AUTHORS NOTE: This one particular chapter is the most violent in the fic. I might give it a little stronger rating. The rest of the fic after this part is G though, so if you are particularly disturbed by it, I'd skip this chapter and go on.

He could feel the evil energy in the air, the sense that he was about to be made a cruel example of Conn's lack of mercy. He could feel it, the brutal lust for blood was like a current running through the men. He decided to keep his eyes shut.

A moan touched his lips as he felt a sticky fabric wrap over his wrist. It was familiar, in a haunting way. The web twisted around his hands and immediately darkness covered him. The effect of the force-spiders webbing was immediate and terrifying. No force for this round. He swallowed.

"Well little Jedi." A voice cold as ice hissed close to him. "It comes to this. I'm tried of playing. It's time to be serious."

Qui-Gon thrashed away from the voice but he was bound to tightly to get anywhere. His hands and legs were tied. There was no where to run. No where to hide. Conn flicked out a power lash, a weapon seldom seen in the Republic. A shudder past through him. He had a pretty good idea what was coming.

The lash whistled downward and snapped across the jedi's bare back and shoulders. The sharp pain made him twitch but he kept his eyes tightly shut. It hurt, but Qui-Gon was confident that he could take this.

Conn began on him, beating him thoroughly with the lash. He was an expert in the matter of pain, moving in a quick rhythm of strokes that brought tears to the young padawan's eyes. Cruel pleasure flashed in the evil man's eyes. But his victim was quiet as the beating progressed taking it like a Jedi, silent every time the whip smacked across his skin. Suddenly Conn ceased, whirling around.

"Tell me the names of those who sent you."

Qui-Gon just shook his head. "No." His voice was proud, as if he was asking by his tone "is this all you've got?" Dooku had taught him well. He was strong.

Conn seemed almost perplexed a moment. Then he gritted his teeth and cracked the power lash again. He sent it flying against the boy's back and it whirled into the jedi. Qui-Gon couldn't help but lose his breath as his back burned worse than fire. He hadn't taken but one ragged gasp when Conn hit him agin, this time in the shoulders. The lash striped down his back making him exhale sharply at the intense pain.

The Jedi groaned and rested his cheek against the wood of the pole straining desperately away from his tormentor. There was no place to run to. He had no choice but to take it. Conn continued on without any sign of relent.

*Master-where are you?* Qui-Gon desperately reached for Dooku but found their bond severed, as before, his call going unanswered out into the darkness. *please!* he thought silently, becoming desperate. His breathing hitched a particularly hard blow drew blood. He was scared. The pain was fast becoming too much for him to handle. He lost control of his breathing, his breaths coming in short uneven gasps. He could feel a darkness growing within him…an anger.

Conn stopped again and Qui-Gon could hear him talking to a guard. A moment later he returned, cold pleasure in his voice. The words stuck in the young Jedi's mind. "Tell me boy. Do Jedi children cry?" At the same moment, he seized his left hand and bent it backward, pinning it against the wooden pole. He felt the cold metal of a blade press against the soft flesh on the back of his hand. Qui-Gon trembled. *No...no...don't touch me please*

"I have a bet they do." A twisted smile spread over Conn's grim features. "Now. The names of the Philomel?"

Qui-Gon just shook his head and steeled himself.

***

Tahl's eyes widened as she felt a massive disturbance in the Force. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Her face pale, she quickened her step.

***

Qui-Gon didn't bother to stifle his cry as the knife impaled his hand. The agony was too much. His vision blurred and swam with tears and pain. His breaths became sobs. He couldn't control it any longer, it was too much for him. He was only a padawan, his mastery of the Force was no where near able to handle what he was going through. He felt his body give. He cried out and then went limp, letting the black void of unconsciousness claim him.

"Sir-he's out cold!"

"Then bring him around, you fool!" Conn snapped at the unfortunate guard. He scarcely took his eyes off the comatose boy, his prey. The other man left and then returned a moment later with a hypo needle. He pressed the hypo against the Jedi's neck, wincing slightly.

