Two
hours later there was loud knocking on the infirmary door. Sakde opened it quickly and let Qui-Gon
in. He noticeably quickened his pace
when he saw the battered form of his Padawan still lying on the table. The Jedi
approached the still sleeping Obi-Wan and took his Padawan's hand in his own as
he questioned Sakde.
"Has he woken up yet?" Sakde shook her head as he turned to look at
her.
"He's
been dead asleep the whole time." Qui-Gon winced at her choice of words. He looked back at Obi-Wan and noticed the bracelet on his arm for the
first time.
"What
is this?" He pointed to the item.
"It
keeps all the slaves from escaping the planet. If they try to remove it or escape, it gives them a deadly injection of
a drug. Obi-Wan said that his also cuts
'im off from the Force that you Jedi use." Qui-Gon looked at it.
"That
would explain why can't contact him through our bond," he muttered to himself
softly. He probed the device with the
Force and found its mechanics, then neutralized it with the Force. Qui-Gon involuntarily shivered as he
remembered the eerie similarity to the collar that Obi-Wan had worn on the
planet of Bandomeer when he had been enslaved.
After
he was sure that the bracelet was deactivated, Qui-Gon took it in his hands and
opened it gently, releasing Obi-Wan's arm. Qui-Gon could see the scars on his Padawan's arm where the needle had
injected him. Sakde interrupted his
examination.
"I'm
sorry, but I have to go and visit one of my patients now. I'll be back soon,"
she said. Qui-Gon nodded, still looking
at the deep wounds on Obi-Wan's wrist. Sakde took one last look at the two Jedi, then left the infirmary
carrying a few supplies.
Qui-Gon
put the bracelet on the table and again accessed the Force. He gently probed Obi-Wan's mind and called
out.
/Obi-Wan? Can you hear me?/ He was thrilled when he heard a faint reply, the first time he
had heard his apprentice's voice in eight months.
/Master? Is that you,
Master?/ A weak, but hopeful tone
answered Qui-Gon.
/Yes
Padawan, it's me./ Qui-Gon felt a rush
of relief run through him. He exited
Obi-Wan's mind, then looked at the boy. Obi-Wan's eyes fluttered, then opened. His eyes roamed around the room, then came to focus on Qui-Gon's smiling
face as the Padawan's head turned towards him. Obi-Wan's opened his mouth and his voice came out with a croak.
"M-master? Master, you came!" Qui-Gon leaned over to lightly embrace the boy. Obi-Wan continued to mumble softly into his
shoulder. "You finally came."
Qui-Gon
released his Padawan and tears came to his eyes as he answered him.
"I
came. I'm sorry I took so long." He answered the questioning look in Obi-Wan's
eyes. "We thought you were dead." Obi-Wan's eyes opened slightly.
"Dead?"
he croaked. He thought for a second,
then laid his head back down on the table. "Oh, the explosion. Then…how did you find me here." Qui-Gon put his hand on his apprentice's
forehand and smoothed back his hair.
"I
was sent to infiltrate and shut down the slave trade here. I was with Croix at the mines and then-" he
trailed off as Obi-Wan interrupted him.
"You
were with Croix? Then you… you must
have been…" his eyes widened in horror as he stopped. Qui-Gon felt an enormous wave of guilt wash over him. He tried to speak, but found it very
difficult.
"Yes,
it was me. I'm so sorry, Obi-Wan. I didn't know it was you, I didn't want to
do it in the first place, but I couldn't…" He stopped, his words sounding hollow in his own ears. Obi-Wan tried to comfort him.
"Master,
it wasn't your fault. You didn't know
and you had the mission-"
"That
doesn't forgive what I did," Qui-Gon said forcefully. His head dropped as he repeated himself. "I'm sorry, Padawan."
"Master,"
Obi-Wan said in a calming voice, not finishing his sentence. Instead he decided to touch the bond he
shared with Qui-Gon. The Padawan tried
to send his master comforting thoughts, as well as tell him how he felt, and
that he didn't blame Qui-Gon for anything.
