The Marionette's Dance
CHAPTER SIX
Disclaimer: As before, I don't own em and I'm just playing with em. Don't think about suing me, I don't have anything and what little I do have, you can't have. :P
Takes place 9 years before TPM (Obi is 16)
Special thanks to my sisterS/beta readerS, Debbie, Jane, and Jessica. Special thanks goes out to all my friends and family that encouraged me to keep writing and helped me with their feedback.
Denotes creature speaking.
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Obi-Wan struggled as Qui-Gon's hand wrapped around his throat. His eyes began to water, and the precious air came to slowly into oxygen deprived lungs. He started to drift off into unconsciousness, when suddenly Qui-Gon released his grasped and collapsed to the floor, struggling against invisible bonds.
Obi-Wan coughed and wheezed, inhaling the much needed air into his lungs. He blinked several times, clearing his vision and mind. He saw Master Yoda and several healers standing in the doorway, pooling their energies and rending Qui-Gon harmless on the floor.
"Safe it is. Attend young Kenobi." Yoda ordered as several masters began to collect behind him and add their energy in subduing Qui-Gon.
Qui-Gon contorted around, twisting and doing his best to break free of his force restraints. Yoda focused on his mind, concentrating his effort to subdue the aggressive man. Within a few seconds, Qui-Gon slumped to the floor, overcome by Yoda's force suggestion.
One of the healers acknowledged and went to Obi-Wan to offer his assistance.
When Obi-Wan had regained his composure he addressed Yoda, "Master, I believe that Master Qui-Gon has come under the influence of an parasite."
Yoda raised his eyebrows quizzically, "Proof you have?"
"When he was changing, I seen it attached to his chest, right above his heart. There are several things that resemble legs wrapped around him and seem to embed themselves into his spine."
"If true that is, then reported it the healers would have." Yoda said, looking over to the healers standing behind him.
One of the healers focusing on Qui-Gon spoke up, "I didn't perform an exam, I believe Healer L'Tash did."
"Then consult L'Tash we will. Bring Master Jinn to the medward." Yoda said, turning and slowly making his way to the medical facilities. Two healers dragged the now unconscious form of Qui-Gon after him.
When the entourage entered the medical bay, the healers placed Qui-Gon in restraints on one of the medical beds. It automatically began to register his vitals, and the healers gasped in shock.
There were 'two' sets of brain waves, his temperature was extremely low, double heart rates, one VERY erratic. He was beginning to thrash about, and the accompanying Jedi filled the healers in on the situation.
Several healers began to remove his tunic to hook up the machines and monitoring equipment, and stopped suddenly when they completely removed it. They stood back dumbfounded and shocked to see the small, nearly transparent creature attached to his chest.
Healer L'Tash rushed in, "What is going on here?"
Yoda explained, "Infected Master Jinn is. Again attacked his padawan. Wondering I am as why you allowed him to leave and why you did not notify the council on your find."
L'Tash looked somewhat distant, "I'm the one that did the medical exam? I don't remember doing it."
Yoda looked at L'Tash, "Allow me to see what you remember."
L'Tash bowed his head and allowed Yoda access to his mind. Yoda saw flashes of Qui-Gon sitting on the edge of the medical bed and chattering on about nonsense, smiling warmly, waving his hand in front of L'Tash's face, then all went blank. Yoda broke their connection and sighed. "Used a mind trick Qui-Gon did. Avoided his exam he did. L'Tash is not at fault."
"What are we going to do?" Obi-Wan asked in a whisper.
Yoda walked over as Obi-Wan knelt to be closer to the small master's size, "Wait we will. Maybe peaceful this will be. Maybe the creature will leave willingly and leave Qui-Gon unaffected."
Obi-Wan nodded, his tears wanting to be released. He bowed his head so no one would be able to see the tears if they escaped down his cheeks. "I have a feeling it won't go without a fight."
Yoda sympathetically patted Obi-Wan's head, "Only time will tell. Allow the healers to exam Qui-Gon and the creature, maybe alternative they can find if it does not co-operate."
The healers, led by L'Tash ushered everyone out of the room, including the distraught padawan. Obi-Wan refused to leave, but a healer grabbed his arm and began to herd him out the door. Obi-Wan cried out in pain, due to the rigorous training exercises and the assault he suffered at the hands of his master. The healer motioned towards another room, and Obi-Wan was met by a healers padawan to help ease the pain and tension in his overused muscles, and to repair the damage to his battered face, and other damage from the attack.
