Disclaimer: Star
Wars belongs to George Lucas. Keyn,
Shen, Master Thyren, and Rinsiel belong to me (wild horse aka Jedi Master
Kel'gr) All hail Emperor George.
Acknowledgements:
As usual, Jesus, Padawan Nik-ka, my bro and sis, Orin (really great Sonic fic
writer), my rabbit Panther, Sammy, the Reviewers
Sorry for taking
so long, I went on holiday … I'm working on it, though.
Chapter 6
Shen entered the docking bay cautiously, alert for any sign of danger. The Bothan had learned to sense Keyn's presence in the Force, but only just barely. Keyn's profile in the Force was an unusually low one, but now that Shen knew what he was looking for, he was able to track down the bounty hunter.
Keyn,
just leaving his ship, spotted Shen. The hunter crouched down behind the boarding ramp, eyes fixed on the
Bothan Jedi. Pain ripped through his
side, but he ignored it.
Keyn
watched Shen for a few more moments, then straightened up carefully. "What do you want?"
Shen
approached Keyn, violet eyes locked with the bounty hunter's dark-brown
ones. The Bothan stopped a metre away
from Keyn.
"We,
I need your help to find Obi-wan," Shen said quietly, eyes still locked with
Shen's.
"Qui-gon
doesn't deserve an Apprentice," Keyn said, his tone even.
Shen's
cream-and-tan fur rippled, "Obi-wan is my friend. I ask for your help so I can help him. This isn't for Qui-gon."
Keyn
bit back his instinctive, curt reply. He needed the Jedi's help. The
bounty hunter said quietly, "I need a code-breaker, maybe we can make a deal."
Shen
didn't bother to hide his surprise, "I've been trained to break difficult
codes."
Keyn
nodded. "If you can break this one,
I'll go with you and Qui-gon to rescue Obi-wan."
The
bounty hunter handed Shen a computer disk, "You can use my ship's computer."
Shen
was aware it might be a trap, but he sensed no hostile intentions from
Keyn. "Okay, my name's Shen."
"Keyn. Let's get inside." The hunter had probably
figured out Shen knew his name, but it was just a formality.
Obi-wan
lay face-down on the bare, cold floor. He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious, or how he'd even got here
– where ever here was. He vaguely
remembered being bundled onto a transport, and then being knocked out soon
after. Obi-wan supposed he was already
on another planet.
Obi-wan
sat up, fighting back giddiness and nausea. He managed to pick out about five people and five aliens in the darkness
around him. Most of them were sitting
or lying down on the floor.
One
of the aliens, a large, furred Togorian, snarled, showing sharp, white
fangs. Obi-wan stiffened, ready for
trouble.
"Don't
scare him, My'la," a large, heavily-muscled man said gruffly. "What's your name, son? They call me Jen. That's My'la beside you."
"Obi-wan
Kenobi," The Jedi Apprentice said quietly.
The
Togorian female growled and said something in her native language.
"My'la
here says you're a Jedi," Jen translated.
Obi-wan
could only nod numbly. "How does she know?"
"My'la
feels it," the Togorian said in barely passable Basic. Clearly, she wasn't proficient in the
language.
"Oh. And where are we?"
Jen
shrugged. "I don't know. I've heard rumours we're on Rinsiel. The Rebels here want to use us for virus
testing."
Terror
shot through Obi-wan, but he clamped down on his fear. He could see that everyone was looking up to
him for help and direction. He was,
after all, a Jedi. Obi-wan drew on the
Force for strength. He used it to probe
his surroundings, and found an entrance to the dark room he was in. The door was large, thick, and heavy. It swung open on strong, metal hinges, and
was fastened with a heavy, metal bolt. It was locked too, and the correct passcode had to be entered into the
keypad before the door would open.
Obi-wan
tried to draw on his tele-kinetic abilities, but suddenly slumped against the
wall, exhausted. The Yslamari had
drained a lot of his strength, leaving
him in no state to access the Force and wield it. He knew he needed to rest and heal. But he didn't have much time.
Obi-wan's
body made its own decision. He
collapsed and fell into a deep sleep, drawing on the Force to heal his
wounds. The Apprentice fervently hoped
Qui-gon would come and rescue him. But Qui-gon abandoned his partner, what
makes you think he won't do it again? A
voice inside his head said quietly. Obi-wan tried to silence it but he knew it might be right.
Shen
worked at the computer for nearly five hours, trying to crack the encryption
code. The code was unlike any he'd ever
seen before – it was complex, and more difficult to crack than those he'd practised
on.
