Disclaimer: What belongs to Georgle Lucas belongs to him

Disclaimer: What belongs to Georgle Lucas belongs to him. What's not his is mine. =)

Acknowledgements: the usual - Jesus, Padawan Nik-ka, the reviewers, my bro, my sis, my rabbit ... need I say more?

The story? Oh, yes, the story. Okay, here it is ...

CHAPTER 3

The wooden door slid open to admit Qui-gon Jinn and Shen Ly'an. The two Jedi strode into the large, circular room beyond. The Council members trained their eyes on the pair of Jedi as they walked to the room's centre and bowed as a gesture of respect.

Jedi Master Mace Windu nodded to Qui-gon, "You may begin your report."

Qui-gon related all that had happened after the Republic Cruiser had landed - the fighting, Obi-wan's capture, and Shen's actions. The Masters listened attentively, offering neither questions nor comments. Shen stood quietly beside Qui-gon, letting the older Jedi speak.

Master Yoda nodded, deep in thought, after Qui-gon had finished. There was a pall of silence for a long while as the Jedi thought and analysed facts. Shen's eyes darted nervously around the Council room. The young Bothan was clearly uneasy, having been in the Council's presence only once or twice before. Qui-gon's expression was unreadable. Shen knew he was distraught over Obi-wan's capture, but Qui-gon was keeping his emotions and thoughts to himself. Shen understood, now, why people often said Qui-gon Jinn was a reserved, private man. Obi-wan was lucky to have him as a Master.

Finally, Mace Windu spoke quietly, "The situation is ... interesting, not to mention delicate. Clearly, the bounty hunter intends to use Obi-wan in some kind of bargain to get to the Senator. We have decided to let the hunter move first and make his demand. Master Qui-gon," at this, Mace Windu's voice betrayed a hint of compassion and understanding, "I know you are eager to rescue Obi-wan, but it is not advisable ..."

Qui-gon spoke evenly, "Obi-wan is my apprentice. I do not intend for him to suffer and I would do all I could to help him escape."

Council Member Ki-adi-mundi nodded empathatically, "We are aware of the situation, but we cannot allow Obi-wan's immediate rescue. A lot is at stake."

"Master Qui-gon, you and Shen will be recalled to the Jedi Temple immediately. Another pair of Jedi will be sent to guard Senator Jy'are," Mace Windu continued.

"What about the bounty hunter?" Qui-gon ventured. Clearly, he wasn't pleased with his orders.

"We have intelligence agents who should be able to establish an identity," Mace Windu explained. "Jedi Master Adi Gallia will be in charge of the investigation."

"Master Qui-gon," Yoda warned in his soft, queer voice, "go after Obi-wan, you and Shen will not."

At this, Qui-gon was obviously unhappy, and concealed it with much difficulty.

Shen's violet eye's flickered uneasily as he spoke for the first time, "The bounty hunter seems to have Jedi training ... as well as a lightsabre. He is a potentially serious threat."

"We will deal with him when he appears again," Mace Windu ended with a not of finality in his voice. "May the Force be with you."

Qui-gon and Shen bowed respectfully, then left the room.

"Master Qui-gon," Shen began hesitantly.

"What is it?" Qui-gon asked quietly.

The Bothan's cream and tan fur rippled nervously as he continued, "You're not ... pleased with the Masters' decision, are you?"

Qui-gon shrugged, "They have their reasons."

Shen canted his head to one side thoughtfully. He didn't dare Force-probe a Master, but Qui-gon obviously had more to say. The Bothan was concerned about Obi-wan too, and wished he could do something to help.

Qui-gon remained silent as they walked along the Temple's corridors to their individual quarters. He had his own thoughts to mull over. If only he'd blocked the stun bolts better and not get hit, Obi-wan would still be with him. Already, Qui-gon missed the boy's light-hearted chatter and wry sense of humour. Now, the Council refused to let him pursue the bounty hunter, and Qui-gon felt helpless. Obi-wan was in trouble and he could do nothing to help his Padawan. No, the Jedi Master told himself firmly, there is something I can do. I could at least try and talk to the people in Coruscant and ask around. Shen would help. I have to try, at least.

When the two Jedi reached Shen's living quarters, Qui-gon put a hand on the Bothan's shoulder. Shen turned and locked violet eyes with Qui-gon's bright blue eyes.

"Meet me at my quarters tomorrow morning," The Jedi told Shen, "We will ask around about the bounty hunter."

Shen grinned, clearly relieved to be able to do something. Qui-gon smiled reassuringly at the young Bothan then left as Shen slid open the door to his quarters.

