---------
Obi-Wan adjusted the lenses on the macrobinoculars. He watched as one of the two ice-harvesters in Douro's camp lifted from the surface and soared up into the deepening twilight. It had been hours since he and Zaka had left the Whiphid camp. As they had continued their journey, Obi-Wan had noted the area had become more mountainous. He soon discovered Douro's camp was situated on the slope of a mountain upon which a glacier was making its way, micrometer by micrometer, down the mountainside. It was from this glacier Douro was harvesting his ice.
Obi-Wan and Zaka had stashed the snow-speeder in a cave some kilometers away and hiked the rest of the way to the glacier. The two of them were now hidden upon a ridge overlooking the camp. Zaka had told Obi-Wan once an ice- harvester was full it was flown from the surface to a huge refriger- freighter waiting in orbit. The ice was unloaded there and, once emptied, the harvester was flown back to the camp.
While spying on the camp, Obi-Wan had counted a total of fifteen men as they had made their way between the harvesters, the storage sheds and the various tents. He had seen Douro a few times, walking among his men, usually gesturing in a way that meant he was giving orders. There appeared to be no women in the camp and, except for Douro, all the workers were humanoids. Obi-Wan had yet to see any sign of Sinja-Bau.
He sighed and readjusted the lenses. He wasn't worried about not being able to see once night came on, for the macrobinoculars functioned just as effectively in the dark, but he was concerned about not having seen Sinja- Bau yet. Then he felt Zaka's hand on his arm.
He lowered the macrobinoculars and looked over at the Whiphid. He was pointing at something near one of the tents. Zaka's eyesight was much keener than Obi-Wan's so he quickly put the macrobinoculars back up to his eyes. He gasped.
The figure coming out of the large tent, which Obi-Wan had determined was Douro's, was clearly a woman although she was dressed in a thick fur coat and a hood was pulled low over her face. She made her way, alone, through the camp and, pulling back the cover of a smaller tent, entered it.
Obi-Wan lowered the macrobinoculars. He looked around. The sky was now a deep purple and the stars, hundreds upon hundreds of them, dotted the heavens, sharp, bright diamonds studded on a velvet backdrop. For a moment, Obi-Wan let himself imagine one of them was the star around which Ahjane spun.
Then he quickly looked away from the sky and focused his attention back on the camp. With one of the ice harvesters now gone, crewed by some of the men, only eight remained in the camp, not including Douro and Sinja-Bau. Zaka had told Obi-Wan it usually took about five hours for one of the ice harvesters to return from the freighter. It was during those times the younger Whiphids would enter the camp and steal things.
The tent Sinja-Bau had gone into was located just on the periphery of the camp, but not far from Douro's. Obi-Wan decided to wait one more hour, hoping the activity in the camp would start to slow down. After a bit he soon heard drunken singing coming from one of the larger tents, the one Obi- Wan suspected was some kind of mess tent. The men were probably celebrating the successful completion of one of their harvests.
According to Zaka, even with the ice harvester, it was hard, grueling, dangerous work and it often took days to completely fill one of the harvesters. From what Obi-Wan had been able to discern, Douro had not left his tent after he had witnessed the lift-off of the ice harvester. Sinja- Bau had not left hers either. Obi-Wan handed the macrobinoculars to Zaka. It was now or never.
"I'm going now, Zaka."
"What Je-di want Zaka to do?"
"Stay out of sight. I'll try to get back as soon as I can.
Zaka nodded and put his large, hairy hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder.
"Je-di be careful."
"I will, Zaka."
Obi-Wan slid down the embankment until he was ground level. There were some tall glow-poles scattered about the camp, but there was still enough shadows for him to hide in. He noted two armed men circling the camp, apparently on the lookout for any incursions by the Whiphids, but it was easy enough for a Jedi Knight to avoid being seen by them.
Obi-Wan steathily made his way to Sinja-Bau's tent. He ducked down as one of the guards crunched his way across the snow, heading away from the tent. Once the man had passed, Obi-Wan darted around and, opening the flap of the tent, slipped inside.
It was dark inside and at first Obi-Wan saw no sign of Sinja-Bau. Then he saw a small dark lump. He quietly made his way over to it. It was Sinja- Bau. She was sleeping and, for a moment, Obi-Wan just stared down at her.
