Qui-Gon had neither seen nor heard from his captors since he had been here in this small, dark cell. Making painfully slow progress on healing both his concussion and his broken leg, the Jedi Master noticed that the water level in the bowl was the same as when he had sunk into meditation. Sighing, he bent forward slowly, intending to dip his hands into the water and drink again to try to slack his unending thirst.
Suddenly, bright light flooded his cell, blinding him after the many hours that his eyes had seen only darkness. Rough hands lifted him and pushed him onto the stool that he had noticed several hours ago. Slowly, his eyes began to adjust to make out three forms near him, two male and one female.
The two men held him against the wall while the woman hurriedly picked up his bowl and left the dingy chamber. Once the door closed behind her and he was left alone with the men, he decided to try to discover some answers.
"Who are you? Why did you take me prisoner?"
One of the men, a brute by the appearance of him, grunted and punched him hard in the stomach. Knocking the air out of him, leaving him breathless, the man growled, "You don't ask questions, Jedi. We do the asking."
Qui-Gon nodded and forced himself to relax his body into an upright position. He could be patient and wait the questioning out. Usually, questioners gave more away in what they wanted to know than the person answering did.
The second man, with a beard of shockingly white hair, sneered and forced Qui-Gon's head back into the wall. "Why exactly are you here?"
Qui-Gon drew on the Force to give him patience not to roll his eyes. In a strained, even tone, he answered, "I was asked to come and mediate the upcoming crowning to make sure all was done fairly. I was under the impression, as was the Jedi Council, that all the electees had agreed to the Jedi coming onplanet."
The first man drew his fist back and struck Qui-Gon in the jaw. Qui-Gon had felt the blow coming but with his head pressed against the wall, he couldn't flinch or roll with it. The rock hard fist cracked his jaw and sent stars of radiating pain shooting into his head and teeth.
"You give simple answers and no fancy speeches, Jedi!" The brute yelled.
Qui-Gon felt anger flare up but quickly surpressed it. Anger would do him no good here.
"Now," the second man grunted; a malicious twinkle in his eye as he pressed down on Qui-Gon's broken leg. Qui-Gon, with his fractured jaw, couldn't even grit his teeth to block his shout of pain. "What's your real reason for being here?"
"I told you," the Jedi Master gasped out. "We were invited by…"
The brute had a particularly nasty look on his face and his skin flushed red from anger. Practically screaming at the Jedi now, he said, "Sithspit! You were sent to spy on Candidate B'runi and to pry his secrets out of his mind. Admit it!"
Qui-Gon would have laughed had the situation not been so serious. Despite the pain it caused, he allowed himself to smile. "No."
Both of the men glanced at each other, clearly not expecting his answer with his expression. Slightly confused, the second man just tightened his grip on Qui-Gon as the first man began to rain heavy blows down on every available piece of flesh within his sights. After twenty minutes of crushing blows, the two men left.
Qui-Gon, his joints aching from his assault and his leg feeling as if it were crushed meat, slumped off the stool onto his side on the ground in an eerie parody of when he had first woken here. Trying to concentrate enough on his breathing to focus into the Force, he almost didn't hear the door open.
As footsteps came near, he didn't flinch or even give the slightest inclination that he was aware of the other person's approach. The steps paused near his head and the soft sound of a bowl being placed on the floor near him came to his aching ears. After the woman's task was done, she stood there for a long time. Finally, she bent down and smoothed the long pieces of his hair that had stuck to the side of his face during his beating. In a whisper as soft as the wind, she said, "I believe you, Jedi. How can I help?"
In a tone to match hers, still not moving his cramped and bruised body, he answered, "When my Padawan and another Jedi comes, help them. In that way you can help me."
Giving no indication that she heard him, the woman stood and once again he was left alone in the darkness of a tiny cell barely big enough for him to stretch out in.
Luke and Obi-Wan both stopped in front of darkened house on North Grid Street. In contrast to all the other modest, well-lit homes, this one was a little further off of the street and all the lights were out, even the streetlamps in front of it.
"No," Obi-Wan said in disbelief. "No one can be that obvious. Even if I didn't know something had happened a few hours ago, I would still look at this house and think a criminal lurked here."
Luke smiled, almost tempted to laugh as he squatted down on his shortening legs. If he hadn't been starting to resemble a teenager, he might have actually chuckled. Instead, he replied, "Some people try too hard to make others not notice them. Or, they might be new at this kidnapping Jedi thing."
Obi-Wan snorted as he reached for his lightsaber, his eyes once again taking on a faraway look. "He's in there, somewhere," he murmured. "I can feel his pain…" The apprentice tried not to think of the jolt of fire that had lanced through his jaw no more than twenty minutes ago; an echo of a pain that his master was feeling in full relief.
Luke simply nodded; knowing that duty now called them to rescue the full grown Jedi. Standing and trying not to wince at how he was now eye-level with Obi-Wan, he pulled out his own lightsaber. As soon as his hand closed on the grip, the Force flared around him, alive and ready to give assistance if needed. He almost gasped; the Force had never been that easily found to him before. Pushing aside what that might mean for him, he started walking toward the house.
"Wait a minute!" Obi-Wan grabbed at his tunic. "You can't just walk right in there! Don't you think that they have surveillance cams?"
Luke shrugged. "If they're this sloppy on blending in, I really don't think we have much to worry about. Plus, I know the future and no part of the future of this planet ever involved the death of a Jedi so I don't think we have to worry that much." He started walking away again but called over his shoulder, "Also, Yoda always said I was reckless in my youth."
Obi-Wan stared after the retreating Jedi for a moment, his mouth open. Were all Jedi in the future as strange as this one? And did he actually train him to be this way? If so, he was going to be a bad Jedi Master in the future. Pursing his lips, he ran to catch up to Luke as the other Jedi neared the front door.
"What do you suggest?" Obi-Wan hissed. "That we knock on the front door?"
Luke tilted his head to the side for a moment, then shook his head. "Nope. We don't have to."
"What's that supposed to…" He trailed off as the door opened. Leaping away from Luke to give himself room to fight if necessary, he adjusted his grip on his lightsaber and faced the threat beyond the door.
A young woman faced them, her green eyes wide but her determination evident in her stance and through the Force. In a barely audible voice, she asked, "Are you here for the Jedi?"
Obi-Wan was puzzled and let himself relax slightly. "Yes. And you are…?"
"Someone who wants to let him escape," she answered shortly. Flicking her eyes back to Luke, she added, "But there are two others who will not."
Luke glanced at Obi-Wan and the two Jedi raised their lightsabers in salutes.
"No problem. We're ready. Lead on," Luke told her.