With a Force shove, Qui-Gon took out three of the military guards standing watch. The remaining few whipped out blasters and pointed them straight at Qui-Gon. Four bolts narrowly missed his head before Adi gestured and the blasters went flying into the Jedi's hands.
One of the guards stumbled backwards, his hand falling on the only weapon he had left: his electro-jabber. With a swift thrust, he came at Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon had to admire the man's bravery, but he didn't need this right now. A simple tightening of his finger and the man was out of the way.
Qui-Gon allowed a slight smile to grace his worn features before turning his attention towards the remaining military soldiers. They were forming a circle now, blasters extended outwards, spears, shivs, and swords hooked somewhere on their body.
"D – don't move or we'll shoot!" one of the men stammered.
"Are you a coward?" another shouted, "Get those Jedi and do honor for your family! Attack! Kill them just as we killed all the other ones!" He smiled chillingly. "They are easy to kill, as that Jedi proved to us."
Qui-Gon swung his blaster towards the man and squeezed the trigger hard. A satisfied smile tugged at his lips as the man collapsed onto the ground. Qui-Gon continued firing, watching as the limp body jerked with each blast. The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
"He's gonna kill us all!" someone shouted. "Retreat!"
Qui-Gon lifted his blaster up to meet the soldiers and aimed, firing repeatedly. The blasters and various weapons exploded in smoke and sparks. Easily, Qui-Gon called upon the Force to close the door panel. "There's no escape," he smiled. The soldiers looked around, saw no escape and cowered.
The Force filled him to the very brim and Qui-Gon drew upon it hungrily. He mockingly pointed the blaster at each cowering soldier, feeling excitement jar through him. "Who should I kill first?" he asked. Qui-Gon hardened his heart against the feeling of warning inside him. These were the men who had killed Tahl.
"All the love in your life didn't die with Tahl." Adi spoke from behind him.
Her voice chilled Qui-Gon to the bone.
"I won't let you kill them." The Force rose and clashed furiously, the tension in the air rapidly accelerating. "If you intend to, you'll have to kill me first." Qui-Gon turned furiously to see his fellow comrade standing tall, pointing her own blaster at his heart.
"Don't do something you'll regret."
Qui-Gon lowered his blaster a few centimeters. "I won't regret it. These are the men I've been after this whole time. Them and Balog. It doesn't matter. He's almost dead, too. I can finish him off. Then my mission would have been completed."
"You said that the core of you doesn't want darkness. Why are you doing this? For Tahl, for Obi-Wan, or for revenge?"
"Both." Qui-Gon snapped his blaster up again and directed it at the soldiers.
"Pick a side," Adi said. "All throughout this mission you've been walking a fine line. Just a few minutes ago the true part of you emerged and you revealed to me. But now, I can't help but wonder if that part of you died when you heard about Obi-Wan."
"Well you're correct."
Adi shook her head dolefully. "It doesn't matter. Let's go."
Qui-Gon turned, startled. The door had been skillfully worked open with the Force and the soldiers had disappeared into the crowded streets of New Apsolon.
***
No! Obi-Wan felt the whir of the machine and reached out for the Force. He had defeated it once before – and even without a Force-sensitive rock to aid him, he was certain that his skills had progressed enough for him to overthrow the memory wiping machine away.
But the Force eluded him. A healthy dose of Force-suppressants and his weakened body condition broke his control of the Force. Surprisingly, Obi-Wan found he could still remember many things.
Perhaps the machine is working improperly.
Obi-Wan could feel it shooting and skipping over his younger years. Then a grinding came on and Obi-Wan screamed and punched the air furiously, trying anything to get the machine to stop. The chains bound his arms tightly and Obi-Wan could see bright-red blood oozing from his wrists.
Then suddenly – there was nothing. Obi-Wan couldn't remember why he was so upset. After all, Alani was only trying to help him...new memories filled the slot, making Obi-Wan feel less empty deep inside.
A deep growing hatred began to fill his muscles, hardening them with fresh strength. Qui-Gon Jinn.
***
"What's your name?"
"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Obi-Wan answered without preamble. He focused his blue eyes on Alani. "Who are you?"
"Good," she said, her expression one of pleasure. "My name is Alani. I am your savior." She undid the chains locking Obi-Wan to the table. "Who is Qui-Gon Jinn?" she asked, purring softly.
Obi-Wan's innocent expression darkened at the name. "The man who betrayed me."
Alani turned and smiled at him. "Very good, Obi-Wan. Go wait in the next room for me. I need to talk to Eritha." Obi-Wan turned obediently and left the room.
With a wry smile, Alani switched on her comm. "It worked, Eritha," she said, grinning. "The selective memory wipe really worked! Obi-Wan thinks we're on his side and that Qui-Gon Jinn is his enemy!"
Eritha stopped her furious pacing. "That may very well help us if Kenobi thinks that his master is someone not to be trusted..."
"What do you mean?"
"We have received word from the streets. Qui-Gon Jinn and another Jedi Master we have identified to be Adi Gallia are coming to where Obi-Wan is. Two Jedi padawans and a bounty hunter are holding Balog hostage."