He had seen holopictures of her in the Archives, taken when she had still been a member of the Jedi Order. In those pictures she had been a striking- looking woman, with thick white-blonde hair she had worn in braids pined about her head. Her eyes had been an alluring blue-green, set in an aristocratic face of high cheekbones, skin the color of pearl and a full, rich mouth.
Now he saw before him a gaunt-faced woman with completely white, ropey hair, sunken cheekbones and a wide, but thin mouth lined with both age and affliction. She was wearing what looked like a dull-colored gown made out of some rough cloth. He slowly knelt down and put his hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly.
"Sinja-Bau," he said softly.
She stirred, her lips working, the eyeballs under her lids moving restlessly. Obi-Wan shook her again.
"Sinja-Bau," he said again, a little louder.
The woman's eyes flew open and she stared up at him. He immediately sensed a great deal of fear flowing from him.
"It's all right. I'm not going to hurt you," he said quickly, his hands still on her shoulders.
"What....what are you?" she gasped, her eyes filled with an insane light. Her gaze roved over his wrappings of skin. "One of the snow demons? Come to take my soul?"
"No, no, my name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."
At the mention of his name, Obi-Wan thought he saw a glimmer of recognition beneath the fevered glaze of her wide, staring eyes, but it faded.
"Who are you? What are you?" she asked, her face slack with fear.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi," he repeated. "I'm a Jedi Knight."
He released her shoulders and took off his animals skins, thinking that was what was frightening her. However, when Sinja-Bau saw his black clothing and, as he showed it to her, his lightsaber, she began to scream, a high- piercing scream of unadulterated terror.
"No, no, the slaughterer of the light! The Temple in flames! The dead, broken bodies of the younglings. Dead, all of them! Now you've come for me. No, NO! Please, don't kill me. Please!"
Obi-Wan grabbed Sinja-Bau's shoulders for she was screaming at the top of her lungs. He tried to hold onto her but she struggled fiercely in his grasp. He put his hand over her mouth to quiet her, but she bit it hard. Obi-Wan jerked his hand away. Then, when he heard the sound of running feet, he tried to reach for his lightsaber, but Sinja-Bau grabbed his arm, her grip like death, apparently thinking he was drawing his weapon to strike her down with it.
"No, no, don't kill me. Please, don't kill me!" she cried as she held tightly onto his arm.
Just as Obi-Wan was able to wrench away from her, trying his best not to hurt her, the flap to the tent was snatched open and three men ran in, blasters in hand.
"Don't move you!" one of the men shouted.
The other two ran over. One held a blaster to Obi-Wan's head while the other quickly disarmed him of his lightsaber. Sinja-Bau had collapsed to her knees, her back bent, her hands clasped to her face as she shivered and moaned. Obi-Wan looked over as another man stepped into the tent. It was Douro. He was dressed in a long leather coat and thick hide boots. He stood for a moment, his solid white eyes taking in everything: Obi-Wan, his men standing guard over him, and Sinja-Bau still kneeling and keening hysterically on the floor.
"He had this, me Lord," one of the men said to Douro, handing Obi-Wan's lightsaber over to him.
Douro carefully examined the lightsaber, then his white gaze slid over to Obi-Wan.
"A Jedi Knight," he said softly. His voice was low and melodious. "How interesting."
He turned to the man who was standing next to him.
"Go to the storage shed and get those Mandalorian manacles we picked up on Zirius IV. We'll need something strong to keep this one from escaping."
The man saluted by thumping his chest, then ran off. Douro turned towards Obi-Wan. His thick square face broke into a wide, but deadly smile.
"Don't try any of your tricks while we wait for the manacles, Jedi. You may be fast, but not fast enough to dodge a blaster shot to the head."
Both of Douro's men were now holding their blasters to Obi-Wan's head, and in response to his statement, pressed them harder against his temple.
"Now, answer me this?," Douro said, his voice still low and calm. "Who are you, what are you doing here and why did you frighten poor Sinja-Bau?"
"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I came here to bring her back to the Republic."
"Back? But wasn't it you Jedi who cast her out of heaven, like some thrice- damned spirit? And now you want her back?"
"I need her help," Obi-Wan replied.
"No, no," Sinja-Bau cried, scuttling over and grabbing Douro by the knees. "He lies. He's come to kill me. He killed all the others. I saw it. The Temple in flames. The bodies burning. Now he's come for me. Blinded to the Force as I am, he still seeks my heart. He wants it as a trophy, to store with all the others. Please, don't let him kill me!"
