Mace Windu hurried down the ramp, the transport had received a call while
still in hyperspace; Tar-Kentu had been found, she had been brought to the
medical centre. What had happened to her Master Karseli would not say; he
met them and brought them to a waiting speeder, which took them straight to
the medical centre. The doctor who was taking care of her was not
available at the moment, but one of the nurses brought them to the room she
was in. She lay on a bed, sleeping, there was an IV in both of her arms,
one feeding her blood, the other a clear liquid.
Mace took one look at the restraints that fastened her arms to the bed and turned to the nurse.
"Take those off her." He snapped.
"I'm not sure that is a good idea, when she was brought in she was screaming and fighting anyone that came near her. We had to sedate and restrain her, to stop her from injuring herself further." She said.
"Unless a guardian gives you permission to do so, you cannot. I am her guardian, take them off and whichever IV is sedating her remove that as well." He said. She nodded and hurried forward to do as he said. He sat down by the bed, just as the doctor came in; he saw what the nurse was doing and realised that the Jedi master must have asked her to do so, he injected a strong painkiller into her vein. Mace ignored him Qui-Gon sensing that he wanted to be left alone turned to the doctor.
"Can you tell me what happened to her, outside?" He asked. The doctor nodded and led the small group out into the corridor, leaving Mace alone with his padawan. She woke slowly; but her eyes seemed to stare at nothing.
"Padawan?" He said quietly, there was no answering reply, not even a blink to indicate that she had heard him. He sighed, then sat back in his chair and closing his eyes. The bond that they shared seemed to be in tatters, but there was enough of it still remaining that he could follow. Then he was in her mind, except it was like a big house; a small girl sat on the floor in front of him. She looked up as he came in.
"Tar-Kentu?" He asked.
"I used to be, but that was a long time ago. I've been waiting for you." She said.
"Why are you a..?" He trailed off.
"A child?" At his answering nod she looked down at her hands, then back up at him as she stood up.
"Tar-Kentu is hiding, she is afraid. They hurt her a lot. Come with me, there is something that you need to see." She held out one hand and he took it. She led him down a long corridor; to a room she opened the door and brought him inside.
"What you are going to see is what happened to her." She whispered, she sat down on the floor and a cube made up of different colours appeared in her hands she started turning it this way and that.
"Hmmm.Turn to the darkside, get loads of power, enjoy killing people. Betray the Jedi, my master and myself. I'm sorry, as tempting as your offer isn't, I'm going to have to decline." Tar-Kentu's voice came from behind him. He turned and saw her speaking to someone who he could not see.
"You know what to do. You are going to regret it if you do not do as I ask you to." He snapped.
"But your not asking me are you?" She said. Then they faded, when she appeared again she was lying on the floor her facing away from him, her back was torn and bleeding, then someone else appeared; a man, who walked forward and kicked her in the chest.
"Get up!" He yelled at her. She did so and he dragged her out of the room, everything faded again. Then he saw her hanging from a pole, screaming as electricity danced across her body, he stood and watched as one after another images and memories were paraded before him; she was being burnt, cut and beaten. Finally they stopped, the little girl glanced up at him, with sad eyes; the cube disappeared as she stood up. "He did not want her to turn to the darkside; he just wanted his revenge on the apprentice who would not go with him when he himself turned." She said. As she pulled him out of the room and towards another door; she put a hand on the doorknob. But then turned to him.
"He wanted to break her and if she stays here he might still succeed." She paused and squinted up at him.
"Even at the very end, when he kept asking her to turn; she would not." She pushed the door open and stepped back and pulled it closed after he had gone in. For a moment he stood there; unsure of what to expect. Then he could see her; hanging from the same pole, slowly her eyes blinked open.
"While you were unconscious, we put a little bacta on one of your burns. This bacta is part of a lot that should have been recalled, as it is defective. Whenever it is used on anyone it will render them allergic to any type of bacta treatment." Her old master said. Turned to smile at the men in the room.