Keyn
watched the Bothan quietly, saying nothing at al. He let Shen concentrate on his work. Keyn knew he and Qui-gon had to try to resolve their differences
in order to rescue Obi-win and save Rinsiel.
"I've
cracked most of the code," Shen said finally. "What's all this anyway?"
"Info
on a bioweapons engineering facility on Rinsiel. Obi-wan's most likely held there. I sent him there," Keyn glanced over Shen's shoulder.
"You
don't care about Qui-gon, do you?" Shen got up from his seat to stretch his
cramped muscles.
"Why
should I?" Keyn sounded mused at Shen's question, but then his tone was
grim. "Rebels on Rinsiel plan to
replace an epidemic to get the Republic to meet their demands."
"Like
you said, why should you care?"
Keyn
shrugged. "You know who I am. My Master died protecting those people. It would be all for nothing if I don't do
something to help."
Shen
canted his head to one side, "I always thought bounty hunters never helped
anyone."
"Then
you're right. I'm not out to help
Obi-wan."
"You're
helping the people of Rinsiel."
"I
have my reasons. I'm keeping my side of
the deal. Raise Qui-gon on his comlink
and tell him about it."
Shen
did so, but deep in his heart, he knew Keyn was different. The hunter feigned indifference, but he
couldn't completely shake off his Jedi training and adopt the practices and
morals of mercenaries and bounty hunters. That was why he was going to help Rinsiel.
"I'll
be going over," Qui-gon ended the conversation with Shen. He sighed and closed his eyes. Shen had told him about the deal, but it
troubled Qui-gon that he had to work side-by-side with – and trust in – Keyn.
The
past haunted him. Qui-gon was sure it
haunted Keyn too, but the bounty hunter hid his grief and pain well. Yet, Qui-gon didn't know what Keyn might do
to him. Keyn hadn't forgiven Qui-gon
for abandoning his Master. Perhaps he
never would.
Obi-wan needs me, the thought entered Qui-gon's mind. He
can't just die because I won't work with Keyn, Qui-gon opened his bright
blue eyes, then closed them again. For
Obi-wan. Qui-gon knew he must face down
his past, for his Apprentice. He got to
his feet.
The
Jedi Master left the Republic's passenger ship and headed for Keyn. The bounty hunter's modified cargo ship was
a better choice, since it was armed and significantly faster. It was, also, illegal, Qui-gon thought
wryly.
Keyn
was waiting, arms folded, for Qui-gon. The bounty hunter's and the Jedi Master's eyes met briefly, each reading
mistrust in the other's. Qui-gon
noticed the two lightsabres hung on the hunter's belt – Obi-wan's and his own.
As
if knowing Qui-gon's thoughts, Keyn unhooked Obi-wan's sabre, and handed it to
the big Jedi, "Your Apprentice's weapon," he said quietly, "On my honour, we're
partners 'til the end of this venture – when we leave Rinsiel."
Qui-gon
knew bounty hunters rarely partnered, but when they did, there was an unwritten
– and unspoken – rule that they would neither kill nor abandon each other until
their partnership was up. It was an
unbreakable rule, and, perhaps, the only rule that governed the bounty hunters'
relations with each other. Anything
else went in this ruthless trade.
Qui-gon
nodded, "You have my word." They shook hands, then Keyn led the way into his
ship.
Qui-gon
had seen many things, but knew little about the bounty hunter trade. Keyn had bought a cargo hauler – most likely
secondhand - , dumped whatever he wouldn't and didn't need, then added all
kinds of equipment. Unlike most bounty
hunters, Keyn had done nearly all the modifications on his own. Qui-gon recalled that the ex-Jedi had had a
talent for working on spacecraft. He
must have put it to good use.
Inside,
weapons and equipment were stowed neatly in lockers, boxes and crates. Qui-gon suspected Keyn sometimes hauled contraband
from system to system, since the cargo hold was fairly empty except for two
holding cages and a stack of crates in one corner. The Jedi Master concluded that bounty hunters paid no heed to
Republic laws.
Keyn
turned to Qui-gon, "We should leave immediately." His voice was curt, clearly, their partnership was purely
business. Keyn wasn't forgetting
Qui-gon's past mistakes.
Qui-gon
agreed. Keyn readied the engines for
take-off, flipping switches and glancing at display panels. Qui-gon studied a map of the bioweapons
facility which Shen had decrypted. The
Rebels had concealed it cleverly – among a group of rocky caves and
boulders. The Jedi Master remembered
the last time he'd been sent to destroy their plans, recalled – with grief and
despair – the sacrifice of someone to save the planet. Keyn. Shen Ly'an. Obi-wan Kenobi. Qui-gon Jinn. Who would die this time? Would they all get out alive? Or
fail and die inside? Qui-gon didn't
want to think about it.
