Disclaimer- Xanatos belongs to Dave Wolverton (or Jude Watson?)

Err… short part, sorry.

113 reviews… woah, you guys are too sweet! And now, the next part!

~Blazer~

August 5, 2002

BREATHE

PART TEN:

REVALATION

"He'll be rescued immediately," Queen Amidala said resolutely.

Qui-Gon ran a hand through his hair. "Queen Amidala, I strongly suggest you move to your sister's house. We only have four speeders. You must leave now, Your Majesty."

"I don't care, Master Jinn," Amidala said. "General Kenobi must be rescued. It's been two hours all ready and you can't be sure what they've done to him. And may I remind you the last hour has been spent debating? We have four speeders, yes, so I want to send some of the injured along."

"I strongly discourage that, Your Majesty," Qui-Gon replied. "Getting you to a safe place should be out top priority."

"Getting Obi-Wan back should be out top priority. But since we're not dealing with what we should do, Obi-Wan is our top priority. That means we need to send a force back to the palace to figure out where he is." Before he could open his mouth she went on. "That could also serve as a double use. One, we get Obi-Wan. Two, we find out who's attacking and why. Third, we make a plan to retake the palace."

"No," Qui-Gon answered.

Amidala raised her head. She seemed ten feet taller than normal. "I believe I am Queen here, Master Jinn. I respect your opinion greatly. I revere it, in fact, but at these times following through with logic and my heart is important to me."

"Sis, I'd go with Qui-Gon," Sola said, stepping up from behind her sister to stand next to her. She looked at Qui-Gon fondly. "Master Qui-Gon has your best interests in mind, and I suggest you take notice of his concern." She looked at Amidala sternly.

Amidala made a face. She glanced at Kikerio. "Lieutenant, will you take a force to rescue General Kenobi?"

Qui-Gon turned to look at the Lieutenant disapprovingly. He had little doubt that Amidala didn't know how Kikerio and Obi-Wan felt about each other. She probably saw the affection between them as being best friends. Qui-Gon had seen the two steal away for those short five minutes. They were more than friends, he knew. He didn't want Kikerio going to rescue Obi-Wan. She would let her emotion turmoil in her mind and she would make a rash judgment, Qui-Gon knew.

For second Qui-Gon saw Kikerio hesitate and he was stunned and impressed. He probed her emotions quickly and knew she had been thinking the same as him. Amidala had done her homework before she had promoted Kikerio to Lieutenant.

A second later, however, Qui-Gon knew Kikerio had succumbed to her love and loyalty to Obi-Wan, for she answered, "of course, my Queen." She was now glowing with confidence and contentment. He could see the yearning on her face to be at Obi-Wan's side.

Satisfied, the Queen looked to Qui-Gon. "Master Jedi, here is my proposal: I will go to Sola's house along with her, Anakin, and this injured being." She gestured to the man Ramilion was bandaging and poking. "Lieutenant Kikerio will head to the palace to rescue Obi-Wan. I'll send some men to find more bikes to use."

"What would you like me to do?" Qui-Gon asked grimly.

"I wish for you and Corporal Je'Tra to go the NAR HQ."

"The what?"

"The Naboo Army Reserve HQ. I would like you to assemble them. Tell them to make an invisible barrier around Theed. I'll be in contact with you constantly. And while I am at Sola's, I will figure out who is invading." She scowled. "The retaking of the palace will have to come later, and as a last resort. I don't want a repeat of what happened during the blockade."

Qui-Gon frowned. He didn't like the idea of risking Kikerio and her men to save Obi-Wan. The former Jedi wasn't worth the cost of lives that would surely come, but he couldn't say that. And what bothered him most was being separated from Anakin, especially since this was his first mission. This would be putting a lot of pressure on the boy.

"And since we know that Obi-Wan is being held at the palace, at least we don't have to search," Sola said helpfully. Qui-Gon didn't add that it had been a pain following the fast moving speeder. Only by luck had the speeder gotten lost, allowing Qui-Gon and Kikerio to catch up when they stopped and asked a patrol for directions.

Resolving to her plan, he nodded. "But I'm asking you to wait until you get a bit of light to move, Your Majesty. It's still far too dark."

