Title: Hidden Shadows Seeking Light
Rating: I wish I knew. I am putting it at PG-13 just because I don't know any better and would rather err on the safe side.
Genre: Drama/Mild Angst
Feedback: I would love to get feedback on this story. I would appreciate it if everyone would put down their flame throwers though because this is only my second time out and I know I made mistakes on the first story and have no doubt I will make many on this one. I need constructive criticism so that I will get better not mean comments that will only serve to make me cry. I thank each and every one of the readers who take the time to review this story. I love fan fiction and hope to write stories that can entertain others as much as their stories have entertained me.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. They are, were and will always belong to Mr. George Lucas creator of an amazing universe. Not only does this story contain elements of the universe that Mr. Lucas created but also the Alternate Universe (AU) found in a wonderful story called An Untimely Frost by CYNICAL21.
Just to a little guide as to what things mean:
/-/ Bond thought //-// Private thought "-" Speaking aloud
************************************************************
Mace entered the Healers' Wing and immediately found Master Yoda standing outside an examining room door.
"Who is injured?" He asked concern evident in his voice.
"Anakin Skywalker." Yoda replied but Mace could tell that there was more here than the Master was revealing.
"How badly is he hurt?" He asked focusing on the older Master.
"No visible injuries has he sustained but internally he will bear the scars permanently." Mace forcibly exhaled.
"Where are the others?" He asked looking around fully aware of how many times Obi-Wan had been injured in the past and that Qui-Gon had seldom ever willingly left the boy's side until he was fully recovered.
"Pursuing the sith they are. Hoping to locate the whereabouts of my Padawan they are." Yoda seemed distracted. "Not far is he. Feel him now I can." The Master opened his eyes and stared into the dark eyes of Mace Windu.
"Much I have to tell you, but for now we must be cautious as to whom we trust." He glanced about. "Close is this sith."
Mace took in their surroundings reaching out to see if he could sense the sith near them.
"Master Yoda I sense nothing." Yoda nodded thoughtfully.
"Beginning I am to believe that much we on the Council have missed. Open my eyes are now. Not sure am I though if seeing this in time to reverse all that is coming." He shook his head and lowered his gaze.
The door to the examining room opened and a healer exited without speaking to either Master. With the Force dampening collar in her hand she made her way into the chief healer's office.
"I thought Obi-Wan and Anakin were rescued together." Mace interrupted the other Master's thoughts. So much was happening Mace felt he was missing huge pieces of the puzzle.
"Together they were. Tricked we were. Disguised himself as Obi-Wan he did and left my padawan aboard the ship. Course was set for Coruscant. Once we discovered our failing decided we did to continue the rouse hoping the sith would lead us to our missing Knight. Adi and Qui-Gon are following him as we speak. " Yoda sighed revealing how truly exhausted he was.
"Excuse me you must. Talk with young Skywalker I will. Much that boy has to decide. Much the Council as well. Rely on the Force we must or all will be lost." Yoda made his way into the boy's room. Mace watched as the door closed behind him. Before he had a moment to process all that Yoda had revealed his comlink chirped causing him to jump in spite of himself. Sighing he activated it.
"Windu." His voice seemed heavy with the weight of the universe.
"Master Windu. It's Qrrqui. We have the signal on the scope now. It seems to be coming from an abandoned import facility close to the Senate Building. It is on the ground level perhaps one or two levels above but no more. It seems to be severely dampened."
"Good work Padawan." Mace replied. "I will be there momentarily." He quickly entered a new frequency into his comlink.
"Jinn." He heard and was relieved that he had remembered the right numbers.
"Qui-Gon. It's Mace. We've picked up a Jedi homing signal. It began shortly but now is on the scope. I thought maybe it might be our Obi-Wan."
"Where is it coming from?" Mace could hear the relief in the other Master's voice.
"Ground level perhaps one or two above an old import facility near the Senate Building.."