"Second
time for us both," Keyn's voice broke into Qui-gon's thoughts. The ex-Jedi had already piloted his ship
into hyperspace.
"Yeah. What will you be doing there?" Qui-gon asked
quietly. "Obi-wan isn't your concern."
"No,
he isn't," Keyn didn't look at Qui-gon, but the Jedi sensed sincerity in every
word. "Thyren died saving these people,
but it hasn't stopped. I'm going in to
finish off the Rebels once and for all."
"How
are we doing it?
Keyn
called up a map – on the computer screen - of the area surrounding the
bioweapons facility. "Through the
network of caves. The Rebels use only a
number of them for their facility, we can sneak in. All the caves are connected through passages. The Rebels aren't expecting us, but I don't
have a map of the caves."
"We'll
have to trust the Force," Qui-gon said evenly.
"That's
your job. Once we're in, you've got an
hour to find Obi-wan and get out of there. I'll set charges, blow the place sky-high. You and the other two Jedi will have to get your own transport
off-planet."
"Is
there a map showing the way to the nearest town?"
"Shen
has it," Keyn replied quickly. "It's
eight hours, at least, 'til we hype into the system. Get ready."
Qui-gon
nodded, then headed for the cargo hold, where Shen was waiting. Before he left, Qui-gon turned, "Thanks."
Keyn
faced Qui-gon, "It's a deal. In this
trade, there's no such thing as 'thanks'."
Qui-gon
shrugged. Then he left the cockpit.
Keyn
leaned back in the pilot's chair, closed his eyes. His head hurt. His side
hurt. His whole body was ablaze with
fiery pain. The painkillers didn't heal
– they merely blocked off the pain for a while. Keyn knew he had to accomplish what he'd set out to do. He couldn't forget the vision of people
suffering and dying. The bounty hunter
trade had hardened him, removed compassion, but not completely. He felt for these people. Thyren's death was all for nothing if the
Rebels succeeded this time.
Keyn
felt exhaustion creep into him – the fight had weakened his body considerably –
and he let himself drift into sleep. He
was still alert, though, never letting his guard down.
Obi-wan
was awakened by My'la shaking him by the shoulders. "Get up, bad people here" the Togorian managed in Basic. She looked worried and agitated.
The
Jedi stumbled to his feet, leaning on My'la for support. He heard someone at the door, then it swung
open. Four humans walked in. Everyone in the room got to their feet
immediately, afraid of punishment. To
Obi-wan, it was clear that these actions were routine.
Two
of the humans were burly and muscular. They wore body armour and held long electro-pikes. Blasters were strapped to belts, and their
expression was menacing, that of a trained killer. Though Obi-wan didn't know it, the assassin who'd attacked Keyn
was from the ranks of these guards.
The
other two were dressed in starched, white laboratory coats. They were clearly scientists.
"Take
them," one of the scientists gestured towards three of the aliens and two of
the humans, "to Lab 6. Have them
checked out and ready for me by 1300h." As the guards carried out their orders, the first scientist turned to
the other, "the rest are yours, Dan."
The
other scientist, Dan, nodded, "I'll need them in a day. Let's go."
The
two scientists left the room, locking and bolting the door shut behind them. Obi-wan looked at My'la, aware that the
Togorian might have been chosen by the scientists. The Jedi was thankful that My'la hadn't been selected – he was
growing fond of the large, furry creature.
"Is
it always like this?" Obi-wan queried.
"Yes
…"
Jen
interrupted, "Can you do anything to help, Obi-wan?"
"I
don't know … I'm working on it."
Jen
nodded glumly, "Good luck."
The
rest of the captives sat down, pretty much resigned to their fates. But My'la stayed beside Obi-wan.
"You
are Jedi," she said softly, "anyone come? Rescue you?"
"Yes,"
Obi-wan's bright blue eyes were troubled. "I think. I have a Master,
Qui-gon. But … someone said he
abandoned a partner to die. I used to
trust him, now I don't know."
My'la
tilted her head to one side thoughtfully, "You, not believe that someone. He lying."
"No,
he wasn't."
"My'la,
used to be a slave," the Togorian's eyes were a mix of fear and sadness. "Obi-wan, Jedi. Get us all out please."
