Whew, it's been a while, hasn't it? Many apologize. A little something called 'real life' got in the way of my writing. Along with something call the ACT. Have any of you guys taken it? It sucks...
Anyway, back to the story. This chapter turned out kinda long, so I hope it makes up for the hiatus I took. Enjoy!
Obi-Wan grimaced again as the whip sent fire across his back. He gritted his teeth, trying to prevent himself from doing something that he would later regret. If he missed his daily fix-
He shook his head. I don't need it. I don't need it, he told himself, though it was getting harder and harder to believe. Just getting by the daylight seemed to get harder and harder every day. His body would begin to ache around noon time, and by the time the sun set he was almost in agony. It took every bit of will he possessed to make it back to the barracks at night. Most of the time he just wanted to lie down in the trench and die, but that wasn't an option. He was too expensive for the slavers to let him die.
He glanced at his hands as he reached down to pick up the shovel. Once, his hands had been strong and graceful. Now they were worn and torn. His arms bore the marks of whiplashes, as well as the bruising and discoloration from the drug injection. He idly rubbed his forearm, not wanting to feel the needle penetrate again, but knowing that it would. Knowing that, deep down, he needed it. No matter how many times he told himself, the yearning was still there.
He sighed heavily and picked up the shovel, preparing to begin another long day of needless toil. He had long lost count of the days he had been enslaved; every day seemed to last an eternity. But he knew that it had been a while. Not as long as some, but a good while. Too long. He looked up at the sky, where the sun was just now beginning to light the navy sky. Where are you Qui-Gon? Have you forgotten about me?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Qui-Gon glanced at the girl next to him as the ship entered the atmosphere. She sat stiffly on the chair, idly rubbing her forearms. She had begun to sweat, and seemed very jittery. Qui-Gon leaned over and put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned for the girl.
She nodded, though her eyes were wide. "Yeah. Something's always wrong. It's been wrong since I was sold to my Master." She looked up at Qui-Gon. "I ran away from him, you know. I felt like I couldn't stay there any more." She turned back to the wall. "But I have to go back. I have to."
"Why? Why do you have to go back? You're free. There's no scanners, no trackers in your body." Qui-Gon frowned. Why would the girl be so keen on going back if her life as a slave was obviously so miserable?
She stared at the wall, her eyes slightly glazing over. "I have to go back. I need it. If I don't have it, I'll slowly wilt away." She looked up at him suddenly, her eyes ablaze. "I've seen it happen. You just slowly fade away until you're nothing."
Qui-Gon frowned, taking his hand from her shoulder. "What? What do you need?"
She shook her head. "You ask the question, but you already know the answer."
Qui-Gon nodded slowly. "Drugs," he said quietly, turning to glance out the viewport at the void of space.
A short time later, the ship docked at a small landing pad by a lake. Arlin's rubbing of the arms increased dramatically; obviously she knew that they were close. Qui-Gon thanked the pilot of the ship for the ride, then asked if he would stay for a while, until he returned. He had to fetch a good friend of his who was in trouble, and the Republic would more than likely reimburse him for wages lost. The man agreed, but said that it would be an honor to help the Jedi.
Qui-Gon put a comforting hand on Arlin's back as he and the girl made their way to the small building near the lake. According to Arlin, only the man in the house knew how to get ahold of her former Master. Qui-Gon was to claim that he was returning the runaway, and would then search out his Padawan.
Qui-Gon rapped on the door quickly, then stepped back, adopting a serious expression, befitting a man returning a slave. Some shuffling could be heard inside the shack, and a moment later, the door was thrown open. A human male with a stubbly beard threw open the door, peering at Qui-Gon with blood-shot eyes.
"Yeah?" he asked gruffly.
Qui-Gon gestured to Arlin with his hand. "I seem to have stumbled across a runaway. She says that her Master resides on this planet."
"Oh?" the man said curiously, peering at Arlin. "Oh! I recollect that one. Fine catch she was." He grinned, peering at her in a way that made Qui-Gon uneasy.
He shifted to the side, 'accidentally' blocking Arlin from view. "Do you know where I can take her?"
The man nodded. "Yeah. I'll call for him. He'll be mighty happy to have that one back. She was pretty reliable, ya know?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Obi-Wan rubbed at his eyes as he sat down for mid-day meal. His eyes were irritating him a lot; it felt as though tiny needles were poking at them constantly. He sighed, recognizing it as a sign that his body was beginning to crave the drugs.