"Thanks Mace we've already past the facility. We located the ship there only moments ago. At least now we are certain that Obi-Wan is still with them. He must have secured the signal. We know we are on the right track." The Master seemed to be moving quickly his voice barely audible and slightly out of breath. "We seem to be moving to the Senate Building itself. Get with Master Yoda and send any Jedi you trust. Looks like the sith have literally been hiding right under our noses. " Qui-Gon ended the transmission eager to continue his search leaving Mace to consider the implication of his words.
************************
Sidious had easily escaped the Jedi ship unnoticed. He had been a bit surprised that Qui-Gon had so readily agreed to postpone his interview with the Council. Jinn and Adi Gallia had already left for the Council meeting when he emerged. Master Yoda and Anakin had already departed for the Healer's as well.
Transforming into his old self had recharged his batteries a bit. It had taken a great deal of concentration and energy to maintain his altered appearance. Reaching out he came into contact with the minds of his helpers. He always enjoyed Sador's mind but Kial's was another matter. Sador had a quick intellect that challenged and excited the older man. Kial's mind seemed to linger on emotion. He saw clearly that the apprentice dwelled upon hate, revenge and pain.
He knew that both would be useful in turning the knight. He would have to watch Kial to ensure that he didn't go too far. It was a thin line that separated painful enticement and death. Kial had yet to understand fully where this line resided. His reputation for failed interrogations preceding him, he would require close supervision. Sidious reached behind him for a moment thinking he sensed something. He was met by the living signatures of the substandard beings which chose to dwell deep within the bowels of the planet.
He could feel their slick and sticky thoughts clinging to his own as they scurried to scratch out their meager existence. He could hear their moans and shrieks as they played out the dramas of their lives around him. Life and death, darkness and light all was about to change. For too long the light had ruled, but just as the sunset gives equal time to the night it was time for the darkness to have its day so to speak.
Sidious felt a warmth growing within him at the thought of turning the Knight and harnessing all of his power to the dark lord's benefit. He could almost taste the pain the two of them would inflict upon the unsuspecting masses. They would start at the top taking out the Jedi one by one staring with that pesky Yoda and moving on to Jinn then to Gallia. He resented each of them for interfering with what would have been a perfect plan.
He thought again of Gallia. She was a strong Jedi. Her feelings for the Knight were equally strong. It would be hard for her to let him go and accept what Obi-Wan was surely to become. Perhaps he could give his prized student a gift. He would allow the Knight to turn her. After all Kenobi's offspring would be a threat to Sidious and his power. It would be important that if any such offspring were to be produced that they immediately be the possessions of the dark lord or be eliminated all together. Yes Gallia would be a fine specimen to produce this offspring.
Sidious liked the idea of Kenobi turning Gallia and filling his ranks with strong and evil men and women. Sith's of that caliber would no doubt insure a long and stable reign for Sidious. He felt an electric pulse thrum through his body as he reveled in the potential power he was about to embrace.
Entering the alarm code Sidious glanced back once into the encroaching darkness before entering his secret base. It was here that Kial and Sador had no doubt already brought the Knight. It was time for Sidious to get to work. He had a universe to conquer.
***************************
It must have been a drug. Obi-Wan awoke and immediate regretted it. His hands were chained over his head. He watched as a current seemed to flow between the manacles restraining his hands then down through his body and into his bound legs. At first he felt the current was merely warming him. He had felt a chill upon waking and had in fact felt warmed by the current the first time it had past through his body, but now he realized as he came more aware that the current wasn't warming but burning.
The pain was tolerable but in time would slowly drive him mad. He pulled slightly on his arms and was rewarded by laughter coming from the darkened far corner of the room where he was being held.
"Struggle all you want." Kial's voice spat. "It will do you no good. You are ours now." Obi-Wan purposely swallowed his fear and released it into the Force. He could feel it grow as he touched it. So much darkness surrounded him here. It was more than just the mere absence of light. It was the absence of goodness. It was the darkness of evil. He immediately worked to rid his mind of all dark thoughts and emotions knowing that they would be the cause of his fall if he chose to hold on to them. It was as if the evil surrounding him magnified such failings giving them power they would normally never possess.
