Exquisite Pain: Ghosts
Prequel to 'Exquisite Pain: Linked'
Rating: PG-13 for violence and torture
Disclaimer: Of course, all recognizable Star Wars characters belong to George Lucas and LucasFilm LTD. I just take them out to play sometimes. :}
Dedication: To those loyal readers, both here and from the boards, who are still with me.
Chapter One
He woke slowly, his skull pounding from a lump on the left side of his head. Disjointed images floated in his mind of the last few conscious moments that he had had…how long ago? How long had it been since he had been unconscious?
He didn't know.
He groaned and a light touch on his shoulder caused his eyes to flutter open.
He almost wished he hadn't.
A transparent girl stood near him, her face concerned. Her voice like echoing reeds, she asked, "Are you all right?"
Sixteen year old Obi-Wan Kenobi rubbed the side of his head that throbbed and warily gazed at her. "I've been better." He glanced around to see that he was still in the empty warehouse that his Jedi master, Qui-Gon Jinn, had had him go check out for the suspicious men that they had seen earlier…was it that day? "Do you know how long I've been here?"
The ghost nodded. "Yes. You've been unconscious for nearly a day. We were quite worried about you."
"We?" He asked as he sat up slowly, cradling his head. That was when he noticed six other ghosts hovering near him.
The dead girl smiled. "Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you. We scared away the man who tried to hurt you." She blushed, a very faint color of red on her cheeks to indicate it. "I stayed here with you."
Obi-Wan had heard of ghosts before, spirits who had not transferred over to the Force when they died, but none on the planet of Arborané. He took his movements small as he assessed his situation. Other than the bump on the head and the nasty burn from the stranger's red lightsaber down his right arm he seemed to be okay.
"What is your name, Jedi, that we may have the honor?" A tall man, one of the older looking ghosts, asked.
"I'm not a full Jedi yet," Obi-Wan grunted, kneading the soreness out of his neck from laying in a sprawled position. "But my name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I'm a Padawan to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn."
Two women floated closer to him, though they did not touch him. "We are the Simini family," one of the women said. On closer inspection, Obi-Wan could tell that they were twins.
"Wait…" Obi-Wan said, his brain still waking up. "All of you are…one family?"
All seven ghosts nodded.
"How did you all die? Was it all at the same time?" He frowned, a prodding in the Force telling him to find answers to this mystery.
The girl, the youngest of them all and about twelve from her looks, shrugged. "We don't know. Our home used to be on this spot. One night we went to sleep, and then we discovered we were ghosts. None of us know how we died, nor why we can't go where we are supposed to." She smiled shyly. "I'm Rebina Simini."
"Tad Simini," said the obvious father.
A woman near him who must have been the mother smiled sadly. "Jessip Simini."
"Lamri and Tamir Samini," the twins chorused, smiling broadly. They were close to his own age and very pretty.
A sullen boy forced a smile. "Nath Simini."
Obi-Wan frowned deeper. "And…none of you remember dying?"
All seven heads sadly shook in a negative answer.
Obi-Wan sighed and stood up. His head immediately spun and he grabbed onto the nearest wall for support. That stranger must have really hit him hard. He wondered where his master was and if he was looking for him.
Jessip Simini came closer to him. "Honey, I know we can't do much as we are, but do you need us to scare some help this way for you?"
Every face but Nath's was eager to help him.
He almost laughed. "No, thank you," he told the ghost family. After a moment, he concentrated to locate his master, and found him extremely close.
Master…
Almost immediately, Qui-Gon's mental voice returned, Padawan! I've been searching for you for over half a day! Where are you?
The warehouse still. I'll explain later, he sent.
He glanced up to see the seven pale faces staring at him.
"I just contacted my master. He's on his way here now to get me," he explained.
Rebina frowned. "He's coming…here?"
Obi-Wan nodded, feeling tired again and very shaky. He almost didn't notice the seven ghosts pulling back toward the darkest corner of the warehouse on the other side from where he stood.
"Where are you going?"
Only Rebina came back toward him. "We don't let just anyone see us," she told him haughtily. "We thought…perhaps after we helped you, you could help us."
Obi-Wan thought he heard a ringing in his ears and his vision was getting cloudy again. How hard did that man hit him, and with what? His arm burned and oozed puss, adding to the distractions as he tried to focus on what the girl was saying. "What do you need?" He asked, his words slurring slightly as he wavered by the wall.
"Help us," the girl pleaded. "Find out how we died. Maybe then we could finally leave this planet and go where we are supposed to be. Please, Obi-Wan. Help us?"
Obi-Wan wasn't sure if he nodded as blackness began to encroach on his vision. He felt himself falling, then strong hands, real hands, caught him and he was staring into the concerned face of his master.
"Obi-Wan, where have you been?" Qui-Gon asked, trying to hide the anxiousness from his tone.
Obi-Wan smiled. "With the ghosts." Then he passed out again.