Chapter VIII

"Alani, what do you think you're doing?"  Balog's harsh voice cut through the silent room.

Immediately, Alani dropped Obi-Wan's head.  With a loud thunk, he fell off his precarious position and hit the floor hard, screaming out in pain as his abused body hit the hard ground.  He saw through a blur of tears Balog's footsteps.  With a sudden jerk, Balog swung his foot back and kicked Obi-Wan hard in the face.  Blood gushed from his nose as Obi-Wan was thrown backwards by the force of the kick.

"Don't you ever do that again, you filthy Jedi," Balog snarled.  "Don't you dare try to entice Alani in hopes that your freedom will be granted you."

Obi-Wan whimpered slightly even as a note of irony crossed his mind.  How could he be trying to entice Alani if he couldn't even move?  He felt defenseless, lying at Balog's feet, blood spurting over his face and bruises covering every inch of him, but at the same time he felt an odd defiance rising in him.  He didn't love Alani.  Force, he hated her.  No.  Not hate.  Just – strongly dislike.

Slowly, he was aware that Balog was speaking lowly to Alani.  With an effort, Obi-Wan used every ounce of Jedi discipline he had in order to drag his mind back to the conversation and to push away the waves of pain that kept distracting him.

"We've caught two more Jedi," Balog was saying excitedly.

Master!

"But they are females," Balog said slowly.  "Still, it's a start.  I'm willing to wager that they think this boy we have here is still alive.  I told you, once we get a Jedi, the rest will come running to us."

"Yes, yes, very wise," Alani snapped.  "But you must recall my sister immediately!"

"What?" Balog snapped.  "She told us valuable information!  Qui-Gon Jinn is coming here.  And Eritha found that out.  She'll come back safely, but for now she'll use some espionage on the Jedi Council."

Eritha?  Obi-Wan felt as if a part of his soul had been ripped from him.  Eritha couldn't be behind this.  She was the essence of innocence . . . how could she possibly be involved in such an evil plan?  It's all a trick, Obi-Wan reassured himself.  "No!" he croaked out weakly.

Both whirled to face him.  "So he's listening," Balog yawned.

Alani smiled slightly.  "I can break him, Balog."

"Do as you wish," Balog sneered.  "I must talk to the people.  Then I must meet up with these two Jedi.  Perhaps they can give us some information."  He turned to go and was almost out the door when he paused.  "No wait.  Why try to wheedle information out of two healthy Jedi Knights when we've got one right here?  And one that doubtless knows a lot more about Qui-Gon Jinn . . . "

"I'll take care of it!" Alani said enthusiastically.  Leaning down, she spoke softly in Obi-Wan's ear.  "Eritha was right about one thing, Obi-Wan.  You would make a good husband.  But since you would never agree, we better do everything the hard way."

*** 

"Why are you two here?" Captain Jef demanded harshly.

"We are here as tourists," Adi said calmly.

Jef stepped forward quickly and hit Siri across the face with the handle of his blaster.  The force of the blow drove her down to her knees.  The captain raised his blaster for a second blow, but Adi had surged forward with lightning speed and deadly grace.  With two fingers, she trapped his blow centimeters from her Padawan.  "You were speaking to me, Captain Jef, not my apprentice."

He pulled away.  Or, he tried to pull away.  But Adi refused to let go of her iron grip and casually kept her face inches from the captain's, metal bars the only thing separating them.  "I'll do as I please!" Jef snarled in her face, unable to do anything with his hand trapped in Adi's grasp..  "Get your hand off me, Jedi!"

"Get your hand off my catch!" a new voice rang in the room.

Jef whirled.  Nield stood there, wearing a lightly armored outfit, with three blasters holstered and his vibro-shiv in hand.  "I am – uh, Jango Fett, and those two Jedi are my catch and mine alone.  I am prepared to defend myself against your guards," Nield warned as Jef shot a quick look at the two men standing near the door.

"So, Jango," Jef said calmly, stepping forward.  "You caught these two Jedi?"

"Yes, and if you take them, I demand a price higher than that I've gotten on another world," Nield said smoothly.

"Which world?"

"Melida/Daan," Nield said, without hesitation.  "Two Jedi years ago went to that planet and destroyed any of the Daan's chances for taking over the planet.  The Daan hired me to catch those two Jedi and force them to fight with them."

"I've heard of that planet," Jef said, dismissive.  "Don't work for them.  Their leader is a seventeen-year-old boy."

"He's a man!" Nield started.  "But that's not important," he added hastily.  He lifted his vibro-shiv.  "Give me my bounty."

"It's not yours," Jef snarled.  "I'm tired of this.  Kill him," he said to the guards.

Nield surged forward, slashing furiously.  The vibro-shiv neatly sliced through the blaster Captain Jef was holding.  With a backwards kick, Nield trapped another guard's blaster with his feet and twirled in midair to land heavily on the second guard.  Jef regained control of the blaster and fired frantically at Nield.

With a spin, Nield whirled and surprised the captain with a roundhouse kick.  The blaster went flying through the air.  Siri stumbled up and caught it.  "Our lightsabers, Master," she murmured quickly to Adi. 

"Wait."

Nield pressed his blaster against the captain's temple.  "Your men are disarmed and you have a blaster at your head, Captain.  Give me my bounty.  Rest assured, I am not afraid to fire."

"Where did you learn to fight?" the Captain demanded harshly, his arm reaching for another blaster that was lying on the floor.

"I was there in the war," Nield said.  "I was there at the disarming."

Jef glared at him.  "Then well met, Jango Fett.  I was there, as well.  I am Wehutti."

***

Surprise, horror, and pure hatred filled Nield's eyes.  "You!" he cried.