Reaching into his mind he realized that Yoda had somehow touched his mind or at least his signature while he had been unconscious. He could still feel the Master's presence. He found himself clinging it to like air to a drowning man. The rumbling of Kial's hateful laughter caused the Knight to open his eyes once more. Kial was standing directly in front of him now. In his hand was an electro knife. The blade was jagged and bloodied. Obi- Wan couldn't help but wonder in that moment about the fate of Kial's last victim. He sympathized with the being somehow knowing that no crime deserved the punishment that had been exacted by this being.
"Are you afraid Jedi?" Kial spat his warm moisture breath offending to any in its range.
Obi-Wan held his face expressionless for a moment as he considered the man before him. He reached within and was amazed by what he found. His sudden smile caught the sith by surprise as he watched the Knight start to chuckle and then burst into full laughter. Kial's anger spiked as he watched the man's eye fill with confidence and mirth as he firmly announced.
"No." No one was more surprised than Obi-Wan. He was not afraid. He was prepared for this moment. Qui-Gon, Yoda and so many other Jedi had dedicated their lives to prepare him for this moment. Though he would have readily admitted that he wasn't relishing the idea of experiencing what Kial had in store for him, he was not afraid. He was a Jedi.
*************************
Adi and Qui-Gon emerged from the shadows having followed the Sith deep into the ground levels of the city. They both struggled to breathe wishing that they had brought along their filtration devices. It was a wonder that anything could survive in the putrid air quality. Adi opened his mouth to speak and realized that there was an offensive taste to the air as well.
"Now what?" She asked once the man had disappeared behind a sealed door.
"We must contact Yoda. We will report our location before moving into the building." Adi stifled her frustration. She had suspected as much but was more concerned with how they would actually enter the building without alerting the Sith to their presence. She reached out but could no longer sense Obi-Wan. She had felt him faintly a few hours ago but now felt nothing but a void. It both frightened and angered her.
"Can you feel him?" She asked hoping that Qui-Gon's longer contact with the young man would enable him to actually break through whatever it was that was preventing her from touching her Knight. She watched as Qui-Gon attempted to reach out to the Knight. His face continued to furrow until he finally sighed in frustration and opened his eyes once more. She didn't need to hear his response. She knew he had failed as well.
"I think it best we avoid the comlinks on this level. The sith may have monitoring devices." Qui-Gon's words were hushed as he considered their surroundings. They both could feel several life forces approaching them from all sides.
"I don't think we should stay here much longer." Adi noted as Qui-Gon reached out to communicate with his Master. Adi continued to keep tabs on the beings who were in the process of surrounding she and Qui-Gon. She wondered what sort of life could actually exist here in the darkness void of clean air or water. As she heard the faint sound of scratching and a low and haunting moan, she knew that she definitely didn't want to find out.
***********************
Sador entered and was immediately filled with rage. He looked at the sight before his eyes and tried to gage how long it would take for lord Sidious to figure out what Kial had done. Realizing that Sidious would arrive long before the Knight regained consciousness he stormed over to his less than appealing partner.
"What were you thinking Kial?" He spat turning his attention to the bloodied Knight. Upon closer examination he noticed that the blood was coming from a cut across the man's forehead.
"It really wasn't my intention to knock him out. I didn't strike him that hard. Just wanted to make a point?" Kial defended secretly relishing his handy work.
"And what point could you possibly make to the Chosen One? I can hurt you while you are restrained? I can disobey my master and suffer the consequences? I can kill Sidious' prize and cost the sith their chance at regaining power?" Sador ranted angrily using the Force to seal the gash on the Knight's forehead. He quickly evaluated the man's condition and was convinced that he had merely suffered a minor concussion.
"You merely struck him?" Sador asked his eyes burning a hole through the other sith.
"Struck him yes. He refused to cower. I had not choice." He sneered laughing at his own reasoning. Sador continued to regard him with undisguised distain.
"With your hand?" The taller man asked the jagged edge of the gash assuring him of the type of weapon the other sith had used. Kial hesitated for a moment. He hated the smug superiority of the man before him.