The Queen nodded. "I will. But the longer you stay the farther Obi-Wan slips. Lieutenant, please move out immediately." Her eyes suddenly lit up and she smiled. "Master Jedi, if I may ask…"

"Yes?" Qui-Gon said, hoping his irritation wasn't showing.


"I want to go with you to the NAR headquarters."

~*~*~*~

Obi-Wan's leg was killing him.

For a while he kept his mind on other things, such as Kikerio and his relationship with his former Jedi Master. But slowly the pain had worsened. It had started out as a dull throb but now he couldn't move without wanting to scream.

He couldn't walk anyway. He had taken the bandage off his ankle to clot some other bleeding cuts and the ankle had puffed. His torn calf was constantly feeling as if someone had just ate a big hold through his leg. Worst yet, it was his right braced leg, and the bulk of the brace made his leg feel as though a million pounds were sitting on him.

He got so fed up that he unlatched the brace and set it beside the cot within easy reach. He had wiped the blood away best he could, but he still looked like a walking speeder accident. Still hot with pain, he had fallen into a restless and dreamless sleep, despite his misgivings about it.

He woke to a jangle of keys as the guard passed them on to another man who took up his post. Strictly the professional, the new sentry didn't even glance at Obi-Wan and when the former Jedi called out him, he didn't even flinch. He fell asleep again, exhaustion giving him no dreams.

This sleep was rudely awakened an hour later when the rusted cell door slid open. Five guards were standing outside the cell as Obi-Wan looked at them incoherently. One woman came in and told him in a quiet voice to stand up. She had glanced at the brace and he fumbled to put it on. His flesh cried out whenever he moved, and he bit his lip.

"Come," she said, keeping her blaster on him. His back ached as he stood and hobbled towards the door, hoping fervently that he didn't fall. The guards would probably take that as aggressive action and shoot him. Well, actually, death was looking quite promising to Obi-Wan now, taken that death didn't have any pain once it was over.

They shackled him behind his back and prodded him with their blasters to get him moving. There were two in front, two in back, and one behind the back ones. He noticed grimly that the cellblock was empty.

The lights hurt his eyes. The loud grating of their boots hurt his ears. Obi-Wan walked slowly and deliberately, keeping most weight on his left leg and other twisted ankle. His entire body throbbed steadily, and he had to let out a few moans from time to time.

They took him to the floor level of the palace. These lights were lit dimly, and he could see faint traces of light from the outside. He was astonished. He had spent the entire night in the cell. How had that happened? How could it? It seemed to him that no time had passed.

He gritted his teeth when he realized they were heading up the stairs. Yippee. More pain for his battered and tired body to endure.

When they reached the second floor they swung a left towards the stairwell heading to the third floor. He was becoming uneasy. What did they want from him? Who were these people? Mercenaries? It couldn't be Nakor, but maybe Nakor had hired someone. Nakorians were naturally short beings and they had a silver tint to their skin from living so close for so long to cobalt mines. Cobalt made up most of the planet's decadent income.

They would know his nature, he thought. They would know his strengths, his weaknesses, and his friends. His eyes darted towards the darkened third floor as the men marched him up. They would know everything. They had known where he lived. They knew he was a former Jedi. They knew what he had done; they knew what he had done…

"Where are we going?" he dared to ask. There was silence and one of them slapped him on the back with the butt of his blaster. Obi-Wan took the hint.

He was suddenly aware of a dark power in the Force. He blinked and tapped into it, using his feeble powers to lash into the darkness. But as he tore through the darkness he finally came to point that was shielded. He rammed the shield with his power, but all that came out of it was a headache. He was astonished that there was Force-user somewhere around.

It wasn't Qui-Gon; that was for sure. Qui-Gon did not have this dark power, and Obi-Wan couldn't remember him being this powerful. Still, the Force signature seemed familiar…

"Room 27," a man at the front grunted. "This it?" There was a slight accent in the man's tone, and Obi-Wan realized it had been in the female's voice as well. What planet had beings with accents, besides his home world?

As he was racking his brain to think of the planets with accented humans, someone had opened the door to Room 27 and they were starting to probe him into it. He stumbled along, the ends and butts of their rifles stabbing him in the back.

He felt cool air rush him and send a chill stalk up and down his body. The room was darkened, and no matter how he tried, his eyes wouldn't adjust. They stopped once they were in the room, and they didn't light a glow rod.