The heavily-modified cargo ship settled down in the middle of the large, red circle that marked out the landing pad. In the cockpit, Keyn powered down his ship's systems then leaned back and rubbed his temples. He seriously needed to sleep, but even that could wait. The bounty hunter walked to the cargo hold where Obi-wan had been kept.

Obi-wan stiffened as Keyn strode in. Keyn noticed the Jedi looked tired and frustrated. To a Jedi, the Force was like an extra sense that they couldn't do without. Hving the Force blocked off was like being blind and deaf, and Keyn knew it. The Jedi relied too much on the Force, Keyn had drawn that conclusion a long time ago, way before he'd left.

"Where are we?" Obi-wan got shakily to his feet.

"Tatooine," Keyn's reply was curt.

Obi-wan had heard of the planet, but knew next to nothing about it. He decided to keep his cool and toy around with the bounty hunter. Who knew? Keyn might just let something slip/

"You realise you can't hide me forever," Obi-wan observed.

Keyn shrugged. "I don't have to. The Jedi will have difficulty finding us, I'm sure."

What does he mean by that? Obi-wan wondered. He took a deep breath, "What happens now?"

The bounty hunter grinned, almost playfully, "Well, you talk. Or I torture and interrogate you."

Obi-wan shook his head. "You'll never get anything out of me."

"We'll see. The Yslamari are useful." Keyn left the cargo hold and retired to his bunk. Sleep came easily and he welcomed it. His hand needed to heal and he was dead tired.

The nightmare invaded his sub-conscious like a knife thrust to kill. Except Keyn knew that it was true. Everything that had happened was vividly stamped in his mind, as sharp and clear as the day he'd seen it happen. The bounty hunter remembered the grief and pain, remembered his own cries as the person he'd treasured as his best friend was killed. And he'd been injured and unable to save his friend ...

Keyn woke with a start, his heart hammering wildly. A glance at the panel opposite him told him he'd been asleep for nearly six hours. He ran a hand through his tousled black hair, smoothing it out. No matter where he seemed to go, Keyn's past haunted him relentlessly. The bounty hunter clenched his fists tightly, fighting back tears. When he'd joined the trade, he'd promised himself never to cry again. He was definitely not going to break that promise now.

He sighed and pushed his thoughts away. Keyn knew he had to focus on the job he had, or risk getting killed by his distraction.

A light flashed on the console opposite him, and Keyn got to his feet. He changed then walked out of his ship to pick up a small package tied with a length of cord.

Keyn opened the package and removed a black holocube. There was nothing else in the package - he'd expected that - so he held the cube in his hand and activated it.

The slight form of a cloaked figure shimmered and hovered in the air. The figure moved then spoke in a low, husky voice, "Bounty hunter, you have scared the senator and for that, we are pleased. We will handle her kidnapping ourselves, but you have been paid the required sum. Your assignment with us is over."

The message ended and Keyn dumped the holocube, as well as its package, into the bin. Well, he thought to himself, I still have a Jedi to get rid of. But that wouldn't be hard, after I've gotten the information I need out of him.

Obi-wan closed his eyes in dispair. He was truly in a fix now. Locked up with a couple of Forceless creatures and facing interrogation at the hands of a bounty hunter wasn't very welcoming or conducive to his existence.

The Padawan sighed. The Yslamari sapped his strength so that he was near exhaustion. Clearly, Keyn was using them to wear him out, and Obi-wan knew the bounty hunter was succeeding. Qui-gon would rescue him, or at least Obi-wan was sure his master would try. But the bounty hunter seemed to be right. It would be difficult for Qui-gon to even guess where Obi-wan was, since the Bond they shared was broken. Obi-wan felt dismay creeping into his mind. He pushed it aside. He couldn't lose hope.

"Will you talk now?" Keyn strode into the cargo hold, hands shoved in his pockets.

Obi-wan looked up, his eyes defiant. He had to be strong and resist the bounty hunter's interrogation.

Keyn noticed Obi-wan's expression but didn't react. He shrugged, "Suit yourself." The bounty hunter keyed in a password and the holding cage's door swung open with a sharp clang.

Obi-wan sprang to his feet and tensed his muscles, anticipating Keyn's actions. The bounty hunter eyed Obi-wan cautiously with his dark brown eyes, appraising the boy's physical strengths and weaknesses.

The Jedi noticed the lightsabre hanging from Keyn's utility belt and asked boldly, "Where'd you get the lightsabre?"

