Amy: I don't really know Mace apart from what I've read in other fanfics. Thats why he doesn't feature much!
Anna: Did it work? Did it? Huh? HUH?!? I'm dying to know!! Did you manage to read it?
bored2death: Ahh, but can you save someone who has given up? How can you force someone to live when they want to die?
culf: I'm afriad that Obi isn't as flexible as he used to be.
sethoz: Yay! I get to join the cool "Kill Caleb" club! Who wants in?? [crickets heard chirping, sound of insect spray, no more cricket sounds]. Eh, I'm over Danny now but everytime he gets shot or left behind or taken hostage or trips over i just crack up laughing. He IS the whipping boy of the universe!!
Just a useless question, but what would you do if you came across a naked Obi-Wan dying of thirst in the desert? *winks* Also, just letting you know, I don't like Ewan McGregor. I'm going to get shot for saying this but i think he sings like a gaybo! [Roz is felled by a sniper]. Fan: Take that bitch!
Ah, getting closer and closer to the end!
****Picture hanging in a hallway
And a fragment of this song
Half remembered names and faces
But to whom do they belong?
- The Windmills Of Your Mind
****Obi-Wan opened his eyes and groaned softly. (No matter what I do, I seem to find myself in these types of situations way too many times.) He didn't have to strength to look around and besides, that would've hurt way too much.
As Obi-Wan had thought, Caleb had not been happy. He had shown his displeasure in the boy quite dramatically.
He had beaten the boy until he had passed out.
Obi-Wan still hung from his bonds, from the ceiling. His feet barely touched the floor and his arms creaked with the strain. As he hung there waiting for his master to return and reprimand him some more he thought about the strange turn of events.
(So Billy has a new master. Not good. But she seems to be happy and healthy. Good. Billy did get away. Good. But she got resold. Not good. I talked to Billy. Good. I got beaten. Not good. I'm still hanging from the ceiling. Not good. Another slave is going to die because of me. Not good.) Obi-Wan bowed his head and his breathing went from heavy to shallow. (It's my fault. It would be better for everyone concerned if I just died.).
Caleb entered and watched the boy with speculative eyes. (He's coming along nicely.) "So, are you ready for the second half of the punishment?" He clicked his fingers and a guard dragged a terrified slave into the room.
"No……" Obi-Wan whispered through bruised lips, "I will……..do……..anything. S-stop it….."
Caleb snickered, "So now you are coming to realise the consequences of your actions. Yet you continue to flout the rules. You know the rules and therefore must receive the punishment." The guard pushed the slave roughly to the floor and the slave looked up at the boy with scared eyes.
It was Kali. She worked in the kitchen. She was the one that Obi-Wan saw daily for his master's food. They knew each other well. Well, as well as two tentative slaves could know each other. Although, they didn't say much – they were friends. She was the only friend that Obi-Wan had in the compound. And now she was going to executed, because of him.
Caleb saw hopelessness enter the boy's eyes and his lips parted mirthlessly. "I know that you two have reached an understanding." He put his hand under the girl's chin and forced her to look up at him. Then turning her face away he whispered cruelly in her ear, "Look upon the face of the one that is to be the cause of your death. Because of this boy's stubbornness, you will die." He then forced the girl up onto her feet and shoved her face into Obi-Wan's battered one.
"Any last words to your friend slave?" Caleb snickered.
Obi-Wan tried to turn to face his master, "Master please!! Please don't! I didn't mean to! I swear I didn't. They started talking to me, I didn't want to reply but they forced me to. Please master, punish me but leave Kali out of it. This has nothing to do with her! I will willingly take the punishment but just leave her out! Please master! I will do anything!"
Caleb sighed with pleasure, "I do love it when I break a slave down to begging."
Obi-Wan's spirit didn't even twitch, it was well and truly dead. "Please master. I will do anything. I will do anything at all for you if you would spare this girl. Please….."
Caleb appeared to think over the decision, "Hmm. That is a very strong case that you put before me but I think I will……..continue." Out of nowhere a knife appeared in Caleb's hand and swiftly he cut the bond tethering the boy to the ceiling. Obi-Wan fell and caught himself hard on his knees. He remained in prostate position, hoping to please his master.
