~*~
Wetness.
Cold.
Silence.
Darkness.
The dampness of the cell drenched her to the bones.
The only warmth came from her tears, which were sliding down her cheeks.
The only sound she could hear, were her own breath.
The only thing she could see, was the darkness, which banished all other things from her sight.
And the last hope she had, was beginning to slide from her grip like finely sand.
~*~
"But we can't abandon her to Chan. Only the force knows what he will do to her!", Obi-Wan protested.
"This could be a trap," objected Qui-Gon. "Think of what Garen said. This little boy, who contacted him…"
"Who affirmed that Danielle had done this to you," Obi-Wan interrupted and pointed to his masters wound, which had, in the last week since they had returned to the temple, healed very well.
"Exactly. He affirmed that a man had given him money for saying those things. However, he didn't see the man, but heard his voice over a Comlink. This man or someone he engaged, must have done the Attentat. In addition, the one who have done it, knows a lot about the force."
"How do you know that?"
Qui-Gon looked briefly thoughtfully around the common room of their apartment. "Before the attack started, I felt a pang in my shoulder, as if from a needle. Then I sensed, how the force slipped form my grasped."
"A force-dimmer."
Qui-Gon nodded and looked back to his apprentice. "Why should someone make such an afford and just leave us behind?", he made a thoughtfully pause. "It wasn't about us. No matter what they told you. They wanted Danielle."
"Another reason why we should free her!", Obi-Wan put in.
"We even don't know exactly, where Chan's ship is."
"Garen said, that it was seen in the Bothan rim at last. On Ando. Before that it was seen on Tynna and after that on Druckenwell. That means, they are straight on the way to the outer rim. They're goal is Kamino, Rishi, Ryloth, Geonosis or Tatooine. So we know quite exactly where they're heading for!"
"Nevertheless! It is do dangerous!", Qui-Gon said sharply. "If we don't know more about their plan, we can't do anything. The council will tell you the same."
"I don't care what the council say!", snapped Obi-Wan and rose from the couch in a start.
"Padawan!", his master admonished him. "Watch your tone and sit back down."
"No!"
"What did you say?"
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and released the upcoming rage to the force. As he reopened his eyes again, two despaired, blue-green stars looked at Qui-Gon. "But we can't leave her in the hands of this slaver. She is still thinking we lost our trust in her," said Obi-Wan quietly, the previous rage completely forgotten.
Qui-Gon rose and went to his apprentice. Encouraging, he laid his hand on Obi-Wan`s shoulder. "You have to keep your heart out of this, padawan.", he said calm. "Your feelings for this girl…"
"It is not love, master," Obi-Wan interrupted cautiously. "It's something else. I don't know exactly what it is. I…I sense when she suffers. Without the force. It's like…like a shared soul."
Qui-Gon sighed. "But this changes nothing, Obi-Wan. We can't save her at the moment."
Obi-Wan tore his shoulder free from the hand of his master. "You don't want to understand me, do you? She is SUFFERING!"
"Padawan, calm down," Qui-Gon admonished him.
"No, I won't calm down. Not before we found her. You didn't calm down, either, as Tahl was abducted."
"That has nothing to do with this!", Qui-Gon answered sharp.
"Yes it has. You don't want me to save Danielle, because you couldn't save Tahl!", Obi-Wan shouted at him.
"I couldn't save her, because I had to look out constantly, that YOU don't MESS UP something again!"
Obi-Wan backed one step away and reduced his eyes to small slits. His voice was cold as ice as he spoke. "No, you couldn't save her, because you were not able to listen to your feelings. Therefore she died. Because of your stubbornness."
With a quick move, Qui-Gon had gripped him by the collar and pressed him against the wall. Obi-Wan was totally surprised and just stared at him. They stood face to face. Qui-Gon's eyes were hard, his voice a quiet hiss full of rage. "You will never talk to me like this, Xanatos."
Obi-Wan drew a sharp breath. He stared at Qui-Gon with wide eyes. His master just stared back with a hard gaze. Only as a glistening tear glided down Obi-Wan's cheek, he realized what he had said. Abruptly he let go of Obi-Wan and backed away one step. He looked everywhere but in his apprentice's eyes, who tried with all his power, to stop the trembling of his entire body.
Qui-Gon opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he whirled around and stormed out of the apartment.
"Oh force," Obi-Wan whispered, as he glided down the wall. He drew his legs to his chest and buried his head in his arms. As he slowly rocked forth and back, the only sound that was heard in the quite apartment, were the heart- wrenching sobs of a despaired soul.