Room 27…Obi-Wan didn't know room that was, but he had kept a loose count of the doors going down the hall. This room should be a draw room that Amidala rarely used. Apparently they were just numbering the rooms. He stiffened. That seemed disrespectful, at least to him.

"Leave us," a voice suddenly rasped out through the darkness.

Obi-Wan gasped. He stumbled back in shock, bumping into the guard behind him. They took the movement as aggression and three of them slapped him at once, knocking him to the ground. He rolled around and struggled to get to his feet.

"Leave him here and shackled," rasped the voice again. "Leave now. Leave one guard at the door."

As silently as they had come in, the guards left, with Obi-Wan rolling on the ground. He ended up back on his stomach and he stuck his neck out, struggling to see in the dark.

"Welcome, Obi-Wan," said the same voice.

He couldn't respond.

"Do you not respond to Obi-Wan?" The voice had a slight ting of laughter. " Well what do you respond to? Murderer?"

That snapped Obi-Wan out of his shock. His voice was harsh. "I'm not a murderer."

"Get up. I don't think you'll run."

"You don't know me," Obi-Wan spat at him.

A small peel of laughter echoed in the dark room. "Oh, I think I know you well enough."

"You don't know me at all, Sidious."

~*~*~*~

The NAR headquarters were surprisingly large and everyone was calm except for a few young men who were running around crazily, searching for a leader. There was an old man, actually, who seemed to be in charge, but it was apparent the young men didn't trust him at all.

When Amidala entered a hush fell onto the room as she made her way towards a desk. Qui-Gon, Anakin, and Je'Tra flanked her. The Queen boosted herself onto the desk and smiled at them. Many of them were nervous, Qui-Gon noted with a click of his tongue.

"Hello, soldiers!" Amidala said quietly. The NAR HQ was a large single story house with hidden panels that concealed many weapons. The men were armed with blasters and blaster pistols as well as shields. The room they were in was packed, and there were some soldiers in the adjoining one, straining to hear.

"Thank you for not fleeing," she declared. "Your courage is inspiring. I am honored to be in your presence. I wasn't originally going to be here. I was going to be in my sister's house hiding. Unlike you, I did not have the courage to come here without Jedi protection." She waved her hand in Qui-Gon's direction.

Qui-Gon had to admire her political skill. He could see that the men were now looking younger and eager. She was making a good speech, even if some of it was a lie. He had no doubt she would have come here in the middle of a civil war in which mines and blasters and cannons were being fired at her in an area with no cover.

"But I am here now, thanks to a bit luck. I was planning to leave the city, but the gods have blessed me and have allowed me to come. And now I'm here to discuss what has happened to the city of Theed and our course of action. You are being called again to be brave.

"We must not let anyone inside of Theed. No one must come in. If they go out, they shall go. But we must set up a barrier that cannot be broken. I will make a map of where you are to go and what you are to do." She waved her hand towards Je'Tra. "This is Corporal Je'Tra Narbris. He will lead you."

What happened next surprised Qui-Gon. There were a few angry murmurs and then someone from the other room shouted, "where is General Kenobi? We trained under him, not that…kid." There were shouts of agreement. Qui-Gon was surprised to learn that.

Je'Tra took it well, Qui-Gon had to admit. He kept his head bowed, his ears pink and a flush in his face. Je'Tra did actually look a bit like a young man ill-prepared to lead a pack of sheep, let alone a small army.

Amidala's face grew a bit angry. "Corporal Narbris is as well prepared to do this job as General Kenobi." She looked in the room with a dirty look. "But if you must know, General Kenobi was captured by the enemy. Mind you, we don't know who the enemy is." She saw their stunned expressions. "We're making a plan to rescue General Kenobi, if that makes any of you feel any better."

There were still murmurs and Qui-Gon realized how well known Obi-Wan was to this company. The Jedi knew that Obi-Wan had been well loved on Naboo by the Queen, but it was apparent he was also respected in the community.

Still a bit stunned, Qui-Gon listened as Amidala outlined her plan. Once she was finished and the men were lining up to receive their positions, she came up to Qui-Gon. "I think Je'Tra can handle this," she said, nodding across the room where the Corporal was handing out slips of paper and barking instructions. "But would you stay to make sure everyone gets to their positions? This is Je'Tra's first position as a leader. He's a follower."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty. Once they are in their positions, I will join you at your sister's."

