Chapter 7
Dangerous Game
Arnell paced the room anxiously. It had already been two hours since Obi-Wan had left. Qui-Gon sat on the edge of the table that ha had been unconscious on earlier. Arnell had explained everything to the Jedi Master as soon as he was clear-headed again.
"Are you sure he said two hours?" Qui-Gon asked the nervous Arnell who stopped pacing but began to wring his hands.
"Yes his exact words were 'I will be back in two hours that cure better be ready by then and I want him awake' Your awake, the cure is ready where is he?" Just then the door to the room opened. Arnell froze expecting the worse but only Obi-Wan stepped through the doorway. Qui-Gon shook his head as Arnell let out a huge sigh of relief. This man worries too much for his own good, The master thought to himself.
"You got it ready?" Obi-Wan asked not even glancing at Qui-Gon. Arnell took a syringe from a tray and walked over to Obi-Wan.
"Yes I have it but you're late." Arnell complained. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes took the syringe from Arnell. The young man tore a strip of cloth from the bottom of his tunic, rolled up his right sleeve and tied it around his bicep. He then jabbed the syringe into his arm and injected the contents into his blood stream. When the syringe was empty Obi-Wan rolled his sleeve back down and handed the syringe back to Arnell.
"This better work." He warned then turned to Qui-Gon. " I was late because it took me longer then I thought it would to get these." Obi-Wan said as he brought out Qui-Gon, Bant and Tahl's lightsabers.
"Where did you get those?" Arnell asked.
"Runihura had them mounted on the wall with the rest of her collection." Obi-Wan explained as he handed Qui-Gon his lightsaber. Arnell looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown.
"You took them from her office?! She is surely going to notice that they are gone!" Arnell exclaimed.
"By then we will be far from here." Obi-Wan replied.
"Oh yeah you'll be far from here but not me! And when she notices that they are missing she's gonna know that you took them and that I gave you the antidote!"
"Then come with us."
"Are you joking? Do you know what the odds of making out of here alive are?" Obi-Wan was at the end of his fuse and almost with out thinking he punched Arnell square in the jaw sending the man to the ground. Qui-Gon kneeled down and looked over Arnell. He was out cold. The Jedi master looked up at Obi-Wan disapprovingly. Obi-Wan caught the look.
"Don't look at me like that. I had to do it." Obi-Wan said and then started to the door. He opened it and walked out into the bigger room. Qui-Gon followed a few paces behind. It pained him to see what Obi-Wan had become.
They made it over to the exit and Obi-Wan opened the door but instead of the empty hallway he expected to find there was the hall filled with guards all armed and ready. He quickly closed the door. There was no way they would win that fight especially in a closed space. He hesitated a few minutes trying to think of their next move. There were no other doors but there was a window.
Obi-Wan turned and ran back to the smaller room. He walked past the still unconscious Arnell and over to the other side of the room. The young man lifted up a stool and threw it through the window that shattered into pieces.
"Come on." Obi-Wan said as he ushered Qui-Gon through the window and onto a ledge. The wind was blowing fiercely and there was a good 30-story drop below them. Qui-Gon began to inch his was over the ledge as Obi-Wan climbed out.
"Where are we going?" Qui-Gon called over the howling wind.
"Around the corner there is an over pass we can jump onto that an it's a short drop to the court yard." Obi-Wan called back. Qui-Gon nodded and continued to inch towards the corner.
Out if the corner of his eyes Obi-Wan saw the glint of a red blaster bolt fly by. He looked back and saw one of the guards leaning out the window firing at them.
"Wonderful." Obi-Wan muttered to himself. He turned to Qui-Gon. "Keep going!" He called then pulled out his blaster and began returning fire to the guard. A bolt pierced Obi-Wan's right shoulder causing him to drop the blaster that flew to the rocky ground below them.
Obi-Wan pulled out one of the two lightsabers he was carrying and activated it. He deflected the bolts using his good arm One of the bolts he deflected it the guard in the chest, killing him instantly. The body fell out the window and over the ledge. Obi-Wan let out a breath he hadn't even known he been holding and turned his attention back to walking on the ledge. The guard was gone but there was a good chance there would be more.
They made it around the corner and onto the over pass without another incident. They looked over the side and counted about 20 guards. Qui-Gon looked over to Obi-Wan. The younger man's shoulder was bleeding profusely.
"You sure you can handle this?" Qui-Gon asked. Obi-Wan looked over to him.
"I can hold my own Master Qui-Gon." He said coldly. Qui-Gon nodded and took out his lightsaber.
Together Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon jumped down to the courtyard catching the guards by surprise. Obi-Wan, with lightsaber flashing through the air attacked brutally, slashing and jabbing his attackers. Qui-Gon held back not administering any killing blows.
