Chapter IX
"We need a better plan," Qui-Gon said.
"I agree wholeheartedly," Siri put in helpfully. "No offense, but separating, being captured, and having several of us turn the to the Dark Side was not high on the list of things I thought we'd be doing."
"Siri," Adi said softly.
Siri sighed again. "Sorry, Master."
"I have an idea," Bant said, her large eyes suddenly sparking with excitement. "We turn ourselves in! Then wherever they take us . . . "
"Is where Obi-Wan will be," Adi concluded. "I tried that."
"Oh!" Siri blurted out loudly. "That's why you let us be captured!" She wrinkled her brow, obviously deep in thought. "The fault with our plan was Captain Jef, I mean Wehutti. He didn't take us immediately to Balog."
Nield looked with more interest. "That can be changed," he said.
"Wehutti?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Cerasi," Nield murmured.
"Jango Fett!" Siri exclaimed.
"What?" Qui-Gon demanded, confused. "Who?"
"One person at a time," Nield said, "I'll go first," he quickly continued. "Wehutti has a great weakness in Cerasi. I can convince him that he should follow our plan to honor her. I'll still pretend to be Jango Fett, the bounty hunter, but I'll convince him to take me – and you guys, who will be my catch, to Balog."
"I don't like the fact we'll be his 'catch,'" Siri muttered, seeing Bant nod in agreement.
Even as the two apprentices agreed with each other for the first time, Qui-Gon and Adi did as well. "We must try it," Adi said.
Qui-Gon said, with a faint wink, "Do or do not." Adi saw through him instantly, realizing her fellow Jedi was trying to conceal his worries to himself and keep the two apprentices optimistic. Qui-Gon met her eyes and she saw his greatest fear in them.
The fear of losing Obi-Wan.
The fear of losing a part of his very being.
The fear of losing a son.
***
"This may work after all," Siri said enthusiastically. "What do you think, Master?"
"It will," Adi said absentmindedly. Siri's face fell at her master's expression, but she quickly hid it by running one hand against her lightsaber hilt. Adi, also preoccupied, turned to see Qui-Gon. The other Jedi Master was tapping his foot against the ground. When he saw Adi staring, he stopped and put a measure of serenity on his face.
"I noticed your fear earlier," she said cautiously.
Qui-Gon stiffened. "Don't give me the 'fear leads to the dark side' speech. I have heard it countless times before and I don't wish to hear it again."
"I wasn't about to." Adi took the accusation easily. "I wanted to congratulate you on your skills at helping Bant."
Qui-Gon strained a smile. "Yes, I wish I were that young so I could so easily forget."
Adi Gallia was never one to be easily surprised, but Qui-Gon continually managed it. "Do you see Bant as someone who has forgotten what Balog has done? Someone who is simply a child? The girl is a Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn."
"I didn't mean to imply that," Qui-Gon said, his voice lowering slightly. "But she was never the boy's Master. Surely you understand what it must feel to know that your padawan is missing and it is due largely in part to you."
"Obi-Wan's – kidnapping – was not your fault."
"If I had taken him with me, he would never have gone unprotected."
"Shifting guilt is not a thing to do right now."
"Guilt comes after anger. Anger after shock."
Adi sighed. "Qui-Gon, we will get him back," she insisted, "Once Nield gives us the go, we will be launching our plan." Seeing the other Jedi nod slightly, she continued on. "Siri and Bant will pretend to be caught by Nield again. Nield will take them to Wehutti who will hopefully take them to Balog. The padawans will have tracking devices on them and we will follow once they give a signal that they have found Obi-Wan."
"There are great flaws to the plan," Qui-Gon started.
"Flaws yes, but also hope," Adi pressed. She started to go on when Siri suddenly interrupted her, her eyes shining eagerly.
"Nield has reported back. Everything is set."
***
Wehutti clasped two servo-cuffs around Siri and Bant's hands. "Take her lightsaber," he ordered to one of his men. The guard glared at Nield, perhaps recognizing him. Most people didn't want to be open and friendly with a person who had knocked them out. Only too happy for a chance to be rough, the guard snatched Bant's lightsaber rudely from her belt.
He turned to disarm Siri, but she was already disarmed, thanks to her earlier encounter in this exact same cell. "Captain Jef, where are we taking them?"
Wehutti was deep in talk with Nield. The guard used the moment to sneer into their faces, "Die, Jedi scum. We will kill you and rot you in oil, just as we did those other Jedi," he snorted.
Bant seethed slightly and spat back in his face, "Your overconfidence is your downfall."
"You're in no position to say that," the guard snapped back before Wehutti turned his attention back to the matters at hand. "Sir, I most sincerely recommend we . . . we get them to er, open up, about a few things first."
"If you are talking about torture, no." Wehutti's expression was stoic. "You will take them straight to Balog and say they are Jedi prisoners. That is all." He wheeled on the guard fiercely, "Anything you do against my orders will result in – my displeasure." He smiled then, and flexed his arm.
"Yes, sir." Roughly, the guard shoved Siri and Bant out the door. "Of course, sir."
