Thanks for the Reviews! Nike (You know me and cliffies! I'm addicted! Lol, Enjoy this chapter…Mwhahahaha!) Harriet (Thank you very much! I'm so glad you enjoy them!!!! I try to keep the characters in step..though it doesn't happen all the time heh, glad you saw it differently! Email is out and on it's way promise! Thanks again!) shen panda (LOL! You kill me! Cleo-Shen right here people! Well, sorta this time. I suppose my little master plan could have worked had I done it that way, and I'll probably change it when I have nothing to do. What you're talking about, and what I'm thinking about, kinda comes around in this chapter. More so coming up. Light saber fight here in a scene and one is just about to begin! *dun dun dun!* Calvary cue HA! I had that little song stuck in my head all day! Lol. )
We were so close to 4!! Lol. This chapter could be considered action or boring. You tell me! Lightsaber duel is in here, small portion. Then the beginning of another one is starting as well! WOW! Lol, kidding. Enjoy and Happy Reading! Let's try for 4 reviews again for umm…I picture of Obi-wan Kenobi! ;) Or, whoever you chose!
***Oh yeah, and there are two other shorties that I might be putting up. I'm not too sure on one of them. It takes place after NLTH and I'm not all that sure about it. I just found it on this disk and I don't know what I was doing when I was writing it. It's kinda drama kinda suspense and Jesi and Qui-Gon are the main characters mostly.(No Romance as always) Of course Obi-Wan is in there, think I'm nuts? Tell me if you think I should post it or give you the summary first.
***The other shortie will be up in a few days. I just found that one too and have to change the text on it.
Happy Reading again!
Ch. 12 Treading Dark Waters
His legs couldn't move fast enough for Obi-Wan's liking. They had made it out of the water system quickly and were now running down the lower level corridor towards the computer room. Something just wasn't right and he knew it, he could feel it.
Bursting in through the door they found nothing..Walking in further, sabers in hand they found nothing until they discovered Macrus's body crumpled on the floor. They didn't need to check his pulse, no life wave flowed from him like there should have been.
Obi-wan froze.
"Master, do you feel that?"
Qui-Gon looked at his Padawan and reached out his senses then recoiled quickly.
"She reversed the cycle." He said quietly. Obi-Wan nodded.
"…But I don't feel anything even remotely like her signature.." The young Jedi said softly.
Qui-Gon looked again at his Padawan quickly, "She's not dead Obi-Wan." He said firmly. Obi-Wan blinked and looked at him in slight surprise.
"He needs her for something, otherwise we would have found her right here." The Master added. "We just have to find them."
"Do you think he brought her to where the children are?..That would be in the water system again."
"That's our best chance. He wouldn't stay inside the temple." Jinn replied and they quickly left the room again.
~~~~~~~~
Jesi was first aware of the sound of water. Then gradually the feeling of moisture in the air…and something at her back. Something hard that her hands were behind as well. Slowly opening her eyes she was very aware of the headache that snapped inside.
She winced in the dim light and quickly gathered her surroundings. She was on her knees, behind her was a large pipe that her hands were firmly tied behind. She was in something of a level off the water. A cavern.
"So…You return to the living."
Not him…
"What, in the hell, did you do to me?" She asked hoarsely.
"Just trying a few things out on you…Glad to see I didn't kill you yet." Xanatos said from a shadowed corner, his back to her.
Jesi grunted at the yet. She began to quickly realize just how warm she was. Force, she was sweating she was so hot, and this Xanatos was in a heavy cloak. Looking to the side she wished she hadn't and closed her eyes to ward away the dizziness.
"Not feeling well are we?" Xanatos asked. She could hear the smile in his tone.
"What's wrong with me?" Jesi asked quietly. Her own voice ringing in her own ears.
"I'm not sure on that yet.." He told her turning around now to face her. "I believe it's called Kiroma…But I'm not entirely sure. You see, I wanted to kill you but now I need you so I'm in another problem."
Jesi's heavy mind thought back on the term. If she remembered right, it was a type of poisen…or diease..She couldn't remember…What was she thinking about again?
"Becoming light headed?" Xanatos asked nearing her.
Jesi looked at him but his feature was blurred as she knew he knelt down infront of her.
"I'll take that head swaying action as a yes." He told her. "Paging Healer Xanatos." He said with a chuckle. Jesi jerked at the stab in her shoulder. As soon as it was felt it was gone and her vision nearly immediately started to clear. Xanatos was infront of her holding a half empty injection in one hand.
"Feeling better?" He asked with a grin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mace paused as the footsteps he could only hear began to rapidly fade. His slowed run ceased to a walk then a complete stop. Adi was the first to catch up with him.