Douro looked down at Sinja-Bau as she gazed wildly up at him. He bent down and helped her to her feet. As he did, the man who had been sent to get the manacles returned. He quickly put them around Obi-Wan's wrists. Obi-Wan looked down at them. Mandalorian manacles were made from Mandalorian iron, a virtually indestructible metal, impervious even to a lightsaber.
"Take him to one of the storage shed. Post guards. Keep a close watch," Douro said as he put his arm around the hysterical Sinja-Bau's shoulder.
The men nodded and, with their blasters now pressed against Obi-Wan's back, pushed him out of the tent. They took him to a storage shed and shoved him inside. Obi-Wan fell to his knees. Then he heard one of the men talking to the other.
"I don't trust those cuffs, even if they are made of Mandalorian iron. I heard about these Jedi Knights."
The other one nodded. "Yeah, best be sure he don't even think about escaping."
And with that both men beat Obi-Wan about the head with their blasters until he finally, blessedly lost consciousness.
---------
"Obi-Wan!"
Anakin jerked awake. He looked around the sitting room. The two Assembly guards who were assigned to guard Onara stood at attention on opposite sides of the room. Master Eo was with the other guards in Ben's nursery.
Anakin's cheeks warmed as he realized he had dozed off. Then he heard Onara cry out Obi-Wan's name again. He shot from his chair and, jerking the bedroom door open, ran into her room, the guards following. There was only one lone glow-light on in the room, a small one on her dressing table. Onara was sitting up in bed, her dark hair tussled wildly about her face, her hands pressed against her cheeks. He ran over to her.
"Onara, what's wrong?"
She didn't seem to see him. She was staring sightlessly into space, her mouth open in horror. Anakin grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
"Onara!" he cried.
She slowly turned her head and finally seemed to see him, her dark eyes focusing on his blue ones.
"Anakin?"
He nodded. "Are you all right?"
She grabbed his arms and gripped them tightly.
"Obi-Wan! I was dreaming about Obi-Wan! He's hurt, Anakin. I could feel it. He's so hurt." Tears filled her eyes, streaming down her face. "Oh, Anakin, why did he have to go?"
Anakin swallowed in a tight throat. "Onara, no one could have stopped him from going. Not if there was a chance to save you."
"I don't care about me," Onara sobbed. "It's Obi-Wan I want."
"Don't worry," Anakin said soothingly, stroking her hair as he sat next to her. "It was only a dream. Just a dream. Obi-Wan is one of the strongest Jedi in the Order. There isn't much my master can't handle. He'll be all right. And he'll return with Sinja-Bau. And she'll cure you and then you and Obi-Wan can...."
Anakin stopped. Onara still didn't know Edress was dead and she was now free. Then Anakin frowned. Free that is if Jerule didn't go through with his threat to go to the Ahjane high court and settle the matter there regarding Onara. That had been his answer to K'lia's refusal to turn her and Ben over to him. However, earlier today Simtro had told Anakin there were rumors of massive troop movements in Kindah Province. Anakin now suspected all this talk about going to court was just a smoke screen for some other strategy on Jerule's part.
He truly hoped Jerule wasn't planning to go to war to get Onara. That was certainly the last thing he and the others needed right now, what with there still being no word or sign of Lady Tsara or her whereabouts. Anakin knew that kryat dragon wasn't going to give up so easily. She had to be up to something. Then Onara sighed and, leaning over, lowered her head onto Anakin's shoulder.
"You're right, Anakin. Obi-Wan is strong. Very strong. But, if something should happen to him because of me...."
"It won't. Trust me. He'll come back. He will."
Anakin put his arm about her shoulder and, gesturing with his head for the guards to return to the sitting room, held her as she cried, her tears soaking his tunic.
He'll be back, Anakin thought. He has to come back. For all their sakes.
----------
Obi-Wan slowly opened his eyes. They were nearly swollen shut and his face was not only bruised, there were cuts on it. He was lying on his side on what felt like a carpet. He moved his head slowly so as not to further aggravate his injuries. At first all he saw were shapes and colors that seemed to run into each other. He wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed since he lost consciousness. It felt like hours. He closed his eyes and, calling upon the techniques he had learned from Qui-Gon, dissociated his mind from the pain. Once his mind was clear, he opened his eyes again. He was lying on a carpet inside a large tent. In front of him were a pair of brown hide boots. Douro's boots.
"He's conscious, Lord," he heard a man's voice.
"Lift him up so that he may look upon me."
