Dooku was just putting the finishing touches on Qui-Gon's birthday cake,
Kyran and Devin near him wreaking havoc on the streamers and balloons, when
they all paused, hearing a mental cry from Qui-Gon.
Kyran accidentally popped a balloon that he had been trying to fill. His eyes wide, he shot a glance at Devin. At the same time, they both asked Dooku, "Where's Qui-Gon?"
They raced from the cafeteria and sped down the hallways. Dooku, Kyran and Devin all slid to a stop as they saw the empty meditation room. Empty, that was, except for a single lightsaber that was unmistakably Qui-Gon's. Dooku picked it up lovingly and stared upward at the ceiling. Where had his apprentice gone?
Qui-Gon was totally unable to move, limp in his captor's arms. Dizziness assaulted him as they dragged him inside the cantina and he tried very hard not to be sick, not wanting to lose the little bit of breakfast that he had had. He groaned as his captors took his tunic and robe, too weak to stop them from stealing his clothes as they chained him upright to the wall. He sagged in his bonds, too weak to hold himself up and vomited all over his captor as he finished fastening the last chain. He moaned, wishing that the room would stop spinning. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping that will help but to no avail. The insides of his eyelids tilted just like the rest of the room. Up and down, lurching beneath him. He vaguely wondered what they drugged him with.
The leader of the swoop gang had tried to jump backwards when Qui-Gon got sick but had not been fast enough. Multicolored vomit shined on his boots. Cursing, he reached out and punched the kid in the stomach, which wasn't a wise idea but at least this time he got out of the way and felt better.
Qui-Gon grunted as his stomach was punched and he heaved again all over the woman, who was standing closest. He winced at the terrible headache that was growing in the back of his head.
The swoop leader laughed as the vomit missed his boots this time and landed instead of the woman's. She cursed, her short and spiky blonde hair gleaming as hard as her eyes as she regarded the sick and limp Jedi. "Don't mess with the merchandise," the leader warned, a hint of laughter in his voice. "But go ahead on anything else." She grinned and the smile did nothing to improve her looks. With a grunt of satisfaction, she slammed the Jedi's head against the hard wall behind him.
Qui-Gon cried out as his head was smacked hard against the wall behind him, hard enough to make him see stars. Vaguely he thought it was a good idea that he had skipped lunch.
Momentarily satisfied, the woman turned and left the room, the others, excluding the leader, following her. The Jedi slumped even further against the wall, all fight and resistance gone now from him. The leader regarded him for a moment. "I's Tho, the leader of this here gang. Now we got yous Jedi and yous aint gonna leave." He paused. "Whaz yo name boy?"
Qui-Gon moaned and looked at the man like he was a moron. "Why should I tell you?"
Tho scowled and roughly grabbed the Jedi's chin, forcing his head up to meet his eyes. "'Cuz I's the one holdin life and death right here in the palm of my hand, boy. After yo name, I might jus let you go. I'm after som'body and I's already knows it ain't you."
Qui-Gon groaned as his chin was forced up, feeling very much like he was about to be sick again. The room started spinning and twirling and doing all manner of things it shouldn't. "Qui-Gon." He whispered and then closed his eyes to try to lessen the pain.
Tho dropped the kid's chin, suddenly feeling a little worried about the way the Jedi was acting. Stunning Jedi with that juice usually just immobilized them and temporarily blocked whatever their telepathic voodoo was, not make them sicker than womp rats that hitched a ride through hyperspace. Pursing his lips, he grunted at the kid and left, thinking of the name. The kid and the kid's name was familiar, but from where? Too dumb to figure it out himself, he entered the cantina proper and looked around for his source.
A tall full-figured female sat at the rear of the cantina. Her long dark hair was plaited in several braids down her back. She was puffing a thin deathstick, purchased recently in that very same cantina. She nodded when she saw Tho. When she spoke, her voice was husky. "What's up big guy?" She purred.
Tho grunted again and slid into the chair across from her. "Lana, I's got a problem I needs you to take care of fo' me." He hated having to ask Lana for anything, since she was his ex-lover, but they both knew that at information and slicing, she was the best.
Lana arched a brow. She blew a steady stream of smoke. "Oh? What sort of mess have you gotten in this time?" She took another drag from the deathstick. "And what was going on out there? Sounded like someone threw up."
Tho hated when she tried to bust in on his business. "Nothin," he said sullenly. "So, we gots a agreement on you findin some info for me, Lana?"
Lana shook her head and pushed her braids back behind her ear. "It depends." She took another drag from the deathstick. "What's in it for me? And you didn't answer my question."
"Nothin, I said," he growled. "Som'body jus didn' like the ale. We gonna talk price?"