"What do you care what I struck him with? He has learned his lesson. When the dark lord arrives, Kenobi will be more than willing to cooperate." Kial spat refusing to look away from Sador's gaze.
"Oh but I do care. Lord Sidious gave us very specific instructions. If you had killed him I would have taken great pleasure in killing you for your mistake." Sador took a step closer to Kial laying his hand upon his saber. Kial watched intently ready for Sador to make the first move. He had waited for this moment for a long time. As much as he had enjoyed inflicting the pain upon the weak and pathetic Jedi, he hungered for a chance to spill Sador's blood.
"What is this?" Sidious' voice pulled each man back to a neutral position. The both immediately fell to on knee in abject obedience to the dark master.
"My Master." Sador began.
"The Knight spoke ill of you. I reacted without thinking. My apologies for disobeying your orders." Kial's eyes stayed riveted to the floor. Sador felt a new respect grow within him for the thicker sith. It had been a quick and believable lie. Sidious came to stand before them staring down upon the two apprentices.
"So you performed this bit of butchery as an act of loyalty to me." Sidious asked smugly his obvious disgust with the being before him dripping from his lips.
Sador felt his muscles stiffen hoping that Kial would note the lord's tone before answering.
"Yes my Master." Kial enthusiastically agreed. Sidious made a fretful clucking sound from above them. Kial felt a cold sweat break out upon his brow in response.
"Kial my stupid sturdy servant how presumptuous of you to believe that I would have you prove your loyalty to me with an act of disobedience." Kial started to say something but never had the chance as Sador heard a loud pop then crack. He heard Kial's body crumple to the floor next to his. Without looking he knew that the other man's neck had been broken.
"Now Sador it appears that it will just the two of us." Sador swallowed hard in an attempt to wet his now parched throat.
"Yes my Master." He croaked. He never lifted his eyes. Listening he realized from the sound of the man's robes that the dark master had left the chamber, leaving Sador alone with the Kial's cooling body as the room suddenly echoed with a deep painful moan from a soon to be conscious Knight.
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Next week I will be posting on Sunday instead of Saturday. Just FYI. Have a good week.
Rating: I wish I knew. I am putting it at PG-13 just because I don't know any better and would rather err on the safe side.
Genre: Drama/Mild Angst
Feedback: I would love to get feedback on this story. I would appreciate it if everyone would put down their flame throwers though because this is only my second time out and I know I made mistakes on the first story and have no doubt I will make many on this one. I need constructive criticism so that I will get better not mean comments that will only serve to make me cry. I thank each and every one of the readers who take the time to review this story. I love fan fiction and hope to write stories that can entertain others as much as their stories have entertained me.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. They are, were and will always belong to Mr. George Lucas creator of an amazing universe. Not only does this story contain elements of the universe that Mr. Lucas created but also the Alternate Universe (AU) found in a wonderful story called An Untimely Frost by CYNICAL21.
Just to a little guide as to what things mean:
/-/ Bond thought //-// Private thought "-" Speaking aloud
************************************************************
Mace entered the Healers' Wing and immediately found Master Yoda standing outside an examining room door.
"Who is injured?" He asked concern evident in his voice.
"Anakin Skywalker." Yoda replied but Mace could tell that there was more here than the Master was revealing.
"How badly is he hurt?" He asked focusing on the older Master.
"No visible injuries has he sustained but internally he will bear the scars permanently." Mace forcibly exhaled.
"Where are the others?" He asked looking around fully aware of how many times Obi-Wan had been injured in the past and that Qui-Gon had seldom ever willingly left the boy's side until he was fully recovered.
"Pursuing the sith they are. Hoping to locate the whereabouts of my Padawan they are." Yoda seemed distracted. "Not far is he. Feel him now I can." The Master opened his eyes and stared into the dark eyes of Mace Windu.
"Much I have to tell you, but for now we must be cautious as to whom we trust." He glanced about. "Close is this sith."
Mace took in their surroundings reaching out to see if he could sense the sith near them.
"Master Yoda I sense nothing." Yoda nodded thoughtfully.