Obi-Wan was pulled up by two pair of hands until he was standing. His wrists were still shackled with the Mandalorian manacles. Douro stared at him from where he sat on a makeshift throne comprised of a heavy metal chair draped with some rather garishly colored pieces of cloth. Obi-Wan briefly closed his eyes, suppressing a smile. If the situation weren't so dire, he would have been inclined to laugh. Douro and Big Yezun were mortal enemies, yet both had the same sense of exaggerated self-importance. And, like Big Yezun, Douro now had Obi-Wan's lightsaber in his lap.
The Arkanian continued to stare at Obi-Wan. He suspected Douro imagined his solid white-eyed gaze was intimidating. But, when you've stared into the frenzied, crazed eyes of a Nahanni Cacodemon, as Obi-Wan had done a few years ago, nothing much fazed you. He looked back at Douro, his gaze never wavering, his eyes never blinking. Finally, Douro broke eye contact. He pointed at Obi-Wan.
"Who are you?" he intoned.
"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi," he answered through his split lips.
Douro shook his head. "No, that's now what I asked. Who are you?"
"I told you---"
"No!" Douro shouted. "Who are you! Are you the one she spoke of? The Dark One?"
Obi-Wan lowered his head and shook it.
"No," he replied, as he looked back up at Douro. "I am not. Sinja-Bau is very ill in her mind. Nothing she has said has come about. The Jedi Temple is not in flames. It still stands. There are no dead children lying in its ruins. And I am not this Dark one she speaks of."
"Then what are you doing here? You have no jurisdiction here. Toola is not a member of the Republic."
"I told you. I came for Sinja-Bau. To take her back with me."
"Why?"
"She was once a healer in the Jedi Order. I need her to save the life of a woman."
"Ah," Douro said softly as he nodded. "Now, it looks like some truth comes out from among all your lies."
He rasied his hand and, with a hard lurch of his heart, Obi-Wan saw he was holding the pendant he had been wearing. Douro opened it and pressed the bottom. Onara's and Ben's image formed in the air.
"This woman?"
Obi-Wan nodded, his throat aching. Douro tilted his head and gazed at the image of Onara as she smiled at him.
"Pretty. Is she here on Toola?"
Obi-Wan shook his head no.
"Pity. Because if she were, I would have her brought here to pleasure me. The little one would have to die, of course, being of no use to me. But I would let her live. For awhile. Until I tired of her."
Obi-Wan felt a sudden surge of red anger that nearly blinded him. He instinctively pulled against the hold the guards had on his arms, wanting only to take the pendant from Douro and put his hands around the Arkanian's thick neck.
"I do not believe you, Jedi," Douro said, ignoring Obi-Wan as he struggled in the grip of his guards. "I do not believe you traveled all this way just to save the life of this whore," he said as he gestured at Obi-Wan with the image of Onara. "That is not the Jedi way. You do not form such attachments." He closed the pendant, Onara's and Ben's image disappearing. ""So, why are you here really?"
"I told you," Obi-Wan said. "I need Sinja-Bau's help."
Douro gestured to one of the men holding Obi-Wan. He grunted as the man punched him hard in the side. Obi-Wan doubled over, the pain ripping through him. The man jerked him up erect.
"Shall I have my men beat the truth out of you, Jedi?" Douro asked.
"They can't beat out what I've already told you," Obi-Wan said through gritted teeth as he struggled to control the pain lancing through his body.
"Where is the beast who brought you here? We found its tracks in the ridge above us. Where did it go? Back to its tribe?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. He was glad to hear Zaka had gotten away. He could only imagine what Douro would have done to the Whiphid if he had captured him. Douro stared at him for a long moment. Then he abruptly stood, Obi- Wan's lightsaber and pendant still in hand.
"Take him back to the storage shed."
The guards dragged Obi-Wan out of the tent. Once inside, he waited for them to beat him into submissive unconsciousness again but, perhaps, he had worn them out the last time because they'd had to beat him for quite a while before he finally lost consciousness. Now they only tied him tightly, with some thick rope twined about with metal, to a large piece of machinery, his hands still manacled.
One of the men went to stand guard outside, when the other drew up a metal crate and sat on it, his blaster securely in hand. Obi-Wan wearily closed his eyes, struggling to master his pain. He needed to rest if he was going to find a way to escape before Douro finally did what Obi-Wan could see in his eyes he longed to do. Kill him.
To be continued....
