It'd been days since Conn had been in the cell. Qui-Gon had no sun to measure by of course, but he figured time was passing as he got progressively thirstier. He was hungry too, and sore, but that didn't matter as much. He'd never felt this thirsty before, it was if his mouth was filled with fabric and his eyes stinging with sand. He was beginning to feel desperate. Qui-Gon knew he could not survive long without water.

He felt weak too. Much too weak. He lay motionless as usual on the floor, thinking.

Swish!

Qui-Gon's eyes snapped open in horror. He was not alone! He scanned the room but it was all pitch black, he could not distinguish shape from shadow. His breath caught as he felt someone...*something* next to him. The young Jedi kept perfectly still; he was chained down and helpless against whatever it was. The creature climbed over him so it was practically sitting on his chest. Qui-Gon wanted to scream. He could barely make out a shape an two luminous orb-like eyes fixed upon him. He had the feeling that the darkness was as clear as the light to it.

Slowly, horribly, the creature lowered it's head to his wounded shoulder. Qui-Gon tried to keep still so it wouldn't attack him. But as it began to lick the blood; it's tongue flicking over the cut in apparent relish, Qui-Gon couldn't help but moan in pain. Immediately the thing tightened it's hold around him, it's legs wrapping his torso and claws entering his back as it grasped him.

"So sweet, so warm, don't struggle." a strange, yet clearly feminine voice hissed from above. "Mm..." she finished licking the blood and began to nibble on his shoulder. Qui-Gon cried out in horror and pain, trying to twist away.

"Please! Leave me alone!" he gasped, for all the good it would do.

The creature paused. "Why?"

"You're hurting me." Qui-Gon whispered.

The eyes drew close to Qui-Gon's face."You are weak, man-child. Why is your body so tired? Why are you tied here, if not for food?"

Qui-Gon let out a breath. It seemed she was more curious than hungry. He supposed that was a good sign. "The other men did this to me." he said softly. "I am from far away. This is not my home." Very vaguely he could make out her face, her slitted eyes, her thin lips.

"I know. The Hadden. I hear a great many thing."

Qui-Gon continued to stare. "What are you?"

A low, soft laugh filled the room. "You are blind by the darkness, man-child. Stretch out your hand and see." She leaned closer to him, taking his hand and pressing it against her breast.

Qui-Gon moved his hand upwards, across her neck and to her face. His fingers explored her lips, nose and eyes, finally resting in her hair.

She clearly enjoyed his touch, tilting her head into his hands. "You are...so warm." she placed a hand over his.

Five fingers. Just like he had. Except hers were thin, with sharp claws and, like every other part of her, as cold as death.

"You're not so different from me." he breathed. "But you're like ice. Are you..." he swallowed nervously. "Dead?"

"Touch me and see. Your fingers know nothing. Touch me with your mind." she purred, leaning into his hand.

Qui-Gon was weakened by his imprisonment, but he knew that the force would always be strong in him. Gingerly he stretched out toward the creature with his mind, feeling, as she had told him. Their minds touched and he drew away with a start.

"You-you...! You're shadow!" he gasped, astonished at her strange signature. He heard another laugh.

"Shadow?" her clawed fingers caressed his cheek and he shuddered with the chill of her touch. She hissed delightedly. "Shadow. Yes, that is what I am."

"How did you come to be in this awful place?"' Qui-Gon whispered, shivering and rubbing his bare arms for warmth. He strained his eyes into the black to try and catch another glimpse of his companion. This creature frightened him somewhat, but she was company to the lonely boy and he welcomed the soft alien voice after days of empty silence.

She shifted her weight. "Shadow came here long ago, and has been here forever. Who knows when she came, or who she was? Now she is what man-child calls her, Shadow. The Hadden fear Shadow." he sensed that she was grinning. "And for a reason."

Qui-Gon felt a shudder run through him that had nothing to do with the cold. "I see."

"They are bad." Shadow growled, clenching and unclenching her fists. "Sometime, I kill them all." she licked her lips. "But not now." Turning back to Qui-Gon, she placed a hand on his brow. "You are dying, man-child." she murmured, as if stating a fact of life.

Qui-Gon coughed weakly. He was unsure how to answer and his throat was beginning to hurt in earnest. "I suppose so."

Shadow brushed his cracked lips with a fingertip. "I shall return." A moment later she was off of him, and he heard the scrape of metal. She had hauled herself up into the grate and slid out of sight.

A few seconds passed. Qui-Gon waited in the darkness, holding his breath, hardly daring to breathe. He couldn't believe this. She was...on his side?

In the time it took his fevered head to form this confused thought, the grate scraped again. He strained his eyes to see the lithe creature fall to the floor, soundless and smooth as a drop of spilled black ink.

She crouched next to him, offering a sort of crude cup to his lips. "Drink." she whispered

He sipped the water thankfully. It was stale-tasting and full of grit, but life-sustaining, and he drank deeply, knowing it would give him a fighting chance at surviving this.

"Good." she smiled at him, revealing again her tiny white teeth. "Drink it, it will help."

"Thank you." he breathed.

Shadow dipped her head at him. "You are kind to Shadow, and warm. I will look out for you."

He felt her adjust his restraints and they slackened, impossibly. Then she relaxed next to him, stretched out like a large, mysterious black cat. Her eyes glowed vibrant yellow at him, as she regarded this strange young intruder into her domain. Deep down, she was glad for his company. They were both prisoners, but in different ways.