"Beginning I am to believe that much we on the Council have missed. Open my eyes are now. Not sure am I though if seeing this in time to reverse all that is coming." He shook his head and lowered his gaze.
The door to the examining room opened and a healer exited without speaking to either Master. With the Force dampening collar in her hand she made her way into the chief healer's office.
"I thought Obi-Wan and Anakin were rescued together." Mace interrupted the other Master's thoughts. So much was happening Mace felt he was missing huge pieces of the puzzle.
"Together they were. Tricked we were. Disguised himself as Obi-Wan he did and left my padawan aboard the ship. Course was set for Coruscant. Once we discovered our failing decided we did to continue the rouse hoping the sith would lead us to our missing Knight. Adi and Qui-Gon are following him as we speak. " Yoda sighed revealing how truly exhausted he was.
"Excuse me you must. Talk with young Skywalker I will. Much that boy has to decide. Much the Council as well. Rely on the Force we must or all will be lost." Yoda made his way into the boy's room. Mace watched as the door closed behind him. Before he had a moment to process all that Yoda had revealed his comlink chirped causing him to jump in spite of himself. Sighing he activated it.
"Windu." His voice seemed heavy with the weight of the universe.
"Master Windu. It's Qrrqui. We have the signal on the scope now. It seems to be coming from an abandoned import facility close to the Senate Building. It is on the ground level perhaps one or two levels above but no more. It seems to be severely dampened."
"Good work Padawan." Mace replied. "I will be there momentarily." He quickly entered a new frequency into his comlink.
"Jinn." He heard and was relieved that he had remembered the right numbers.
"Qui-Gon. It's Mace. We've picked up a Jedi homing signal. It began shortly but now is on the scope. I thought maybe it might be our Obi-Wan."
"Where is it coming from?" Mace could hear the relief in the other Master's voice.
"Ground level perhaps one or two above an old import facility near the Senate Building.."
"Thanks Mace we've already past the facility. We located the ship there only moments ago. At least now we are certain that Obi-Wan is still with them. He must have secured the signal. We know we are on the right track." The Master seemed to be moving quickly his voice barely audible and slightly out of breath. "We seem to be moving to the Senate Building itself. Get with Master Yoda and send any Jedi you trust. Looks like the sith have literally been hiding right under our noses. " Qui-Gon ended the transmission eager to continue his search leaving Mace to consider the implication of his words.
************************
Sidious had easily escaped the Jedi ship unnoticed. He had been a bit surprised that Qui-Gon had so readily agreed to postpone his interview with the Council. Jinn and Adi Gallia had already left for the Council meeting when he emerged. Master Yoda and Anakin had already departed for the Healer's as well.
Transforming into his old self had recharged his batteries a bit. It had taken a great deal of concentration and energy to maintain his altered appearance. Reaching out he came into contact with the minds of his helpers. He always enjoyed Sador's mind but Kial's was another matter. Sador had a quick intellect that challenged and excited the older man. Kial's mind seemed to linger on emotion. He saw clearly that the apprentice dwelled upon hate, revenge and pain.
He knew that both would be useful in turning the knight. He would have to watch Kial to ensure that he didn't go too far. It was a thin line that separated painful enticement and death. Kial had yet to understand fully where this line resided. His reputation for failed interrogations preceding him, he would require close supervision. Sidious reached behind him for a moment thinking he sensed something. He was met by the living signatures of the substandard beings which chose to dwell deep within the bowels of the planet.
He could feel their slick and sticky thoughts clinging to his own as they scurried to scratch out their meager existence. He could hear their moans and shrieks as they played out the dramas of their lives around him. Life and death, darkness and light all was about to change. For too long the light had ruled, but just as the sunset gives equal time to the night it was time for the darkness to have its day so to speak.
Sidious felt a warmth growing within him at the thought of turning the Knight and harnessing all of his power to the dark lord's benefit. He could almost taste the pain the two of them would inflict upon the unsuspecting masses. They would start at the top taking out the Jedi one by one staring with that pesky Yoda and moving on to Jinn then to Gallia. He resented each of them for interfering with what would have been a perfect plan.
