it had been more than frightening.
The duo stood in front of one of the small freighters Quinlan managed to produce.
"You sure you don't want to come with me?", Obi-Wan asked, "I could use the backup."
Pressing his lips together, Quinlan shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I'll stay here and try to see if I can help more refugees out. Maybe I'll find something to stop all this."
Obi-Wan's expression saddened a little, but he still nodded in understanding. "I see. I want you to keep this then. Perhaps you can find some information about this."
He pressed a chip into his hand. "What is this?"
"It's a control chip. Palpatine planted them inside the clones' heads and one in Anakins' as well."
Quinlan stared at the small device with disbelieve. "I'll see what I can do. But I won't make any promises."
"Thank you, Quinlan – for everything I mean." The jedi looked briefly up the ramp behind him. "I should go now."
"You don't need to thank me, Obi-Wan. I should have come looking for you far earlier", he clutched the chip in his hand, "I'll keep in touch."
He watched how his friend ascended the ramp and it began to close behind him.
Quinlan never should have hesitated for so long; he knew that now.
Ahsoka had lost track of time at some point. But judging by the swelling of her arm, they had to be traveling for a few days now. She gently pried the bloody bandage aside, revealing the nasty cut inside her palm. Her assumption had been correct, the wound was infected. Moving her hand had become nearly impossible and she knew if the breaks weren't treated properly soon – she might never be able to move it like before. Her days of wielding two sabers might be over.
The teenager rewrapped the wound as best as she could again. She just had to hold on. Someone must be looking for her. Her master would never abandon her. Not Anakin.
Cradling her arm against her chest, Ahsoka let her mind wander. It had been days. And no one had shown up yet.
Where they even looking for her? Was there anyone left to look for her at all? The Togruta could barely remember what had happened on that evening. There had been a crash. Maul. And then nothingness. Maybe it was the lack of the Force that muddled her brain; maybe it was the hunger and thirst. Maybe it was the sickness which started crawling up her arm. She didn't know.
Maul hadn't come in for a long time. Ahsoka knew that they must have stopped, as the ships' rattling had fallen silent. She gingerly stood up on shaky feet and dragged herself over to the door of the cargo hold.
She was a jedi. She had trained all her life. She wouldn't back down without a fight.
That Zabrak had to come in at some time. And then Ahsoka would be there, waiting for him.
Making up her mind, she positioned herself next to the door and waited. This was her only chance. The chains around her wrists would hinder her, but they wouldn't keep her from running. She had always been fast.
She could do this.
Like a hunter waiting for his pray, Ahsoka lurked next to the door. Back leant against the wall, she sunk into a light meditative state. The Force had always helped her with clearing her mind, but now as it was gone, she would have make do without it. The padawan closed her eyes and focused on her hearing.
It could have been minutes or hours, the time passing by had meant nothing to Ahsoka. Only one thing mattered.
Maul had returned, his metal feet were screeching over the hallway. Ahsoka knew that the Sith would sense her next to the door. She had to catch him by surprise, be faster than him.
Time slowed for her as the door finally opened. Ahsoka moved with a speed no normal human could possess. She dived low and slipped right between his feet. Kicking his legs out from underneath him had been on her mind for a moment, but she didn't have the Force now. She might not be strong enough to do it.
The Togruta just managed to scramble to her feet behind the Zabrak as she felt a hand swoosh past her montrals. Maul had tried to grab her.
Ahsoka ran for her life. She had been lucky that the Sith had been too perplexed to simply catch her with the Force. The ship was small and the padawan quickly managed to find the loading ramp.
It was open. She didn't give that a second thought and stumbled down the ramp. They had landed on a sandy planet, in some kind of city. This was not Tatooine, Ahsoka would have recognized that.
She had never seen this kind of species before, but that wasn't what stroke her mind. It was the Twi'leks and Togrutas held on chains by their respecting owners.
This was a slave planet. The Sith wanted to sell her.
Cursing, Ahsoka tried to run as fast as her feet would carry her. Maul was behind her; she could feel it even without the Force.
"A Runaway!", someone called, as she bolted through the streets, "catch her!"
Oh no. The teenager heard the shots before they actually came flying towards her. The guards had opened fire on her.
She slipped into a small alley, trying to shake them off, but it was to no avail. A guard rounded the corner right in front of her, gun aimed at her chest.
"And where do you think you're going, slave?", he sneered.
"I'm not a slave", Ahsoka remarked and began to back off again, only to feel another two guards approach her from behind.
Blast. She was trapped. In a last attempt, she tried to jump past the guard in front of her, but the man was faster. A shot rang out and Ahsoka felt a blaster bolt hit her calf. With a cry, she crumbled to the floor.
"We do not take kindly to runaway slaves." The man leaned down and pinned her down with his foot. Her arm screamed in agony as the man's weight grinded against the broken bone and she bit her tongue. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction to scream.
"She's mine", a voice then rang out, "now get that foot of her."
Maul. He had found her.
The foot was lifted and Ahsoka could feel herself hoisted up with the Force. Maul pulled her towards him and clipped a chain on her collar.
"You should have known better than to try to run away, little jedi", he growled, his yellow eyes glowering down on her, "you'll earn me a hefty sum of credits."
Without waiting for an answer, the Sith dragged her forward, not minding that Ahsoka was barely able to walk with the blaster wound.
She was herded towards a giant building, something that resembled a palace. The guards just let them through, Ahsoka couldn't tell if they were too afraid of Maul to stop him or if he actually was announced.
A large throne room opened itself up in front of her. A feline creature sat on the throne at the opposite side, lined by six guards.
Maul tucked her forward and Ahsoka could do nothing than stumble behind him. This was the end of the road for her. She just knew it. Slavers were no folk to mess with.
The padawan could just hope that the others weren't following her. It would only bring their death.
She closed herself off and tried to keep calm. Ahsoka had to survive on her own, she couldn't always count on her master to save her.
Watching how Maul and the woman, obviously the queen, conversed, she felt a shiver running down her spine. She couldn't believe this was really happening.
"Queen Miraj", she heard Maul speak, "I think I have something that you might be interested in. A jedi spawn."
The queen's eyes lit up with interest and she stood up from her chair gracefully, starting to round Ahsoka. A hand touched her padawan braid briefly, making her jerk away.
"The jedi are branded as traitors throughout the galaxy", she discoursed, "And this one isn't even a knight."
"You can do whatever you want", Maul grumbled, "the jedi are extinguished. There will be no consequences. I guess she will be quite valuable to you."
Miraj was standing somewhere behind her. "She will be", she chuckled, "So what do you want?"
Ahsoka turned her head to look at Maul's face. He had turned his face upwards, a menacing smile on display.
"I want 50000 credits… and a few of your men for my revenge."
"Your revenge?"
Maul turned around to face the queen. "There's this jedi master…", he seethed, beginning to pace, "he took everything from me."
He drew closer to the woman, eyes shining with insanity. "If he's still alive, he might be looking for this padawan. I want to break him. Take what he has taken from me."
Miraj looked up at Maul, a small smile on your lips. "I start to like you, Maul. We have a deal; you'll get my best soldiers. But if that jedi turns up here…and he survives your fight", she drew close to Maul's ear, whispering directly into it, "you'll deliver him to me."
Ahsoka stared in shock on the scene that played in front of her. They were using her as a bait and she could do nothing about it.