When the padawan healer was finished with Obi-Wan he thanked him and seen the council members waiting outside Qui-Gon's room. He walked up to them, bowed and addressed Yoda, "Master, has there been any word on my master's condition?"
Yoda shook his head no, "Only been here a few minutes we have. Thought we may be needed, so decided we did that everything else can wait."
After a few minutes more, healer L'Tash exited Qui-Gon's room. When he seen the council, he bowed his head and motioned to a conference room, instead of the hallway as a place to discuss Qui-Gon's health.
When all the members entered, L'Tash began, "The creature has total control over his body. Those "legs" as padawan Kenobi put it, are actually extensions of the creatures' brain. The creature is almost all brain tissue. It has one of the "legs" directly into Qui-Gon's heart, and the others are linked directly to his spinal column. It's controlling his sympathetic and parasympathetic reflexes."
"What does that mean?" Obi-Wan asked suspiciously.
"It means young Kenobi, that the creature is in total control of his bodily functions. Its "legs" are wrapped around too many nerves and wired directly into his spinal column and brain. He is totally dependent on the creature for his life." L'Tash explained.
"Removed can it be?" Yoda asked.
"I could try, but there are a lot of risks." L'Tash sat down, and took several deep breaths hoping to alleviate some stress.
Obi-Wan disregarded the others in the room and spoke up, "What kind of risks are you talking about? If you can get that thing off him, then DO IT!"
"It's not that simple. If the creature doesn't kill him, the procedure could." L'Tash explained. "If the slightest calculation is off, then Qui-Gon could be left paralyzed, or worse, completely brain dead."
"I noticed several times that there is a slight ripple of darkness in the force, Qui-Gon is fighting the creature for control. Could you use the force to help in any way?" Obi-Wan desperately pleaded.
"I don't think I can." L'Tash started. "If I'm not mistaken, it had slowly taken over him, learning his biology and chemistry. It's been trying to learn what the force is, and how to use it, and Qui-Gon is the unwilling teacher. It would know of all strategies."
A loud crash from another room brought all the Jedi to attention. Obi-Wan was first out the door and headed straight to his masters' room. He threw open the door to see Qui-Gon holding a small padawan healer by the throat.
The young girl didn't know that Qui-Gon was potentially dangerous and had undone a restraint. The poor girl was suspended several centimeters into the air by a very large hand wrapped around her neck.
A healer rushed in and injected a sedative into the attackers' arm. The small padawan fell to the floor, gasping for breath as Qui-Gon fell limp against the bed. Several more restraints were added, securing him to the bed, locked by the force.
Qui-Gon's head lulled from side to side on the bed, as his eyes fought to focus. A strange voice came from him, "Release me."
"I'm sorry, we can't do that. Who are you?" Healer L'Tash asked the master/parasite duo.
"You WILL release me, and send me back to Belarius, or I will kill this host!" the creature snapped, jolting Qui-Gon's body, showing its power over him.
"No you won't." L'Tash said mildly. "You kill him, and you die as well. You wouldn't be that foolish."
"How can you be so sure?" The raspy voice asked. Qui-Gon's body suddenly stiffened, and the medtable began sounding an alert, showing Qui-Gon's heart had stopped.
Healer L'Tash took a step closer, weighing the options of getting near. It was dangerous for him to be near, the creature could suddenly release Qui-Gon and attach itself to the unwilling healer. However controversial the situation could be, he couldn't let his patient die, not when he could do something. He sighed in relief when Qui-Gon's heart began to beat again, and the monitors showed his vitals returning to normal.
"Send me back to Belarius, and you can have your companion back when I find a new host. I will leave this one unharmed.."
"You think we'll trust you?" Obi-Wan snapped, his anger growing at the situation.
"You have no choice." The voice sneered.
Healer L'Tash spat, "We have ways of removing parasites like yourself. When Qui-Gon is safe and stabilized, and no longer under your control, we'll send you to where ever you need to go. Alone!"
Qui-Gon's face contorted around, beads of sweat formed on his brow and he clenched his teeth. His breathing became ragged, and he pulled desperately at the restraints, sending unstable force waves towards the bonds. The restraints around his wrists began to move, and the council members quickly converged on the elder Jedi, and reinforced the bonds. The deep voice spoke again, "You have no choice in this matter. Send me back! Or this body will die."
Suddenly Qui-Gon's head jerked up, and he looked pleadingly around to the other Jedi in the room. His normal voice begged, "Please, do as he asks. Let him go back to Belarius. He's killing me!"