Chapter Five: "A Pact"
I was concerned about Mr. Kenobi. Even though I had attempted to keep him awake, he had fallen asleep. He probably needed the rest, but I was worried he may have a concussion. After a few minutes' contemplation, I pried open his undamaged eyelid to check for pupil dilation.
"What are you doing?" he complained while one eye focused upon me.
I immediately removed my hand and scooted away on the bench. "Sorry. I was just checking to make sure you're going to wake up again."
"Oh, good." He grunted with discomfort while trying to sit up.
"Are you still in much pain?" I asked mainly to make conversation. Perhaps if I kept him talking, he wouldn't fall back asleep.
"Obviously," he replied rather sarcastically, although I supposed I deserved it. It had been a dumb question.
"I'm worried about your lip. It looks infected."
"It'll be fine," he argued before touching it gingerly with his fingers.
It obviously wasn't and I was prompted to go bang on the steel door. I was quite persistent until finally the bolt was released and a scarred-faced man stood before me, growling at me like an animal.
"What do you want?" he said rather abrasively.
"Something to drink would be nice," I kindly requested. "And perhaps some Bacta?"
The door slammed in my face and I figured we were out of luck until it opened again and the man shoved a bottle of brandy into my hand. I didn't have time to thank him before I was faced with cold gray steel once again.
"Here," I said, offering my cellmate the bottle.
"Nice, although I seldom imbibe. When dealing with people of this type, it's best to keep a straight head."
I couldn't help but gaze at him like what he'd just said hadn't made any sense, although I wasn't about to undermine his morality.
"If you won't, I will," I countered, tipping back the bottle, being forced to stop as soon as the toxic liquid lit my stomach on fire.
"You're a brave woman," he told me. "Here. Hand that to me."
Mr. Kenobi apparently had changed his mind and took a swig of the amber liquid before displaying a pinched face. "That's vile!"
"It's better than nothing," I argued. "And perhaps it will sterilize your injury. Here. Allow me."
I poured some of the liquor onto the clean part of the torn slip and gently dabbed it against his injuries. He hissed in pain, but stayed still, studying me the entire time.
"What?" I asked after I'd become uncomfortable by his prolonged gaze.
"I don't even know your name."
"Yes, you do," I argued.
"Not your given name."
True. Should I? What could it hurt to tell him? Most likely, we weren't going to make it out of this place alive anyway.
"It's Padmé," I told him. "Padmé Naberrie, although as Queen, I took the name of Amidala in accordance with Naboo customs.
One brow shot up. "You were Queen of Naboo? Impressive."
"Not really. It was an appointed position. I was too young to know what I was doing, but I did my best to serve the people."
"I imagine you did a fine job," he replied, aborting a grin before he re-opened his wound.
"Do you prefer I keep calling you Mr. Kenobi? I understand how instructors wish to maintain professionalism. My father was a teacher for a short while."
"Obi-Wan," he informed me quietly.
"Obi-Wan," I echoed. "That's unusual. I've never heard that name before. Is it a family name?"
"Not that I know of," he replied casually. "My brother's name is Owen."
"Do you see him often? I miss my family. I have a sister who has two little girls, and my mother and father, of course. They're all back on Naboo."
"What's stopping you from visiting them?"
It was an honest question that deserved an honest reply. "Life," I answered simply. "My career. The Senate keeps me pretty busy."
"Family is important," Obi-Wan informed me, although I had the suspicion he didn't see his very often either. "You should take the time to visit them. Someday you'll regret it if you can't. I mean, don't."
There was a story hidden in that suggestion somewhere and I wondered if he would ever share it with me.
"Give me that bottle," he requested before taking a long drink. "I think this stuff is actually starting to help. My side isn't hurting as badly as before."
Even though I had come to the conclusion that the rumors about Obi-Wan weren't true, the possibility was still fresh in my mind. Would he tell me truthfully if I asked? He seemed like an honest and trustworthy man. What would it hurt to try?
"Why did you do it?"
"Pardon me?" he asked, apparently unsure of what I was getting at. Stood to reason, since I didn't really understand it all myself.
"I mean, why did you mouth off like that? You had to realize Suds was going to retaliate violently."
Obi-Wan shifted on the bench uncomfortably. It was apparent he didn't want to share this information. I, on the other hand, really wanted to know and I wasn't backing down.
"It was a distraction," he finally explained.
"A distraction? From what? I counted eight heavily-armed, burly men in that room. We were their only focus."
"You," he corrected me quietly. "You were their only focus. They could've cared less about me. I could see the hunger in their eyes and I had to change their minds. I've been their target for a while. I started an antidrug program years ago and have actually been able to rehabilitate some of their gang members. Suds isn't one of my bigger fans."
It took a second for what he'd said to sink in. "You sacrificed yourself in order to protect me?" Why would he do that? He didn't even know me!
Obi-Wan humbly shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you could put it like that. I just wanted them to get angry enough at me so they'd leave you alone. If only for a little while. It was the least I could do. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here."
What was that supposed to mean? "You didn't have anything to do with Corvin kidnapping me. What are you talking about?"
"Forget it," Obi-Wan replied before standing up slowly and stretching his muscles.
"I won't," I firmly said, rising to stand as well. "Before we go any further, you should know this about me. I'm persistent and fairly stubborn. Please, explain yourself."
Obi-Wan gazed at me with a good dose of humor in his eyes. I was glad my words hadn't annoyed or angered him, but I was serious. I wanted to know.
"It's a long story," he told me, which didn't come close to satisfying my curiosity.