Qui-Gon was
astonished as he felt the powerful wave of emotion hit him. He could feel Obi-Wan's reassurance and
gratitude clearly, the sentiments penetrating the wall of guilt. Qui-Gon sent his feelings of joy at seeing
his Padawan and his apologies for what he had done over the bond to
Obi-Wan. Both saw what had happened to
the other over the past months, then released all of the anger and pain that
they had acquired over the time. At that moment his grief lifted and they both
felt that the matter had been resolved, and that there was no blame or guilt
involved. Qui-Gon waited a moment, then
spoke.
"Thank
you, Padawan. Now rest." Qui-Gon lifted a blanket onto Obi-Wan, then
sat back in his chair and took his own advice. As he fell asleep he sent one last Force wave to Obi-Wan to help his
healing, then closed his eyes. Sakde
returned a few minutes later and found both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan asleep. She decided not to wake them and let them
stay there for the night.
The
next morning, Obi-Wan woke up at the same time as Qui-Gon, sensing through
their bond that it was morning. He
tried to sit up and succeeded, his previous dealings with Croix and the care of
Sakde helping him through the immense pain. Qui-Gon helped to steady Obi-Wan as he pushed back the blanket and set
himself into a cross-legged position.
"You
should lay down, Padawan," Qui-Gon stated, shooting Obi-Wan a concerned look.
"I'll
be fine, Master," Obi-Wan answered with a small grimace, though the pain wasn't
as bad as usual,. "I'm used to this by
now." He looked at Qui-Gon with a
questioning gaze and quickly changed the subject. "What are you going to do about Croix?"
"I
have to contact the Council with my findings. They told me they would give me specific orders on how to proceed. Then I have to meet Croix later today." Qui-Gon looked back at Obi-Wan whose face
had taken on a determined look and seemed to know what the boy was
thinking. He put on a stern face. "You won't participate in this mission,
Obi-Wan. You need to rest and recover
and are in no condition to do anything related to it. You will stay here with Sakde."
"Yes,
Master," Obi-Wan answered, disappointment evident in his voice. Sakde entered the room with some more
supplies and walked up to the Jedi.
"Someone
say my name?" Not waiting for an answer
she barreled ahead. "Good to see you awake, Obi. It's time for me to fix up those bandages." She came over and cut off the gauze wrapped
around Obi-Wan's torso. Qui-Gon backed
up to give her more room and was surprised when she gasped.
"What
is it?" he questioned in an urgent voice.
"The
bruises…on his chest…most of 'em are gone. It looks like his ribs have healed. Wait." She went down to the end
of the table and checked his foot. "His
ankle isn't twisted any more. Even
though the injuries are still bad, the worst have been healed." She turned to Qui-Gon. "What the hell happened?"
"I
tried to heal Obi-Wan with the Force. It must have helped and sped up the process." Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan and for the first time that day saw how
much better his Padawan looked than he had the day before. The Jedi's heart brightened at the thought, then
clenched again as Qui-Gon thought of the upcoming mission. He decided to contact the Council right
away, before any precious time to capture Croix slipped through his
fingers.
"I'll be back in a
minute," Qui-Gon stated, looking Obi-Wan in the eye. He then stood and went to the back of the room to a quiet place
where he could activate his comlink. He
turned it on and sent a transmission to Coruscant, waiting for a reply.
Mace Windu answered
the call for the Council and his voice came through to Qui-Gon with a soft
crackle in the background. The Jedi
master wasted no time.
"Qui-Gon. We have been waiting. Have you infiltrated the organization as
planned?"
"Yes,"
Qui-Gon answered, "and I await your orders on how to continue." He explained what he had found on the planet
in detail, leaving nothing out of his report. When Qui-Gon finished, there was a paused on Windu's end, indicating
that he was still taking in the information and the Council was concurring on
what to do.