*

Tahl sighed and stared at the navicomputer. She had just entered vast empty space, and now it was nothing but her and her demons, alone on the impossibly small ship. Five days until she would reach Childor. Five days...She wanted to slam her body against the computer and *make* it go faster. The ship was just too tiny to get her anywhere in a hurry. But it was her only option.

So Tahl watched the stars. It would be a long trip.

In the long hours of imprisonment, Qui-Gon knew he was getting sicker, not better. At first, he'd been painfully hungry, but now, all he felt was emptiness. It was if the constant darkness was draining him out, changing him into something he was most definitely not. Shadow came and went, bringing him enough water to either keep him alive, or prolong his torture, he hadn't decided which yet.

Sitting huddled in a corner gave him a good view of the room, and the walls protected him somewhat. Of course, there was really no place to hide, the guards could come and go as they pleased. Even still, it was a comfort to have the wall at his back. Conn didn't come very often, which suited Qui-Gon just fine, for whenever the Muh-Hadden leader appeared, bad things tended to happen. Naturally, when the door of the cell opened, a wave of dread swept over him.

Conn was in a disturbingly good mood as he swept into the room. Qui-Gn groaned as he was hauled to his feet by a few guards. This was getting repetitive. He wondered how long this would keep up.

Conn stopped in front of him and waved something in his face. "Do you know what this is?" he hissed, something like glee in his tone.

Qui-Gon stared blankly at the stone floor. He was certain he's be seeing a closeup of it soon. Out of the corner of his vision a bit of white, shimmering thread dangled. He tried to ignore it. Whatever this new thing was, Qui-Gon didn't particularly care, and he was guessing it hurt.

"This may help with that attitude of yours, Little Jedi. And now you will have a new definition of pain."

He'd sort of figured that.

"This..." Conn breathed, holding out the seemingly delicate line. "...is the silk of a very rare spider that lives on your own Coruscant. Do you know what's special about this spider's web?"

Qui-Gon's eyes grew large. No. Not alone.

"It blocks the effects of the Force. Marvelous little creatures." he stroked the silk, then motioned at the guards. "Would you be as rebellious without your precious Force? I wonder."

Qui-Gon fought for all he was worth as the Muh-Hadden bound his wrists with the sticky thread, but as sick as he was, he was not worth much. Before long, he found himself strung up, hanging from his wrists, and completely, totally empty. The darkness was mind-numbing. It was as if someone had turned off the light in his head, or filled him with a toxic gas. He couldn't *breathe.*

"Maybe in a few more days, without your healing 'force' you'll be more cooperative." Again, the door slammed.

It was as if Qui-Gon's world had shrunk, as if his range of vision had gotten constricting small. The Erie emptiness terrified him, and dulled his senses. It was slowly stifling the life from him, he was sure.

There was a soft thud from the center of the cell. His heart nearly stopped. "Shadow?" he whispered into the blackness, his voice almost pleading. He felt blind.

"Why can't you see me?" came a soft inquiry from somewhere in the void. It sounded distant.

"Because it's really dark..."

"No..." came the hiss. Qui-Gon had the chilling feeling that she was circling him. "Why can't you *see* me, like before? You feel like the Hadden." her voice was colored by something like betrayal.

Qui-Gon swallowed. How was he going to explain this? "It's...the force, I can't use it, not with the web..."

There was no reply. Qui-Gon tilted his head, but nothing except emptiness met his eyes. The room was still.

Then, a cold hand pressed against his chest. "Next time...they will not stop." The words were like freezing water poured inside him. "Next time...you won't get up. You are a little boy, not a Knight like your people. But I don't understand." she paused. "Why do you not use your own shadow..." the claws were like a whisper against his skin, her voice, a soft growl. "The shadow inside? I can see it. It's powerful..."

Qui-Gon took a deep, steadying breath. "I'm a Jedi... I..." the words felt hollow inside him. A Jedi, hmm? If he was really a Jedi, than why was he here, in this cell, without hope? Why didn't he let the darkness flow?

He saw her eyes glow out from the black. "I don't chase shadows. The light is stronger."

"Then you will die."

~*~

The short, furry creature eyed Tahl warily. It hadn't been long ago that the Jedi boy had stood before her; his naive words about justice still rang in her ears. But Seesa knew better than to think about such ideals as peace and independence. Those themes had been all but forgotten since the Muh-Hadden came to Childor. Her people lived in fear now, for those who stood against the organization disappeared. Like the Jedi had.

Seesa was one of the few Philomel who spoke Basic well. Now as she stared at the expectant, green eyes of the little human girl, and wished with all her soul that she didn't. "I know where the one you came here seeking is." she whispered, her voice a rough hum.

Tahl paused, uncertain how to respond. She could sense great pain in the Philomel woman, as if thinking about it caused her anguish. "Yes?"

"He's been taken into the Elli Muet. The Hadden have a prison there. Your search is in vain. You will not find him." She turned away. "I have lost brothers in that place. I know." The Philomel turned her face toward Tahl and the girl gasped as she saw the long white scar across her smooth furry cheek.

The Jedi girl took a tiny step backwards, faltering. "I...have to, Seesa."

She closed her amber eyes. "The young Jedi does not understand..."

Suddenly Tahl was angry. She was so tired of beings telling her she was wrong, that there was no hope, that her quest was in vain. "No, *you* don't understand!" she snapped. " I need to find him...and I'll do it with, or without you."

"We have seen the end of one Jedi, why must we see the end of another?"

"Are you going to tell me where the prison is or not?" she asked impatiently.

Seesa sighed. "You run to death."