He looked up, just in time to see Caleb plunge the knife deep into the girl's chest.
The girl let out an inarticulate cry and collapsed to the ground. In a flash, Obi-Wan was at her side, cradling her head as the girl lived her last moments. Obi-Wan could only watch helplessly as the pulse beneath his fingers slowed and stopped. Kali's eyes remained open and unseeing, terror etched deeply into their irises.
"No…" the boy murmured softly and stroked her hair. Caleb stepped back and let the knife clatter to the ground beside the boy.
"Let that be a lesson to you boy. You caused her death." With that last parting shot, he left the chamber.
Long after the corpse grew cold, Obi-Wan was still kneeling on the ground, sobbing softly into the girl's pale blond hair.
"I'm so sorry…….."
****Two days passed and Qui-Gon hadn't seen his apprentice. Then suddenly, Obi-Wan appeared.
He looked sick. Deathly sick. His skin was pale and he was starvation thin. His eyes were dull and lifeless and his walk was like a zombie. He didn't even try to lift his crippled feet but dragged them across the ground. Dark bags had appeared under his eyes and his cheeks had hollowed out, giving the boy a gaunt, almost skeleton face. He was dirty and yellow bruises mottled his face. His clothes were stiff, full of dirt, grime and dried blood.
As Obi-Wan slowly turned the corner, Qui-Gon Jinn stared in horror at his retreating apprentice's back. His tunic hung in tatters and his back was a mess of black and red blood. Some of the welts were badly infected and highly inflamed.
They would've caused terrible pain but Obi-Wan Kenobi was too far gone to care. His body operated on automatic; his brain had gone into shock and shutdown. Soon his body was going to follow suit and shutdown.
In two days, his stomach wouldn't take any food and his lungs had developed a racking cough. He was continuously coughing and retching alternatively. His body was dying from within.
Even as Qui-Gon watched the boy stumbled and fell, his body heaving as it convulsed, trying to rid itself of any imaginary substances. Obi-Wan dry retched and coughed as black bile rose up his throat.
Qui-Gon was about to rush over and help his Padawan when Caleb appeared, striding quickly to the boy. He stopped as he drew level and smartly kicked the heaving boy. As Qui-Gon's anger increased the man grabbed Obi-Wan by his hair and shook him viciously. He then dropped the boy back onto the ground, as if he repulsed him and made to stride away but was stopped as the older Jedi skidded into his path.
Caleb stopped surprised, "Yes friend?"
Qui-Gon nodded down at his apprentice below him, "I want to buy him."
Caleb raised his eyebrows (So very blunt!), "I'm afraid that he is not for sale. Although……"
(An opening!) "Yes Caleb? What do you wish for in return?"
"Your young, girl slave would do nicely," Caleb countered, thinking over the profit and loss margins that he would encounter with such a decision. The young Jedi was dying, Caleb could see that. To get a pretty, healthy, young slave by trading in Obi-Wan was a good deal by any accounts.
Qui-Gon closed his eyes as he heard the offer. (I can't do that! It goes against the Jedi code. Oh no, I can't do that. I would've given anything else in the world but I can't give that………) "I'm afraid that I cannot sell her." He said his voice thick with remorse.
"Then the deal is off." Caleb made to move off but was stopped as Qui-Gon grabbed his arm.
"I will pay anything that you want!"
Caleb's eyebrows rose even higher, "Unless I get your slave, no amount of money could bribe me into selling that particular slave."
Qui-Gon was getting desperate, "You will sell me the slave." He added a heavy amount of Force control behind the command and waved his hand slightly.
Caleb chuckled, "You'd think you were a Jedi the way that you wave your hand. I will not sell him to you."
Qui-Gon cursed, (Goddamn natural barriers!!)"But he is dying, what will you do with him?"
Caleb nodded sadly, "Yes, he is dying but I have accomplished what I set out to do so I am happy. Tonight I will personally put him down."
"Put him down?"
"Yes. He was my pet. After breaking him, there is no fun in keeping him so I will just execute him. Good day friend." Caleb wrenched his arm away and strode down the hall, Obi-Wan trailing forlornly in his wake.