"That'll keep him awake." The guard backhanded the Jedi. "Come on, up!"

The padawan opened his reddened eyes wearily as the drug coursed through his body. His vision was blurred with tears and delirium. Conn struck him again and he collapsed against the pole, crying helplessly.

The guard who had administered the drug, Li, turned his head, sickened. He had seen it many times before but never had it felt so wrong. This was a boy, surely Conn could see that! He gritted his teeth as he heard another lash fall. Why couldn't they let the stupid kid be? He wasn't sure how long it went on. But the Jedi, despite the hell he was being tormented with, didn't say a word about the Philomel. He had to admire that.

Frustrated, Conn sliced the bond that tied him to the pole. Unable to support his weight, the padawan slide to the floor with an agonized moan. The drug weakened his carefully guarded reserve of strength, and his training suddenly felt like nothing, It didn't matter that he was a Jedi he bled and cried like a normal boy. A sort of shame added to the whirlwind of torment in his mind. But he hurt too bad to dwell on anything. He could not focus, not with the stuff cycling through his system now. Conn advanced on him, kicking him hard in the ribs and doubling him over. With a sinister grin Muh-Hadden approached his quivering prey.

Agony was redefined for the young jedi. Wave after wave of white hot pain rolled over his senses; his nerves screamed in protest. This was it. Conn intended to kill him, now, and in the most painful way possible. He could do nothing, the force wouldn't help him, his Master had deserted him and he had been forgotten by the Order he served. There was nothing left but darkness. He curled into a ball, his body and mind giving out.

Li could take no more of this. He stepped forward, his ice blue eyes meeting Conn's.

"This is a pitiful waste of our time Conn." Li tried to keep the tremble of anger out of his voice, but could not mask the unabashed hatred in his glare. "Wow, very powerful, you can beat up a baby Jedi-I'm impressed!" He gave a short laugh and turned away toward the exit.

*That* got the man's attention. Qui-Gon forgotten, Conn whirled at Li. "Get back here!" He hissed, pointing a bony finger at Li. The young soldier ignored him. "Guards!" he shrieked at two of the Muh-hadden who'd been watching. "Seize the traitor!" Conn saw hesitance in their eyes. They were friends with the troublemaker. This was not a good situation.

"No-leave him." a sinister smile lit over the evil mans face. "But know that if you choose to disobey, I'll see to it that Lord Thorno deals with you. *personally.*"

That got the imp's attention! Conn nearly chuckled at his own brilliance. He watched as Li turned, rage in his blue eyes. "If you believe the names of the Philomel spies are unimportant then perhaps *you* should lead this campaign. When Thorno asks about the information, you can tell him about how it's a waste of our time. And since your such chums with this..." he glanced down at Qui-Gon's pitiful figure, amusement on his cruel face. "...*Jedi* you can escort him back to his cell. Ta!" he tossed the key at Li, and it landed at his feet with a clang.

Li glared angrily at Conn's retreating form, his eyes burning hatred across the room. He watched as the advisor snapped something at one of the guards and then stalked out of the chamber. Li sighed and turned away as the rest of the guards filed out. Then he regarded the boy on the floor dispassionately. "Come on, on your feet." he muttered, not really expecting an answer.

"...moment..." the soft shaking word drifted up to him. Li stared at the quivering Jedi startled. He had thought Qui-Gon unconscious what with his obvious extensive injuries. He cocked his head to the side as the boy moaned in pain and struggled to sit up. He was too weak. With a whimper he ceased his movements. Li crouched next to him, watching him closely. He had never encountered a Jedi before, only heard the tales. Perhaps the legendary powers these creatures were rumored to posses were true. Perhaps they truly could not be killed. He shuddered, in spite of himself.

Qui-Gon tried again, wincing. His back and hand were torment with every tiny move, and he felt light-headed and dizzy with blood loss. His head buzzed with the drug. More than anything he wanted to lie down and sleep, yes, sleep until the pain stopped. It hurt more than it should be able to, Qui-Gon thought hazily. Still, he would present strong front. *Never show your enemies that you have been hurt. Don't show any weakness, or they'll use it against you.* Dooku's sharp voice echoed in his spinning head. "Yes...M-master" he whispered, more to comfort himself at the familiar words than out of habit.