"Very
well. It was what we suspected," Windu's
voice was urgent. "A backup team of two
Jedi and a large transport ship is being sent to assist you. You are to distract the leader, Croix, while
the Jedi team releases and smuggles the slaves to the transport. They will also
take care of the additional guards. Once the slaves are free, you must capture
Croix and bring him to the ship. Special restraints will be available for him. The ship will arrive in a matter of days at the coordinates
discussed earlier. Do you understand
these orders?"
Qui-Gon
took a moment to process his thoughts, then spoke. "Yes, I understand the mission." He had no more time to tell the Council about Obi-Wan, or even to speak
as Mace Windu cut him off.
"Then may the Force be with you." Windu severed the transmission
suddenly.
Qui-Gon turned his
comlink off and stood slowly, then walked back to Obi-Wan and Sakde. He knew that with the number of slaves that
were under the power of Croix, more help would be needed. The Council usually sent more Jedi on a
mission like this one, but apparently none were available. Qui-Gon didn't want to ask Sakde or Obi-Wan
assistance, but he knew that they both would be of great help.
"What
did they say?" Obi-Wan asked with a curious tone and a glimmer in his eye as he
caught his Master's expression. Sakde
also looked interested and sat down on a nearby chair. Qui-Gon told them of the tasks he was given,
then reluctantly asked for their help.
"Of
course," was Sakde's answer, followed by Obi-Wan's energetic "Yes!" Qui-Gon explained that both Obi-Wan and
Sakde would be helping the other Jedi in the slaves' escape. Obi-Wan looked a little crestfallen at the
thought of not being at his Master's side, but accepted duty that he was
given. Sakde voiced her desire to be
ready for the night that they would carry out the plan. She left the infirmary, leaving Qui-Gon and
Obi-Wan to themselves.
Qui-Gon
walked over to the table where Obi-Wan was still sitting and sat down on a
chair. He turned towards Obi-Wan and
caught his gaze, then spoke to his Padawan.
"Obi-Wan,
I have something to give you." He
reached under his robes to his belt, then unclipped an object. It caught the light and glared white for a
second before Obi-Wan realized what it was.
"My
lightsaber!" he cried as he took it from Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan realized that his Master had carried it with him for the
long period of time that they had been separated. "Thank you," the Padawan said in a lower voice, his tone showing
the raw emotion he felt over the return of his most precious possession and
weapon, as well as the great care given to it by his Master.
"Your
welcome," Qui-Gon answered as a smile spread across his face. "But it is time to rest now Obi-Wan. I will tell you more about the mission
later." Obi-Wan's face contorted as a
massive frown appeared and revealed his distaste. Before he could voice his opinion, Qui-Gon continued
sternly. "You must regain your strength
and have time to heal if you are going to be ready for the tasks ahead of us."
"Yes,
Master," Obi-Wan sighed as he sank back down on the table and reached for a
blanket. Qui-Gon took it and covered
his Padawan, then put his hand mildly on Obi-Wan's shoulder.
"Have patience, Padawan. The day will come soon enough."
7 Days Later
"Are
you in position, Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon's
voice was hushed as he spoke on his comlink to his Padawan.
"Yes
Master," Obi-Wan answered, "Sakde and I are near the slave compound and Masters
Sage and Aras are stationed by the guards."
"Good," Qui-Gon didn't express his relief, but Obi-Wan could feel it trickling through their bond. A great deal of planning and even more luck would be the only things keeping the mission from falling apart. "I'm going to contact Croix now. I'll distract him as long as possible, but still hurry with the slaves. May the Force be with you, Padawan."
"Yes,
Master. And with you." Obi-Wan turned off his comlink and put it in
the pocket of his new clothing. He was
covered in a soft cloth that was jet black to conceal him during the
night. The Padawan was now almost fully
healed and was ready for the enormous task ahead.
Obi-Wan
kept his body low as he scurried silently across the compound to where Sakde
was waiting for him. They were supposed
to lead the slaves to waiting transport that was hiding in the nearby woods
while the two Jedi sent to help them took care of the guards. The Padawan
nodded towards them and they slinked off into the night without a sound,
heading towards the guards.
