Disclaimer:
Again, I don't own any of this, really, except for the characters that haven't
appeared before. They go to George
Lucas, and I commend him for unbelievable creativity! We love you! J
Thanks
to Ginger Ninja for the review. I'll
bother you if you bother me! ^_^;;
Cuss
words in this one. Surprise, surprise.
"So, to settle the score, Tanii
returned ten years later and abducted Qui-Gon's future apprentice…"
Mallor sat back and stared at
Obi-Wan, an unreadable expression on his face. The discomfort and surprise in the air was so thick that the young Jedi
could have gathered some into his hands.
"Well!" The silence was interrupted by Kosk, who
stood up. A mocking 'wholesome-smile'
look was on his face, and he would have clapped his hands together, had they
not been cuffed. "That was… entrancing,
to be sure. I was enthralled. But what I want to know now is, when do we
get to kick your butt severely? Because, I mean, that's what I thought this whole party was
for." He sneered, but his mind was
working frantically and hoping that his plan would work. Son'Jai tugged at his sleeve, trying to get
him to sit down. He sent her an
insinuating glance, and her eyes widened with understanding.
Mallor stood, shaking slightly with
his rage. "The only butt that will
be kicked will be yours, and I promise that I'll be sure to cave it in,"
he hissed, stalking to where Kosk was standing defiantly.
As soon as he came within a
legs-reach, Kosk lashed out with his taloned foot, kicking Mallor's crotch with
all the force he could muster. His eyes
bulged, and he made a tiny squawking sound before he clutched his injured area
and fell to the floor.
At the same time, Son'Jai trailed the Force
completely through the lock, destroying the lock of her handcuffs to free
herself. She stood and rapidly did the
same for Neevik and Kosk. Neevik bent
to give Mallor a cursory examination. "Jesus,
you kicked his balls all the way up to his throat."
Kosk shrugged. "Bummer. I was trying to
kick them into orbit above Kessel."
Son'Jai extended her hand to Obi-Wan to help him up,
but he remained in his daze. She
sighed, not wanting to be impatient or insensitive, but they had to get
out of there. "Obi-Wan, come
on!"
He looked up to her, his mind still reeling and his
jaw slack.
Mallor squinched his eyes up, shaking his head to
clear it. Across the room, the Brat
Troupe was mobilizing, and Obi-Wan was standing shakily. Mallor copied his movements, wincing
slightly as he straightened. He called
out to the stunned Jedi. "Obi-Wan…
Doesn't the Shadow Side sound better? You're not Dark, but you can feel anger without disregarding it
completely. Much anger I sense in
you…" He frowned, and spoke
again. This time, he let the Force
carry his words into Kenobi's mind. "The Shadows are better for hiding…" He gestured, a minute fluttering of his fingers that nevertheless
attracted Obi-Wan's attention, enhancing the Force-trance that he was in. "You will walk over to me,
now."
Son'Jai yanked on Obi-Wan's tunic, but his eyes had
glazed over, and his expression was that of one who was being controlled. Every other second, the muscles in his face
would tighten, showing that the youth was fighting it, but Mallor's superior
control of the Force saw him through. He walked unsteadily to where Kinatai was standing.
Kosk grimaced. "Fuck. He's blotto."
Mallor licked his lips, baring his teeth in a grin
and exhaling through his teeth. He
turned and walked out of the room, going through the door opposite to the one
that Kosk, Neevik, and Son'Jai were congregating around. Obi-Wan lurched, his feet planted on the
floor.
I won't do it, I won't do it, I won't do it, I won't
do it…
Mallor turned, again letting the Force flow around
his words. "Oh, come on. You might as well. Jinn won't be coming to get you this time."
Obi-Wan threw one desperate glance to his friends
before the older Force-user threw everything he had at him, and Obi-Wan trailed
Mallor reluctantly out the door. His
jaw was working as though he wanted to say something, but couldn't.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::}|||||||O||||||o||||||||||] (Lookie! It's a lightsaber! ::is having
way too much fun:: )
"He's under mind control. That, that… Made him go to his
ship! He's gonna leave!" Kosk wasn't his usual self. His body was shaking slightly and there was
a heavy note of panic in his voice.
"Initiate Kosk, control your panic, you
will. Nowhere will it get
you." Despite the seemingly harsh
words, Yoda spoke them with a softness that would be surprising under any other
circumstance.
Qui-Gon stepped foreword, his body tense with
something approaching anguish. "On
the contrary, Master Yoda. It will get
us moving."
Mace Windu almost smiled. Only Qui-Gon could have the guts to
disagree with Yoda…But we grew up in the same place. He cleared his throat and spoke aloud. "I agree with Master Jinn on this
issue. We must move as quickly as
possible to recover Apprentice Kenobi and Kinatai."
"I concur with Master
Windu. However," Eeth Koth
continued, his tone carefully controlled, "there are two things that you
need to know before you continue, Qui-Gon…"
Qui-Gon looked at him, puzzled.
Eeth Koth glanced at Yoda, and, at
his small nod, continued. "There
is a traitor among us, and it is one of the Masters. We have narrowed it down to twenty, and will be putting them
through psychological evaluations to determine the turncoat. Tahl will be assisting in the
investigation." He trailed off,
reluctant to divulge the next "thing" that needed to be told.
Adi Gallia picked up gently. "The person who abducted Obi-Wan is
Tanii Lamkorl."
Qui-Gon stared at her for a moment,
before slowly starting to shake his head. "No… No. He said his name
was Mallor Kinatai; Tanii is living on Sullust or… Or Hoth, or
something…"
Master Gallia leaned foreword in her
chair. "Rearrange the letters of
Mallor Kinatai."
Dread dawned on Qui-Gon's face.
Neevik, Kosk, and Son'Jai almost ran
down the corridor to keep up with Qui-Gon Jinn, who was walking so fast he was
almost sprinting.
Neevik panted; running was never his
strong suit. "But… We need to come
along… We know what he… wants!"
Qui-Gon didn't even look at
him. "You're staying here."
Kosk squinted at the tall
Master. "You won't be able to do
it yourself!" He cut himself off
and clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing that he'd just chastised a Master.
Jinn didn't seem to take
notice. "Doesn't matter. You stay here." He stopped moving, and the entire group
stopped. Qui-Gon turned to face
them. "I can understand your point
of view, and much as I would like to have you along, I'm afraid that I can't
have it. There's too much danger
involved; it's a big mission, especially for initiates."
Son'Jai faced him, her voice soft
and pleading. "Please, Master
Qui-Gon." She widened her eyes a
little for effect, dropping her lower lip in a beseeching pout.
Qui-Gon lowered his gaze to the
floor, debating internally. After a
moment, he raised his head and nodded. "Fine. You can come along. But if you get yourselves killed, I'll kill
you." With a grin, he restarted
his sprint.
The group looked at each other
incredulously before following Qui-Gon Jinn.
Spring
break rocks, ne? I'll have more up
soon… I've already started the next chapter. I actually know where the plot's going. It's so reassuring. ^_^;;
If
you want something very good to listen to while you're working, head for
Skindive. This band is from Dublin, but
it's English, and simply incredible. Tranquillizer and Swallow are both excellent tracks. They hit stores April 3, but I'm still
downloading. ^_^