"What is it? Why did you stop?" She asked quickly looking down the rest of the catwalk into shadows.
"Something's not right…" Mace murmured looking around them. He could hear Siri's and Kigal's pounding footsteps nearing quickly.
"What do you me-"
"Siri look out!" Kigal shouted. The two Masters turned to look behind them into the dark shadows they couldn't see past. Suddenly the snapping of metal and creeking of bending it shifted the entire catwalk.
"Siri?!" Adi called starting to jog back.
"Master!" She shouted back, but before Adi could do anything the catwalk slanted downward from the middle on. The shrieking of wet boots trying to stop on metal sounded out and a cry from both of the two behind them.
"Kigal, Siri?!" Mace called back, but then their section dropped dramatically causing both Council members to fall onto their backs sliding down the slanted catwalk. Mace caught the steady rail post near him and stopped his decent and Adi did the same near the end of it.
"Siri?" Adi called down.
"We're alright Master…I don't know where we are though.." Siri shouted up.
"Adi let go." Mace suddenly ordered quietly.
She looked up at him. "What?"
"Let Go!" He demanded. Then Adi felt the tremor too and she let go just as the large droid came by again cutting her end of the catwalk off. He heard her land and the metal of the catwalk quickly after that.
Mace knew the droid would be coming back and he turned over onto his stomach. With his free hand he gripped the small holes in the panels with his fingers. He let go of the rail and did the same with his other hand clawing his way up to the cement walk again. Kigal's saber clanged against the metal as he shifted upward. Siri and Kigal had no sabers after Mace received Kigal's, and that's why they were ordered to stay so far behind.
After a few moments he was able to pull himself onto the walk but as he did the Force screamed at him and a boots heel collided with the side of his face.
"Such a fool.." Grifth murmured watching his old Master recover as quickly as he could. As he stood again the red aura of the saber in Grifth's hand exploded to life with a snap hiss.
~~~~~~~
"Master, are you ok?" Siri asked as Adi slid out from the small space between herself and the metal panel of the catwalk.
"I'm fine..Where's Kigal?"
"He is looking to see where we are." Siri told her helping her Master up.
They both froze at the sudden snap hiss of a saber and looked up. They could see nothing but Adi could feel darkness swelling against light.
"We need to get up there." She told her apprentice.
"Master Gallia…" Kigal called back in a whisper. She looked at him from his small higher point on the concrete. He motioned for them both to come.
When they reached him he pointed down into something of an open room.
"I believe we found what we were looking for." He whispered quietly.
Adi and Siri gazed down into the concrete pit looking at two small bundles in two separate baskets. Near them were 4 other people…None of the three Jedi could feel any Force gifts within them.
"We must get them back." Adi said quickly and quietly, pulling out her saber. Siri and Kigal could do nothing in return.
"I gave Master Windu my saber." Kigal reminded.
"That's fine. Siri, I want you to take one of the infants when I distract them. Don't look back, just run to the upper levels back to the healer's wing." Siri was about to object but Adi quickly repeated again, "Don't look back."
Siri sighed and nodded.
"Kigal, I want you to stay here until there less than 3 at least, then do the same as Siri. Understand?"
Kigal nodded silently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"He's shielding too well for his power." Qui-Gon told Obi-Wan quietly as they moved along the side of the water way on the concrete walk.
"What do you suppose that means?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I'm not sure…" Qui-Gon murmured. He stopped then and turned to face Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan, we'll cover more ground if we split up, but you listen to me, and listen to me right now, if you find Xanatos and Jesi or just Xanatos you are to tell me and don't move from that spot until I'm there, is that clear?"
Obi-Wan tried to hide the frown that crossed his features but he didn't do it quite well enough. "Yes, Master." He said quietly.
"Swear to me you will." Qui-Gon ordered.
Obi-Wan eyed his Master but then nodded, "I swear."
"Good, Padawan. Keep your senses alert, may the Force be with you."
"And you Master." Obi-Wan replied smoothly and went the opposite way that Qui-Gon did. He still didn't understand why his Master was so stern about what he should do if he encountered Xanatos. Did he feel something he didn't?
~~~~~~~
Jesi nearly let a smile creep across her features as she realized something.
"You know, if you're still looking for a partnership here, this probably is the best way to start." She told him shifting her arms.
"You made it quite clear that you weren't interested, and I'm not falling for any trick. I wasn't born yesterday." Xanatos growled from his work on the small table with his back towards her.
Jesi looked around her. "You could have spruiced the place up a bit you know…Kinda boring like this.."
Xanatos grunted a reply.
Jesi supressed a sigh then her eyes lite up again. "So…You were a Jedi at one time right? You had to have been."
"Wow, you catch on." Xanatos murmured.
"What made you turn away?" She asked lightly.