Li nudged him with the blaster, unconsciously sending sparks of white-hot agony down the boys side. "What was that?" he asked sharply. Qui-Gon just groaned, trembling unsteadily. Li let it go, the boy was about to collapse. He gave him a moment.

The young jedi lay on the floor a moment, trying in vain to catch his breath and concentrating on not throwing up. He reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes, only to realize his hand was covered in blood. He felt his stomach turn over at the sight of it. Coughing weakly, he pushed himself up. "Give me your hand." Li ordered, drawing a pair of binders out of his belt.

Qui-Gon pulled away, clutching his bleeding hand against his chest protectively. Sheer terror lit his gray eyes, surely this man was joking!

Li felt sympathy pull at his conscience. Jedi or not, this was only a scared boy. His tone was softer when he spoke again. "Look, the *other* hand!" He snapped one side of the binders to his own wrist, and held up the other side. "I'm only going to restrain one hand, but if you try

anything..."he continued darkly.

Qui-Gon would have laughed if he hadn't been in so much pain. *try anything? I feel too weak to even cry!* But he was grateful that this man didn't seem quite as cruel as his superiors. Li hauled him up to his feet. He allowed himself to be lead off, stumbling into the never-ending darkness of the corridors.

The hallway was dark and hot as ever, the air sticky and wet, hard to breathe. A few weak lights mounted on the stone walls sputtered, illuminating the dank narrow passage. The cells were down lower near the heart of the prison and the hall sloped distinctively down. It was silent as they traveled slowly downward, save for Qui-Gon's ragged breathing.

Li moved as quickly as possible, he hated it down here in the cells. They was deep underground, away from the fresh air and sunlight that Li craved. His spine prickled at the thought of the creature that was rumored to live down here. He couldn't imagine the torment of actually being held down here for any extended period of time, as the Jedi had been. He was already feeling claustrophobic and he hadn't even been down here but for more than a few moments! Shivering, he quickened his pace. Suddenly a quiet voice broke the silence.

"Thank you."

Li whirled about to face the Jedi. It had been nought but a whisper, but he caught the words. "What?!" he said incredulously.

"Thank you." Qui-Gon repeated softly. "For stopping Conn. He would have killed me."he gave a little shudder at the notion of the horrible death he would have experienced.

Li stared at him for a moment, caught completely off guard.. "Well...you..." he stuttered. This Jedi was so different the other prisoners he had seen. His gray-blue eyes held no anger toward him or even Conn, it seemed. "I didn't do it for you." he muttered, gruff voice back in play. He was a Muh-Hadden, not some Jedi sympathizer!

"Thank you."

Li's face reddened. He jerked the binders so that Qui-Gon stumbled forward, falling against the wall. The Jedi was too weak to support himself and slide downward, with an agonized cry as his raw bleeding skin scraped the stone wall.

Li had been angry, but not really meant to hurt the boy. Another needle of guilt pricked his conscience. He dropped down next to him, touching his quivering shoulder gently.

"Hey, kid, I'm sorry."he murmured softly. "I didn't mean for this to happen." His light blue eyes met Qui-Gon's gray ones. "I didn't sign up for this" A silence followed as both stared at each other.

Li took his uninjured hand and hauled him to his feet. Qui-Gon seemed if possible, in worse shape than before and the guard didn't think he had much longer to suffer. Blood loss and shock had taken its toll. He wondered if he could even make it back to his cell. He sincerely hoped, for Qui-Gon's sake and his own consciences that the boy wouldn't. A sudden thought occurred to him.

"Won't your Temple come looking for you?"

Qui-Gon gave him a bleak stare. There was no hope in his eyes. " ..thought they would have.. already come..." he whispered in a soft, sad voice. The words were empty, devoid of any emotion. It was as he had gone inside himself to a place deep where he could no longer feel the pain. He wanted to just let go. Let go of a broken body, and its broken soul.