"I know I promised that you could all have some fun, so here she is. When you're done with her, drop her off outside the medical centre." He faced her once more and he took a knife off his belt, he deliberately put the note against her palm then stabbed the knife through it.
"I'm so sorry that we couldn't come to some kind of arrangement, me dear. But I want you to remember this for a long time, so having you die would be pointless. Have some fun, gentlemen." He turned and left the room. The men moved toward her and one of them ripped her pants off; another two held her legs open, but she managed to pull one leg free and swung it to hit one of them. But then she was grabbed again and the man she had kicked came forward, smiling cruelly, he shoved his fist into her. Mace was forced to watch as the men each took their turns raping and sodomizing her, some repeatedly, it went on and on.
"Stop it!" A voice screamed behind him, he whirled and saw Tar-Kentu huddled against the wall behind him.
"No more! Leave me alone! Master, help me!" Her voice was a screaming howl, as she covered her face with her arms; she started sobbing. Mace had not noticed that she was here before now, he hurried over to her, but as soon as he touched her shoulder; she jerked away.
"Get away from!" She screeched. He moved his hands back.
"Tar-Kentu." He said. But she wouldn't let him go anywhere near her, she sprang to her feet and ran for the door; no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get it open.
"Let me out! Mast-" She stopped suddenly and sank to the floor, curling into a foetal ball; she rocked back and forth; muttering about wanting to leave.
"Padawan, Tar-Kentu. It's me, let me help you." He spoke gently. For a moment he thought she wasn't going to say anything.
"No one can help me, I can't get out." She whimpered. He touched her shoulder again and once more she flinched away from him, but this time she looked up at him and he saw recognition in her eyes.
"M-master? Help me, get me out, I don't want to stay here. Please, master, help me." She begged. He held out a hand, after a moment she took it and he helped her stand. He led her back outside the door, which now opened easily. She huddled in his shadow, as if afraid that something would stop her leaving, but nothing did. He pulled them both back into their own bodies, glancing down at her lying in the bed, he saw tears streaming down her face. His eyes met hers he leaned over the bed and pulled her into a hug, she wept against him. Qui-Gon chose that moment to return.
"Mace, there's something that you need to-" He saw what was going in and silently stepped back outside.
Mace took one look at the restraints that fastened her arms to the bed and turned to the nurse.
"Take those off her." He snapped.
"I'm not sure that is a good idea, when she was brought in she was screaming and fighting anyone that came near her. We had to sedate and restrain her, to stop her from injuring herself further." She said.
"Unless a guardian gives you permission to do so, you cannot. I am her guardian, take them off and whichever IV is sedating her remove that as well." He said. She nodded and hurried forward to do as he said. He sat down by the bed, just as the doctor came in; he saw what the nurse was doing and realised that the Jedi master must have asked her to do so, he injected a strong painkiller into her vein. Mace ignored him Qui-Gon sensing that he wanted to be left alone turned to the doctor.
"Can you tell me what happened to her, outside?" He asked. The doctor nodded and led the small group out into the corridor, leaving Mace alone with his padawan. She woke slowly; but her eyes seemed to stare at nothing.
"Padawan?" He said quietly, there was no answering reply, not even a blink to indicate that she had heard him. He sighed, then sat back in his chair and closing his eyes. The bond that they shared seemed to be in tatters, but there was enough of it still remaining that he could follow. Then he was in her mind, except it was like a big house; a small girl sat on the floor in front of him. She looked up as he came in.
"Tar-Kentu?" He asked.
"I used to be, but that was a long time ago. I've been waiting for you." She said.
"Why are you a..?" He trailed off.
"A child?" At his answering nod she looked down at her hands, then back up at him as she stood up.
"Tar-Kentu is hiding, she is afraid. They hurt her a lot. Come with me, there is something that you need to see." She held out one hand and he took it. She led him down a long corridor; to a room she opened the door and brought him inside.
"What you are going to see is what happened to her." She whispered, she sat down on the floor and a cube made up of different colours appeared in her hands she started turning it this way and that.