Amidala smiled. "Good. I'm sure one of these men will give you their speeder bike. Leave Je'Tra here in charge once everything is finished." She glanced at her chrono. "I believe I can leave now. It should be getting to be light." Her gaze went to Anakin. "C'mon, Annie."

Qui-Gon gave an affirmative nod. "Be careful, Anakin. Keep the Queen safe. I'll be in touch. Remember, listen to the Force and trust your senses."

"Yes, Master." Anakin was solemn and eager at the same time.

"May the Force be with you," Qui-Gon called as they started to leave.

"May the Force be with you, Master," Anakin called back.

~*~*~*~

"I think this will hold," Je'Tra said proudly. "Everyone is at their position."

"Good," Qui-Gon said, heaving himself upon the speeder a man had let him borrow. "Then I'll see you later. Good luck. May the Force be with you. I'll be in touch."

"Uh…sure," Je'Tra said.

Qui-Gon clicked on the engines and zoomed away.

~*~*~*~

The map Kikerio had given him wasn't hard to follow and he reached Sola's house in two hours. He had used the Force and his head was aching dully. He dismounted and quickly ran towards the large olive colored house. He felt out through the Force and was comforted that Anakin was waiting for him. He entered.

The house seemed bare. "Anakin!" he yelled.

There was pounding of footsteps and Anakin came running down the large stairwell. His face was slightly pale. Qui-Gon's smile was erased when he saw the unease in his Padawan's eyes. He sensed something was wrong now that he had reason to wonder. "What is it?" he demanded. "What's wrong?"

Anakin seemed a bit reluctant to talk. "The Queen is distraught, Master. Something was sent to her…I think you should see it."

"What is it?" Qui-Gon demanded again.

The Padawan looked at him with sad eyes. "Please, Master…I think if you see it you'll understand. The Queen is upstairs. Everyone is. Sola's husband and some other men are acting as guards. They were hidden and didn't attack because I told them to be on the lookout for you."

Qui-Gon nodded approvingly as he moved up the stairs. "Very good, Padawan."

"We weren't expecting you until around ten," Anakin rambled for no particular reason.

"I made good time."

They entered a small room where Queen Amidala was laying on the bed, her eyes watery and scared. Sola was at her side, her own eyes a bit sad and watery. When Amidala saw Anakin come in with Qui-Gon in tow she blinked and wiped her eyes in an attempt to fix herself up. She stood shakily up and walked over to him.

Qui-Gon was now deeply disturbed. Whatever had happened had unnerved both Queen Amidala and Anakin. They were both strong souls. Whatever had scared the two of them must have hit close to home.

"Qui-Gon," Amidala said in an emotion-choked voice. Her eyes were raw and had not completely banished all her tears. He could see wet patches on her shoulders. She was pale and looked so young and frail. There were tear tracks down her cheeks that went all the way to her throat. Her hair was tangled and hung in a sloping way down the sides of her head. The front strands were wet.

"Qui-Gon," she said again. She blinked, closed her eyes, and steadied herself. "I don't know how they got Sola's address…" She hiccuped. "I don't even know who they are…maybe you will…for star's sakes, Qui-Gon, it's awful!" A thin line of tears slid out.

She pushed past Qui-Gon and went to a nook in the wall. She rolled out a tray that was a meter from the ground. On it sat a hologram projector. Sola and she rolled the bed against the other wall so Qui-Gon could stand directly in front of the slide.

Task completed Sola crashed to the bed. Anakin stood watch at the door, looking out so he didn't have to look in.

Amidala's hands trembled as she activated the projector. "I can't believe this…" she whispered. "It's so horrible…" Whatever had been sent to her had defiantly sent Amidala out of her mature mode back to her little girl one. She took out a disk and inserted it into the projector. Then she backed up to the bed as if she had just touched a corpse.

At first the only image that appeared was that of a little black square. He could feel Sola and Amidala tensing behind him. Qui-Gon could even sense apprehension from his apprentice at the door. The Master looked back and saw that Anakin was struggling not to look in the room.