Obi-Wan
and Sakde waited tensely for the two Jedi to return. The slaves were being kept
in a compound divided into sections that made the plan even easier, but not
easy enough to let their guard down.
In the dark there was
a sudden sound like a groan that was quickly silenced. After a few moments, Aras and Sage appeared,
carrying the guard that they had just knocked unconscious. They carried him in the direction of the
ship as Obi-Wan went into action.
The Padawan
approached the door, as Sakde kept watch, and ignited his lightsaber. After frying the door's lock he pushed it
open and entered the room. In it stood
a group of approximately twenty slaves staring at their unexpected
visitor. Obi-Wan walked over to them
and told them to remain calm as he slowly neutralized each of their
bracelets. Then he led them to Sakde's
waiting place, who in turn led them to the awaiting ship as Obi-Wan kept a
lookout.
As soon as Sakde
returned the Jedi Masters left for another part of the compound and the process
was repeated. It went on for over an
hour as the careful method was used, and more and more slaves were freed. At last the final slaves were released and
on board the camouflaged transport.
Sakde and Obi-Wan did
one last sweep of the compound, then returned to the ship. There they met Aras and Sage, the two Jedi
humanoids that had helped them. They
stepped into a room discussed the next part of the plan.
"We are going to
enter the residence and help Qui-Gon capture the pirate," Sage said, looking
into Aras' eyes. Aras nodded her
agreement, then looked back to Obi-Wan as Sage continued. "You are to remain here until we return."
"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan acknowledged him with a slight
inclination of his head. After
preparing themselves, the Jedi Masters strode down the landing ramp, vanishing
into the night.
Obi-Wan and Sakde sat
in two chairs near the exit of the ship to wait for their return. Neither spoke, but just stared at the walls
in anticipation. After a few minutes
passed an uneasy feeling passed through Obi-Wan. He shrugged it off, but an hour later it wasn't as easy to
dismiss. He broke the silence with a
question.
"What's taking them
so long, Sakde? There is no reason for
the delay. They were due to return a
half an hour ago." He paused. "Something's wrong, I can feel it." Sakde's face also displayed her unease.
"I know. I'm beginin' to think we should go check on 'im." Obi-Wan frowned.
"We were ordered to
stay here and I must obey the Masters. We might interfere with the mission."
"It won't help it if
they're in trouble and we stay here. We need to go." Obi-Wan weighed
the chance of disturbing the Masters against his belief that they needed
help. The feeling of unease and shock
washed over him and he realized with a start that he couldn't feel Qui-Gon
through their bond. His decision
flashed through his mind like lightning.
"Let's go."
Obi-Wan
and Sakde made their way up to the mansion, stealthily penetrating its defense
systems with Obi-Wan's guidance. It was
fairly easy without the guards, who were currently being detained in a holding
cell on the ship. The hardest part of
the task was maneuvering around the security cameras that monitored their every
move around the mansion.
They
slowed as they approached the back entrance and waited as Obi-Wan deactivated
the lock with the Force. The antique
door slowly swung open on its hinges and revealed a pitch-black kitchen. Though it was old, it was kept oiled and
didn't give them away with the loud creak that other doors of its kind did.
Sakde and Obi-Wan
moved through the opening and walked past the kitchen. It was disturbing in the
dark, the only light reflecting off the set of sharp and deadly looking knives
that hung from pegs over the counter. They gave off strange shadows caused by the moonlight from the open door
that Obi-Wan forced himself to ignore. Sakde was frightened for a short moment, then decided to make use of the
knives.
She grabbed a
particularly long and sharp knife, then stuck it in her belt as she followed
Obi-Wan around the mansion. They made
their way around the first floor and found nothing, then proceeded up the
stairs. As they rounded a corner from
the stairwell they glimpsed a dim light at the end of the hall.
Moving closer to it,
they heard faint sounds coming from the lighted room and approached with
caution. The door was not fully closed
and Obi-Wan and Sakde peeked in. The
sight that met them was the worst Obi-Wan could have imagined.
