Qui-Gon twisted his lithe body, trying to find any position that was comfortable in any slight possible hope but he had to eventually give up. He could no longer keep track of the hours that he had been here. Seeing no other option, he had gone with Scarface, surrounded by all his minions to ensure he did not try anything. He had been led to an enclosed landspeeder and from the moment he stepped into the landspeeder his mind had been clouded with a strange blankness that only the dark side of the Force could convey. When he had his wits about him again, he was tunicless and stretched to the tips of his toes with his hands manacled high above him on a short chain from the ceiling.
Taking stock of his rather bleak surroundings, he realized escape would have to come later in his captivity when he was able to glean more information about where he was and how deep underground he was. All he knew now was that he was in a primitive stone chamber that had dirt as its floor. He was also alone, which did not surprise him. A dark Force user would not be stupid enough to place him and his Padawan in the same room.
When he had tried to contact Obi-Wan through their Force link, all he had gotten was that strange buzzing feel. He could not even tell if his Padawan was awake or not, although he suspected Obi-Wan was not. What had Scarface done to Obi-Wan?
Well, he had had hours to wonder about it in his solitude.
Finally, he heard measured, unhurried footsteps coming toward the heavy wood door that was the only thing to break the monotony in his prison. Without having to focus much in the Force at all, he knew who it was that was coming to pay him a visit.
When the door opened, he found he was right.
"What right do you have to hold us prisoner?" He asked sharply, staring at Scarface with a cold, level blue gaze.
Scarface laughed harshly and spread his hands wide. "Why, no right at all, Master Jinn." He had practically spat Qui-Gon's title at him. "I was hired for a little clean-up job with the representative and, with my good fortune, ended up getting you and your little Jedi as well. I am going to absolutely love our time together."
Qui-Gon let the man's words glide over him like water, not losing his control or presence of calm. Honestly curious, he asked, "Who are you? Do I know you from somewhere? What have I done to you?"
Again, the man laughed. "You haven't done anything to me, Qui-Gon Jinn. And no, you don't know me though you did know a friend of mine. A friend who came up missing after a certain tangle with you on Arborané. Ringing any bells now?" Cocky, Scarface crossed his arms and leaned against the wall right beside the open door, waiting for Qui-Gon to figure out the pieces to the puzzle he had given him.
Qui-Gon thought for a moment. A great many things had happened on Arborané, the greatest of which he had twisted another mandate from the Temple. Yet, this man seemed to have a vendetta against him carried over from a certain person there. There had been many people there…But then, at the end, there had been…
Looking at the scar on his face more closely, Qui-Gon slowly said, "Xanatos had been there, waiting for me. He said he had a friend, and one night in an alley someone jumped me. I defended myself with my lightsaber as I stumbled back into some garbage containers and only barely caught my attacker. I had thought it was Xanatos, but when we met again he had been unharmed. I didn't have time to think of it then and I haven't since, either. Obi-Wan and I arrived from our six day journey from Arborané, had a day at the Temple to relax and was assigned to protect Representative Lamkptu. But now I remember Xanatos speaking of a friend. He bragged that he had found someone who wanted to learn to use the Force and he had taught him all he knew. You are the friend."
Scarface applauded. "Very good, Jinn. Now, I worry about your poor little Padawan. See, I shot him with a stun bolt in the head and I can't get him to wake up, no matter what I do to him. He has to be awake for what I want. Wake him up, Master Jinn. If anyone can do it, you can. I'll wait." He settled against the wall with his arms folded again.
Qui-Gon was appalled by this man's confession on what he had done to his Padawan. Any idiot with a blaster knew not to stun someone in the head—shooting the complex and fragile center of the nervous system in the brain could end up doing more damage than most people intend to do when using 'stun'.
Knowing that Scarface was impatiently waiting and that he could feel if Qui-Gon was complying or not, Qui-Gon again reached for his link to his Padawan. Again he felt that buzzing that was not normal in his Padawan's brain.
Obi-Wan, he urged. Obi-Wan, can you hear me?
He waited, but got no answer. Patiently, he tried again.
Obi-Wan! Hear me!
If his Padawan were aware, the traditional command of a Master to his Padawan would make him respond…but still nothing.
Qui-Gon, truly feeling anger stir in him now and fighting to push it away from his focus, turned to Scarface again. "He is not responding to me. You're an idiot if you thought that you're little stunt with the stun bolt was not going to harm him. He will wake when he's healed himself enough, if ever." He held back the temptation to spit at the man lounging so casually against the wall.
Scarface pushed himself off of the wall and came near enough to Qui-Gon that their noses almost touched. Tilting his head to the side, he frowned. "I don't think you tried hard enough."
Qui-Gon felt like rolling his eyes. "Even as his master there are limits to what I can make him do. He is not my puppet."
Scarface shrugged and pulled back a little from Qui-Gon. "Still, I don't think you tried hard enough so I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson, Master Jinn."
Without warning from the Force or from body language, Scarface punched Qui-Gon so hard in the face that he felt and heard his jaw crack as pain traveled from tooth to tooth to travel to his brain in white hot agony. Caught unaware, Qui-Gon's mind was in a state of shock from the pain, preventing him from blocking the thudding pain from the other blows that Scarface landed squarely in his chest and the echoing pain from his blistered arm from his earlier fight. When Scarface's knuckles were red from his effort, he switched to using his feet to kick Qui-Gon against the unyielding stone wall. As Qui-Gon swung into the stone, the stone cut the skin of his back as Scarface used his feet to punish his chest.
Qui-Gon gathered the Force around himself again with effort, trying to cushion his mind from the beating he was receiving. He was mostly succeeding when a particularly hard kick cracked two ribs on the left side of his chest simultaneously. In tune with the Force, he shuffled the pain beyond his nerves to avoid the crippling hurt that he surely would feel. Instead of feeling the pain, however, he felt one of the broken ribs push inward, aiming toward his lung. If he was kicked or punched once more in that area, the rib would puncture his lung and he would slowly suffocate.
"If you don't stop…" Qui-Gon panted. "You'll kill me before you can show my Padawan how much you've hurt me."
It had been just a guess, but evidently he was right for Scarface immediately stopped and focused in the Force to make sure Qui-Gon was not lying to him. When he was apparently satisfied, he backed toward the door, not even breathing hard.
"I'll have some water brought to you, Jinn, while I work on your apprentice," Scarface sneered. "I wouldn't want him to miss the fun."
The door slammed shut and Qui-Gon immediately sank deep into a healing trance to heal his ribs. If he did not succeed before Scarface's next visit, he might not survive to help Obi-Wan escape.