When Qui-Gon turned back to the projector an image had formed. He stepped back, stunned and oddly angry. His hands clenched in his cloak. He saw red for a fleeting moment and then chastised himself.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was chained to a pole, his arms high over his head. He was a bloody mess with long slashes on his abdomen showing through the torn material of his tunic. His hair was matted with red and there was a small puddle of it at his feet. He was unconscious, his head hanging limply to one side. He looked like a walking train wreck. Qui-Gon could see no part of his former Padawan's body that wasn't covered even lightly in blood.

"Is he…?" Qui-Gon let the question trail. He wasn't even sure what answer he would prefer.

"He's breathing," Anakin said in a small voice. "I checked. Keep watching. We can't make any sense of this."

A man suddenly appeared in the image. He walked to Obi-Wan's side, keeping his face hidden. Once he was at the man's side, the black clad figure removed a dagger from his cloak and, keeping his face still hidden, displayed it for the recorder.

Qui-Gon gasped. The dagger was blood stained with an ivory handle with intricate designs carved in. Qui-Gon knew that weapon well. He had pondered long as if to buy it or not, finally deciding to buy it. It had been his last gift to his former apprentice. The young man had been very pleased, if not thrilled, with the gift.

"I'll keep this always," he had vowed to Qui-Gon.

Had he? There was no mistaking the handle.

The black clad man raised the dagger to Obi-Wan's throat slowly. He sliced the tender skin gently and a thin trail of dark blood started to drip. Amidala gave a strangled cry and Sola whimpered. Qui-Gon kept his eyes glued to the image.

"We won't kill him," said the man. "Not yet. We still need him…for awhile." Suddenly the hood went back and Qui-Gon thought he was hallucinating. "Qui-Gon, he has powers not even you can imagine. Not you or anyone else. I hope when you get this you realize what you let slip through your fingers."

The man turned and traced the dagger's edge along Obi-Wan's chin. He sighed heavily. "It is so sad, isn't it, Qui-Gon? Your worst failure will be my greatest prize. Pity, really. You never knew what you had. Life's ironic like that, Qui-Gon. "

The man gave a wicked laugh. "No, we won't kill him, not yet. We still need him. But imagine what will happen when he awakes and has to do what we want him to do…just like he killed that poor boy three years ago. Friend of yours? Nield, wasn't it?"

Another wicked laugh. "Well, anyhow, I hope this leaves an image in your mind of our power. I'll say this once: Naboo is just a bonus." He jerked his head to Obi-Wan. "We only came here for him. Once everything is done, Naboo won't be here anymore, and neither will you, Qui-Gon. Don't worry. Relax. This invasion's going to be peaceful unless it has to be otherwise. "

The man smiled and the scar on his cheek lifted. "Call for your Jedi friends if you want to. By the time they get here it'll be too late anyway. He'll be dead," the man motioned to Obi-Wan," and so will you. Life's grand, huh, Qui-Gon?"

The man turned and sliced a gash on Obi-Wan's chin. "Maybe he'll get a scar, too," the man said pleasantly as the image got fuzzy and ended.

Immediately Anakin came in the room, his eyes wide. "Master, they sent something else…" He lowered his eyes and from his tunic produced a small packet. "They sent it on a chip but I put it in a bag…"

The small packet was full of blood.

Shock was apparent on Qui-Gon's features as he took the packet. "Who was that?" Sola cried out.

Qui-Gon ducked his head, anger and confusion drilling in him.

"His name is Xanatos," he said quietly.

~*~*~*~

Obi-Wan tensed as he heard footsteps approach him. He tried to wiggle away, but strong hands grabbed his upper arms and brought him up roughly. The being was taller than he was, and his hands were much more callused and rough on Obi-Wan's tunic.

The other being pushed Obi-Wan forward roughly and then had to grab the man by the cuffs so he didn't fall. Snarling, the being kept his hand clasped on the shackles and dragged Obi-Wan after him. Obi-Wan had trouble walking backwards, so he kept sagging. The being cuffed him in the head, leaving him stunned.

"You were always slow, Hyra," Sidious said scornfully as Obi-Wan was dragged up what seemed like a platform of some kind. The other being pushed him to his knees and left him, giving a growl of annoyance. "Turn on a light," Sidious instructed the being. "A small one."

"What do you want?" Obi-Wan growled, staying on his knees, slightly hunched. "I've done what you wanted. You said you'd leave me alone!" His voice was angry and hot. "I did everything you asked! You took it all ready, all right? I don't have it anymore!"