Aras and Sage were in
a pile in the corner, both apparently unconscious from blows to the head. Darts were lodged in their sides and Obi-Wan
realized that they contained the Force-neutralizing drug that his bracelet had
contained. The Padawan continued his
perusal of the room and was shocked to find Croix standing with a blaster pointed
at a defenseless Qui-Gon's head. His
Master also had a dart sticking out like a beacon from the robes on his
shoulder. Croix moved the blaster and
let it rest on the barely conscious Jedi's forehead as Obi-Wan signaled Sakde
with his hands.
"This is what happens
to people that cross me. Your friends
helped delay your fate, but now it's time for you to die." Croix put the blaster on its highest
setting, then smiled demonically. "Too
bad that they didn't expect those darts. Or you, for that matter. It's
been fun tormenting you, Tork." He
frowned at the battered Qui-Gon who was to injured to the point where he couldn't
reply. "That's not even your name, is
it? Name doesn't matter anyway, the end
is just the same."
"Not today," Obi-Wan growled as he ignited
his lightsaber and charged in the room, Sakde following close behind.
Croix, though
momentarily distracted, brought he blaster up to aim at Obi-Wan and fired. The Padawan deflected the bolts towards the
walls and moved nearer to Croix, who began to discharge the blaster more
rapidly. As the pirate tried to do
this, Obi-Wan got close enough and kicked him squarely in the chest with all of
his might, releasing all of his hidden anger and resentment of what the pirate
had done to his friends and himself through the blow. Croix was thrown against the wall, stunned, but still managed to
aim his blaster at Obi-Wan, who was still unsteady from the move.
Suddenly Sakde
appeared next to the pirate and smashed Croix over the head with the knife she
had picked up in the kitchen. His eyes
rolled back into his head and he passed out, the blaster finally falling with a
clack as his body slowly slid to the floor. Obi-Wan and Sakde stood motionless for a few moments, breathing heavily
and taking in what had just occurred. Then the same thought ran through their minds and they moved to tie up
the pirate, determined to keep him from doing anything else.
After Croix was
safely bound in every possible manner, Sakde took his blaster and stunned him
as Obi-Wan moved to examine Qui-Gon and the other Masters.
"That should hold 'im
for a while," Sakde exclaimed joyfully. She turned her back on Croix and faced Obi-Wan, her voice taking on a
grave tone. "How are they?"
"Master Aras and
Master Sage are out cold and Qui-Gon looks considerably bad. It appears that Croix caught him off guard
with the dart, then hit him with the blaster handle. A lot." Sakde grimaced.
"We need to get back
to the ship as soon as possible." Obi-Wan slowly nodded his agreement.
"I think I should
carry the Masters back while you keep an eye on Croix. If you want to, of course, it's your
decision."
"That sounds fine,"
Sakde answered. "If he wakes up, I'll
stun him again. I probably couldn't
help them back to the ship if I tried." They both grinned at the thought. Obi-Wan moved over Sage and lifted him up, trying to support the Jedi
Master. He moved slowly to the door and
spoke.
"I'll be back as soon
as I can."
After
a very sluggish two hours, Obi-Wan had helped the Jedi back to the ship one by
one. Only Croix remained in the
mansion, and Obi-Wan and Sakde both carried the large man to the transport with
their remaining strength. Though the
Jedi were starting to wake up and the Force-prevention drug was slowly wearing
away, Obi-Wan and Sakde both took the ruthless pirate themselves and strapped
him in the special restraints that would prohibit him from moving in the
flight. They stunned him again to keep
him docile for as long as possible, then shut the door and locked it. Without their leader, the other slavers
would be fairly easy to control.
They
made their way back to the chairs where they had set Aras, Sage, and
Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan was overjoyed to see
that his Master was awake and in a healing trance. Obi-Wan hated to interrupt him, but needed to find out the next
set of orders for the mission. Sending
out a small nudge through the Force, Obi-Wan called out to Qui-Gon. The Jedi slowly woke up and turned his gaze
on his smiling Padawan.