"We appear to have plenty of time," I encouraged him.
He sighed, then hesitated, but finally began to speak. "I can use the Force," he admitted. I didn't comment, but remained silent to allow him to continue.
"I've only used it once in public to save the lives of my students, but I had used it at home often as a youngling. Because of that, my parents kicked me out of their home when I was thirteen. I've been on my own since. My older brother was compassionate though, and while I was in my early twenties, he allowed me to stay with him while I finished studying at the university. My mother and father though…Well, there's no better way to say it. They rejected me because of their fear. Apparently, they were too scared to keep me around. All I'd ever done was manipulate a few objects - typically things I wanted such as toys or food. Owen was the one who taught me how to control it and explained the reasons why I should hide my talents. Which I did very well from then on, until that fateful day, of course."
I gazed at him with amazement. "So, it is true. Iris told me she'd heard a rumor that explained how you ended up in Mihon."
"I lost a good job because of what I did and abandoned a lot of people," he told me sadly, his eyes staring at the floor as if he was reliving an awful moment from his past.
"What choice did you have? You couldn't just stand there and do nothing while they died! I can tell you really care about your students and you probably acted without thinking first. Am I right?"
He did smile then, though only one side of his mouth lifted, allowing the other to stay free of pain. "Exactly. I'm not a bad person, and whenever I've touched the power of the Force, I've never been compelled to do bad things. I don't understand why it's forbidden. I haven't been able to find any research to explain it. Apparently, every detail regarding its history has been erased from existence."
"That's crazy," I declared. "Don't they understand that ignoring our past only puts everyone in danger of repeating it?"
Obi-Wan was studying me as if I had suddenly grown a second nose or something. "What? Is there something on my face?"
"You're remarkable, that's all. I've never heard anyone other than my brother Owen take my side on this issue or support the use of the Force."
"Interesting," I remarked. Didn't anyone see what a good person Obi-Wan was? "Actually, I don't recall ever being put in the position to do so. I tell you what: I would like to study more about the decision to ban it from use. I wonder where I could find such information."
"Not in the Core Archives," Obi-Wan informed me. "I've tried. I think someone would have to go back much further than that. Perhaps discover some ancient scrolls or something."
His suggestion gave me an idea, and although I doubted we'd be given the chance, I shared it with him. "Then, let's do that. You and I. Once we're free, let's make a pact to work together to discover the true history of what happened to make using the Force a crime. What do you say?"
Obi-Wan smiled again and shrugged, although a frown quickly replaced it.
"Is something the matter?"
"Just trust me!" he shouted before he grabbed me by the arms and shoved me against the far wall.
Within a fraction of a second, the world exploded behind us. I stared at the rapidly expanding and flaming structure; I listened to the shouts of anguish as gang members were ripped apart by the multiple detonations and I could smell the acrid odor of burning flesh. Having been held in an outer room, I realized the blast would most likely travel towards the exterior last.
I've heard some say that while facing death, the entirety of their life's experiences played out in their mind. There wasn't even time for that. All I could do was hold onto Obi-Wan and whisper a quick prayer for salvation.
It came as a surprise when he turned his back on me and flung out his hands as if he was telling the explosion to stay back. The approaching firestorm met against an invisible resistance, where it lost some of its strength and ultimlately chose a different path.
We were left unscathed other than the strong smell of smoke permeating our clothing.
"Hands up!"
Filtered voices came from behind us where only a portion of the duracrate wall was left standing before a number of beings dressed in black armor labeled SANS flooded in. They must be a part of the security team Iris had mentioned. Now, I understood why everyone complained of their brutality. They seemed determined to destroy every trace of the Fangs and it didn't seem to matter if they took us out with them.
Obi-Wan and I complied, although I was really wanting to give them a piece of my mind. How dare they toss a detonator into a building before securing the hostages! Who was leading this group anyway!
"Don't, Padmé," Obi-Wan warned me, after apparently having guessed my intentions.
"Are you Senator Amidala?" one marked Captain asked. After he'd confirmed my identity, he led us out of the burning building. I was thankful to breathe fresh air, although we noticed even more fire and smoke in the distance.
"The school," Obi-Wan groaned. "Suds finally followed through with his threats. I guess he got the last word in after all."
He ran at such a rapid pace, I couldn't keep up with him. When I finally did reach him, I discovered him sitting on the curb in front of a familiar building that was engulfed in flames.
"That's it for me," he announced gravely. "I don't have any place left to go. Nowhere else to teach. Mihon was my last opportunity."
Senator Organa was going to think I was crazy, but I was hatching a plan, and the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.
"Come back to Coruscant with me," I blurted out before sitting down next to him. "Remember our pact?"
"I remember your idea, although I don't remember agreeing to it. Don't you have a career?"
His concern for my job only proved what a selfless person he was and added to my belief I was doing the right thing.
"I can take off whenever I like. Let's do this. Maybe we can discover the truth and…
"And what?" he asked bluntly, cutting me off. "Erase the beliefs of the past millennia? I don't think it's going to be that easy."
I was beginning to see how it was. When it came to others, Obi-Wan was a positive and hopeful soul who would fight to the end for what he believed was right. However, when it came to himself, he didn't think it was worth the effort. Apparently, I was going to have to be the encouraging one.
"I didn't say it would be easy, but if we succeed, it will damn well be worth the effort."
No longer did his gaze have traces of skepticism or doubt, but of trust, hope, and something I couldn't identify.
"Very well. What else is there for me to do?"