"My Master betrayed me." He replied lowly.
"Aw..the poor little ol' me stories huh? You sure who ever it was just decided you weren't good enough and thought they'd be better off?" She asked coolly.
"Well..You should know right? You know my Master quite well I believe."
"Oh do I now?" Jesi asked lightly with a hint of a smile. He was growing tenser and tenser with every word she spoke.
"That's right. Course he wouldn't tell you now would he? I'm Master Qui-Gon Jinn's former apprentice." He told her lowly.
Jesi was truly shocked to hear that but she quickly pushed it aside and replaced the surprise in her voice with annoyance. "Him? Please, no wonder you turned…He's as blind as a bat when it comes to seeing what's right infront of him."
"So you agree?" Xanatos asked gruffly.
"Absolutely. Man's done enough to me as it is…What did he do to you?" Jesi asked smoothly.
Xanatos did exactly what she wanted him to do. He became angry with even the memory and he turned around to face her. He boomed the entire story about his past and 'what Qui-Gon did to him'. When he was finished he was pacing and practically panting from his rant.
"Dumb bastard." Jesi said shaking her head.
"That's right dumb bas-!" Xanatos suddenly stopped and looked at the ceiling. He chuckled and shook his head. "Clever, clever woman." He muttered.
Oh shit…
"You think you can make me angry enough to burst out my location! Ha! They can't feel a thing! Fool!" He blarred striking her across the face.
Jesi blinked and moved her jaw. "I'm the fool?...Seems you didn't notice what I was doing in that room…You're directory cycle has been reversed."
Xanatos stopped and turned to glare at her. "Then you've killed them all for me." He said lowly.
Jesi raised a brow. He was bluffing…he had to have been.
"…I have this very smart accomplice..Liranki…Perhaps you know of her? You see what she did was program into the fixtures that an actual gas was being put in the air as soon as the system was shut down or reversed…You now have," He looked at his chrono. "20 minutes before the entire lower level is blown to pieces just from the smallest spark possible…and when that blows the rest of the temple will come down with it."
Jesi looked at him hollowly.
"You're not as quick as you think.." Xanatos said quietly.
A pipe suddenly banged down the walkway and they both looked down it. No one was there. Xanatos looked at her. "Don't go anywhere." He smirked moving down the walkway.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Mace powered Kigal's green saber just in time to block the strike at his chest. He threw it aside and stabbed forward. Grifth back stepped and pivited 90 degrees making the burning blade pass through only air where he once was. Red hit green to the side and swerved around to complete the 360 turn he had started stabbing at the Jedi's exposed side and back.
All Windu could do was dive down and forward. He sprang up from the roll and was ready in time to clash with the red blade moving to his upper chest.
"You haven't said anything about my movement good Master. You were so focused on my lightsaber skills weren't you? Not anymore?" Grifth asked as the sabers sizzled together crossed between the two in the shadows.
"Your movements are powered by hate and darkness…these are not skills, just blind emotions." Mace replied lowly.
"Spare me the lecture." Grifth snapped pushing of the clash and swinging at Windu's upper arm.
Mace blocked easily, then sprang forward cutting towards his chest. Grifth leaned back away from the attempt and Mace revived to lowering his attack swiping at his knees. Grifth wasn't ready for this and was nearly caught off balance. He blocked, but the heat of the two burning blades fed into his knee. Angered by this further he kicked the sizzling sabers apart but slamming his boot into Windu's hand.
Mace nearly lost his grip on his saber but regained it turning completely around and sweeping at Grifth's neck. He was just finishing his own turn and ducked away from the attempt and stepped forward thrusting his blade under and up towards Windu's midsection. Mace barely hit the blade away and pivited on his heel rolling off the attack and to the other side of the walk.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Adi dropped down from the shadows above the pit igniting her saber while in the air. Hitting the bottom she absorbed it well and recovered to block the blaster shots already firing. The Jedi Master progressed forward towards the baskets the shots were carefully fired and reput over.
Siri dropped down a moment later and stayed low as her Master had instructed her to do moving slowly behind them towards the baskets.
She heard the cry of a man who had been shot down with the feedback of his own shot. Siri gently lifted the child in yellow, the little girl, out of her basket and into her arms.
Be careful with them while running Padawan. Adi's warning rang in her head.
// I've got the little girl Master.// She said through their bond.
// Well done Padawan. Now go, as fast as you can.// Adi sent back slamming back a shot to it's originator. He fell with the fire.
//Yes Master.// Siri replied gathering the Force into her muscles and centering her balance with the giggling little girl in her arms. Siri found it amusing, even at the moment, that she smiled and giggled in the middle of a blaster fight for her life.
Shrugging away the thought she burst into speed away from the area.