"Hmmm.Turn to the darkside, get loads of power, enjoy killing people. Betray the Jedi, my master and myself. I'm sorry, as tempting as your offer isn't, I'm going to have to decline." Tar-Kentu's voice came from behind him. He turned and saw her speaking to someone who he could not see.
"You know what to do. You are going to regret it if you do not do as I ask you to." He snapped.
"But your not asking me are you?" She said. Then they faded, when she appeared again she was lying on the floor her facing away from him, her back was torn and bleeding, then someone else appeared; a man, who walked forward and kicked her in the chest.
"Get up!" He yelled at her. She did so and he dragged her out of the room, everything faded again. Then he saw her hanging from a pole, screaming as electricity danced across her body, he stood and watched as one after another images and memories were paraded before him; she was being burnt, cut and beaten. Finally they stopped, the little girl glanced up at him, with sad eyes; the cube disappeared as she stood up. "He did not want her to turn to the darkside; he just wanted his revenge on the apprentice who would not go with him when he himself turned." She said. As she pulled him out of the room and towards another door; she put a hand on the doorknob. But then turned to him.
"He wanted to break her and if she stays here he might still succeed." She paused and squinted up at him.
"Even at the very end, when he kept asking her to turn; she would not." She pushed the door open and stepped back and pulled it closed after he had gone in. For a moment he stood there; unsure of what to expect. Then he could see her; hanging from the same pole, slowly her eyes blinked open.
"While you were unconscious, we put a little bacta on one of your burns. This bacta is part of a lot that should have been recalled, as it is defective. Whenever it is used on anyone it will render them allergic to any type of bacta treatment." Her old master said. Turned to smile at the men in the room.
"I know I promised that you could all have some fun, so here she is. When you're done with her, drop her off outside the medical centre." He faced her once more and he took a knife off his belt, he deliberately put the note against her palm then stabbed the knife through it.
"I'm so sorry that we couldn't come to some kind of arrangement, me dear. But I want you to remember this for a long time, so having you die would be pointless. Have some fun, gentlemen." He turned and left the room. The men moved toward her and one of them ripped her pants off; another two held her legs open, but she managed to pull one leg free and swung it to hit one of them. But then she was grabbed again and the man she had kicked came forward, smiling cruelly, he shoved his fist into her. Mace was forced to watch as the men each took their turns raping and sodomizing her, some repeatedly, it went on and on.
"Stop it!" A voice screamed behind him, he whirled and saw Tar-Kentu huddled against the wall behind him.
"No more! Leave me alone! Master, help me!" Her voice was a screaming howl, as she covered her face with her arms; she started sobbing. Mace had not noticed that she was here before now, he hurried over to her, but as soon as he touched her shoulder; she jerked away.
"Get away from!" She screeched. He moved his hands back.
"Tar-Kentu." He said. But she wouldn't let him go anywhere near her, she sprang to her feet and ran for the door; no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get it open.
"Let me out! Mast-" She stopped suddenly and sank to the floor, curling into a foetal ball; she rocked back and forth; muttering about wanting to leave.
"Padawan, Tar-Kentu. It's me, let me help you." He spoke gently. For a moment he thought she wasn't going to say anything.
"No one can help me, I can't get out." She whimpered. He touched her shoulder again and once more she flinched away from him, but this time she looked up at him and he saw recognition in her eyes.
"M-master? Help me, get me out, I don't want to stay here. Please, master, help me." She begged. He held out a hand, after a moment she took it and he helped her stand. He led her back outside the door, which now opened easily. She huddled in his shadow, as if afraid that something would stop her leaving, but nothing did. He pulled them both back into their own bodies, glancing down at her lying in the bed, he saw tears streaming down her face. His eyes met hers he leaned over the bed and pulled her into a hug, she wept against him. Qui-Gon chose that moment to return.
"Mace, there's something that you need to-" He saw what was going in and silently stepped back outside.