Obi-Wan adjusted the lenses on the macrobinoculars. He watched as one of the two ice-harvesters in Douro's camp lifted from the surface and soared up into the deepening twilight. It had been hours since he and Zaka had left the Whiphid camp. As they had continued their journey, Obi-Wan had noted the area had become more mountainous. He soon discovered Douro's camp was situated on the slope of a mountain upon which a glacier was making its way, micrometer by micrometer, down the mountainside. It was from this glacier Douro was harvesting his ice.
Obi-Wan and Zaka had stashed the snow-speeder in a cave some kilometers away and hiked the rest of the way to the glacier. The two of them were now hidden upon a ridge overlooking the camp. Zaka had told Obi-Wan once an ice- harvester was full it was flown from the surface to a huge refriger- freighter waiting in orbit. The ice was unloaded there and, once emptied, the harvester was flown back to the camp.
While spying on the camp, Obi-Wan had counted a total of fifteen men as they had made their way between the harvesters, the storage sheds and the various tents. He had seen Douro a few times, walking among his men, usually gesturing in a way that meant he was giving orders. There appeared to be no women in the camp and, except for Douro, all the workers were humanoids. Obi-Wan had yet to see any sign of Sinja-Bau.
He sighed and readjusted the lenses. He wasn't worried about not being able to see once night came on, for the macrobinoculars functioned just as effectively in the dark, but he was concerned about not having seen Sinja- Bau yet. Then he felt Zaka's hand on his arm.
He lowered the macrobinoculars and looked over at the Whiphid. He was pointing at something near one of the tents. Zaka's eyesight was much keener than Obi-Wan's so he quickly put the macrobinoculars back up to his eyes. He gasped.
The figure coming out of the large tent, which Obi-Wan had determined was Douro's, was clearly a woman although she was dressed in a thick fur coat and a hood was pulled low over her face. She made her way, alone, through the camp and, pulling back the cover of a smaller tent, entered it.
Obi-Wan lowered the macrobinoculars. He looked around. The sky was now a deep purple and the stars, hundreds upon hundreds of them, dotted the heavens, sharp, bright diamonds studded on a velvet backdrop. For a moment, Obi-Wan let himself imagine one of them was the star around which Ahjane spun.
Then he quickly looked away from the sky and focused his attention back on the camp. With one of the ice harvesters now gone, crewed by some of the men, only eight remained in the camp, not including Douro and Sinja-Bau. Zaka had told Obi-Wan it usually took about five hours for one of the ice harvesters to return from the freighter. It was during those times the younger Whiphids would enter the camp and steal things.
The tent Sinja-Bau had gone into was located just on the periphery of the camp, but not far from Douro's. Obi-Wan decided to wait one more hour, hoping the activity in the camp would start to slow down. After a bit he soon heard drunken singing coming from one of the larger tents, the one Obi- Wan suspected was some kind of mess tent. The men were probably celebrating the successful completion of one of their harvests.
According to Zaka, even with the ice harvester, it was hard, grueling, dangerous work and it often took days to completely fill one of the harvesters. From what Obi-Wan had been able to discern, Douro had not left his tent after he had witnessed the lift-off of the ice harvester. Sinja- Bau had not left hers either. Obi-Wan handed the macrobinoculars to Zaka. It was now or never.
"I'm going now, Zaka."
"What Je-di want Zaka to do?"
"Stay out of sight. I'll try to get back as soon as I can.
Zaka nodded and put his large, hairy hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder.
"Je-di be careful."
"I will, Zaka."
Obi-Wan slid down the embankment until he was ground level. There were some tall glow-poles scattered about the camp, but there was still enough shadows for him to hide in. He noted two armed men circling the camp, apparently on the lookout for any incursions by the Whiphids, but it was easy enough for a Jedi Knight to avoid being seen by them.
Obi-Wan steathily made his way to Sinja-Bau's tent. He ducked down as one of the guards crunched his way across the snow, heading away from the tent. Once the man had passed, Obi-Wan darted around and, opening the flap of the tent, slipped inside.
It was dark inside and at first Obi-Wan saw no sign of Sinja-Bau. Then he saw a small dark lump. He quietly made his way over to it. It was Sinja- Bau. She was sleeping and, for a moment, Obi-Wan just stared down at her.