Obi-wan's
eyes searched out My'la's, held their gaze. "I'm trying. I promise." Obi-wan closed his eyes. Master,
please. Hurry. You betrayed your partner, abandoned
him. It can't be true, but it is. Through his fever, Obi-wan found
Qui-gon. The Bond, weak though it was,
was there.
Master … Qui-gon started. He felt his
Padawan. Obi-wan, we're coming, he returned immediately, instinctively. But then, the rest of Obi-wan's thoughts
reached him through the Bond. Anger and
grief rose in him. Fury. Qui-gon fought it down, but failed.
"Keyn,"
he called to the bounty hunter. Keyn
left the cockpit, stood in front of Qui-gon.
"What,"
Keyn's voice was cold, dangerous. Shen
made ready to intervene.
"You
told Obi-wan I betrayed Thyren," Qui-gon's eyes burned furiously.
"I
told him the truth," Keyn didn't raise his voice.
"It's
twisted."
Keyn's
eyes were suddenly troubled, pained. "I
didn't lie, Qui-gon. You ran out on
him."
"I
had no choice!" Qui-gon struggled to keep control of his feelings.
"Yeah,
right. You didn't have to feel his
pain," Keyn didn't expect Qui-gon's swift Force blow, which knocked him to the
ground. The headache intensified. Keyn tried to straighten and stand up from
his kneeling position, but the pain stopped him.
"Sith!"
the hunter snarled. "I'll kill you,
Qui-gon!" He bit back his pain and
managed to stand up.
"Try
…" Qui-gon taunted recklessly. Shen
tensed his muscles, ready to stop the seemingly inevitable fight.
"No
… I keep my word," Keyn said, "I'll kill you, next time."
Shen
decided to intervene, "Many people will die if we don't stop the Rebels. If you two don't settle differences."
Keyn's
eyes flickered. "We're going in in an
hour, Qui-gon. I'll forgive you that,
'cause I have to trust you with my back later."
Qui-gon
said nothing, but he sat down on a crate, looking at neither Keyn nor
Shen. Obi-wan. Qui-gon had hurt his Apprentice,
deeply. Keyn watched the Jedi for a
while, thinking. Then, he went to a
locker, removed the First Aid Kit, and left.
"Master
Qui-gon," Shen said quietly, "what is really wrong."
Qui-gon
shook his head numbly, "It's in the past. So long ago. But Thyren's death
hurt us both." The Jedi Master didn't
explain anything else.
"It's
the Rebels that count now."
"And
Obi-wan."
Keyn
winced, pressed his hand to his forehead. The pain was so bad, he could hardly think. He knew he was probably concussed. Keyn didn't fully remember what had happened, but he recalled,
vaguely, that he'd received a blow to the head.
The
bounty hunter removed a syringe from the kit, drew the painkiller through it's
hollow needle. He injected the
painkiller, waited for it to start working on his system. Keyn knew he'd be in big trouble when the
drugs wore out, but he couldn't back out now.
Ten
minutes later, he headed for the cargo hold. Shen watched silently as Keyn loaded explosive charges into a bag. The hunter checked each one before putting
it in his bag, Shen counted about thirty. The Bothan recognised the charges as the highly-explosive type, clearly
Keyn was preparing to blow the entire facility sky-high.
Keyn
strapped a blaster to his hip, hooked on his lightsabre, then retied his dark
black hair. He sat down on a nearby
crate to wait.
Shen
glanced, first at Keyn, then at Qui-gon. The cream-and-tan furred Bothan knew there was something that linked the
pasts of Qui-gon and Keyn, though he didn't know what. Shen hoped fervently that they wouldn't go
for each others' throats until the Rebels' plans were thwarted.
There
was so much they were expected to do. So much that could go wrong. So
much that would involve two antagonists with the same past. So much that was based on trusting a bounty
hunter who used to be a Jedi. Keyn
could turn on them anytime. Shen only
hoped he wouldn't. Only hoped that Keyn
was who his feelings told him he was.
I dunno how this
chapter became like this. I must be
going crazy (too much Pink Hair? Don't think so …). I hope you like it, though, please tell me if you do :) Qui-gon provoking and attacking a bounty
hunter. The same bounty hunter going on
a dangerous mission with a concussion (thanks Orin!) and grievous injuries, not
to mention side-by-side with his antagonist. Okay, I really am crazy. But it
worked out fine =) so please review. (and read, of course) Thanks! And sorry about the anti-Qui-gon stuff. Tell me if you like Keyn, though … and forgive this really, really long
passage. I don't know what's gotten
into me. Any hypothesis?
- wild horse.
Chapter 7 should
be out in a week.