Wehutti struggled to his feet, pushing Nield aside.  "What do you mean?  Surely you have never heard of me."

"I have," Nield said, his tone even.  "I'm surprised to see you working for Balog."

"Aren't you?"

"I'm working for the money," Nield snapped, placing his foot on the blaster Wehutti was about to reclaim.  With a flip, he slipped it into a holster.  "I captured these two Jedi."

"Reports from my superiors say otherwise."

"Oh?"  Nield fixed Wehutti with an odd stare.  "Have you always believed in reports?"

"I used to think differently," Wehutti sighed.  "And it cost me the planet I loved and the one person in the world who I loved."

"Cerasi."

Wehutti's eyes snapped open.  "You really were there."

"I was there."

Even without the Force, Adi sensed a great sorrow rising in Wehutti.  She had heard briefly of that mission by reading Qui-Gon's report.  Even now, she recalled the cool way Qui-Gon had reported Obi-Wan's decision to the Council. 

"I don't really care about the boy, Master Yoda.  He made his own foolish decision."

"He's a padawan.  You're his Master!" Adi shot back hotly.  "Do you not feel anything?"

Qui-Gon's cold blue eyes gazed back at her.  "He betrayed me."

"Betrayed me," Adi whispered softly.

Siri glanced at her in surprise.  "Who?"

"Never mind," Adi murmured, focusing her attention back to the present.  Wehutti was staring solidly at Nield.  "Nield is here to rescue us, I'm sure.  The question is: will Wehutti listen?"

"Better question, Master.  Will those two thugs not attack us?" Siri hissed, motioning towards the two guards who were now studying the scene between Nield and Wehutti with obvious interest.

"Which one of the Young were you?" Wehutti asked.

Nield paused, tracing a finger down the handle of his blaster.  "I was working with Cerasi."

"The battles . . . " Wehutti said, his tone growing more and more odd.  "How many times were you forced to take up a weapon against the Elders?"

"More than I can count."

"What did we do to you children?" Wehutti murmured, his tone breaking.  "Take the Jedi.  I know that Melida/Daan has sunken into poverty.  You children need all the money you can get."

"That's not true about Melida/Daan," Nield said, stepping around Wehutti and fingering the lock.  "We are not in poverty.  The code?" he asked.

"Cerasi."

"I could have figured that out!" Siri muttered.

"Come on, Jedi," Nield said, playing out his act and snapping handcuffs on them.  "We have to get moving if I'm to deliver my bounty."

They were almost out the door before Wehutti called out one last time.  "Jango Fett, answer me this.  Was my Cerasi – happy living with the Young?"

Nield faced him.  "She would have been happier if the war had not even started."  The slight tone of bitterness in Nield's voice indicated that he still held a distrust and dislike of the other man.  "But she was happy that she was working for a better future.  Perhaps you could do the same."

***

His hand resting on his 'saber hilt, Qui-Gon ran through the streets.  Nobody paid him any mind.  Bant was racing lightly next to him, a look of pure panic on her face.  Qui-Gon could sense through the Force that his companion was scared even as she was fighting a boiling anger.

That won't do.  Qui-Gon drew to a stop.  Before he had to rescue Adi and Siri, he knew that the Force willed for things to go differently.  "Bant," he said softly, "come with me."

"I am," Bant said, confused.

Qui-Gon led her to a small alley.  "Let go of your fear.  Things will be fine."

"How can you say that?" Bant asked softly.  "I felt your anger and fear."

Read by a child.  Jinn, where have your shields been?  "I know that," Qui-Gon said, "and the hardest thing about being a Jedi is that even when experiencing great loss – and great pains, the Jedi must find his calm center."  Qui-Gon sighed sadly.  "Something I neglected to do."

"She was my Master," Bant whispered softly, blinking her eyes furiously.

Qui-Gon rested a hand on Bant's shoulder.  "I feel your pain, Bant.  But I also feel confidence in your abilities to rescue Obi-Wan.  He is not dead.  We should not be acting like he is.  Focus – focus on the present."

With a nod, Bant closed her eyes.  A moment later when she reopened them, the faintest spark was back.  "I'm ready.  What's the plan?"

Qui-Gon admired how quickly she had been able to find her composure.  Force, it had taken him almost three weeks – and a great personal loss – to do the same.  "The plan?" he asked, stepping back onto the havoc of the streets.  "To bring Balog to justice and to retrieve my Padawan."

***

"Um, I just thought of something," Siri said even as they donned civilian clothes.  "If everybody on the streets here thinks that Balog captured two more Jedi, don't you think Qui-Gon would have heard?  And like . . . maybe he would have come running?"

"Who would be that stupid?" Nield laughed.

"As stupid as I am being right now?" a new voice asked mildly.

Nield whirled and did a double-take.  "Qui-Gon!"

"I'm surprised to see both of you not in need of rescuing," Qui-Gon said, directing his words towards Adi and Siri.  "Bant and I came as soon as we heard the news."  He shot a meaningful look at Nield.

"Nield rescued us," Adi said.  She raised an eyebrow at Qui-Gon.  "Not quite the way we all expected, either."

"Jango Fett," Siri said.  "Where did I hear that name before?"

Nield shrugged.  "I came up with it off the top of my head," he said.  "Jango Fett.  It sounds like a bounty hunter's name, doesn't it?"  He grinned.  "If I weren't a planetary leader, heck, I'd go be a bounty hunter."  He capitulated under Adi's glare.  "But – you know, I wouldn't hurt anybody."

"Yes, not hurting people is what bounty hunter's do best," Adi said wryly.

Qui-Gon's eyebrows lifted.  Bant managed a faint smile for the first time in days.