He had seen holopictures of her in the Archives, taken when she had still been a member of the Jedi Order. In those pictures she had been a striking- looking woman, with thick white-blonde hair she had worn in braids pined about her head. Her eyes had been an alluring blue-green, set in an aristocratic face of high cheekbones, skin the color of pearl and a full, rich mouth.
Now he saw before him a gaunt-faced woman with completely white, ropey hair, sunken cheekbones and a wide, but thin mouth lined with both age and affliction. She was wearing what looked like a dull-colored gown made out of some rough cloth. He slowly knelt down and put his hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly.
"Sinja-Bau," he said softly.
She stirred, her lips working, the eyeballs under her lids moving restlessly. Obi-Wan shook her again.
"Sinja-Bau," he said again, a little louder.
The woman's eyes flew open and she stared up at him. He immediately sensed a great deal of fear flowing from him.
"It's all right. I'm not going to hurt you," he said quickly, his hands still on her shoulders.
"What....what are you?" she gasped, her eyes filled with an insane light. Her gaze roved over his wrappings of skin. "One of the snow demons? Come to take my soul?"
"No, no, my name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."
At the mention of his name, Obi-Wan thought he saw a glimmer of recognition beneath the fevered glaze of her wide, staring eyes, but it faded.
"Who are you? What are you?" she asked, her face slack with fear.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi," he repeated. "I'm a Jedi Knight."
He released her shoulders and took off his animals skins, thinking that was what was frightening her. However, when Sinja-Bau saw his black clothing and, as he showed it to her, his lightsaber, she began to scream, a high- piercing scream of unadulterated terror.
"No, no, the slaughterer of the light! The Temple in flames! The dead, broken bodies of the younglings. Dead, all of them! Now you've come for me. No, NO! Please, don't kill me. Please!"
Obi-Wan grabbed Sinja-Bau's shoulders for she was screaming at the top of her lungs. He tried to hold onto her but she struggled fiercely in his grasp. He put his hand over her mouth to quiet her, but she bit it hard. Obi-Wan jerked his hand away. Then, when he heard the sound of running feet, he tried to reach for his lightsaber, but Sinja-Bau grabbed his arm, her grip like death, apparently thinking he was drawing his weapon to strike her down with it.
"No, no, don't kill me. Please, don't kill me!" she cried as she held tightly onto his arm.
Just as Obi-Wan was able to wrench away from her, trying his best not to hurt her, the flap to the tent was snatched open and three men ran in, blasters in hand.
"Don't move you!" one of the men shouted.
The other two ran over. One held a blaster to Obi-Wan's head while the other quickly disarmed him of his lightsaber. Sinja-Bau had collapsed to her knees, her back bent, her hands clasped to her face as she shivered and moaned. Obi-Wan looked over as another man stepped into the tent. It was Douro. He was dressed in a long leather coat and thick hide boots. He stood for a moment, his solid white eyes taking in everything: Obi-Wan, his men standing guard over him, and Sinja-Bau still kneeling and keening hysterically on the floor.
"He had this, me Lord," one of the men said to Douro, handing Obi-Wan's lightsaber over to him.
Douro carefully examined the lightsaber, then his white gaze slid over to Obi-Wan.
"A Jedi Knight," he said softly. His voice was low and melodious. "How interesting."
He turned to the man who was standing next to him.
"Go to the storage shed and get those Mandalorian manacles we picked up on Zirius IV. We'll need something strong to keep this one from escaping."
The man saluted by thumping his chest, then ran off. Douro turned towards Obi-Wan. His thick square face broke into a wide, but deadly smile.
"Don't try any of your tricks while we wait for the manacles, Jedi. You may be fast, but not fast enough to dodge a blaster shot to the head."
Both of Douro's men were now holding their blasters to Obi-Wan's head, and in response to his statement, pressed them harder against his temple.
"Now, answer me this?," Douro said, his voice still low and calm. "Who are you, what are you doing here and why did you frighten poor Sinja-Bau?"
"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I came here to bring her back to the Republic."
"Back? But wasn't it you Jedi who cast her out of heaven, like some thrice- damned spirit? And now you want her back?"
"I need her help," Obi-Wan replied.
"No, no," Sinja-Bau cried, scuttling over and grabbing Douro by the knees. "He lies. He's come to kill me. He killed all the others. I saw it. The Temple in flames. The bodies burning. Now he's come for me. Blinded to the Force as I am, he still seeks my heart. He wants it as a trophy, to store with all the others. Please, don't let him kill me!"