She laughs lightly. "Tho, many things have changed since we broke up but you still are a bad liar." She takes another drag from the deathstick.
Tho sighed. He had hoped to get out of showing her the kid but he knew now that it wasn't going to be possible. "If I shows ya, will you talk price, Lana?"
She put out the remainder of the deathstick and stood. "Of course. You know I'm honorable." She frowned at him.
"Sithspit," Tho cursed as he led Lana to the back where only the swoop riders went. "Gots to shows every nose busybody in the cantina..."
Lana rolled her eyes at Tho's cursing and followed the big man to the back where the kid was chained to a wall. Her eyes widened when she saw the padawan braid dangling from his hair. "Tho," she breathed. "Who's this kid?"
"All I gots from him was som'tin like 'Qui-Jon' or 'Gui-Gon' or som'tin like that. That's the info I need from you, Lana: who the master is," Tho explained, his thoughts halfway across the cantina to where he should be sitting down enjoying a nice Corillean ale while Lana worked.
Lana frowned at Tho, her mind racing. "Alright. I think I can get the information for you. For a price." She arched a brow. "And I'm expensive. You know that."
Tho muttered under his breath a moment, shuffling his feet, ignoring the kid. Finally, he huffed, "Whatever's fine. You know the range." Then he stomped out to get his ale.
Qui-Gon groaned as he half-listened to the conversation, still feeling sick to his stomach, wishing desperately that he'd obeyed his master in the first place. He sighed, wondering how long it will take his master to realize he was even missing at all. Some birthday this is turning out to be. He sings quietly to himself. Happy birthday to me.
Lana, thinking quietly to herself, jerked her head up at the soft singing. Concentrating, she recognized it as the birthday tune. Her stomach beginning to twist into a knot, she knelt in front of him, gingerly keeping away from the uncleaned vomit. "Hey, kid," she said softly. "You with me?"
Qui-Gon sighed. "Unfortunately. My head feels like it's about to explode."
Lana glanced behind her at the door but heard no one. "I need your name, kid, before I can do anything," she said a little gruffly. She couldn't afford to be too nice to the Jedi kid. It would only confuse him when she was completely mean to him around the others.
Qui-Gon sighed and leaned back against the wall trying hard to ignore the ache in his head from being smashed against it. "Qui-Gon," he said softly. "Today's my birthday."
Lana stood, her joints already aching from bending in that position for that short amount of time. "Qui-Gon...I assume you have a last name? How am I to find your Master if I don't know who I'm talking to?" Her voice softened a little as she couldn't help but ask, "And how old are you now?"
Qui-Gon sighed deeply, gritting his teeth at the new ache in his stomach. "Jinn.Qui-Gon Jinn." He let out a long breath as the ache subsided somewhat. "Fifteen..." He sighed.
Lana thought a moment. What a day this kid had had already! Captured by Tho and his moronic cowards and now sick. Half-distracted by thoughts of how to get him and her out of this mess without her losing face, she said, "Happy birthday, Qui-Gon Jinn."
He looked up at that in wonder. "Thank you." He said quietly. "You're the first one who's told me today."
She gave him a half smile that only made her porcelain face more beautiful by its troubled look. "I don't want to know how Tho and his gang got you, Qui-Gon, but I will tell you one thing: I'll do my best to find your master. Could you give me his name so I don't have to slice into the records of the Jedi Temple?"
He looked at her in some surprise at the last bit, but then the room tilted again and he closed his eyes. "Do you want the full version or the short one? And my master.Master Dooku."
Lana glanced at him sharply. "I said I don't want to know how you got caught by Tho, Jinn. The less I know, the less liable I am. I got to look after myself, right?" Even to her ears, her reply seemed hollow.
Qui-Gon looked away, hurt. "Yes, I suppose so." He moaned at the ache in his stomach. "I don't feel so good."
Biting her lip, the only unappealing habit she had besides the death sticks, Lana sighed gently. "Look, I can find out what they gave you and see what's wrong with you. Can you hang in for me until I can get back to you?"
Qui-Gon groaned. "If I must...I." He trailed off. "Thanks," he whispered again. "Everyone else forgot my birthday."
Lana nodded once briskly. Once she had decided on a course of action, she followed through with it, no matter what the risks or consequences. Matter of fact, that was the whole reason she was addicted to those awful death sticks... "I'll be back soon. Hang in, Qui-Gon," she whispered and left, her boots making snapping sounds down the corridor and the door to the room the swoop gang was holding the kid in echoing as it closed behind her.