"Everything is working out perfectly!" Alani hissed. "You are a genius, my sister."
"Patrik commed me earlier." Eritha smiled. "Everything is in place, just as I have predicted. We have a population of eager slaves and we have the Jedi to feed them with. Then they will honor us and follow us blindly. And now, we are ready to get rid of Balog once and for all, and claim our rightful power."
"And a bonus," Alani said. "We have a treat to come home to. Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Eritha's eyes lit up. "Now, nothing can stop us."
***
Qui-Gon's voice was low and silky. "I had them in my grasp."
"You would have killed them." Adi met Qui-Gon's glare with a reasoning one. "Do you not recognize what's coming over you? I know you're still inside of that hatred, Qui-Gon. Fight it. We won't accomplish anything."
"I was a fool when I said those things to you," Qui-Gon said.
Adi looked at him steadily before suddenly closing the gap between them. "Get this straight," she said in his face. "I don't have time for this. Siri is in possible danger and your random switching between the dark and light isn't helping any. Now, I'm going to get my padawan. You get yours."
Stunned, Qui-Gon followed Adi out of the room. "Where are you going?"
Adi made a slight movement with her right hand to indicate her empty belt.
"Lightsabers, I see." Qui-Gon's tone was relatively light, hiding the deep frustration underneath. Qui-Gon narrowed his eyes, "How do you know where they are?"
"I don't," Adi said. "But whenever blood-thirsty people hell bent on killing Jedi for honor come around, they hide lightsabers in the exact same place."
"That would be – " Qui-Gon pressed.
"On their belts."
"Who do you think has them?"
"Not Balog. Not Alani. They weren't around. That leaves – "
"Eritha," Qui-Gon concluded for her. He followed Adi around one corner. "She might be guarded," he warned, reaching out with his senses once more. The Force clumsily responded to his call. Qui-Gon resisted the temptation to draw on the sparkling energy resting deep in his nerves and instead touched only the 'safe' side. It was slower. Less effective.
"What the Council teaches about the dark side isn't all true," Qui-Gon murmured almost to himself. He held the highest respect for the Council. But none of them had ever touched the dark side. They had never felt its efficiency. It had been easy to turn back. Here he was now, not going around killing people or falling victim to the Dark.
He was using the Light.
So if it were that easy to convert back, Qui-Gon mused, and the Dark side helped him achieve his goals, wasn't the Dark side the right side for times like these, after all?
***
"Tell me what you remember," Alani said softly, wiping bacta on one of Obi-Wan's cuts. The young man didn't flinch once, even as Alani came to deep slash across his forearm that was still bleeding at the edges.
"I used to be a Jedi," Obi-Wan recited. "Apprentice to Qui-Gon Jinn. My life was never happy. He beat me everyday with his fists and lightsaber. But one day, you and Princess Eritha found me and saved me from him. You found me beaten up. Now you're healing me."
"You learn fast," Alani said, running one hand across Obi-Wan's swollen lips. "Soon you'll be ready to confront Qui-Gon and kill him for what he did to you."
Obi-Wan frowned. "But everything is so murky. I can't remember much."
"That's only because he knocked you out so badly," Alani said, "Don't worry. In time, I'll tell you everything about how Qui-Gon ruined your life. But for now," Alani sat back in a chair. "Show me what you remember about the Force."
Obi-Wan's eyes clouded before he nodded. "I feel someone calling me." His brow furrowed. "Someone familiar. I can't quite place it."
With a deft twist, Alani slapped the wounded boy across the face. Obi-Wan flinched. "He's trying to trick you," Alani hissed angrily. "Don't fall for it." She softened her tone. "I'm trying to help you forget him, Obi-Wan."
"I know," Obi-Wan muttered. "I will try to shut him away."
"Good. Now show me the Force."
Obediently, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and reached out for the powers of the galaxy swirling around him. Eyes still closed, Alani watched amazed as he slowly lifted all the contents in the room that weren't bolted down in the air. She reached out one hand and tugged hard on a datapad. It didn't budge a fraction. "Good," she breathed. "Good."
"It pleases me to please you," Obi-Wan said. The room in the air suddenly felt colder and Alani felt a sense of unease. So much power. Obi-Wan could kill her without moving a single muscle except for his mind.
That power should be mine! Alani frowned. "Don't use the Force anymore," she ordered, "Unless I tell you to."
Slowly, everything in the room drifted back to its previous position. "As you wish," Obi-Wan said calmly.
"You are mine," Alani whispered to him furiously. "Understand that?"
Obi-Wan's wide eyes mirrored confusion. "I live only to serve you. My life is yours. Everything I have is yours. I pledge myself to you."
"Never forget your vow, Obi-Wan," Alani said. "Now, I have a task for you that will prove that commitment of yours."
Obi-Wan's eyes gleamed.
Alani withdrew Obi-Wan's lightsaber and handed it to him. "Use this. Kill Qui-Gon Jinn. Kill him and bring his polished bones back to me."
Obi-Wan dropped to one knee. "As you wish, your Majesty."
More to come...soon...