Douro looked down at Sinja-Bau as she gazed wildly up at him. He bent down and helped her to her feet. As he did, the man who had been sent to get the manacles returned. He quickly put them around Obi-Wan's wrists. Obi-Wan looked down at them. Mandalorian manacles were made from Mandalorian iron, a virtually indestructible metal, impervious even to a lightsaber.
"Take him to one of the storage shed. Post guards. Keep a close watch," Douro said as he put his arm around the hysterical Sinja-Bau's shoulder.
The men nodded and, with their blasters now pressed against Obi-Wan's back, pushed him out of the tent. They took him to a storage shed and shoved him inside. Obi-Wan fell to his knees. Then he heard one of the men talking to the other.
"I don't trust those cuffs, even if they are made of Mandalorian iron. I heard about these Jedi Knights."
The other one nodded. "Yeah, best be sure he don't even think about escaping."
And with that both men beat Obi-Wan about the head with their blasters until he finally, blessedly lost consciousness.
---------
"Obi-Wan!"
Anakin jerked awake. He looked around the sitting room. The two Assembly guards who were assigned to guard Onara stood at attention on opposite sides of the room. Master Eo was with the other guards in Ben's nursery.
Anakin's cheeks warmed as he realized he had dozed off. Then he heard Onara cry out Obi-Wan's name again. He shot from his chair and, jerking the bedroom door open, ran into her room, the guards following. There was only one lone glow-light on in the room, a small one on her dressing table. Onara was sitting up in bed, her dark hair tussled wildly about her face, her hands pressed against her cheeks. He ran over to her.
"Onara, what's wrong?"
She didn't seem to see him. She was staring sightlessly into space, her mouth open in horror. Anakin grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
"Onara!" he cried.
She slowly turned her head and finally seemed to see him, her dark eyes focusing on his blue ones.
"Anakin?"
He nodded. "Are you all right?"
She grabbed his arms and gripped them tightly.
"Obi-Wan! I was dreaming about Obi-Wan! He's hurt, Anakin. I could feel it. He's so hurt." Tears filled her eyes, streaming down her face. "Oh, Anakin, why did he have to go?"
Anakin swallowed in a tight throat. "Onara, no one could have stopped him from going. Not if there was a chance to save you."
"I don't care about me," Onara sobbed. "It's Obi-Wan I want."
"Don't worry," Anakin said soothingly, stroking her hair as he sat next to her. "It was only a dream. Just a dream. Obi-Wan is one of the strongest Jedi in the Order. There isn't much my master can't handle. He'll be all right. And he'll return with Sinja-Bau. And she'll cure you and then you and Obi-Wan can...."
Anakin stopped. Onara still didn't know Edress was dead and she was now free. Then Anakin frowned. Free that is if Jerule didn't go through with his threat to go to the Ahjane high court and settle the matter there regarding Onara. That had been his answer to K'lia's refusal to turn her and Ben over to him. However, earlier today Simtro had told Anakin there were rumors of massive troop movements in Kindah Province. Anakin now suspected all this talk about going to court was just a smoke screen for some other strategy on Jerule's part.
He truly hoped Jerule wasn't planning to go to war to get Onara. That was certainly the last thing he and the others needed right now, what with there still being no word or sign of Lady Tsara or her whereabouts. Anakin knew that kryat dragon wasn't going to give up so easily. She had to be up to something. Then Onara sighed and, leaning over, lowered her head onto Anakin's shoulder.
"You're right, Anakin. Obi-Wan is strong. Very strong. But, if something should happen to him because of me...."
"It won't. Trust me. He'll come back. He will."
Anakin put his arm about her shoulder and, gesturing with his head for the guards to return to the sitting room, held her as she cried, her tears soaking his tunic.
He'll be back, Anakin thought. He has to come back. For all their sakes.
----------
Obi-Wan slowly opened his eyes. They were nearly swollen shut and his face was not only bruised, there were cuts on it. He was lying on his side on what felt like a carpet. He moved his head slowly so as not to further aggravate his injuries. At first all he saw were shapes and colors that seemed to run into each other. He wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed since he lost consciousness. It felt like hours. He closed his eyes and, calling upon the techniques he had learned from Qui-Gon, dissociated his mind from the pain. Once his mind was clear, he opened his eyes again. He was lying on a carpet inside a large tent. In front of him were a pair of brown hide boots. Douro's boots.
"He's conscious, Lord," he heard a man's voice.
"Lift him up so that he may look upon me."