He thought again of Gallia. She was a strong Jedi. Her feelings for the Knight were equally strong. It would be hard for her to let him go and accept what Obi-Wan was surely to become. Perhaps he could give his prized student a gift. He would allow the Knight to turn her. After all Kenobi's offspring would be a threat to Sidious and his power. It would be important that if any such offspring were to be produced that they immediately be the possessions of the dark lord or be eliminated all together. Yes Gallia would be a fine specimen to produce this offspring.
Sidious liked the idea of Kenobi turning Gallia and filling his ranks with strong and evil men and women. Sith's of that caliber would no doubt insure a long and stable reign for Sidious. He felt an electric pulse thrum through his body as he reveled in the potential power he was about to embrace.
Entering the alarm code Sidious glanced back once into the encroaching darkness before entering his secret base. It was here that Kial and Sador had no doubt already brought the Knight. It was time for Sidious to get to work. He had a universe to conquer.
***************************
It must have been a drug. Obi-Wan awoke and immediate regretted it. His hands were chained over his head. He watched as a current seemed to flow between the manacles restraining his hands then down through his body and into his bound legs. At first he felt the current was merely warming him. He had felt a chill upon waking and had in fact felt warmed by the current the first time it had past through his body, but now he realized as he came more aware that the current wasn't warming but burning.
The pain was tolerable but in time would slowly drive him mad. He pulled slightly on his arms and was rewarded by laughter coming from the darkened far corner of the room where he was being held.
"Struggle all you want." Kial's voice spat. "It will do you no good. You are ours now." Obi-Wan purposely swallowed his fear and released it into the Force. He could feel it grow as he touched it. So much darkness surrounded him here. It was more than just the mere absence of light. It was the absence of goodness. It was the darkness of evil. He immediately worked to rid his mind of all dark thoughts and emotions knowing that they would be the cause of his fall if he chose to hold on to them. It was as if the evil surrounding him magnified such failings giving them power they would normally never possess.
Reaching into his mind he realized that Yoda had somehow touched his mind or at least his signature while he had been unconscious. He could still feel the Master's presence. He found himself clinging it to like air to a drowning man. The rumbling of Kial's hateful laughter caused the Knight to open his eyes once more. Kial was standing directly in front of him now. In his hand was an electro knife. The blade was jagged and bloodied. Obi- Wan couldn't help but wonder in that moment about the fate of Kial's last victim. He sympathized with the being somehow knowing that no crime deserved the punishment that had been exacted by this being.
"Are you afraid Jedi?" Kial spat his warm moisture breath offending to any in its range.
Obi-Wan held his face expressionless for a moment as he considered the man before him. He reached within and was amazed by what he found. His sudden smile caught the sith by surprise as he watched the Knight start to chuckle and then burst into full laughter. Kial's anger spiked as he watched the man's eye fill with confidence and mirth as he firmly announced.
"No." No one was more surprised than Obi-Wan. He was not afraid. He was prepared for this moment. Qui-Gon, Yoda and so many other Jedi had dedicated their lives to prepare him for this moment. Though he would have readily admitted that he wasn't relishing the idea of experiencing what Kial had in store for him, he was not afraid. He was a Jedi.
*************************
Adi and Qui-Gon emerged from the shadows having followed the Sith deep into the ground levels of the city. They both struggled to breathe wishing that they had brought along their filtration devices. It was a wonder that anything could survive in the putrid air quality. Adi opened his mouth to speak and realized that there was an offensive taste to the air as well.
"Now what?" She asked once the man had disappeared behind a sealed door.
"We must contact Yoda. We will report our location before moving into the building." Adi stifled her frustration. She had suspected as much but was more concerned with how they would actually enter the building without alerting the Sith to their presence. She reached out but could no longer sense Obi-Wan. She had felt him faintly a few hours ago but now felt nothing but a void. It both frightened and angered her.
"Can you feel him?" She asked hoping that Qui-Gon's longer contact with the young man would enable him to actually break through whatever it was that was preventing her from touching her Knight. She watched as Qui-Gon attempted to reach out to the Knight. His face continued to furrow until he finally sighed in frustration and opened his eyes once more. She didn't need to hear his response. She knew he had failed as well.