"Tonight, we get you out of here." Qui-Gon promised and ran swiftly back down the hall, to his room where River and Billy waited.
****River cracked his knuckles and Billy stared anxiously at the wall.
"That is the only plan that you can come up with Qui-Gon?" River demanded amazed. "After all, you are a Jedi."
"We do not have time! That monster is going to murder my apprentice tonight! We will get him out of here. I promised."
Billy sighed, "Yes, I promised too."
Qui-Gon glanced at the girl in amazement (I will not tell her about Caleb's offer. She would definitely not agree with what happened.) "That's right. You also made a promise, didn't you?"
"Yes, when I was on the ship. After 456, I mean, Obi-Wan forced me off. I promised that I would get him, and I will keep it."
"See River? Billy agrees with the plan!"
"I did not say I agree with it; it is suicidal but I will do it because I will keep my promise."
River rolled his eyes and sighed deeply, "Well, you saved my life Qui-Gon therefore I will follow what you say." He continued before Qui-Gon could interrupt, "As a free man, I will gladly follow you."
"Right, let's go." Qui-Gon briskly commanded and led the way out the door.
****(Well, this is definitely a change from the normal torture routine.) Obi-Wan thought dimly while watching the ground blur beneath him as the shoulder he was on moved rapidly over the ground.
Things had happened very quickly indeed. Obi-Wan had been kneeling in his normal position, waiting without any emotions for his master to come home when Billy and her strange group had burst in through the door, grabbed him and left.
At the moment, he was on some boy's shoulder and they were running rapidly through the forest. The shrill whine of blaster bolts filled the boy's ears as he hung limply, not caring if he lived or died.
Qui-Gon glanced around while methodically returning bolts. River was over there, firing his blaster and he had Obi-Wan slung over his shoulder. He was also covering Billy who cowered behind River. Billy wasn't armed.
Things were going to plan. They had gone to Caleb's main chamber, overridden the security devices, entered, grabbed Obi-Wan and left. The element of surprise had given them about fifteen minutes head start. Luckily, Caleb had not been in his chamber when they had grabbed the boy and although he had sounded the alarm he was nowhere to be seen.
(Maybe he got scared and ran away?) Qui-Gon's mind offered an explanation, as his body was kept busy dodging and rebounding the blaster bolts.
Night had fallen and the forest was spasmodically lit as the guards fired their blasters. The light from each bolt cast strange shadows and made seeing incredibly hard. Qui-Gon could only hope that River had great eyesight.
The fight was reaching it's maximum when the group stumbled into a large clearing. There was no way that they could out-run their pursuers; they would have to fight it out.
"FIGHT RIVER!!" Qui-Gon screamed as loud as his voice would let him and turned away, not catching the nod of acknowledgement from the young man.
"Here! Hold him!" River thrust the boy at Billy and Billy clumsily supported the boy. It had been because of his handicap that River had resorted to carrying him in the first place. "Keep down!" He hissed and turned his blaster onto the guards.
Obi-Wan's dull eyes lit up as he recognised Billy as the person that held him, "B-billy…." His mouth slurred the words as it struggled to work after being out of use for so long. "B-Billy, what are you doing? What are you doing here? Who are they? Were you recaptured? What's going on?"
Billy grinned with relief, maybe Obi-Wan wasn't too far gone, "It's a long story. I'll explain it later ok? Let's just say that they're the good guys." She pointed at River and Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon's 'saber was just a blur of light as it curved through the air.
"What's that?" Obi-Wan clumsily pointed at Qui-Gon's lightsaber, letting his curiosity get the better of him.
"Uhm, I'll tell you later! For the moment, we just got to keep out of harms way ok?"
"Sure, whatever you say Billy." Obi-Wan's eyes devoured the scene in front of him, his mind starting to function properly once again. (Is it possible that I am going to get out of here? Away from Caleb? With Billy?)
He noticed that the fight was slowing down and stood up unsteadily. Billy stood up, just to lend a hand for support when it happened.
Caleb stepped out of the bushed directly opposite the pair, aimed his blaster at Billy and fired.
****Sorry, another cliffy huh?