Obi-Wan was pulled up by two pair of hands until he was standing. His wrists were still shackled with the Mandalorian manacles. Douro stared at him from where he sat on a makeshift throne comprised of a heavy metal chair draped with some rather garishly colored pieces of cloth. Obi-Wan briefly closed his eyes, suppressing a smile. If the situation weren't so dire, he would have been inclined to laugh. Douro and Big Yezun were mortal enemies, yet both had the same sense of exaggerated self-importance. And, like Big Yezun, Douro now had Obi-Wan's lightsaber in his lap.
The Arkanian continued to stare at Obi-Wan. He suspected Douro imagined his solid white-eyed gaze was intimidating. But, when you've stared into the frenzied, crazed eyes of a Nahanni Cacodemon, as Obi-Wan had done a few years ago, nothing much fazed you. He looked back at Douro, his gaze never wavering, his eyes never blinking. Finally, Douro broke eye contact. He pointed at Obi-Wan.
"Who are you?" he intoned.
"My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi," he answered through his split lips.
Douro shook his head. "No, that's now what I asked. Who are you?"
"I told you---"
"No!" Douro shouted. "Who are you! Are you the one she spoke of? The Dark One?"
Obi-Wan lowered his head and shook it.
"No," he replied, as he looked back up at Douro. "I am not. Sinja-Bau is very ill in her mind. Nothing she has said has come about. The Jedi Temple is not in flames. It still stands. There are no dead children lying in its ruins. And I am not this Dark one she speaks of."
"Then what are you doing here? You have no jurisdiction here. Toola is not a member of the Republic."
"I told you. I came for Sinja-Bau. To take her back with me."
"Why?"
"She was once a healer in the Jedi Order. I need her to save the life of a woman."
"Ah," Douro said softly as he nodded. "Now, it looks like some truth comes out from among all your lies."
He rasied his hand and, with a hard lurch of his heart, Obi-Wan saw he was holding the pendant he had been wearing. Douro opened it and pressed the bottom. Onara's and Ben's image formed in the air.
"This woman?"
Obi-Wan nodded, his throat aching. Douro tilted his head and gazed at the image of Onara as she smiled at him.
"Pretty. Is she here on Toola?"
Obi-Wan shook his head no.
"Pity. Because if she were, I would have her brought here to pleasure me. The little one would have to die, of course, being of no use to me. But I would let her live. For awhile. Until I tired of her."
Obi-Wan felt a sudden surge of red anger that nearly blinded him. He instinctively pulled against the hold the guards had on his arms, wanting only to take the pendant from Douro and put his hands around the Arkanian's thick neck.
"I do not believe you, Jedi," Douro said, ignoring Obi-Wan as he struggled in the grip of his guards. "I do not believe you traveled all this way just to save the life of this whore," he said as he gestured at Obi-Wan with the image of Onara. "That is not the Jedi way. You do not form such attachments." He closed the pendant, Onara's and Ben's image disappearing. ""So, why are you here really?"
"I told you," Obi-Wan said. "I need Sinja-Bau's help."
Douro gestured to one of the men holding Obi-Wan. He grunted as the man punched him hard in the side. Obi-Wan doubled over, the pain ripping through him. The man jerked him up erect.
"Shall I have my men beat the truth out of you, Jedi?" Douro asked.
"They can't beat out what I've already told you," Obi-Wan said through gritted teeth as he struggled to control the pain lancing through his body.
"Where is the beast who brought you here? We found its tracks in the ridge above us. Where did it go? Back to its tribe?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. He was glad to hear Zaka had gotten away. He could only imagine what Douro would have done to the Whiphid if he had captured him. Douro stared at him for a long moment. Then he abruptly stood, Obi- Wan's lightsaber and pendant still in hand.
"Take him back to the storage shed."
The guards dragged Obi-Wan out of the tent. Once inside, he waited for them to beat him into submissive unconsciousness again but, perhaps, he had worn them out the last time because they'd had to beat him for quite a while before he finally lost consciousness. Now they only tied him tightly, with some thick rope twined about with metal, to a large piece of machinery, his hands still manacled.
One of the men went to stand guard outside, when the other drew up a metal crate and sat on it, his blaster securely in hand. Obi-Wan wearily closed his eyes, struggling to master his pain. He needed to rest if he was going to find a way to escape before Douro finally did what Obi-Wan could see in his eyes he longed to do. Kill him.
To be continued....