"I think it best we avoid the comlinks on this level. The sith may have monitoring devices." Qui-Gon's words were hushed as he considered their surroundings. They both could feel several life forces approaching them from all sides.
"I don't think we should stay here much longer." Adi noted as Qui-Gon reached out to communicate with his Master. Adi continued to keep tabs on the beings who were in the process of surrounding she and Qui-Gon. She wondered what sort of life could actually exist here in the darkness void of clean air or water. As she heard the faint sound of scratching and a low and haunting moan, she knew that she definitely didn't want to find out.
***********************
Sador entered and was immediately filled with rage. He looked at the sight before his eyes and tried to gage how long it would take for lord Sidious to figure out what Kial had done. Realizing that Sidious would arrive long before the Knight regained consciousness he stormed over to his less than appealing partner.
"What were you thinking Kial?" He spat turning his attention to the bloodied Knight. Upon closer examination he noticed that the blood was coming from a cut across the man's forehead.
"It really wasn't my intention to knock him out. I didn't strike him that hard. Just wanted to make a point?" Kial defended secretly relishing his handy work.
"And what point could you possibly make to the Chosen One? I can hurt you while you are restrained? I can disobey my master and suffer the consequences? I can kill Sidious' prize and cost the sith their chance at regaining power?" Sador ranted angrily using the Force to seal the gash on the Knight's forehead. He quickly evaluated the man's condition and was convinced that he had merely suffered a minor concussion.
"You merely struck him?" Sador asked his eyes burning a hole through the other sith.
"Struck him yes. He refused to cower. I had not choice." He sneered laughing at his own reasoning. Sador continued to regard him with undisguised distain.
"With your hand?" The taller man asked the jagged edge of the gash assuring him of the type of weapon the other sith had used. Kial hesitated for a moment. He hated the smug superiority of the man before him.
"What do you care what I struck him with? He has learned his lesson. When the dark lord arrives, Kenobi will be more than willing to cooperate." Kial spat refusing to look away from Sador's gaze.
"Oh but I do care. Lord Sidious gave us very specific instructions. If you had killed him I would have taken great pleasure in killing you for your mistake." Sador took a step closer to Kial laying his hand upon his saber. Kial watched intently ready for Sador to make the first move. He had waited for this moment for a long time. As much as he had enjoyed inflicting the pain upon the weak and pathetic Jedi, he hungered for a chance to spill Sador's blood.
"What is this?" Sidious' voice pulled each man back to a neutral position. The both immediately fell to on knee in abject obedience to the dark master.
"My Master." Sador began.
"The Knight spoke ill of you. I reacted without thinking. My apologies for disobeying your orders." Kial's eyes stayed riveted to the floor. Sador felt a new respect grow within him for the thicker sith. It had been a quick and believable lie. Sidious came to stand before them staring down upon the two apprentices.
"So you performed this bit of butchery as an act of loyalty to me." Sidious asked smugly his obvious disgust with the being before him dripping from his lips.
Sador felt his muscles stiffen hoping that Kial would note the lord's tone before answering.
"Yes my Master." Kial enthusiastically agreed. Sidious made a fretful clucking sound from above them. Kial felt a cold sweat break out upon his brow in response.
"Kial my stupid sturdy servant how presumptuous of you to believe that I would have you prove your loyalty to me with an act of disobedience." Kial started to say something but never had the chance as Sador heard a loud pop then crack. He heard Kial's body crumple to the floor next to his. Without looking he knew that the other man's neck had been broken.
"Now Sador it appears that it will just the two of us." Sador swallowed hard in an attempt to wet his now parched throat.
"Yes my Master." He croaked. He never lifted his eyes. Listening he realized from the sound of the man's robes that the dark master had left the chamber, leaving Sador alone with the Kial's cooling body as the room suddenly echoed with a deep painful moan from a soon to be conscious Knight.
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Next week I will be posting on Sunday instead of Saturday. Just FYI. Have a good week.