Nield turned to follow when he suddenly heard Wehutti's footfall following him. Tensing automatically, he spun around. "What do you want with me?"
Wehutti's eyes analyzed him. "I know you. You are not a normal Young. There's something different about you . . . "
"Nothing," Nield asserted. "I am Jango Fett."
"No." Wehutti stared at him a moment longer. "The Jedi was Tahl."
"Yes."
"We killed her."
Nield subconsciously stiffened. "Yes. The Melida did."
Wehutti's next words were soft. "I have failed everybody. I failed Cerasi. I failed my planet." His head was bent slightly. "This was not how it was supposed to happen."
"You did a great deed by helping me today."
"Not enough. Never enough." With sudden determination, Wehutti looked straight at Nield. "You – Jango Fett. Carry on my words to the leader of Melida/Daan. Tell Nield that I loved him as a son for what he had done for Cerasi, and that I never meant for everything to spiral so quickly out of control. Tell him. And give him this." Wehutti slammed a piece of paper in Nield's hand. Then, before Nield could react, Wehutti raised his blaster, pointed it at his own chest and fired.
The impact threw him back against the wall with a sickening thud, but it didn't matter anymore. Wehutti was dead.
***
There is no death; there is the Force. Obi-Wan screamed that phrase in his mind. He wished at that moment for death. No human could possibly undertake anymore. Alani had used every tactic possible against him, beating, fondling, kissing – Obi-Wan felt his throat lurch once more at the memory.
Of course even that small movement caused pain to rip through his body.
He wasn't sure how long he had been strapped to this table. Alani had left him here – what? –days ago? Obi-Wan had given up hopes that Qui-Gon would find him now. He would go kill Balog in revenge for Tahl before rescuing me. There was a small relief that at least Qui-Gon wouldn't die trying to rescue Obi-Wan, but . . . at least I would have known he cares.
Obi-Wan laughed bitterly. That would never happen.
He fell back into a slumber, staring up at the ceiling and trying hard not to betray his pain. He knew the odds that the room was being monitored were high. As if hearing his thoughts, Alani suddenly burst in. "Ah, good you're awake."
Obi-Wan croaked.
"Feeling weak, Jedi?" she asked, "Where's your powerful Force now?"
Obi-Wan didn't respond. He could feel the Force around him, yes, but his mind wouldn't allow him to control it. There was a blockade between him and the only thing Obi-Wan still trusted. "Force suppressants," he said at last. "Good job."
Alani smiled innocently and batted her eyelashes. "Who, me?"
"You sick piece of Sith spit," Obi-Wan snarled at her, unable to help himself now despite the warnings his body screamed at him. "Only you would delight in torturing me for hours and then – " he snapped his mouth shut furiously.
"What, rape you?" she was all but giggling.
The words sent a myriad of opposite reactions rushing through Obi-Wan. Pure rage, for one. But at the same time, a warm sort of feeling . . . NO! Obi-Wan put a lid on his feelings and glared hazily at Alani. He was having trouble concentrating on her face. There were a million of them, each of them staring, laughing, giggling.
Obi-Wan fell backwards on the table, his head reeling.
***
With a cry of surprise, Nield leapt forward and caught Wehutti before his body hit the ground. He rolled the warrior up, but Wehutti's blank eyes stared back at him. Stunned, Nield lowered the man's body to the ground and looked at his hand, which was tightly clenching the piece of paper Wehutti had handed him. "I never even got a chance to tell you the truth," Nield murmured softly.
He unfolded the paper and quickly read it.
Nield,
You still harbor resentment towards me. No matter. I must admit something to you. I never had a son and Cerasi died before I could present her a gift. But your young friend, Jango Fett tells me he knows you are alive and well. Perhaps the last person left who I once knew and trusted.
We did not agree during the war and I deeply regret that. More, I deeply regret my choice to leave the planet. But I offer you something. Carry it well because it is all I have left. Look under my sleep couch in my quarters. You will find a piece of armor. It is Mandalarion armor. Use it well.
- Wehutti
Nield twisted the note in his hands tightly before hefting Wehutti's body up.
***
The streets were crowded and rowdy, people screaming everywhere. Siri took no notice of it, although she and Bant were the probably reasons for the crowds. The guard securely holding them was beaming and waving. People were screaming out offers of their weapons to kill the Jedi with. It sickened Siri to see the scene.
"What happened here?" Siri muttered to Bant lowly.
"Great people of liberty and justice died here and with them the planet," Bant replied.
Siri furrowed her brow. "You know, Qui-Gon Jinn said almost the same thing. Master Adi told me so."
Bant nodded. "Yes."
Siri stared at Bant, perplexed. It soon became apparent to her that Bant wasn't listening. Silently, she held back any further comments she wanted to make on the situation and concentrated on their surroundings. The small chip she had in her boot was one thing she had to protect at all costs.
Other than her life, of course.
Looking at Bant though, Siri couldn't help but wonder if Bant thought the same way.
tbc
As it much it might not seem like it, this story is rapidly approaching its concluding chapter! Whether or not it will follow the Star Wars universe...that will be something only the future can tell. *mysterious smile* But here's something: it won't exactly be a 'happy ending'