One guard came at Qui-Gon from behind. Obi-Wan saw this and threw his lightsaber with such accuracy it drove into the man's chest. Obi-Wan used the force to call the weapon back into his hand and continued the fight until all their opponents were no more.
As he battle raged on Obi-Wan began to realize that reinforcements would come soon. If they didn't get Tahl and Bant now there was no way any of them would get out of here alive.
"Qui-Gon!" Obi-Wan called over the fighting. "You go get Tahl and Bant! I'll hold these guys off." Qui-Gon hesitated. He wasn't sure if his padawan could keep fighting.
Obi-Wan looked back at his master-former master he reminded himself harshly, he saw the hesitance in the older man's face. He couldn't understand why though. There was no chance that he would be allowed back into the order. If he stayed behind and held off the guards even long enough for Qui-Gon to get Tahl and Bant to the transport and get out of here at least his life wouldn't be a complete waste. "Qui-Gon, go!" Obi-Wan shouted then turned his attention back to the fight.
Reluctantly Qui-Gon left the battle but before he disappeared around one of the corridors he took one final look back at Obi-Wan. He wasn't completely aware of what Obi-Wan had been through during his time here. The bond that the two shared was closed off on Obi-Wan's end. But he learned a bit from his experience with Arnell and the Jedi master knew how sadistic Runihura could be and judging from Obi-Wan's behavior he believed that there was no hope left for him.
Qui-Gon wanted to tell Obi-Wan that he was wrong. That there was always hope even in the darkest situations, but how could he help Obi-Wan walk from the darkness that he was lost in if the boy was closed off to him. The Jedi master made a vow then and there that he would find a way to help Obi-Wan. Then he disappeared around a corridor following Tahl and Bant's force signature to help him find them.
Obi-Wan decided to dash off in the opposite direction that Qui-Gon had gone. That way he could distract the guards into following him. He ran into a set of corridors on the lower levels of the fortress that were more like a maze.
Some of the guards found their way to him and attacked the injured man with all the courage and might they could muster.
There were four of them two with blasters and two with virbo blades. The two with blasters stood back a safe distance from Obi-Wan and his swinging lightsaber. While the other two with Virbo blades had to attack him head on.
The two with virbo blades came at Obi-Wan, on from behind and the other from the side. Obi-wan whirled around the cut down the man attacking him from behind. Then kicked out his foot and hit the one coming from the side in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. As the man staggered backwards Obi-Wan took the opportunity and drove the lightsaber through the man.
A blaster bolt wiped past his ear and Obi-Wan turned to deal with two guards with blasters. It was somewhat odd having to use only one arm with the lightsaber. Obi-Wan was trained mostly with maneuvers that required both hands and he had not held a lightsaber in five years but it was coming back to him. It like riding a speeder bike, you never forget.
One of the bolts deflected off the lightsaber and went back to the man who fired it. Obi-Wan stood ready to take on the second gunman but the man looked over obi-wan and then down at his fallen comrade and thought best of it. He ran out of the small space they had been fighting in.
Obi-Wan deactivated the lightsaber and let his hand fall to his side. The young man swayed a bit on his feet. He was losing a lot of blood and this entire running around was not helping his condition. Suddenly he felt the muzzle of a blaster pressed against his back. He cursed himself for not paying attention to his surroundings.
"Hello Dek." Obi-Wan said flatly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Qui-Gon went through the narrow corridors till he came to the door where the force signatures where the strongest. He used his lightsaber to cut through the lock and open the door.
Inside the cell it was small and dark. Qui-Gon used the illumination form his lightsaber to see. He saw Tahl and Bant both with their heads down either sleeping or worse. The Jedi master quickly went over to then and knelt down next to Tahl.
"Tahl." Qui-Gon whispered. After a few seconds when she didn't respond he whispered her name again. This time she came awake and looked up at him. Her face was bruised and blooded. Qui-Gon could feel the anger fill him. Runihura had caused so much pain to the people he cared about.
"Qui-Gon?" Tahl asked almost not believing it was him. Qui-Gon nodded and then took his lightsaber and cut the chains that held her too the wall. Qui-Gon then moved over to Bant who was in the same condition as her master.
"How did you get out?" Tahl asked as she went over to her apprentice to help the young Calamarian woman.
"Obi-Wan helped me." Qui-Gon said. Both Tahl and Bant looked up at him shocked. After his blunt refusal to help them it was hard for them to believe that he would turn around an actually assist them.
"Where's Runihura?" Qui-Gon asked them.
"Her com link went off a few minutes ago so she left." Tahl explained.
"Good that should give us enough time to get to the waiting ship." Qui-Gon said as he went to the door and looked down the corridor to male sure no one was coming.
That's when they all felt it. A swell of dark energy began to swirl around in the force. The three Jedi looked at one another. They knew where that dark energy was coming from and they knew that if they didn't get to the source fast something very wrong would happen.