"I'm
sorry to disturb you, Master, but the ship is
loaded and we need to leave soon." Qui-Gon answered slowly.
"I
understand, Padawan. Set a course for Coruscant and the Temple. We will meet with the Council there."
"Yes,
Master." With that, Obi-Wan went to
speak to the pilot. Sakde walked closer
to Qui-Gon.
"I
was wondering if I could join you," she said quietly. "There's nothing left for me here."
"Of
course." Qui-Gon answered. "We'd be
glad to have you. And thank you for
your help, we owe you immensely."
"No, thank you." Sakde grinned at the bright future ahead
that she never could have dreamed of. After she was sure Qui-Gon was back into his trance, she went up to the
cockpit to tell Obi-Wan the good news. She couldn't wait for the ship to blast off so she could leave the
wretched planet behind for good.
2 Weeks Later
Obi-Wan
looked around the Temple as he walked towards the landing platform at the front
of the building. He hadn't realized how
much he had missed its fountains and gardens until he had returned with Qui-Gon
and taken a look around. Its peaceful
serenity had helped him recover from the trauma he had suffered on Kantreg.
The
Padawan smiled as he remembered their arrival at the Temple, and the shocked
faces of the Council as he walked down the ramp with Qui-Gon. They weren't expecting that, he
thought to himself, causing him to laugh. After they had gotten over the initial surprise they had ordered him to
the healer's wing, along with his Master, Sage, and Aras. Sakde had come with them and assisted the
healers with the lengthy task of their healing. All of them were now recovered and were ready to return to the
field for more missions.
Obi-Wan
was also glad that the scars had been removed from his back and face. Though a Jedi was not supposed to be
preoccupied with appearance, it felt good to get rid of the marks that seemed
to cause a phantom pain to hang over his body. Now the only thing that remained were a few small bruises that were
fading fast, nothing that was truly serious.
That
thought had helped him recover, along with the news that Croix and the other
slavers were being held in prison while awaiting a trial for their actions from
the Senate. Obi-Wan knew that they
would go to jail, and would be held responsible for their horrendous
actions. The freed slaves were being
helped by the government and were finding places to live, or returning to their
old homes. The Padawan was glad that justice was finally coming to all of them.
Obi-Wan
had reached the platform by now and saw the person he was to meet. Sakde waved and jogged over, a huge smile on
he face. She reached down and hugged
him, then stood back.
"How're
you doin' Obi? You look pretty good. "
she asked, obviously in good humor.
"I'm
doing fine, Sakde. How are you?" Obi-Wan answered, just as joyfully.
"Well,
I finally found someplace to stay 'ere. I think I'm gonna get a job at a hospital here, so I can keep doing
business as usual."
"That's
great!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "Where are
you staying?"
"Here's
the address and my comlink frequency." She handed him a flimsy. "Feel
free to call me anytime. And you
better."
"Of course." Sakde looked at her new chrono as her eyes
bugged out a little bit. "Sorry, but I've
got ta go to a job interview right now. I'll be seeing you soon, right?" Obi-Wan grinned.
"Yes, you will." She reached up to ruffle his hair.
"I just can't get rid
of you, can I?" Sakde joked. Obi-Wan's
eye glimmered at the
joke.
"Nope," he
retorted. His voice became more serious
as he hugged her again.
"I'll see you soon."
"Until
then," she replied. She then walked to
her waiting air taxi and took off, waving at him through the black, tinted
window. Obi-Wan watched her go until he
couldn't see the taxi anymore, the tall buildings obstructing his view.
Though he knew he was
supposed to go meet his Master to begin his training, Obi-Wan stayed on the
platform for a while longer, knowing Qui-Gon would understand. As he watched the traffic flow around the
city he realized how glad he was to be free of captivity and to be back to his
old life. He was glad to be back with
his friends, new and old, and even better.
He was home.
The End