Qui-Gon sighed as she left, hoping against hope that he could last that long as the room began to spin again. He hoped that the big man wouldn't come back anytime soon. /I'll never disobey my master again,/ he thought miserably to himself.
Kyran accidentally popped a balloon that he had been trying to fill. His eyes wide, he shot a glance at Devin. At the same time, they both asked Dooku, "Where's Qui-Gon?"
They raced from the cafeteria and sped down the hallways. Dooku, Kyran and Devin all slid to a stop as they saw the empty meditation room. Empty, that was, except for a single lightsaber that was unmistakably Qui-Gon's. Dooku picked it up lovingly and stared upward at the ceiling. Where had his apprentice gone?
Qui-Gon was totally unable to move, limp in his captor's arms. Dizziness assaulted him as they dragged him inside the cantina and he tried very hard not to be sick, not wanting to lose the little bit of breakfast that he had had. He groaned as his captors took his tunic and robe, too weak to stop them from stealing his clothes as they chained him upright to the wall. He sagged in his bonds, too weak to hold himself up and vomited all over his captor as he finished fastening the last chain. He moaned, wishing that the room would stop spinning. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping that will help but to no avail. The insides of his eyelids tilted just like the rest of the room. Up and down, lurching beneath him. He vaguely wondered what they drugged him with.
The leader of the swoop gang had tried to jump backwards when Qui-Gon got sick but had not been fast enough. Multicolored vomit shined on his boots. Cursing, he reached out and punched the kid in the stomach, which wasn't a wise idea but at least this time he got out of the way and felt better.
Qui-Gon grunted as his stomach was punched and he heaved again all over the woman, who was standing closest. He winced at the terrible headache that was growing in the back of his head.
The swoop leader laughed as the vomit missed his boots this time and landed instead of the woman's. She cursed, her short and spiky blonde hair gleaming as hard as her eyes as she regarded the sick and limp Jedi. "Don't mess with the merchandise," the leader warned, a hint of laughter in his voice. "But go ahead on anything else." She grinned and the smile did nothing to improve her looks. With a grunt of satisfaction, she slammed the Jedi's head against the hard wall behind him.
Qui-Gon cried out as his head was smacked hard against the wall behind him, hard enough to make him see stars. Vaguely he thought it was a good idea that he had skipped lunch.
Momentarily satisfied, the woman turned and left the room, the others, excluding the leader, following her. The Jedi slumped even further against the wall, all fight and resistance gone now from him. The leader regarded him for a moment. "I's Tho, the leader of this here gang. Now we got yous Jedi and yous aint gonna leave." He paused. "Whaz yo name boy?"
Qui-Gon moaned and looked at the man like he was a moron. "Why should I tell you?"
Tho scowled and roughly grabbed the Jedi's chin, forcing his head up to meet his eyes. "'Cuz I's the one holdin life and death right here in the palm of my hand, boy. After yo name, I might jus let you go. I'm after som'body and I's already knows it ain't you."
Qui-Gon groaned as his chin was forced up, feeling very much like he was about to be sick again. The room started spinning and twirling and doing all manner of things it shouldn't. "Qui-Gon." He whispered and then closed his eyes to try to lessen the pain.
Tho dropped the kid's chin, suddenly feeling a little worried about the way the Jedi was acting. Stunning Jedi with that juice usually just immobilized them and temporarily blocked whatever their telepathic voodoo was, not make them sicker than womp rats that hitched a ride through hyperspace. Pursing his lips, he grunted at the kid and left, thinking of the name. The kid and the kid's name was familiar, but from where? Too dumb to figure it out himself, he entered the cantina proper and looked around for his source.
A tall full-figured female sat at the rear of the cantina. Her long dark hair was plaited in several braids down her back. She was puffing a thin deathstick, purchased recently in that very same cantina. She nodded when she saw Tho. When she spoke, her voice was husky. "What's up big guy?" She purred.
Tho grunted again and slid into the chair across from her. "Lana, I's got a problem I needs you to take care of fo' me." He hated having to ask Lana for anything, since she was his ex-lover, but they both knew that at information and slicing, she was the best.
Lana arched a brow. She blew a steady stream of smoke. "Oh? What sort of mess have you gotten in this time?" She took another drag from the deathstick. "And what was going on out there? Sounded like someone threw up."
Tho hated when she tried to bust in on his business. "Nothin," he said sullenly. "So, we gots a agreement on you findin some info for me, Lana?"
Lana shook her head and pushed her braids back behind her ear. "It depends." She took another drag from the deathstick. "What's in it for me? And you didn't answer my question."
"Nothin, I said," he growled. "Som'body jus didn' like the ale. We gonna talk price?"
She laughs lightly. "Tho, many things have changed since we broke up but you still are a bad liar." She takes another drag from the deathstick.