Wetness.
Cold.
Silence.
Darkness.
The dampness of the cell drenched her to the bones.
The only warmth came from her tears, which were sliding down her cheeks.
The only sound she could hear, were her own breath.
The only thing she could see, was the darkness, which banished all other things from her sight.
And the last hope she had, was beginning to slide from her grip like finely sand.
~*~
"But we can't abandon her to Chan. Only the force knows what he will do to her!", Obi-Wan protested.
"This could be a trap," objected Qui-Gon. "Think of what Garen said. This little boy, who contacted him…"
"Who affirmed that Danielle had done this to you," Obi-Wan interrupted and pointed to his masters wound, which had, in the last week since they had returned to the temple, healed very well.
"Exactly. He affirmed that a man had given him money for saying those things. However, he didn't see the man, but heard his voice over a Comlink. This man or someone he engaged, must have done the Attentat. In addition, the one who have done it, knows a lot about the force."
"How do you know that?"
Qui-Gon looked briefly thoughtfully around the common room of their apartment. "Before the attack started, I felt a pang in my shoulder, as if from a needle. Then I sensed, how the force slipped form my grasped."
"A force-dimmer."
Qui-Gon nodded and looked back to his apprentice. "Why should someone make such an afford and just leave us behind?", he made a thoughtfully pause. "It wasn't about us. No matter what they told you. They wanted Danielle."
"Another reason why we should free her!", Obi-Wan put in.
"We even don't know exactly, where Chan's ship is."
"Garen said, that it was seen in the Bothan rim at last. On Ando. Before that it was seen on Tynna and after that on Druckenwell. That means, they are straight on the way to the outer rim. They're goal is Kamino, Rishi, Ryloth, Geonosis or Tatooine. So we know quite exactly where they're heading for!"
"Nevertheless! It is do dangerous!", Qui-Gon said sharply. "If we don't know more about their plan, we can't do anything. The council will tell you the same."
"I don't care what the council say!", snapped Obi-Wan and rose from the couch in a start.
"Padawan!", his master admonished him. "Watch your tone and sit back down."
"No!"
"What did you say?"
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and released the upcoming rage to the force. As he reopened his eyes again, two despaired, blue-green stars looked at Qui-Gon. "But we can't leave her in the hands of this slaver. She is still thinking we lost our trust in her," said Obi-Wan quietly, the previous rage completely forgotten.
Qui-Gon rose and went to his apprentice. Encouraging, he laid his hand on Obi-Wan`s shoulder. "You have to keep your heart out of this, padawan.", he said calm. "Your feelings for this girl…"
"It is not love, master," Obi-Wan interrupted cautiously. "It's something else. I don't know exactly what it is. I…I sense when she suffers. Without the force. It's like…like a shared soul."
Qui-Gon sighed. "But this changes nothing, Obi-Wan. We can't save her at the moment."
Obi-Wan tore his shoulder free from the hand of his master. "You don't want to understand me, do you? She is SUFFERING!"
"Padawan, calm down," Qui-Gon admonished him.
"No, I won't calm down. Not before we found her. You didn't calm down, either, as Tahl was abducted."
"That has nothing to do with this!", Qui-Gon answered sharp.
"Yes it has. You don't want me to save Danielle, because you couldn't save Tahl!", Obi-Wan shouted at him.
"I couldn't save her, because I had to look out constantly, that YOU don't MESS UP something again!"
Obi-Wan backed one step away and reduced his eyes to small slits. His voice was cold as ice as he spoke. "No, you couldn't save her, because you were not able to listen to your feelings. Therefore she died. Because of your stubbornness."
With a quick move, Qui-Gon had gripped him by the collar and pressed him against the wall. Obi-Wan was totally surprised and just stared at him. They stood face to face. Qui-Gon's eyes were hard, his voice a quiet hiss full of rage. "You will never talk to me like this, Xanatos."
Obi-Wan drew a sharp breath. He stared at Qui-Gon with wide eyes. His master just stared back with a hard gaze. Only as a glistening tear glided down Obi-Wan's cheek, he realized what he had said. Abruptly he let go of Obi-Wan and backed away one step. He looked everywhere but in his apprentice's eyes, who tried with all his power, to stop the trembling of his entire body.
Qui-Gon opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he whirled around and stormed out of the apartment.
"Oh force," Obi-Wan whispered, as he glided down the wall. He drew his legs to his chest and buried his head in his arms. As he slowly rocked forth and back, the only sound that was heard in the quite apartment, were the heart- wrenching sobs of a despaired soul.