Sidious sighed. "Isn't it sad?" he asked mournfully. "I really did want to leave you alone, Obi-Wan, really, I did. But things don't always end up the way we want them to do, now do they? And sometimes we get double-crossed."

"I never double-crossed you," Obi-Wan answered. "There was no catch. You took what you wanted. I didn't even want it in the first place."

A small light flickered on across the room, lightly Obi-Wan dimly. He had had his gaze on the floor, but now he looked up and saw a figure in black sitting upon a large chair. His hood was hiding his eyes and face, his chin the only thing visible. The hood sent weird shadows on the chin, and it unnerved Obi-Wan.

He was, after all, on a wooden platform. He turned his eyes to the side and saw the other being approaching slowly. He drank in his surroundings. Three large porcelain poles holding the roof circled the perimeter of the room. He saw four windows covered by heavy drapes. To his despair he could make out only one exit, and that was one he had entered from.

"I believe you did double-cross me," Sidious said. His voice was still calm and unrelenting. "Yes, I took the gift from you, but only after you did your task. You see, contrary to popular belief, I do have a certain compassion for the young beings I must have killed."

"Nield didn't have to be killed!" Obi-Wan burst out savagely. "He was no one!"

"And that is where you are wrong, my young Jedi," the Sith Lord said.

"I am not a Jedi!" Obi-Wan said as if his whole life depended upon not being a Jedi.

He could almost see the eyebrow Sidious was sure to be rising. "Perhaps not by title, but I know it is what you yearn for in your heart."

"I am not a Jedi," Obi-Wan repeated.

"Why? You earned the right; you passed the trials, young though you were. Just because you left the Order should not take that away."

"What are you playing?" Obi-Wan demanded. "What is it you want?"

"Oh, yes, right. Where were we? Oh, oh, yes. Your poor friend, Nield. It was such a sad thing. You do realize I wouldn't have had him killed if I didn't have a reason. I had a very good reason, although I'm not sure you need to know."

"There is no reason anyone has to die," Obi-Wan said.

"Jedi preaching?" The Sith Lord seemed disgusted. "I would have thought you had given that up by now. Jedi philosophy is so boring."

"It is not preaching," Obi-Wan said hotly. "It is galactic truth."

"You keep taking me off the subject," Sidious said with disapproval. "What you don't realize is that Nield was your good friend."

"Oh, I think I realize that," Obi-Wan said with a taunt in his voice.

"And that you once left the Order for him, and that stupid girl," Sidious continued.

"She wasn't stupid!" Obi-Wan shouted.

Sidious laughed. "Oh, yes, how quick you are to anger. It is almost amusing. However, I don't have time to be amused. You will either let me talk or learn nothing. Do you understand me, Obi-Wan?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied.

"Good. Now, about Nield…that boy was a weakness and I did you a favor by killing him-"

"You didn't kill him!" Obi-Wan screamed. "You made me!"

"Hyra," Sidious said in disapproval. The other being came out from the shadows to stand at Obi-Wan's side. He reared his leg and a hard force slammed into Obi-Wan's side, knocking him over. A cry of pain sliced the air as the being disappeared back into the shadows.

"I told you not to interrupt," Sidious said. Obi-Wan bit his tongue to keep in his smart retort. He wouldn't be able not to scream if he received another kick.

"Weaknesses are always played upon," Sidious was saying. "I got rid of one of yours. I made you less vulnerable."

This time Obi-Wan could not keep in his reply. "You made me kill him because you just wanted to show the forsaken control you had over me! You made me kill him for your sick pleasure! You made me kill him for no reason! You threatened everyone if I didn't! You don't care about anyone, you stupid, sick-"

He felt someone come up behind him and crouch down. He jerked away, but hands grabbed him. A cloth was pressed against his mouth and nose. He breathed, but then realized what was happening and stopped, but it was too late.

He struggled for a while, but the cloth wouldn't move, and he had to breathe. His kicks grew slower and his jerks less violent and fast. He could feel his eyes closing, his mind drifting off.

"He's so ignorant," he heard Sidious sigh.

Then his eyes closed and darkness blanketed him gently.

~*~*~*~

HA! I bet you didn't see Sidious coming! Actually, you probably did.