A few moments after she had left Kigal droppped down just as Adi threw the last two shots back to their shooters. He looked at Adi who was glancing around the area.
"I think that's all of them…"
"Why would he leave just them here? He knew that we could defeat them." Kigal mentioned as Adi moved to the little boy.
"I think he was supposed to be here." Adi told him. "Trace isn't working alone. He can't be." Depowering her saber she clipped it on her belt and gently lifted the infant boy out of the basket. She froze mid way looking at him. His eyes were intirely dark. No difference between the pupil and the iris what-so-ever. He had black eyes.
"Come, we should leave here." Adi said suddenly as Kigal came to her side. He nodded, and she unclipped her saber handing him her saber. "Keep us ready." She told him. He nodded igniting it and they left the pit quickly.
~~~~~~~~
Qui-Gon had gone along the way without feeling anything that he was expecting. Xanatos's signature was no where to be lifted from. He was shielding…or Grifth had been bluffing. No, he couldn't be. Jesi wouldn't just disappear and Macrus didn't die from nothing.
He looked back down a tunnel he had passed over when a vibe rippled through the Force. Anger. Hatred, darkness…A signature feeling. Xanatos was back there.
Turning back the Jedi Master jogged back towards the area down the tunnel keeping on the side way from the water and making sure his footsteps were soft and hardly heard at all. His hand stayed near his saber at his side as he came to a corner.
He paused and frowned seeing what he did. Jesi was there, alone, tied to a pipe line.
He pressed his senses out and felt Xanatos near..but he was distancing. Qui-Gon first had to get Jesi out of there before he could deal with Xanatos with full focus. Again he scanned out and found Xanatos still moving away, anger still in him fully.
Qui-Gon quickly, and silently, moved over the distance between himself at the corner and Jesi with her back to him. His footsteps were silent and he came behind her without a word. He didn't want to scare her, but he knew she would do something if he said something suddenly.
Slowly lowering down just behind her he winced as she moved feeling the small change in air movement. She began to turn to look at him already taking a breath. Qui-Gon quickly put his hand firmly over her mouth from behind.
"Don't say a word Jesi." He whispered as quietly as he could. If he knew Xanatos he would be on full alert of what was going on with his victims. Jesi was still tense and he quietly added, "It's just me. Stay quiet."
After a small moment she nodded under his hand and he released her starting to focus on the lock on the chains that bound her hands behind her.
Jesi kept her eyes on the corner that Xanatos had passed behind watching for shadows. She saw nothing and every once and a while she would glance over her shoulder at Qui-Gon. She hoped he knew what he was doing because she had no idea.
Soft clicking was music to the Jedi's ears as the gadges inside the lock began to move. Three clicks, two, one, the gadge snapped open. As quickly, but as silently, as he could Qui-Gon unwound the chains from Jesi's wrists and gently placed them on the ground. He stood half way, still crouched and moved infront of her, helping her stand. She blinked hard swaying a little. He steadied her and motioned for her to go. Jesi shook her head firmly.
Go. He ordered silently. Now.
She shook her head again. She wasn't going.
Now Jesi. Qui-Gon demanded guiding her one way and before she could turn around he jogged the other way.
Jesi nearly said something but realized it would get them both in a shit load of trouble. With a heavy sigh she realized what she had to do. Her eyes widened and her stomach turned. Quickly she ran the other way.
~~~~~~~
Xanatos glanced back towards the cavern he'd left Jesi in. She wasn't going anywhere, he had better check to make sure that dumb ass Grifth was watching those two infants properly.
~~~~~~~~
Obi-Wan dropped down into the concrete pit he had found. He kept his saber in hand as he looked at the 4 men laying on the ground, dead by blaster shots. Blasters were near their hands so he figured that the shots had only been returned in death.
He looked into the empty baskets, feeling the fading signatures of the two that were in there just 5 minutes before. Turning he looked around the area once more and his eyes drifted to a shadow nearing.
He was already moving back up to the level that he had decended from when he stopped at the voice.
"Well, well…Seems you haven't lost your touch for finding trouble." Xanatos said from the level entrance.
Obi-Wan turned to look at him. "And you haven't lost your thurst to make it."
Xanatos allowed a small smile to creep across his face. It was suddenly shadowed by the red glow from his hand.
Obi-Wan twisted his hand and he was lite across by the crystal blue light.
// Master…I'm keeping my word…I've found Xanatos, er, he found me.// Obi-Wan sent through the bond before he was charged.
Tbc….
My, there's sure a lot going on now isn't there? Keeping up with everything ok? Hope so. I hate to give it away but there's about one really long chapter left, or 3 rather long chapters left.
Till Later,
Elli
P.S. Review! Update asap this time!