"Made it," Keyn replied shortly. Obi-wan gave a start of surprise. Could Keyn be a Jedi? Only Jedi made lightsabres.

Obi-wan's lightsabre hung from Keyn's belt as well. Obi-wan knew Keyn would use it to prove to Qui-gon that he held the Jedi Master's apprentice.

Keyn grabbed Obi-wan's wrists in one swift movement and twisted them behind his back. Obi-wan bit his lip and tried not to cry out in pain. The bounty hunter removed a length of cord from his pocked and then bound Obi-wan's wrists tightly with it. The cord cut painfully into his wrists until they bled.

"Don't worry Jedi," Keyn snarled, "that's not all. Let's see what you can take without the Force to help you."

Obi-wan gritted his teeth as Keyn landed him a hefty blow to his shoulder. He staggered and fell with the shock of the blow. Pain ripped through his shoulder, threatening to plunge him into unconsciousness. Obi-wan reached out instinctively for the Force, but the Yslamari repelled it, leaving a blank void where he used to draw his strength from.

Keyn grinned lopsidedly, but his expression was grim. He said nothing at all, just stood and watched his captive writhe in pain on the cold, metal floor. Then, he took a step towards Obi-wan and kicked the boy in his side. Keyn grabbed Obi-wan's shoulders and slammed the Apprentice to the ground. He put one foot on Obi-wan's back, forcing him to lie face-down.

By now, Obi-wan was badly bruised. His wrists were bleeding profusely and his shoulder felt as though it had been dislocated. The pain was intense, but subsided a little when Keyn took his foot off Obi-wan's back.

Obi-wan heaved a sigh of relief. He was sure he would black out from the pain if Keyn hadn't taken off his foot.

The bounty hunter studied Obi-wan quietly, his arms folded. He made no move towards the Jedi, just stood a metre away and watched Obi-wan grapple with his pain.

"Tell me," Keyn began, "the access codes to the Jedi Temple's computers."

Access codes? What does he want with computer access codes? Obi-wan shook his head numbly. He didn't dare to speak - it hurt just to move his head.

Keyn stared cynically at his captive, calculating the Apprentice's pain threshold. Obi-wan would probably lose consciousness in a while because of the pain.

"Your master left a Jedi to die once," Keyn told Obi-wan coldly.

No, it wasn't, couldn't be true, Obi-wan told himself , trying to keep calm. Qui-gon wouldn't have done such a thing, or would he? Obi-wan brushed the thought aside. Keyn was probably trying to make him doubt Qui-gon. But Obi-wan could hear sincerity ringing in every one of Keyn's words. He knew they were true, or at least, partly true. They weren't total lies.

"You don't believe me, but it's true," Keyn said softly. "Qui-gon was a coward. He made a terrible mistake, then abandoned his partner to die."

"It's not true!" Obi-wan choked out the words. Deep inside, though, Obi-wan knew it was true. All of it. He was angry at himself for believing what a bounty hunter said. Keyn didn't even know Qui-gon! Or did he? Obi-wan couldn't drive out the doubt Keyn had planted. Obi-wan had heard people lie before, and he'd heard people telling the truth. He knew that Keyn wasn't lying. Obi-wan cried out, but his head began spinning. Bright spots flashed before him, and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

Keyn watched Obi-wan for a long while, deep in thought. Then, he retrieved a needle and a srying, and dumped the Interrogation Drugs into the Apprentice's bloodstream. Let Qui-gon worry about his Padawan, Keyn thought, he deserves it. The bounty hunter moved the Yslamari away from the holding cage for a few minutes, then replaced them.

Master ... help ... don't abandon me ...

Qui-gon awoke with a start. Obi-wan! He felt his Apprentice's pain for a brief moment, then he couldn't feel anything. Qui-gon put his head in his hands. Obi-wan was suffering, blocked off from the Force. Something told Qui-gon that the bounty hunter who had Obi-wan was a far more dangerous adversary than it seemed ... perhaps someone connected with Qui-gon's past and who sought revenge ...

That's it. Next chapter should come up in about five days ... plenty of time for you to bug me, I guess. But here's a short preview anyway:

Qui-gon ... help me ... it hurts ... so much ... pain ... Master ... please ... where are you? You never ... told me. What did you do? Keyn ... Keyn said something ... you killed ... someone ... I don't know. I thought ... we knew ... each other. I ... don't know you ... do I? Why? Why ... would you? Master ... please don't ... don't leave me ... like you ... abandoned ... your partner ... Master, please ... it hurts ... a lot.

The Bond wasn't there, but Obi-wan, unconscious and injured, reached for it, hoping ...