Tho sighed. He had hoped to get out of showing her the kid but he knew now that it wasn't going to be possible. "If I shows ya, will you talk price, Lana?"
She put out the remainder of the deathstick and stood. "Of course. You know I'm honorable." She frowned at him.
"Sithspit," Tho cursed as he led Lana to the back where only the swoop riders went. "Gots to shows every nose busybody in the cantina..."
Lana rolled her eyes at Tho's cursing and followed the big man to the back where the kid was chained to a wall. Her eyes widened when she saw the padawan braid dangling from his hair. "Tho," she breathed. "Who's this kid?"
"All I gots from him was som'tin like 'Qui-Jon' or 'Gui-Gon' or som'tin like that. That's the info I need from you, Lana: who the master is," Tho explained, his thoughts halfway across the cantina to where he should be sitting down enjoying a nice Corillean ale while Lana worked.
Lana frowned at Tho, her mind racing. "Alright. I think I can get the information for you. For a price." She arched a brow. "And I'm expensive. You know that."
Tho muttered under his breath a moment, shuffling his feet, ignoring the kid. Finally, he huffed, "Whatever's fine. You know the range." Then he stomped out to get his ale.
Qui-Gon groaned as he half-listened to the conversation, still feeling sick to his stomach, wishing desperately that he'd obeyed his master in the first place. He sighed, wondering how long it will take his master to realize he was even missing at all. Some birthday this is turning out to be. He sings quietly to himself. Happy birthday to me.
Lana, thinking quietly to herself, jerked her head up at the soft singing. Concentrating, she recognized it as the birthday tune. Her stomach beginning to twist into a knot, she knelt in front of him, gingerly keeping away from the uncleaned vomit. "Hey, kid," she said softly. "You with me?"
Qui-Gon sighed. "Unfortunately. My head feels like it's about to explode."
Lana glanced behind her at the door but heard no one. "I need your name, kid, before I can do anything," she said a little gruffly. She couldn't afford to be too nice to the Jedi kid. It would only confuse him when she was completely mean to him around the others.
Qui-Gon sighed and leaned back against the wall trying hard to ignore the ache in his head from being smashed against it. "Qui-Gon," he said softly. "Today's my birthday."
Lana stood, her joints already aching from bending in that position for that short amount of time. "Qui-Gon...I assume you have a last name? How am I to find your Master if I don't know who I'm talking to?" Her voice softened a little as she couldn't help but ask, "And how old are you now?"
Qui-Gon sighed deeply, gritting his teeth at the new ache in his stomach. "Jinn.Qui-Gon Jinn." He let out a long breath as the ache subsided somewhat. "Fifteen..." He sighed.
Lana thought a moment. What a day this kid had had already! Captured by Tho and his moronic cowards and now sick. Half-distracted by thoughts of how to get him and her out of this mess without her losing face, she said, "Happy birthday, Qui-Gon Jinn."
He looked up at that in wonder. "Thank you." He said quietly. "You're the first one who's told me today."
She gave him a half smile that only made her porcelain face more beautiful by its troubled look. "I don't want to know how Tho and his gang got you, Qui-Gon, but I will tell you one thing: I'll do my best to find your master. Could you give me his name so I don't have to slice into the records of the Jedi Temple?"
He looked at her in some surprise at the last bit, but then the room tilted again and he closed his eyes. "Do you want the full version or the short one? And my master.Master Dooku."
Lana glanced at him sharply. "I said I don't want to know how you got caught by Tho, Jinn. The less I know, the less liable I am. I got to look after myself, right?" Even to her ears, her reply seemed hollow.
Qui-Gon looked away, hurt. "Yes, I suppose so." He moaned at the ache in his stomach. "I don't feel so good."
Biting her lip, the only unappealing habit she had besides the death sticks, Lana sighed gently. "Look, I can find out what they gave you and see what's wrong with you. Can you hang in for me until I can get back to you?"
Qui-Gon groaned. "If I must...I." He trailed off. "Thanks," he whispered again. "Everyone else forgot my birthday."
Lana nodded once briskly. Once she had decided on a course of action, she followed through with it, no matter what the risks or consequences. Matter of fact, that was the whole reason she was addicted to those awful death sticks... "I'll be back soon. Hang in, Qui-Gon," she whispered and left, her boots making snapping sounds down the corridor and the door to the room the swoop gang was holding the kid in echoing as it closed behind her.
Qui-Gon sighed as she left, hoping against hope that he could last that long as the room began to spin again. He hoped that the big man wouldn't come back anytime soon. /I'll never disobey my master again,/ he thought miserably to himself.