He shook his head, feeling the tension build up in his body. He felt restless, as if the space he was occupying was too small to accommodate him. Normally, he would have simply called upon the Force to help calm himself, but the Force had seemed ever elusive for the past few weeks, days, years, however long he had been there.
He clenched his fist shut, glancing down at the sandwich that was supposed to serve as his meal. He grimaced and turned away from it, staring into the sky. It was a lovely blue, cloudless and bright. It was almost as if the day itself were mocking him. He sighed, then glanced down at the meager rations again. He remembered, though it seemed so long ago, the Temple food. Everyone got all they wanted, and it always tasted great. What he would give to have one meal and one decent sleep in the Temple...
He shook his head. There was no going back to the Temple. Even if by some miracle Qui-Gon came for him, what good was a ruined Padawan? His body and mind had been ravished by the drug, leaving him weak and vulnerable to darkness. He would most likely never again be able to fit into the rigid Jedi Code. He would be cast aside, into a 'protective' environment, allowing the Council to watch over him carefully. The last thing they wanted was a drug-addicted, former Jedi running around with darkness clouding his judgment.
Shouting from down the lines caught his attention. He looked up slowly as he searched out the noise. Some guards down the line were shouting at another slave. The man was cowered on the ground, his hands protecting his face. Obi-Wan could only catch bits and pieces of what they men were shouting, but he did catch words like 'filth' 'luggage' and other degrading names.
Obi-Wan's blood began to boil when he realized that the poor man was just the target to relieve the guards' boredom. He evidently had done nothing wrong, just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Obi-Wan knew that he should stay where he was, just eat his lunch and go on with the day. But when the guards began to beat on the innocent man, he knew that he would not be able to take it. I may be a ruined Jedi, but at least I can still help someone. And most likely I will die because of it, but that's better than wasting away...
He stood, his whole world focused on the guards who remained ruthlessly beating the slave with their boots. He made his way over to them, his eyes set. One of the guards turned, mid-laugh, and noticed Obi-Wan standing a mere foot from him, fists clenched and jaw set.
He smirked, stepping away from the other men. "What do we have here? Come to defend your little friend, boy?" He smirked and turned to look at the other guards, who had also stopped their beating to glance at this new slave. "What do you say we teach him to mind his own business?"
The other men grinned, standing up and taking in Obi-Wan's size. "Just a kid," one man said jokingly. "I might feel bad about beating up a kid." He laughed, then nodded to the other men. Simultaneously, they all stepped forward, towards Obi-Wan.
The first man lunged, trying to get a grip around the younger man's throat to help immobilize him, but Obi-Wan ducked deftly and lashed out a foot at another guard. His thin boot hit soft stomach, and he was rewarded with a gruff "Oof!".
Obi-Wan grinned to himself, then pivoted to duck another blow from the first guard. The guard frowned. "Feisty one here. You got something to prove, boy?"
Obi-Wan nodded gravely. "I have to prove to you that I am not just property. I am much more than that." He held out his hand to indicate the other slaves. "As are the rest of us."
"Boo hoo," the guard mocked. "You're breaking my heart." He stepped closer to Obi-Wan. "You know what happens to vigilantes like you? Eh? Dead. All of them. We just beat the hell out of you, then send you to the boss. Not sure exactly how ya'll die, but I know it's bad." He turned and nodded to someone behind Obi-Wan.
The young Jedi turned, and stared right into the barrel of a blaster. During the brief scuffle, another guard had seen what was going on and come to aid the others.
Obi-Wan gave him a small smile. "Hope you feel good about yourselves. You've managed to subdue a single slave with four people and a blaster. Bet you feel high up right now." He sighed, then closed his eyes, accepting defeat and waiting for it all to end.
He heard a snarl, then felt a blinding pain in his head. He fell to the ground, only vaguely aware of the new shouts of alarm that erupted from the ranks. A familiar snap-hiss noise reached his ears, though he was quickly losing to the darkness that beckoned him. He closed his eyes and let the darkness take him, only to open then again some time later.
Everything was fuzzy, but he could still make out the worried face of an older, bearded man. "Obi-Wan?" a voice asked, genuinely concerned.
Obi-Wan frowned, really wanting nothing more than to sleep again. But that voice...he knew that voice...Qui-Gon?
He felt a strong hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Obi-Wan. I've got you now. I'll get you out of here."
Obi-Wan smiled. Out of here sounded great. But where would they go? Surely he couldn't go back to the Temple? He shook his head gently, then succumbed once again to unconsciousness.